"Thanks for the recommendation!"

I recently received a lovely surprise.

My doorbell rang and when I answered, there was a man with a lovely autumn bouquet in his hands. I signed for it and took it into the house.

Who could it be from? A few possibilities ran through my head, but none of the people I thought of turned out to be the sender.

It was from a friend, to thank me for–get this–recommending a particular product, which she bought.

Her note said, “Thank you for recommending XSite Pro [website building course]. It’s amazing and is going to help Celebrate Kids so much! I’m grateful that all your teaching and recommendations are dependable. I pray God continues to bless you!” (Dr. Kathy Koch, who by the way has excellent resources for parents and educators at www.celebratekids.com)

Did I “sell” Kathy on this product? Yes, in the sense that she bought it. But why did she buy it? Because I raved about it it honestly. Because she’s bought other things I’ve recommended (Teleseminar Secrets course among other things), and benefited.

You really don’t have to “sell” people, in the sense of twisting their arms or using sneaky psychological tricks. All you have to do is honestly, passionately share what you’ve found that made your life better in some way, and why.

Of course you will gear your approach to what you know your hearer(s) desire (your “why” must match theirs), but isn’t that commonality you share with them what connected you in the first place? So even there, you don’t have to strive. You simply share from your heart, and let your audience decide if what helped you will in fact benefit them.

If you’re trying to sell your book, remember that it’s really all about your message, and if you weren’t passionate about that, why did you write the book in the first place?

So just share your passion to people who would be interested, and “selling” is a cinch.

Of course, there’s another factor. That’s your own integrity.

People who have followed me for even a little while know that I only recommend people or products that meet this criteria:

• I’ve used personally and benefited from the product/service/course.  Almost always, I’ve bought the product or course myself.
• The person/company  behind the product/course/service has proven to operate in utmost integrity. There must, for instance, be good customer service, and no shady dealings of any kind.
• The product must be great value for the money charged.  What I recommend must give back more than what you pay.

I know my criteria are pretty stringent, but there they are. That’s why you don’t see me promoting a lot of other people or products. When I do, you know why.

And do I receive a commission of some kind as an affiliate for what I recommend? Usually. But since I’d rather have your trust than your money, I won’t recommend anything or anyone that doesn’t meet my criteria, no matter how much commission I’d receive as an affiliate.

That’s a promise!