Use This Simple 4 Letter Word To Sell Anything

In my seminars I ask my audience, “How many of you don’t like this word?” The word on the flip chart is “Sell.”
A lot of people put their hands up in agreement. They don’t like the word “Sell.” And I say, “My hand is up too. I don’t like the word ‘Sell’ either.”
It has a really gross connotation to it, doesn’t it? There’s nothing wrong with it, but its got a bad rap.
So here’s a trick…
As I mention in my video below, don’t ever use the word “Sell.” Actually, just cross it out and instead use “Help.” Watch the video to learn why you should be using that word instead.
Don’t Use The Word “Sell.” Use “Help.”
I don’t want you to sell anything. I just want you to help people.
How do you make money?
You make money by solving a problem for someone. That’s the only reason people give you money. They don’t give you money because you look good.
So do something that helps more people. Stick within your niche, but do something that helps people and tell them how you help them. That’s called your message.
“My product really helps people.” What people do you help? Tell them in a nice way how you help them.
For example… Don’t say, “Hey, I have a great hair loss program. I have a product that grows hair.”
That’s ok, but is that really attractive? Is that your message? People will say, “That’s not bad.”
Here’s an example…
“Are you sick and tired of looking at your bald, ugly head in the mirror? Do you feel terrible about yourself? Do you remember the days when you used to have a full head of hair and people used to walk up to you and say, ‘Wow, I love your hair’?
“Every single day since then you’ve watched your hairline go back. Here you are trying to comb your three ugly strands of hair across your entire head, and you know it doesn’t cover. You know it sucks.
“How do you feel when people look at you and the first thing you think they’re looking at is your lack of hair? How does that make you feel about yourself? Herculean? No. Hercules had hair. You don’t.
“Would you like to grow it back and feel good about yourself again? Would you like to be attractive? Would you like to feel good in your relationships and your business?
“I have a product for you!”
There’s a little difference, right?
That’s “selling” something. When you know what problem you’re solving for whom, you don’t have to sell anything.
You’re making an offer to people who are looking for your solution. Now you’re in the position of helping, not needing to sell.
Watch my free webinar where I explain a step-by-step model to sell anything at any time and make your business sales predictable.
Let’s Be Clear: Your Goal Is Sales…
And there’s nothing wrong with that.
You are making an offer for money because that’s what you’re in this for. Those sales are people you’re trying to help.
Just don’t think about it as selling. Whatever you want to call it, if you’re not doing it, you’re broke, or setting yourself up to be broke one day, regardless of your field.
Your business will always have a sales/marketing department. Call it whatever you need to call it to make the unpleasantry behind our typical perceptions about selling go down easier.
Whatever you come up with, it’s all about how you frame it, not the fact that you are indeed selling.
If you liked this lesson, then you’ll love my free web class, The 500 Million Dollar Secret, where I’ll teach you more of these strategies and principles that will show you exactly how to write your own ticket to success. It’s completely free to attend.
Click here to register and select a date and time that works best for you. See you there!

What do you think? What kind of language could you use to frame selling without “selling”? If the idea’s good, keep it and use it! If you’re up for some creative brainstorming with fellow learners, let us hear from you in the comments below!
For Your Freedom,







Hi Eker,
Thanks for sharing this wonderful article.
Recently, I wrote an article regarding “selling” as well. It is about achieving success in anything.
Appreciate if you could have a look on it and give me some comments 🙂
https://www.andrewchan12.com/2015/05/11/5-things-learned-rich-dad-poor-dad-changed-life-forever-part-3/
Cheers 🙂
Andrew Chan
AndrewChan12.com
Excellent Harvey I got it the mind set
To Hell peaple before selling something
Thanks
Jeff
Wow very interesting and helpful
Thanks a lot
Yes Harv, the mind set is the ‘bitch’ nonetheless I am trying. Why did I initiate the conversation on Monday when my son was wearing his pants under his behind. That was truly my fault. I screwed up royally. Get out of the conversation Janet. Thank you Harv. I got it, Thanks, very appreciative.
Thank you for this insight Harv. I will definitely start using this mind Frame to start boosting my food business. I will let you know how it turns out.
