It's an old saying, "Nothing happens until somebody sells something," right?

And all of the research tells us that the greatest influence on a sale comes from the salesperson. But we also know lots of people do their own research on the web and then, very purposely, go to a retail store to make their purchase. Oh, and then there's the old saying, "No one likes to be sold to, but everyone loves to buy." In your gut, you know all of these things are true.

It's a brave new world out there when it comes to marketing and sales. So why not take advantage of all the old and new wisdoms that are at our disposal?

Why not use strategically created, customer-focused elearning and let your customers sell themselves? 

When you play this video, you get a slice of what this can mean.

Instead of creating a microsite so visitors passively read about their products, one of our customers opted to put Nurse Melissa into a "no-sales-zone" where potential customers can meet a friendly face that knows all about their problems, and can even offer some solid solutions.

This customer-friendly approach gives prospects all the information they're looking for, in a way that creates good will and trust. In a very real way, when they've answered their questions, relying on nurse Susan, they have qualified and sold themselves.

This company looked at the demo you see above and immediately quadrupled their budget, to take advantage of this powerful new way to reach out to customers.

Nurse Melissa answers several questions that visitors can ask, in each of four different categories. It gets to their needs immediately, and unlike other ways of delivering a marketing message, this interactive method puts your customer in control. Because they're asking the questions, the company has automatic permission to convey product and marketing messages.

This approach turns everything around...which is just what's called for when things get competitive.

It's more than an old adage: people like to buy, but they resist (even loath) being sold to.

That changes when you build a personal relationship with your customers, but before you can get to that point, there's always a lack of trust to overcome. Suspiciously  thinking, even the best salespeople can come off as shills, charlatans and naturally biased.

Wouldn't it be better to simply educate customers and let them sell themselves? That's easier today than ever before, because so many people turn almost instantly to the Internet to research important products and make their buying decisions.

So flip the elearning coin over and look at it as customer education. Don't think LMS, think marketing microsite. Give your prospects the information they need to pre-qualify themselves. Don't force it, and they may even sell themselves. Let them come to you for the order!

Most marketing pros agree that the salesperson has the most impact on a sale. Not advertising, not PR, not even pricing--but the salesperson.

However, with the right approach, the customer can be the most important piece in the equation. Consumers are smarter than ever before, and with more information at their finger tips than they can use. So control this information! Let them do what they do naturally...seek out and research solutions that work best for them. Help them come into your store or sales channel and ask with certainty for the product they want.

Give them the stats. Help them compare products. Provide third party reference and support. Help them discover what works best for their situation. And one more thing, facilitate this discovery with the help of an online character (we call them avatars) that they can relate to. Make the avatar someone who has walked in the customer's shoes. That's the start of building trust, and it makes the journey very social, and not just an exercise in Googling their way around the internet.

In short, consider mirroring your sales elearning and creating a component that's customer education. It can be some pretty hot marketing. And in the end, you've got a good chance of making your customers brand advocates. Because once they've sold themselves, that's the natural outcome.