10 Things you should avoid when selling on WhatsApp

Knowing how to sell on WhatsApp is a required skill for many entrepreneurs and businesses around the world, so we focus on sharing pro tips and recommendations on what you should and should not do while messaging customers in the app. We already gave you 10 keys to deliver great customer service in WhatsApp and now we want to share 10 things you should avoid when selling on WhatsApp to optimize your time and get better results.

1. Do not bypass WhatsApp's policies and terms

In order to succeed in WhatsApp, first you need to understand the app you are using by reading WhatsApp's documentation and guidelines. We don't want to get banned before we get started! These terms and policies will help you prevent mistakes that may lead your account to be banned, so they can save you from future headaches.

• WhatsApp commerce policy : will inform you which products and services are restricted or prohibited within the app.
• WhatsApp business policy : are the “rules” for WhatsApp Business products.
• WhatsApp terms of service : of course, you should always comply with the terms of service as these are the basic rules.

2. Do not start conversations without customer consent

WhatsApp is strict when it comes to people's privacy, so don't abuse its tools to message users. Make sure to message users who have contacted you first or those who have authorized you to do it.

A great tool for them to reach out first are WhatsApp links . When users click on a link it will lead them to your chat and then it's their decition to start the conversation by sending the first message, so make it easy for them and add a custom message to your link like “Hello, I want more info”

3. Do not send bulk messages and avoid broadcast lists

WhatsApp explicitly tells businesses not to send bulk messages as those are considered spam. They use both machine learning user reports to delete and ban accounts. Broadcast list on the other hand are permitted for businesses but don't abuse them as users may find those messages annoying and will report your account.

4. You should avoid extracting information from WhatsApp

As we mentioned before, privacy is important for WhatsApp so it is not permitted to extract users information at scale either using any automatic or a manual tool. Always ask users for permission to use personal information within legal boundaries and according to WhatsApp guidelines.

5. Do not send unwanted messages

Sometimes users don't recall giving you permission to contact them, so whenever users ask to stop messaging them you should immediately stop and delete them from your contact list or database to avoid any inconvenience.

6. Don't ever ignore customer messages

The first items on this list were focused on following WhatsApp's rules to run your business in the app. Now let's dive into things you should avoid when selling your products and services on WhatsApp.

Selling on WhatsApp requires professionalism and understanding that it is a full-time job, not something to do whenever you have free time. This means to reply to all your customers' messages and be transparent. Activate your last seen and read confirmation in your privacy settings in the app so customers will now when you are online and if you have read their messages.

Don't leave people on read.

7. Stick to text, avoid using voice messages to sell on WhatsApp

This is a controversial recommendation as people find it easier to reply using voice messages, it may be a friendlier way to communicate and brings the business closer to the customer. The other side of the story is that voice messages make your job harder in some ways:

• Voice messages can be misinterpreted and taken out of context.
• Voice messages can't be tracked nor searched, so important information is hard to find in them.
• Voice messages usually take longer to share relevant information. 10 seconds of relevant information may take 1 minute to share in a voice message.

To find some common ground and remain professional while being friendly, let's agree to use voice messages ONLY for non-relevant information between customer and the business like a greeting message.

You can't tell your customers not to send you voice messages, so instead you should always verify relevant information, transcript your customer's message and ask for confirmation.

8.You should avoid arguing with customers when selling on WhatsApp

It's kind of obvious but when you are messaging about 100 to 150 customers a day it is exhausting, it doesn't help either that some users are moody and disrespectful. Breath and always remember that the first key for great customer service is patience.

Unnecessary discussions will take too much from your precious time and mess with your tasks, so be kind in your response and never play victim or your customer will take advantage to argue some more and waste time.

9. Do not say “I don't know”, “I can't”, or “I don't want to”

There isn't much to share here besides it's your business or at least the one you are representing in the chat, be prepared, be kind, and ready to help. If there is any time you have to look for something (like a specific product in the database) simply let your customer know and they will gladly wait for your response.

10. Avoid wasting your customers' time (and yours) to sell on WhatsApp

WhatsApp is here to make communications easier, and people like to reach businesses in the app to get more information. Be proactive, share the information the customer is asking for and even more, that way they get more than they initially asked for and you may save some time answering questions your customer may have in the future.