How to Add Urgency to Products Available All the Time (It's Possible!)

Hello from Lyon, France!

I am a SICKO when it comes to this city. What a place! It’s full of artsy, eclectic, creative small businesses—from the antiques shops selling all sorts of silver spoons, to the piano store, to the silk fabrics taller, to the place selling chandeliers…and only chandeliers—it makes me want to lease a space and do something, anything, to be a part of this community. (I’ve always laughed at the idea of having an on-demand writing shop, where you could walk in anytime and have things written…from restaurant menus to hard emails to thank-you letters and more.)

And it also made me think about the challenges involved with selling physical products—specifically, products that are available for purchase anytime, and therefore have no natural urgency. It is much easier for me to sell a limited-time online workshop, for example, because people know they can’t get it anytime (and therefore pay more attention and take action). Procrastination is your enemy when it comes to being a business owner, because when left to their own devices, humans WILL procrastinate spending money. 🙂 It’s just how we roll! Which means that, if you have a shop where your wares are available anytime, you’re staring the procrastination enemy square in the eye. Even though it SEEMS like this would be better for sales (open anytime!) it often ends up having the opposite effect.

My dearest Roberta, a looooong time TMFer, has a skin care line called Scrubz—and a kick-ass shop in Long Island. (Hi, Roberta!!!!) She’s someone who definitely would run into this challenge, as does anyone selling any types of physical products: candles, jewelry, tee-shirts, greeting cards. How can you increase sales using urgency—the queen of selling—if your products are available all the time? Because, make no mistake, urgency is the key to driving more sales. Even though we hate that word. Even though the idea feels pushy.

Urgency isn’t about being pushy. It’s about focusing attention.

Let’s say I have a silversmithing studio where I make the world’s largest statement necklaces. (Someday I WILL have this studio—mark my words!) And let’s say I’ve got a collection of twenty necklaces hanging out in my studio, just waiiiiiting for someone to come along and buy ‘em up.

What’s the normal course of action?

Well, the normal course of action is:

• Lease a public space
• Keep daily hours
• Hope to get foot traffic
• Put a 15% off sale sign in the window
• Show up at a local craft fair
• Stare at people walking by
• Scratch your balls inside your shop
• Launch an Etsy site
• Get your first order and RUN, so excited—and pack a postcard in the box that offers another discount for a second purchase
• Wait for a second purchase, but it never comes
• Send one of your pieces to an influencer, and hope they post about it
• Host a lube party in your shop, hoping that the people who come will ALSO incidentally buy your jewelry
• Make your own Squarespace website, in addition to your Etsy shop
• Create a newsletter! This is a good step!
• Completely blank when it comes to writing your newsletter. Like, whattttttt? What are you supposed to write?
• Say something generic for now, like “Sign up for updates.”
• Nobody signs up for updates. 😆
• You’re scrambling around, throwing lots of different things against the wall. But, you’re also getting TIRED. Marketing is hard! And time-consuming. And doesn’t always work. All you wanted to do was sell your kick-ass, awesome necklaces. But, who knew it would be so hard to get anyone to actually buy?

This is literally the battle that every creator on earth faces. It’s one thing when you’re running a retreat, or have 3 coaching spots left, or you’ve got a course you’re offering just once this year. But it’s tooottttallllly another when it comes to marketing stuff that’s just THERE. Hanging out. Waiting to be purchased.

What do you do? How do you approach? And can you really add urgency to something that isn’t all that urgent?

I have a few ideas.

(Seriously don’t ever take me out for wine because I won’t be able to shut up—this is the kind of stuff I totally get off on brainstorming.)

The #1 thing I would do: stop focusing on walk-ins, and focus on the newsletter, instead.

A walk-in is a rando who’s, what, 20% likely to buy anything versus just browse? Less? Conversions sti-i-i-i-nk for walk-ins just casually strolling around neighborhoods. Furthermore, even if they do buy, it’s highly likely it’ll just be a one-time sale. That means that alllll of your efforts are going into getting this one tiny sale, that happens only a small fraction of the time.

Instead, I would focus my energies online, and specifically, I would focus them on the newsletter. That’s because (a) You’re not limited geographically; (b) You know the people signing up are hot leads (they’re there because they like your stuff, not because they’re window shopping); (c) You can automate your emails (and therefore, your sales); (d) You can use email to create urgency; (e) You can sell to the same person multiple times, thereby increasing your average customer lifetime value (without doing more marketing); (f) You can create loyal fans who tell their friends; (g) If you ever want to pivot, now you have a thriving community that supports your work and loves you.

A killer newsletter & community is the best business asset you could have. It’s WORTH putting your energy into—although, I think most people know that. What they don’t know is….what to write???? How to do it? I’m “just a retailer. I’m “just little ol’ me.” Who wants to hear from me? And what would I say, anyway?

ANDDD, that is the first idea we’re going to smack into outer space. Because you’re right: nobody wants to hear from random strangers hawking their wares. But who do they want to hear from?

Let me ask you that: what kinds of emails do YOU keep in your inbox? You delete the promos…you delete the constant barrage of sales….but, what do you read?

Stories.

You read stories.

And specifically, you read stories that relate to your life.

Which means that, if I’m selling those big, honkin’ statement necklaces online, and I need to create a newsletter that’ll help form a community?

I’m not going to lead with a 20% off sale. I’m going to lead with a story. And then I’m going to tell another one. And then I’m going to tell another one. And this is going to be my newsletter. Not emails, stories.

What kinds of stories?

The kinds that illustrate the theme of your work.

So, for example, if I’m selling the world’s biggest statement necklaces in the world, the theme I’d choose for my work is going to be showing up big and bold in life. Letting yourself be seen. Taking a risk. No longer hiding in the shadows. Stepping into your TRUE personality. Not being silenced. Not being shamed. Being the bravest, most loud and loving, personality-filled version of yourself. That’s what I want my necklaces to represent. And so, if I’m telling that story with my work, then that means that the people attracted to my work want to feel that way.

So, my newsletter is going to tell stories about people who made the brave choice. Who are stepping into the spotlight. Who are doing bold and interesting things. Who are the kinds of people my customer would respect and be curious about.

This takes me from being “just a little old jewelry shop,” to being the leader of a cause. That’s the difference between the shop that gets ignored, and the shop that sells gangbusters:

The latter means something to people. It’s not just about jewelry; it’s about what buying that jewelry means. And in this case, it means that I’m the kind of person who champions these ideas; who identifies with these ideas; who sees myself aligned with these ideas.

People don’t buy products: they buy a better version of themselves.

So, what is that version? And how can you bring that to life through stories?

Notice, one of the things that makes this strategy fly is that, even though you’re selling physical products, your newsletter isn’t about your product. It’s about people. It’s tangental. Try not to think too literally about what your newsletter should be, i.e. “I sell necklaces so my newsletter needs to be about necklaces.” In fact, that strategy rarely works (unless you’re selling to other jewelers) because it’s a company-centered approach. You’re making your work the topic of your newsletter, when in reality, the kind of stuff that people actually read?

Is about them. It helps them be a better version of themselves. That’s what people are interested in. And that’s what will enable you to build a thriving community around an idea—your sales, then, become a happy byproduct.

The second thing I would do: create the urgency we talked about by automating the first month’s worth of emails, and setting up a special campaign for new subscribers only, whereby they get private, limited-time access to a special-edition new subscriber collection, not available anywhere else, called something meaningful and compelling that reflects their desired identity back to them, like:

Brave One Limited Edition Statement Necklace

And I’d give them a limited time to purchase it. And I’d send countdown emails talking about all the places and occasions this necklace makes you feel brave. I’d make it clear this is not publicly available. And I would enforce the deadline.

Then, I’d put them into my regular, first month evergreen email series full of stories with meaning and advice, so everyone gets the same crafted experience.

Then, I’d intercut that with two things: themed collections that work in a similar way. Once a month. Out on the first of the month. Limited stock. I’m controlling perception. I’m creating a narrative. Here’s the deadline to get this collection. Maybe bundled together as a themed collection even if they’re your regular products repacked with a narrative. You don’t need all new products, though that is helpful: you just need to learn how to reposition the same products around different narratives that get people excited. For example, you might have an International Woman’s Day collection; a Juneteenth collection; a Mother’s Day collection. But you might also piggyback off of current events. The idea here is to add context to your work and use it to impart meaning. People do buy based on emotion, but most products are emotionless. They don’t carry any sort of narrative with them, and therefore, don’t carry any sort of meaning. You’re just one more random product competing with one million more random products.

In addition, I’d also “launch” subscriber-only pieces that get released every 3 months. Limited availability. To keep subscribers feeling special and spurring on sales even more.

This is how I’d take an average product based business with draggy sales and add urgency: it’s not about being pushy, but engineering meaningful moments for people. Because when you can make people feel things? You’ll never have to be pushy. Sales will happen automatically. Urgency is about creating URGES.

Of course, this requires work. That’s why marketing is its own job: it requires you to think like a publisher, not a retailer. But technology also allows us to automate much of this. You can set up the launches of each themed collection in advance and set it up as evergreen so every subscriber gets pitched on a schedule. It doesn’t have to all be real-time. You are allowed to control what you sell and to whom, when. You are allowed to put strategic parameters around the way you sell. You can create thoughtful email campaigns that every person experiences, and drives your sales while adding consistency to your revenue.

And if you’ve got enough guts? You transition to selling in collection form all the time; instead of letting people buy one-off products, force a bigger commitment by packaging things together by three and selling that way. Maybe you can only buy my necklaces in sets—everyday, date night, party night. Spring, summer, fall, winter. Angry, happy, scared, sentimental. Loud, louder, loudest. Maybe I put parameters around the way I sell things because it helps me tell a better story. It helps me increase my average order value. It helps new customers buy an experience, not just a necklace.

Jeez, did I convince myself to create this jewelry studio or what? I’ve already got the marketing plan, baby! No, but really: this is what I would do if I were in charge of marketing a brick and mortar business that sells products. I wouldn’t sell products: I’d sell stories about the people my customers want to become. The product is just a tool to help them get there.

Hope you’re having a great start to your week!

Loooooove, Ash