SOME of the Golden Rules of Selling

[Paul Markham]

I've been selling from the age of 14. Selling myself as a car washer to people at their front doors. Lucrative business if you could get to an area where the low end of cars were Rovers, Merc's and Jags. Then selling on a market stall, then to selling clothing to shops, then Office Interiors, adverting and for the last 3 decades porn. Rose from washing cars to the owner of a porn company. Selling was essential and everyone in it has to follow basic rules.

A product does not sell itself. Even the best needs some help. The worse needs a lot of help.

Even if you build a better mouse trap, you have to tell people about it. They won't learn if you keep it a secret. Still once you have "the better mouse trap" the amount of selling is far less than having "the worse mouse trap". That's so fundamental whether you're building mouse traps or Jumbo Jets.

Stacking shelves or holding a big notice board up for people to see isn't selling.

It's hoping. and no matter how nice you stack the shelves or how big the board is or how many people file past it. It doesn't make it selling. Selling is tougher. Find a need, find a solution to that need, find the people with that need and tell them why your product fills their needs. Selling is a subject people have written lots of books on and can't be explained well in a few sentence. Still the above is basic. You have to then shape that basic knowledge to many things that fit the situation.

You have to have a product worth buying.

So fundamental in selling. customers are not fools. They often know a lot about the product. You need to have a product that competes. Yes a great salesman can sell a one off bad item. However the odds on a customer buying it again and again are lower than him repeat buying a good item.

It has to compete in the market of today, not yesterday.

Again obvious. As markets and products change. You have to keep apace with them. In selling as well as producing the product. If the market evolves, the product has to evolve.

The more the seller knows about his product, it's use and the customers needs, the more he will sell

And the more he likes or loves what he's selling the easier it is and the better he can sell. A vegetarian selling steak isn't going to do well. If you sell cars, knowing how to drive is a benefit. Knowing how the car is made can also be a great benefit when approaching potential customers. If you don't know, you can bet your customer does and can spot a dud.

Respect customers, they are the boss.

Or lose their respect. And them.

These rules apply to what ever you sell. Jumbo Jets or porn. And you don't need to run a paysite or drive traffic to them to learn these rules.

I think in porn a salesman has to follow these rules. Thinking how do I tell the world about my porn, what do my potential customers want, how do I shape my selling to tell them we have what they want, why should people buy my porn.

Filing people past shelves stacked with boxes all looking much the same as every other site. Is losing sales.

[L-Pink]

Here we go again .......

.

[JFK]

good morning Paul

[DarkJedi]

[Nicky]

You've been selling since you were 14 so for like 70 years and you still have no clue about marketing. Good job

[ottopottomouse]

Should of stuck to washing cars.

[TheSquealer]

Originally Posted by ottopottomouse

Should of stuck to washing cars.

Imagine that shit!! Soapy sponge in hand, 20 years old, broke and homeless, lecturing the car owner on how to drive, how the future of cars is in question, how car manufacturers are greedy and destroyed the market and kept pestering the car owner to come up with solutions "the problem".

[BIGTYMER]

This is ezine gold!

[DamianJ]

He can write so much without actually saying a single useful thing.

Here's the basics of selling. With actual advice rather than rhetoric. And truism as opposed to horseshit like "you have to have something worth selling". Of course you don't. How many people buy macdonalds? How many buy factor records? You can market any old shit to anyone, you just have to know how to sell. Read practical tips written just for the porn market:

http://adultmarketing.co.uk/2011/10/16/how-to-sell/

[Waiter]

Originally Posted by DamianJ

He can write so much without actually saying a single useful thing.

Here's the basics of selling. With actual advice rather than rhetoric. And truism as opposed to horseshit like "you have to have something worth selling". Of course you don't. How many people buy macdonalds? How many buy factor records? You can market any old shit to anyone, you just have to know how to sell. Read practical tips written just for the porn market:

http://adultmarketing.co.uk/2011/10/16/how-to-sell/

respect

[Roald]

Apple should hire you!

