UnSelling: The New Customer Experience

Chapter 4Remedies for Funnel Vision

1. Never, ever think of people as leads—online or offline. We do not walk around with invisible prospective numbers on our heads, and no one wants to be valued based on their possible future profit to you.
2. Create amazing products, services, and content first. If you put it out in the world, make it good. Social media sentiment is not to blame for your disappointing quarter; a bad product is.
3. Trusted referrals are the best marketing. When customers pass through your company funnel, they do not go live on some deserted island somewhere¹
4. —they go back into the mix. They share their experiences, good and bad, and those listening value these opinions ahead of any ad or campaign.

UnSelling is what happens when you understand the humanity of your market, produce a quality product, and create experiences that lead to trusted referrals. UnSelling means stepping back from the funnel and focusing on everything else but the sale. I once sat in a VIP lounge at a conference where business owners had paid extra for a few-hour closed session with me and my friend, John Morgan.² During the session, one person raised a hand and said, “If someone isn't ready to buy from me in the next six weeks, I don't want to talk to him. I'm not wasting my time on anyone not ready to buy.” Obviously, this ray of sunshine isn't right for social media. I can't imagine anyone with that kind of attitude being great to work with at all. With so much competition and information ...