David Winch
Photo by Dianna Bonner of
World Vision Photos
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David's Top Ten
Marketing for Profit Tips
Restorative Therapy for Sales and Marketing
If everything in a business that isn't directly concerned with doing what you do, or
with managing the money, is Sales and Marketing, and if Sales is part of the broader
spectrum of Marketing, then you need to get good at Marketing!
- Be able to define your ideal customer
Sounds simple but many businesses can't tell you this information because they've
never bothered to filter their thoughts in this way. And keep it to just one
type, definable by public domain information and not stuff you could only find out by
talking to them.
- Be able to state their most commonly experienced 'pain'
What is the one commonest 'symptom' of the 'disease' you are the expert at
curing? Build some emotional words into your description. What
you're trying to do is get prospective customers to think, "Hey, that's just like us!"
and take a further interest in you and your business.
- Be able to describe how great life will feel once they no longer have
this 'pain'
Gather as many of these 'value outcomes' as you can and use a few as the 'pay-off'
of choosing you as a supplier.
- Choose your products and services wisely
Get feedback from customers, and from people who've not bought from you
yet.
Be aware that they may ask for better ways of alleviating symptoms
rather than better cures for the underlying condition. As Henry Ford said,
"If I'd asked the people what they wanted, they would have told me 'faster
horses'!" Ford should have asked his question and then gone on to say, "And
why do you need a
faster horse?"
Don't try to sell people what you think they need. No one buys what they
need!
We all only ever buy what we want! If the need is not yet
a want, you have some pre-selling to do, so why not supply what they already
want. By then they will be asking to buy from you and you won't have to sell
to them. This is doubly true in the extreme case where the want becomes a
craving.
And you'll want them to come back later and buy more, so you have to have the more
available for them to buy. If you can't supply it yourself, find a strategic
partner who can.
- Match your messages to the reasons your customers choose to buy from you
To do this you need to have asked them; so if you haven't, start now!
If they've bought from you because over the last year you've always been courteous,
you've always given them a little more than they expected, and on the occasion when
they needed a 2-hour service you were able to provide it, then say so in your
promotion! "We are the courteous supplier who can be flexible and are always
ready to 'go the extra mile'."
They apparently aren't really fussed whether your Grandfather started the business
in 1897, that all your staff get free lunches, that your Managing Director has got 5
University degrees, or even that your prices are the lowest in town. If they
were interested in these things, then you should say that instead!
- Check all your messages against the three key tests
Is there any bu....it in your copy? Can anyone say, "So blooming what!"
to any of your messages? And can anyone comment, "I was rather expecting to
be able to take that for granted" to anything you claim?
The way to check this third point is to think of what the opposite would be, then
ask yourself if any of your rivals could possibly compete on this
negative. So, if your message is about your high quality, how many of your
competitors are advertising the fact they have low quality?
You'll probably need to state these 'take for granted's at least once, but you'll
need further messages in order to tempt people to buy from you and not your
competitors.
- Use multiple promotional channels
Prospective customers need to find out about you, and then get used to hearing
about you, before they start to absorb what you are trying to tell them. So
give them plenty of ways.
One promotional channel is certainly not enough, even if it's a
website.
Half a dozen is a lot better, and your strategy could easily be to
regularly add new channels.
These need not be expensive either, indeed some are at virtually no cost.
- Build reliability and trust without even being there
Wouldn't it be nice if the first time you encountered a prospective customer they
already knew what you can do, who you do it for, the good that your customers get from
dealing with you, and that you are hugely trustworthy.
All this is possible! Promoting good messages through multiple channels
will achieve the first three of these things, and the fourth can be 'automated'
too. All you need to do is build into the enquiry generating process some
promises that will automatically be 'delivered'.
It could be as simple as promising to contact them within 24 hours and doing so, or
promising to mail a brochure the same day and doing so, or promising to e-mail your
newsletter and doing so. You just need to invest in setting up the system,
so you don't need to invest time in 'browsers' until they become pre-qualified
'enquirers'.
- Generate enquiries from new and existing customers
All the ideas so far may seem to have been about generating new customers, but most
of it is relevant to existing customers too. You need to keep your customer
base in touch with what you're doing, and other things you could do for them.
If you add new product lines, tell them. If you come up with new ways of
using existing products, tell them. Even just if it's the 10th of the month,
tell them! You must employ a 'keep in touch system' so that you are
remembered when the time is right for their next purchase.
- Test and measure everything
Nobody, not even the best Marketing 'experts' out there can predict what will work
for your company and your products in your market. Even the best will tell
you they are amazed 30% to 60% of the time!
So don't waste money on Marketing activities before you know whether they will work
for you. Test things out on a small scale and measure the
results. Then do more of what works and drop what doesn't!
When you find something that works, test a variation and see if that works even
better.
And a bonus eleventh tip, just for you!
- Ask for referrals
If your customer is pleased with you, why not ask if they know anyone else who
might be interested in talking to you. You can do this even if yours is a
purely e-commerce operation, selling to the public 'off the page'.
As well as asking them as the job is done and they confirmed they're satisfied, try
also asking just as they've given you the order. They feel pretty warm
towards you then too.
Sometimes, especially if you supply professional services, the customer may view
you as their 'secret weapon' and wouldn't want to recommend you to their
competitors. This doesn't stop them recommending you to their suppliers and
customers. What could be better all round than the whole of that supply
chain doing more business?
Finally, don't forget to ask prospects who decide not to buy from
you. Even if you're not right for them, they might know someone for whom
you'd be ideal.
Give it a try and just see how much more profit you make.
David Winch
Pain Relief and Restorative Therapy for Sales and Marketing
Practical Help to Grow Your Business
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David Winch specialises in working with smaller businesses whose Marketing function is not fully effective, with the result that they are worried about
meeting their sales and profit goals. David helps them craft more compelling messages and make better use of the internet, so they get more first
appointments, build better strategic alliances and create more effective keep in touch systems.
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