Facts:

• Suits is the best TV series ever made

• Want to sell more? Get Harvey Specter’s swag

Selling is mostly about swag.

If you look needy, it won’t matter how low you’re willing to set your prices: customers will ignore you.

They will think you’ve nothing of value to offer.

This is super-clear when I open a cold email/DM. Most of them make the sender look like a digital beggar.

By sending out unsolicited offers at random, these people appear super-needy.

So, starting this week, I’ll share how you can develop the right digital swag to sell more at higher prices.

Optimize for friendships, not customers

If you go around pitching anyone, you’ll annoy everyone.

Instead, try to make friends. And I don’t mean: “Pretend to be nice to potential customers so they will open their pockets.”

I mean, connect with people you like and admire—people you share value with.

That’s the best foundation for any business deal. I talk from experience here. Samy and I couldn’t have worked together on Hypefury for years without strong mutual trust and respect.

You don’t need to have known someone since childhood to be friends. Samy and I connected online right after he developed the first beta of Hypefury.

When you create connections with business people you admire, the potential is endless.

Becoming co-founders is just an option.

These kinds of relationships can evolve in multiple ways.

These people can

• Become your customers

• Put you in contact with high-quality leads

• Open the road to unpredictable opportunities

Here are 3 ways to create real friendships with people you admire.

Focused engagement

I’m sure you know somebody you would really like to have as a customer.

Instead of hoping they magically notice you, do the first move. But do it as a friend.

Engage online with them. When they post something interesting, add real value:

• Expand their analysis

• Offer extra tips

• Share examples

Do it often enough and they will start noticing you. Then, you can start developing this connection.

Podcast interviews

Hosting interviews can be a good way to gain an audience, but it’s even more useful to develop connections.

That’s probably the most valuable benefit I got after interviewing dozens of successful creators.

Many became long-term customers of Hypefury. We often found original ways to collaborate on various projects (the Creator Courses series is the most recent).

The point here is to find a way to strike the initial connection. You do it in a genuine way without second goals.

From there, stay in touch, just like you would with a friend in real life. You meet once by chance, then over time, you develop trust and respect.

This way, when they share a problem you can help with, you won’t seem needy. And when you offer your product or service as a solution, they won’t have to doubt your intentions.

Non-salesy cold DMs

All cold DMs are a bit hit or miss due to how inboxes work.

But if you plan to send one, use it to create a real connection.

Instead of sending a needy “Buy this,” “Book a free call,” or “Get my freebie (so I can sell you stuff),” share something useful without strings attached.

Do you have some valuable tips or stats for a specific person? Share them upfront without any CTA.

It may not get noticed, but if the person you want to reach sees your message, you won’t seem needy.

Instead, you will stand out, highlight your swag, and have the confidence to reach out, be useful, and show your value without needy requests.

That’s it for now, everyone! We’ll meet again next week to discuss some more of this!

Feel free to reply to this email. It goes directly to me.

Cheers,

Yannick