5 Lovable Sales Techniques: How to Sell Without Being Pushy

Does the idea of selling make you cringe?

Selling may feel like pushing strangers to buy from you.

Buy now or miss out!!!

Makes you shudder, eh?

But, you know, selling doesn’t have to be so pushy.

You can sell without dirty tactics, without selling your soul. You can sell as if you’re talking to a good friend.

Shall I show you?

1. Show them a better life

Friendly selling starts with believing in your product or service.

How do you improve your customer’s life?

For instance, Oatly sells oat-based alternatives to dairy products. (Thank you to Lia Stoll for the nudge to write about them.)

In their sales copy, Oatly lets you imagine using their products:

Whip this vanilla custard made from oats for amazing fluffiness and pour it over your baked apples, pies, fruit crumbles, strudel or just about anything to win approving looks from your in-laws, outlaws or whoever you decide to hang-out with. It’s none of our business really.

Nice, eh?

It’s not just about that amazing fluffiness and yummy food, it’s also about winning approving looks for your cooking.

Now, how about the complications of cooking dinner for people with various food sensitivities? Oatly solves that, too:

A creamy plant-based and organic cooking companion that both your vegan sibling and meat-eating spouse can enjoy in the company of your cholesterol-cutting grandparent and lactose-intolerant friend. Because there’s absolutely no dairy in it and less saturated fats than an animal-based cooking cream. So, almost everyone can eat when it’s poured into your stew! Does that sound inclusive or what?

Lovable copy tip:

Oatly’s sales tactics work for other niches, too. Whether you’re a health or business coach, a consultant or online teacher, you can follow these tips to write persuasive copy that feels like a normal conversation.

Start by thinking of your favorite customer. How does your service, coaching, or course make their life better?

Remember: People don’t buy a product, they buy a better life. So, let them imagine a better life.

2. Use your natural voice

Do you feel like you have to big up your product or service?

Perhaps you feel tempted to use some typical sales words on your sales page—like supercharge, best-in-class, amazing, or excellent.

But just because you’re selling doesn’t mean you have to change your voice. Use the same writing voice as you use in a blog post or social media post.

In simple language, Oatly explains what each product is, like the Whippable Creamy Oat:

Use like whipped cream or double cream to get a fluffy and delicious creaminess without any cream!

And Oat Drink Vanilla:

Some genius food scientists just added vanilla flavour to our oat drink.

Lovable copy tip:

Don’t try to be more salesy. Sell as if you’re selling to a friend. Explain the problem your product solves in simple language.

3. Don’t ignore their hesitations

It’s easy to think that customers just want to fall in love with your product.

And perhaps that’s true.

But usually, there is a hesitation or two.

So, what to do?

Don’t ignore people’s objections. Instead, take them head on. Be honest.

For instance, Oatly knows that new customers may be concerned about oat milk separating in a hot drink. Here’s how they deal with that:

The Barista Organic oat drink’s rich taste is equally great for your coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, and will work in your cooking and baking quite organically. No dairy, no soy, and no separating in your coffee.

Simple, yet direct, eh?

The greyish color of the Oat Drink Light is a slightly trickier problem that needs a little more explaining:

The higher the fat content, the whiter the oat drink. That’s a fun fact that isn’t as fun regarding this low-fat drink. The grayish color (that sometimes even changes to brownish) is not the greatest to look at, but that’s just the oats being oats and is totally okay. Besides, we don’t want to put anything in our drinks that isn’t absolutely necessary, and more fat in a low-fat product just isn’t necessary. We hope the taste makes up for it, and we did put an acidity regulator in it to have it perform a little better with hot drinks. No dairy, no soy, and almost no fat.

Oatly just admits that the color isn’t great to look at, and sometimes that’s the best tactic. You can’t always have everything, and that’s okay. Honesty builds trust.

Lovable copy tip:

Before writing your copy, consider why your favorite customers might hesitate to buy. What are their objections? What are the questions they need answered?

Once you know what might stop people from buying, you can explain the facts and let them make up their mind. No need to be pushy.

Honesty creates happy customers. So, sell to the people who’ll love your work.

4. Be conversational

Just like in a face-to-face conversation, Oatly’s copy uses the pronouns we and you .

For instance, this is how to use the Creamy Oat Spread Plain:

Use just like a cream cheese but avoid the cream and the cheese when, for example, baking what we legally can’t call a cheesecake, but you still can.

And they don’t shy away from using words that your high school teacher would disapprove of, like … whatever …

The best oat drink for coffee experts and people who like to play one at home. Use as creamer, foam it, or whatever.

Lovable copy tip:

Instead of selling to a stranger, think of your favorite client when you’re writing sales copy. Imagine drinking a cup of tea or coffee together. Then, explain what your product or service could do for them. Answer their questions. Counter their objections. Use the words we (or I) and you, just like you would in a normal conversation.

5. Make them feel good

A 250ml pack of chocolate milk with a straw is for kids, right?

No way!

Oatly knows that grown-ups buy it for themselves and they make them feel good about it:

A children-sized plant-based drink with a straw so you can pretend you’re buying it for a kid but really, it’s for a looking-cool-nonchalantly-drinking-oats selfie.

Cool, eh?

Oatly suggests that buying their drinks is not just cool, it’s also progressive. Here’s what they write about Oat Drink Light:

Same great taste but with only 0,5% fat. Use like you would have used the low-fat lactose version back in the day.

A drink is never just a drink; it’s also a way to express yourself. Oatly understands that. They create a subtle sense of belonging. They invite you to be part of their progressive, cool, slightly rebellious, selfie-making team.

Here’s one more:

It’s totally vanilla in attitude.

Yes, it’s oat drink vanilla flavour with the taste of vanilla and it is not ashamed to shout “I’m a vanilla flavoured oat drink” from the rooftops as the squares laugh thinking vanilla means normy-straight boring. Let them laugh. This vanilla flavoured oat drink knows it’s got something extraordinary even if it means being an ordinary oat drink with the flavour of vanilla in the eyes of those who don’t know.

You see what they did here? They make vanilla sound cool, and they do so conversationally.

Lovable copy tip:

Good copy starts with knowing who you’re writing for, how they see themselves, and who they’d like to be.

How to sell without selling your soul

Dirty sales tactics are designed for selling to strangers.

But thanks to the internet, the world is becoming a global village. We make friends across the world, and we buy from people and businesses we know, like, and trust.

Treat your buyers like friends.

Have a genuine interest in them.

And you’ll be at your most persuasive.

P.S.

The Enchanting Copywriting course teaches you how to write a lovable, yet persuasive sales page. Present your offer with confidence and sell more without being icky: