6 Lessons Every Sales Person Can Learn From Tinder

Lets face it, Tinder is both amazing and one of the most controversial apps out there. I have friends spending hours on it every time I see them. Since it’s launch in 2012 the swiping app has gained an estimated 50 million users, with 10 million of them active daily.

Obviously, the app is doing something right. I believe it’s because Tender encourages a "heck yes" mentality. You can take that "heck yes" mentality and apply it to your sales and marketing teams to achieve a higher level of success.

Don’t believe me? Give these methods a try and let me know how they work out for you. They've worked miracles for my business.

1. Optimize your profile.

Regardless if it’s Tinder, LinkedIn, Facebook or your company’s blog, the first impression that people will have of you is your profile. This includes some Profile Optimization 101, like having a recent picture of yourself, and just you -- not you and your pooch, you and a kid or friend, nor you on vacation. Consider hiring a professional photographer to capture you in the best light. You’ll also want to complete the bio sections to set yourself apart. Having a CTA or question is one simple tactic that can entice people to your profile.

Encourage your team to optimize their social profiles. You can share with them this handy guide from HubSpot to get them started.

2. Don’t be obnoxious or pushy.

You need to stress this to your sales and marketing teams as much as necessary -- no one wants to deal with an obnoxious and pushy individual. You need to be confident and follow-up with leads, but you don’t want customers to feel harassed. Just like on dating apps like Tinder, being that creepy, stalkerish dude isn’t going to help you land a sale.

Instead, use one of these tactics;

Change focus from sales to helping people.
Ask if now is a good time. You'll never make the sale when it isn't.
Don’t mention your product for at least 10 minutes (think of this like listening on Tinder instead of only talking about yourself). Dominating the conversation doesn't work in dating, sales or any other area of life.
Increase what your product does for customers, not the price.
Provide the best customer service of any company out there.
Back your product up with a strong guarantee.

3. Be fearless.

Tinder has this feature called “Double Opt-in”. Basically, this feature prevents users from knowing they were rejected. For all you know, you were swiped right. This feature ingeniously removes fear of rejection.

Of course, your sales and marketing teams don’t have such a feature to reduce their fear of rejection. Instead, you need to help your team become fearless. I've applied this technique with my sales team and its changed how we get sales. Since you’ve already helped them optimize their profiles and you have shared and gone over the points of the non-pushy professional, you’re on the right track. Now help them overcome their fear of the dreaded "no".

When there is a rejection, or any of the various "opportunities" presented in marketing and sales, I always tell my team, "Ask yourself, 'how do I manage the discomfort of this?'"

Peter Shallard, a Sydney, Australia-based business psychology expert and blogger, tells Entrepreneur, "For me, the only way to beat that fear was to confront it. The more I did it the better I became at it, and less fear was the result."

4. Get their contact information and keep the conversation going.

“Tinder moves fast. Girls get dozens of messages every single day. If you get a conversation started, and things seem to be going well, try to move the conversation off Tinder as soon as possible,” says Blake Jamieson on AskMen. “If you let a conversation fizzle out, rest assured that your message is going to get buried overnight.”

Jamieson's final advice is, “As for getting the number, I’ve found that my best approach doesn’t involve asking for her number at all. Instead, I offer my number in a very low-pressure message.”

Believe it or not, that same mentality can be applied to sales and marketing. Your team has to follow-up with leads and recent customers if you want to stay fresh on their minds. If you’re team is really good, you don’t even need to hound your leads or current customers for their contact information. If you provide them with something of value, they’ll gladly hand over their contact information so that you can keep the conversation going.

5. Just go for it.

As we've established, with dating sites and apps like Tinder things move quickly. If you don’t strike when the iron is hot you are certain to miss out on a possible date. That is true for sales and marketing.

If you have someone who is interested in your product or service, don’t wait for them to make the next move. Follow-up to see if they are still interested, or to find out what’s preventing them from completing the sales process. Even if this client has made a purchase with you, follow-up immediately to see how they’re enjoying your product. Without being pushy, make sure they're happy with their purchase and understand everything. Make certain they know they can call on you anytime for help. Make yourself available for questions or concerns.

I’ll give you real-world example. I recently purchased a grill brush on Amazon. The seller emailed the day after it arrived to make sure that I received the brush and ask how well it worked. These exchanges made me fire up the grill and start cooking just so I could use the brush and respond to their team.

6. Adjust your message.

Meeting someone online or working with sales and marketing both take a little bit of trial and error. For example, your Tinder tagline could be creepy or just too bland to stand out. After a couple of weeks, and several rejections, you finally realize that maybe you’re sending the wrong message. Tinker with that message until you find your unique voice resonates with other people.

Don't wait when could have your team A/B test a couple of different messages to see which one sticks better.

Final thought, trust. Find a way to build trust with your clients or future clients. If a person trusts you, they will purchase anything you put in-front of them.