[Paul Markham]

Here's the basics of selling. With actual advice rather than rhetoric. And truism as opposed to horseshit like "you have to have something worth selling". Of course you don't. How many people buy macdonalds? How many buy factor records? You can market any old shit to anyone, you just have to know how to sell. Read practical tips written just for the porn market:

From a man whose never sold diddly squat.

The people who buy MacDonalds burgers over and over again, don't do it because of marketing. They do it because they like them. So Damian doesn't understand why people like them. Doesn't mean other don't. There's also price and convenience and image factors to consider.

"You can market any old shit to anyone, you just have to know how to sell."

Try selling it to them twice. Three times and for ever. That's like saying an affiliate will keep promoting a site that doesn't sell, just buy him drinks at a party. Damian might have a point actually, when dealing with fools.

You missed the part about respecting customers Damina.

[Paul Markham]

Originally Posted by Roald

Apple should hire you!

I did sell a lot of office furniture to IBM, does that count?

Getting 1,000s of people to look at a product and enjoy it for free. Isn't selling. It's a lower form of selling than the Mexican standing by the side of a Freeway ramp with a sign saying Oranges For Sale.

It's amazing that people do something less like selling than that and call it selling.

So far at least Damian tried to come up with a counter debate. Full of shit, but the rest just troll.

[DamianJ]

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

From a man whose never sold diddly squat.

Well, I spent the first 7 years after graduating as Ad Manager for the largest publishing houses. Not door to door selling people chairs like you, I admit. I do only have experience of a more professional sales experience.

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

The people who buy MacDonalds burgers over and over again, don't do it because of marketing. They do it because they like them.

LOL. Macdonalds is shit Paul. You really can't disagree with that. You said you needed to have a good product as one of your "golden rules". The fact Macdonalds is popular proves you are wrong on that one. Do you see?

Of course its successful because, solely, of advertising.

"Companies spend billions to make sure that you know their product. In 2001, on direct media advertising, that?s radio, television and print, McDonald?s spent 1.4 Billion dollars worldwide. On direct media advertising, Pepsi spent more than a billion dollars. To advertise candy, Hershey foods spent a mere 200 million dollars internationally. In its peak year the ?5 a Day Vegetable Campaigns? total advertising budget in all media was a lowly 2 million dollars, 100 times less than just the direct media budget of one candy company."

http://worshipfollower.com/2010/02/1...001-marketing/

And more recently "McDonald's spent some $823 billion in ad dollars in 2008"
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/106930/

So actually, they have a shit product and spend a fortune marketing it, and people then THINK they like it.

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

"You can market any old shit to anyone, you just have to know how to sell."

Try selling it to them twice. Three times and for ever.

Macdonalds manage. By spending billions of dollars on marketing.

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

You missed the part about respecting customers Damina.

I didn't miss it, love. I just agree with you on that one.

[TheSquealer]

Classic. The idiot uses McDonalds as an example. An example of great marketing selling tasteless cardboard poison to the masses... WORLD WIDE.

[Nicky]

Originally Posted by DamianJ

And more recently "McDonald's spent some $823 billion in ad dollars in 2008"
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/106930/

That article's gotta be wrong on the $823 billion, pretty sure It's 823 million

[seeandsee]

I have plans to make and sell something, but still cant figure out what will be the best choice

[Roald]

Originally Posted by TheSquealer

Classic. The idiot uses McDonalds as an example. An example of great marketing selling tasteless cardboard poison to the masses... WORLD WIDE.

Like Apple selling an inferior over priced product just by marketing it really well.

Sorry fanboys ;)

[2intense]

i am not going to read this shit

[Jel]

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

From a man whose never sold diddly squat.

You haven't sold anything as a salesman for 34 years. Now tell me I'm lying.

[Jel]

Originally Posted by Roald

Like Apple selling an inferior over priced product just by marketing it really well.

Sorry fanboys ;)

[FlexxAeon]

it's not cute anymore, paul

[Caligari]

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

From a man whose never sold diddly squat.

The people who buy MacDonalds burgers over and over again, don't do it because of marketing. They do it because they like them. So Damian doesn't understand why people like them. Doesn't mean other don't. There's also price and convenience and image factors to consider.

"You can market any old shit to anyone, you just have to know how to sell."