Yes! Keep us updated! :0)
That is a WINNER’S recipe, Harv. If only I knew this 30 years ago. Right NOW I am using this ”Skill” and I am going to WIN. I thank you. Herman from South Africa,,,
That word help instead of well feels so much better to me. I think I am getting success with my product if I start using this new vocabulary.
Thanks thanks thanks Harv.
I love you.
Elice.
Sell
So good this approach, thanks a lot Harv. That’s what I tell myself every morning when I wake up, let’s help people! I might have it a bit easier as I work in education and I teach languages, and every time I see a British expat learning Spanish and speaking fluently here in southern Spain, it really makes me feel very proud, and yeah, doing well financially too!
You can check it out: https://lingua-franca.es/learn-spanish/ I even give you the money back if you can’t speak at the end of the course and amazingly, nobody has ever mentioned it, so I guess that’s the key. I know I also help them with their businesses here in Spain, btw best place to invest in all Europe right now!
Thank you!
I love this, and here’s my challenge:
I tend to want to stay away from ‘fear-based’ marketing and only seem to talk about the benefits and positive side…which of course the people who require my offers the most CAN’T RELATE TO.
I get it, yet I don’t like talking down to people or deliberately pressing ‘pain buttons’ because it feels cheap and manipulative to dumb people down like that…
I have amazing clients and charge high-end, but I’d love to serve more people and also double my sales and go to my next level.
I’d love it if you could do a post that addresses this issue of wanting to sell/help with more class than the typical old paradigm model.
Thanks Harv!
Shakaya
I felt the same Shakaya. I found Harv’s “help” pitch or refraining example abusive and disturbing. Probably effective for some . It made me want to say screw you and yr product. Why would I want a product whose pitch beats me up and then says i can help? I get the reframing point but the example I think undermined the notion of help in terms of service and uplift. That example is in part why selling gets a bad rap. Thank u for yr comment. I thought maybe I was the only one who felt the way you described.
Hi Nikki, Thanks for your comment. Here’s the thing, this example might be extreme for you because it’s not meant for you. In sales as you may know everything is derived from two worlds, pain or pleasure. You either evoke the emotions on one side or the other or lose the sale.
Everything I’ve always done in marketing and sales has always come from problem/solution basis. My solution is always a way to provide value and help them not sell them. Sure some people will be turned off but the majority of people who are your ideal customer won’t. How do I know this? Because I’ve been blessed and fortune enough to do extremely well in my life and have almost 2 million students worldwide. This allows me to come from my experience of what works in the real world.
If you feel that is “beating you up” you need to take a deeper look at that and yourself, not my example. You are projecting your past experiences and that’s understandable. I’m just allowing others to see both sides of the spectrum. Thanks again for commenting I appreciate your input.
Hi Shakay, I appreciate your comment and more importantly the way YOU conduct your business. It seems you have a good handle on your audience and what might work best for you. However, everything comes down to the way you present the ‘pain buttons’. Maybe you can think of a way you can do it that would better serve your customer and your market. If you believe it’s manipulative and cheap then so be it. That’s your way of thinking…That doesn’t mean it’s true. People buy something when you solve a problem for them. Period end of story. The way you want to address their problem can be done in a number of ways, the above example was one of them. Understand I’m coming from experience, again this doesn’t make it right or wrong, but having almost 2 million students worldwide gives me some inclination of what works and what doesn’t. I don’t think my students think I am cheap and have no class. I think it’s quite the opposite actually. So again it’s the way you present the pain points and the problem. Who knows maybe doing this may actually double your sales and you’ll be able to help more people.
You did not say what your service is but it sounds like it may be addressing more of the need of pleasure than eliminating pain. If that is the case, then maybe it is more about helping them get what they want. Just a thought.
The word “sell” comes from a Norweigen word of which I am not sure how to spell but is pronounced sell-yea, which means to SERVE.
Great article Harv,
I really like the fact you hate the word sell too, to sell something sounds dirty. To help someone sounds noble, kind and good. Helping someone with a problem they have and backing it up with results is a win, win scenario.
P.S. do you have any of your hair products, I need them because I’m bald too. 🙂
Yes, Harv, that is spot on for most products/services. But I have a curve ball for ya. What about “selling” my artwork. It has a meaning and purpose but doesn’t really solve a problem. My art is at https://grapevinewall.com. Thoughts?
