How to increase sales that doesn’t involve social media: Tips from a British adman : EASTWEST Public Relations

By Jim JamesFounder EASTWEST PR and Host of The UnNoticed Show podcast

Charles Sampson is a good friend of SPEAK|pr’s host Jim James, a property guru, and the longtime head of Saatchi and Saatchi. He was featured in SPEAK|pr’s first episode, which was one of the most widely listened to podcasts of the series, all the way back in September 2019. There, Charlie talks about an essential truth, especially in light of the lockdown.

How Charlie Sampson helps get people noticed

Charlie Sampson is based in China, but focuses on UK property. He primarily assists people living in Beijing and Shanghai to invest in properties in the UK. Much time is spent on discussing the social media strategy, building the brand, looking at the design, VI, and slogan. Although these are important details, time spent debating on and finessing these details may actually prove to be a distraction from the main goal: to get this in front of people. This is how relationships are built. A better strategy would be to set up as many presentations as possible, or position oneself in front of groups or individuals. From there, the next steps should be to introduce oneself and one’s story, and establish the need for one’s services.

The need to get in front of people is often overlooked, not appreciating the power and effectiveness of physically presenting to a crowd. To anybody starting a business, the best advice Charlie can give is to get out of the office, home, or workspace and get in front of people. This can be done through networking events, or just by interacting with potential customers.

People buy people

In this age of the internet and social media, Charlie’s advice continues to be relevant: actually, people still buy people. It is fundamental. When starting a business, that is all people are buying. Charlie’s example is that customers don’t usually see the property, but they see him and the company he represents. Customers are actually buying the person, their credibility, their personality, their story, and their service. That is what people are buying. Posting a resume on LinkedIn or creating content on social media is fine, but what really shifts the needle is getting in front of people and presenting to people.

In the current climate, getting in front of people is difficult but it can be done through webinars, or digital conferencing apps like Zoom. After a while of sitting away from everybody, it may be expected to lose a little bit of self confidence. Moving forward, it’s important to push oneself. As the lockdown goes on, it may be expected to start losing contact with other people and eventually, self-confidence and motivation take a downward spiral as well. Taking Charlie’s advice to heart, it is crucial then to get in front of people, no matter how long or in what state, because people still need to communicate with one another. It is the ideas and the stimulation derived from one another that brings out the brilliance and the energy needed to carry on. If not done already, make sure to meet one person every day face-to-face online.

This article is based on a transcript from my Podcast The UnNoticed Show. You can listen here.

Cover Photo from Charlie Sampson

Originally published at https://eastwestpr.com on June 30, 2021.