Try selling it to them twice. Three times and for ever. That's like saying an affiliate will keep promoting a site that doesn't sell, just buy him drinks at a party. Damian might have a point actually, when dealing with fools.

You missed the part about respecting customers Damina.

Absolutely true. I hate McDonald's TV adverts, but the reality is people continue to go back because for a fast food chain the quality is good and the price is right. In this case McDonald's ads mean next to nothing now, they simply are THE icon of the fast food industry for better or worse.

on edit- while i detest Mcdonalds ads, i am sure they are successful and appeal to a broad range of idiots.

And how big was the "dollar menu" which they started in 2000?
Almost all fast food chains adopted the same idea very quickly.

But what's this? Five Guys, In and Out etc are all better burgers which have also risen and taken a bite out of Mcdonalds profit line.

Why? Because they are better. So if you want to tie an analogy to Mcdonalds and porn you could say that no matter what Manwin gobbles up there will always be the top notch independent site which has better quality in a particular niche and people will continue to buy.

That is, until Manwin buys it

[Paul Markham]

Of course a great salesman or great marketing man can sell better than a medium salesmen or marketing people. However these skills are not something everyone has and they're highly prized by companies.

These people can pick and choose who they work for and go for the top dollar returns.

Will a top marketing man, market online porn?

If so will he choose to Market Met-Art or DVT's sites?

Who can afford to pay a top salesman or marketing man the money they will get elsewhere. Apple, MacDonalds or 3wayscash?

Who out of these would a top salesman or marketing man work for. Apple, MacDonalds or 3wayscash?

Just because Usain Bolt of Jamaica smashed his own record in the 100 meters. Doesn't mean anyone can. Quoting what MacDonalds do with their resources behind them. Is stupid, so no change their with people, because it doesn't mean Damian or Squealer can do the same.

They just site there scratching their asses wondering why MacDonalds sell a poor product so well and they fail at it.

[epitome]

Paul doesn't have a good product, hence nobody wanting his content.

The reality we all know but he fails to grasp is that he only sold shit back in the day because so few were offering it. He bowed out the second it involved skill or beating competition. Now he just rants...

[Paul Markham]

Originally Posted by Caligari

Absolutely true. I hate McDonald's TV adverts, but the reality is people continue to go back because for a fast food chain the quality is good and the price is right. In this case McDonald's ads mean next to nothing now, they simply are THE icon of the fast food industry for better or worse.

on edit- while i detest Mcdonalds ads, i am sure they are successful and appeal to a broad range of idiots.

And how big was the "dollar menu" which they started in 2000?
Almost all fast food chains adopted the same idea very quickly.

But what's this? Five Guys, In and Out etc are all better burgers which have also risen and taken a bite out of Mcdonalds profit line.

Why? Because they are better. So if you want to tie an analogy to Mcdonalds and porn you could say that no matter what Manwin gobbles up there will always be the top notch independent site which has better quality in a particular niche and people will continue to buy.

That is, until Manwin buys it

Spot on and great marketing by MacDees and In & Out.

And the parallel is here in online porn. Met-Art, or 3wayscash?

Do good affiliates send their traffic to a good converting site or a bad one?

Yes Damina, a good salesman can sell shit. He doesn't have to. You on the other hand.

[DamianJ]

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

Yes Damina, a good salesman can sell shit.

Cool, so we agree that one of your "golden rules" was wrong then.

I agree with the others though.

Especially the one about respecting the customer. TBH, I think that is really where online porn has fucked up. For years we've treated them like idiots. Circle jerks, hidden cross sales, diallers, card banging. And now we find out they go to get the content for free. Funny that.

If we offered more respect to the people that pay our way, we'd go a lot further as in industry.

[martinsc]

Originally Posted by DarkJedi

[Barry-xlovecam]

Sell the sizzle not the steak.

Show your buyer how HE benefits.

People buy from their friends so try not to be just another mindless idiot salesman.

[DamianJ]

Originally Posted by Barry-xlovecam

People buy from their friends so try not to be just another mindless idiot salesman.