That was my question verbatim. http://Www.lindabillet.com
Life is funny. About 10 minutes after posting my previous comment, I picked up my kindle (re-reading Eker’s Millionaire Mind.) I am RIGHT AT the Buckminster Fuller quote, “The purpose of our lives is to add value to the people of this generation and those that follow.” Later he says that an entrepreneur is nothing more than a problem solver. I always say an artist is nothing more than a problem solver. Well played Universe, well played.
A really good book about Selling is To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink. It explains why we dislike the word and like Harv’s article helps you change your perception of what you do.
To answer your question above: “What do you think? What kind of language could you use to frame selling without “selling”? If the idea’s good, keep it and use it!”
If you provide a service you could be looking for teammates, people that want you on their team and likewise
you want to be on their team.
If you offer a product, you could be asking people to hire the product, or
simply adding it to their life.
Thank you Harv for a very vivid example. It makes sense to me. To sell is to serve. Thanks to Gordon for this meaning.
This makes SO much sense. I have huge issues with people who are trying to sell me something. And so in return I have a business that is going no where, because I HATE the SELLING part. BUT with this new insight, using Help instead of SELL I can see the light!! Thank you HARV!
I never get tired reading and learning new things from you Mr Eker. You keep us all inspired! Thank you.
Thanks Harv! Just discovered my blueprint of being unworthy of receiving, so it USED to pain me by even selling raffle tickets for $1.00!!! What’s with that!! Well now I know! #1 I am worthy of receiving AND #2 Changing my language to one of doing service and making a contribution to people’s well-being.
Great article.
“Selling” is more from your own viewpoint, and “solving the client’s problem” is clearly from the other person’s viewpoint. This is much more recognizable for the other person, whch sales is. Sales is always enlightening the other person.
Thank you.
Harv,
Thank you for taking time to put this together and post it. This is EXACTLY what is keeping me up at night. I have a retail product I am launching and I just don’t want to hit the pavement and “SELL” it. I now see that you are right. I really can help so many people.
Thank you so much
There are only problem you have your and is problema dont have. Selling = help in your life:-)
… Wait, what?
Going way back to Shakaya’s and Nikki’s comments and T. Harv’s comments on them. Pain and pleasure. I like to remember that 98% of “purchasing” is based on emotion, and then the other 2% (choose your ratio) comes in with the rationalization.
Adding a nuance to the fear/love paradigm, a long time ago I learned a “model” of (1) disturb, (2) excite, and (3) assure.
T. Harv’s language above was a lot of disturb and you have to disturb the emotions (fear, scarcity, longing, desire, deprivation). After you “disturb” then excite with the person’s image of certain possibilities. Lastly, “assure” the heart that you are the right person to help facilitate the voyage.
Disturb / excite / assure – see how that resonates?
I master this with playing gentle inside only. Because I can not win with my opposite I can just keep them silence. Even if it seems they would not do gentle to my hair if and only if I let them do the work. Therefore. How can I stay on practice more. And how can I act the thought before. Thanks for sharing!
I have attended the seminar in Frankfurt, I was very satisfied and can only recommend the Millionaire Mind Intensive.
https://amzn.to/1D1T1gP
سلام من ایرانی هستم وکتاب اسرار ذهن ثروتمند را خریدم و خواندم .ولی فیلمهای شما ترجمه ندارند. ایا میتوانید انها را به فارسی هم ترجمه کنید .ممنونم هارو
Thank you, very helpful article.
I design portable wine bars, my target clients are country clubs and wedding venues. How would you approach a potential buyer with this product. I would appreciate any help you can give me .
I design portable wine bars, what kind of strategy would you use to get clients.
Loved the tip! Especially how it was short and to the point! Thanks for sharing
Gracias Harv!
Que gran lección!
En mi país la palabra venta, vender o vendedor está mal evaluada, se mira con desagravio, pero la palabra “ayudar” es realmente poderosa y a la gentileza en las personas cuando se trata de ayudar!
Y como empresarios somos solucionadores de problemas, eso es ayudar!
Thanks Harv And Jesse
Greetings from Chile