4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Slide Into DM’s With A Sales Pitch…EVER!

People do it all the time. They think they are tricking the algorithm by randomly direct messaging people and immediately launching into a pitch about themselves, their product or service. While it might be tempting to hit as many people in a DM as possible, today, I am going to share with you 4 reasons why you shouldn’t slide into DM’s with a sales pitch…ever. 

Here’s why… 

It’s Spammy

Blowing up someone’s inbox with messages about why you should work with them is spammy behavior and is probably the fastest thing you can do to guarantee being ignored. No one likes to be sold to, especially a product or service you have no interest in.

Risk Being Blocked and/or Reported

Confession time. When I get direct messages that go right for the sales-y jugular, my first response is to block so that I am not bothered again in the future. If the account is extremely aggressive, I escalate my response to reporting the account. Sorry, not sorry. The whole point of social media is to be social.

You Lose Credibility

No matter how much of a rockstar you may be in your field or niche, when you DM someone out of the blue, that you have no relationship with, and you deliver a sales pitch, you lose credibility. Why? Because you look desperate. It comes across looking like your business is failing and you are itching for sales to stay afloat. In short, it does more damage than good. 

Know, Like, Trust

There isn’t any. And, that’s a big deal! If you haven’t done the work to get to know someone, or if you haven’t given them a chance to trust you, your business, your products, and your services, what really makes you think that they are going to want to buy from you? Seriously, people are not going to buy from you just because you have a business, product or service. It takes time, you have to put the time and effort in to build a relationship first. Your ideal customer needs to like you. So much of the sales cycle is emotional and being likable is a BIG part of it. If you think people are going to skip this step and purchase from you, that level of arrogance is going to slow you down and even cause you to go backward.

No one likes to hear the above. Let’s face it, it takes a lot of work, it can be tedious, and it’s not the sexiest part of being an entrepreneur. People want to take shortcuts and get to the level of (enter the name of your favorite entrepreneur here) immediately and then wonder why it’s not happening. What people don’t see is how long it took for their favorite entrepreneur to get overnight success, fame, fortune, and notoriety. Tony Robbins once said, “People are rewarded in public for what they practice for years in private.” Let that sink in for a little bit and let me ask you, are you truly working on your business or are you looking for a shortcut?

Instead of taking shortcuts and inappropriately sliding into someone’s DM’s who you don’t even know just to sell them, try doing this instead:

• Start relationships one follower at a time
• Build a community of raving fans
• Help first, sell last
• Provide value
• Network
• Take a genuine interest in your audience
• Solve problems

 How will reading this change the way you approach social media DM’s? Do you agree or disagree with me? I would love to know your thoughts!