Very good point. When I do seminars at the shows, I talk about turning strangers into friends and friends into customers with email. Much easier to sell to sell to someone that trusts and likes you.

[Grapesoda]

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

It has to compete in the market of today, not yesterday.

Again obvious. As markets and products change. You have to keep apace with them. In selling as well as producing the product. If the market evolves, the product has to evolve.

here's where it all falls apart on ya

[raymor]

McDonald's is an interesting study. They probably put more work into CONSISTENCY than just about anyone. Even with the high end restaurants around here, my wife and I find that we're sometimes disappointed. One place was great the first few times we went, then not great at all the next two times. With McDonald's, the theory is you can go to any McD's anywhere in the country and your quarter pounder will be just as edible as it was last time. It's not fine cuisine, but it always meets your expectations. Perfect for road trips when you want to fill your belly, not have a culinary experience. They would say that consistently meeting customer expectations is one type of "quality" which makes McD's "good" in the fast food industry.

[Barry-xlovecam]

FatCat: "I'm a bad boy wit a lotta' hos."

In case you have not figured it out -- this is an adult website . . .
So if your mother said you can't look at live webcam girls showing tits and ass on-line -- Hit da bricks . . . It's time to leave!

If you are a legal adult wherever the fuck you live, click the damn enter button and get yo azz in here and see my bitchez!

[EukerVoorn]

If McDonald's is shit then that proves how good they are at marketing

The best way for selling porn is clever preview videos. Not too long, not too short and very suggestive, don't show them the actual thing. And I agree with Damien; treat your customer with respect, give him the product you've promised him and don't give him anything else like ads etc.

The comparisment with McDonald's is a good one; someone is horny, sees a McDrive, knows what to expect from there and will go there.

Someone is horny, sees your site, bought your product before and knows what to expect from it, and will buy again.

[Si]

Originally Posted by Roald

Like Apple selling an inferior over priced product just by marketing it really well.

Sorry fanboys ;)

[Caligari]

Originally Posted by EukerVoorn

If McDonald's is shit then that proves how good they are at marketing

The best way for selling porn is clever preview videos. Not too long, not too short and very suggestive, don't show them the actual thing. And I agree with Damien; treat your customer with respect, give him the product you've promised him and don't give him anything else like ads etc.

First part makes no sense, if Mcdonalds was shit no one would buy their burgers. As was stated they make consistently good burgers, good enough so that nearly everyone at some point veers off into their drive thru for a bite.
They have achieved the ultimate status "you get what you pay for" as in you can expect pretty much the exact result everytime you go there and be satisfied. That is a pretty good achievement really.

on edit- alot of it has to do with their french fries as well. better than any other fast food big chain by a mile.

Your second part is right on. The preview video. The mastery of being able to edit a hot 2 minute max video which is all relish, no hotdog...

This is where the art comes in and more often than not where many paysites flat out fail.

[EukerVoorn]

Originally Posted by Caligari

First part makes no sense, if Mcdonalds was shit no one would buy their burgers. As was stated they make consistently good burgers, good enough so that nearly everyone at some point veers off into their drive thru for a bite.
They have achieved the ultimate status "you get what you pay for" as in you can expect pretty much the exact result everytime you go there and be satisfied. That is a pretty good achievement really.

I don't think that they are shit, I love them. But some in here claimed that they are shit and my comment is about that... IF they would be shit, and still able to make huge profit, they must be very good at marketing.

Your second part is right on. The preview video. The mastery of being able to edit a hot 2 minute max video which is all relish, no hotdog...

This is where the art comes in and more often than not where many paysites flat out fail.

I put more energy in editing previews than in the actual full length video. I start with creating a new timeline named "preview", copy all the highlights of the video to there but also bits that aren't suitable for the actual video for example due to too much camera swinging, models joking with each other, and other trash. Then remove all the duplicate highlights, then shorten all the action shots to 5 to 10 seconds. What works very well is take an action shot, cut the video before the action happens but let the audio run so the viewer can HEAR the action but can't see it. The shots of the models at the start of the shoot can be a bit longer, and what also works very well are "before" and "after" shots without showing the actual action either. I shoot a lot of WAM stuff for which this works great. Real fetishists want to see WHAT HAPPENED and will draw their credit card.

Another thing which is good for selling is a proper catalog that shows all your titles and present your models with links to all videos they are in. The most important thing for the customer are the models, they don't care about your camera skills.

[digitalfantasies]

haha, you guys should come to a MacDonalds here in the Caribbean, yes, the food does taste somewhat the same... but be prepared to wait 30 minutes for it... never saw a slower fastfood restaurant anywhere...

[Grapesoda]

Originally Posted by Roald

Apple should hire you!

[WarChild]

Honestly guys, why take the bait? Just let him type his walls of words in his threads all by himself and maybe he'll get bored and leave.

[Paul Markham]

Originally Posted by Barry-xlovecam

Sell the sizzle not the steak.

Show your buyer how HE benefits.

People buy from their friends so try not to be just another mindless idiot salesman.

Great selling tactics and advice.

You have to know how he wants to benefit and what will his "sizzle".

That's about knowing your product, market and customer.

Friends get respect, not treated like a herd of sheep.

Great reply and I thank you.

I looked at your traffic stats and you're traffic is zooming up.
Good positive moves have done that.

Do you put it down to more marketing, advertising or what?
What ever it is, you're doing something right, assuming it's not just reading pop ups on Tubes.

That for some is the level of "Online selling and marketing."
Annoying the fuck out of people, by continually sticking something in front of their face.
Hope it's not you.

[Paul Markham]

Originally Posted by bm bradley

here's where it all falls apart on ya

Hope that was a joke. Because if not it displays a foolish reply. You don't stay in business 34 years and adapt that business to different times and areas, by not competing in the market of today.

[Paul Markham]

Originally Posted by raymor

McDonald's is an interesting study. They probably put more work into CONSISTENCY than just about anyone. Even with the high end restaurants around here, my wife and I find that we're sometimes disappointed. One place was great the first few times we went, then not great at all the next two times. With McDonald's, the theory is you can go to any McD's anywhere in the country and your quarter pounder will be just as edible as it was last time. It's not fine cuisine, but it always meets your expectations. Perfect for road trips when you want to fill your belly, not have a culinary experience. They would say that consistently meeting customer expectations is one type of "quality" which makes McD's "good" in the fast food industry.

Well said Ray.

You state something some "online Marketing people" who always have an opinion and too much to say, don't grasp.

[porno jew]

paul is taking ignorance to new cosmic levels ... he is like the sublime of stupidity.

tragically enough all this endless drivel has started as mortality started to loom and he is trying to leave some king of "legacy" to the adult industry in order to justify his existence in the face of death.

sadly this is the legacy he is going to leave, not the one he intended. ironically if he would have just kept his mouth shut he would have been respected by a few for his career of shooting, now he is respected by none.

[Jel]

such a colossal mind fuck that Theo should change his username to DivideByZero

[Paul Markham]

Look at other sites in your situation and see how they do it, then think from the customers POV and something that fills the customers needs better than the other sites.

[Jel]

Originally Posted by Paul Markham

Hope that was a joke. Because if not it displays a foolish reply. You don't stay in business 34 years and adapt that business to different times and areas, by not competing in the market of today.

You haven't been in sales for the last 34 years, minimum.

[Nydahl]

Originally Posted by porno jew

paul is taking ignorance to new cosmic levels ... he is like the sublime of stupidity.

tragically enough all this endless drivel has started as mortality started to loom and he is trying to leave some king of "legacy" to the adult industry in order to justify his existence in the face of death.

sadly this is the legacy he is going to leave, not the one he intended. ironically if he would have just kept his mouth shut he would have been respected by a few for his career of shooting, now he is respected by none.

I respect him - at least for his skill of getting huge attention even the price for it is a bit high

[porno jew]

Originally Posted by Nydahl

I respect him - at least for his skill of getting huge attention even the price for it is a bit high

it is the attention of a circus geek biting the head off a chicken. nothing to be proud of.

[Nydahl]

Originally Posted by porno jew

it is the attention of a circus geek biting the head off a chicken. nothing to be proud of.

well as I said - bit a high price