The Obstacle To Buying

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Testimonials must come, of necessity, from clients who are actually benefitting from your problem-solving expertise.  That said, there are six (6) questions you can use to generate effective testimonials.  Here’s your first one . . .

“Think back to when you were first thinking about hiring me / buying my / etc. . . . there must have been some reason or reasons why you thought, “I dunno. Maybe this ISN’T such a good idea”.  Tell me, what what was arguing AGAINST your hiring / buying / using my services?”

The answer you hear will be an obstacle to buying what you offer.  And, since testimonials are used to address, defuse and overcome obstacles, you need to know what you must address, defuse and overcome to help other people become your client in the future.

You’ll hear a number of factors cited by your clients.  Each one reveals an obstacle and suggests an issue that a testimonial must address, defuse and overcome.  The more frequently a given obstacle is cited, the more important it is for you to be ready for it . . . with (what else?) an appropriate testimonial!

KEY POINT:
Learning WHY people hesitate to buy reveals WHAT a testimonial must address.

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Testimonials That Work #1 of 5

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Most of us are influenced by what other people do and say. Social psychologists call it ‘normative referencing’.  We want to be part of the ‘crowd’ and that means ‘listening’ to what others say, do, feel, think, believe.  Social is our nature.

It’s also why testimonials are so effective. As a marketer, what you tell me about yourself is inherently suspect.  You’re biased. That’s expected.

What’s better?  Comments from a credible source.  Your clients.  Normally, unlike our friend here, they have nothing to gain financially from endorsing your services.  And, if a client ‘looks like me’, then their words about you and your services have more potency for me.

Is there a key to a good testimonial? Good question.  Actually, there are several!

In the next few days, I’ll share what makes a testimonial effective and how to co-create good ones with your clients.

KEY POINT:
Testimonials reduce buying resistance but there’s an artform to generating effective ones!

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Got a Core Message, yet?

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You meet someone at an event.
You exchange introductions and pleasantries.
Question:  “Will what you say be memorable . . . to another person?”
If not, it may be hard for you to ‘stand out’ from the crowd of all the other people who are present at the event.

Solution:  Craft a Core Message that embodies the essence of your value proposition.  Often, it may be the best way for what you’re doing to ‘stand out’ in the Mind of someone you meet.

Examples:
Ben Franklin Plumbing: “If there’s any delay, it’s YOU we will pay”
Duct Tape Marketing: “Simple, effective and affordable small business marketing”
Pete’s Septic Service:  “When you can’t go, we’ll come!”
Johnson’s Plumbing:  “You call.  We come.  You flush”
Wolfe Design: “More great ideas per square inch than anyone else!”

A ‘core message’ is the distilled essence of the uniqueness and value your business offers. Smaller messages are easier to say.  They’re easier to remember, too. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to get called the next time someone needs the value you offer.

KEY POINT:
Craft a ‘Core Message’ as well as your ‘Elevator Pitch’

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Touching Base

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Following up after an initial contact is important.  Unfortunately, however you follow-up,  if you do it too often you may turn someone off.

If you do it too infrequently, you may be forgotten by someone with whom you’re seeking to build awareness and a preference for the brand called ‘YOU’.  Tough call, eh.

Dripping By Design . . . is the solution you may be seeking.  As the name implies, ‘dripping’ information on someone is designed to help you do the following:

1.  build / maintain awareness of you and your business,
2.  educate someone about the need for your services,
3.  position yourself competitively

I suggest having two kinds of ‘drip’ campaigns.  The first one is to acknowledge a new connection.  A simple follow-up note or email with a link to some content that is relevant to the person receiving it.  The second one is a periodic communication from you — perhaps a newsletter — that will serve to maintain awareness and build a preference for you and your brand of services.

KEY POINT:
An initial follow-up and an ongoing stay-in-touch communication campaign builds awareness and preference for your brand.

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Lead Generation #3 of 3: Referrals

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A client begins with a lead.  It may be ‘hot’ or, not.  It may be ‘qualified’ or, not.
Leads come from 3 primary marketing activities:  Advertising, Public Relations and Referrals.

Activity #3:  Referrals / Word-of-Mouth
Ask any service provider, “What’s your BEST source of of new clients?” They’ll say, “Referrals”.  Then ask them, “Are you getting enough referrals?” They’ll say, “Not really”.  Confusing, isn’t it?

Ironically, the best way to generate new client opportunities is not as productive as most providers would like. Here are two good reasons why this is so:

Factor 1: you have NO SYSTEM
Referrals don’t happen by accident.  They happen by design.  And having a ‘plan’ to generate referrals is essential.

Factor 2: you are NOT USING IT
Not having a referral system is one thing.  Not using it is another.  Often, this suggests a non-supportive attitude on the part of anyone who is expected to use your referral system.  If this is so, some form of attitude-adjustment may be required.

KEY POINT:
Generating referrals requires both a PLAN and an ATTITUDE that supports using it.

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U Make Me Smarter, I Make You Richer

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“An educated consumer is our best customer”. Sy Syms, the founder of SYMS clothing stores made that his tagline for years.

He knew that informed prospects were customers who know what they want, what they’re getting and had far less ‘Buyer’s Remorse’.

Marketing requires, even for people who have a ‘microwave’ buying / decision-making process, sufficient information to make an informed decision about what they’re buying.

Educating someone about your services empowers them and helps them appreciate you better than if they are ignorant of the beneficial difference you can create in their lives.

KEY POINT:
Educating  your market members makes them appreciate what you can do for them and that . . . produces better results for your bottom line . . . than if you don’t.

 

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Bundling Services Boosts Revenues

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Would you like to work . . . TWICE as hard for HALF the money or HALF as hard for TWICE the money? Dumb question, isn’t it?

Well, you may be doing just that. Especially if you’re not bundling several services together to produce a result your clients desire.

If you visit any fast food restaurant, you’ll notice they offer ‘Value Meals’.  These are created by bundling several items together — usually a burger, a drink and fries and giving that ‘combination’ a simple name or even a number — e.g. “I’ll have a #3 with a small coffee”.

The brilliance of this is that you have a ‘complete solution’ to the problem of ‘I want to eat something’ and you just have to ask for one thing to buy several.  THINK ABOUT IT.

KEY POINT:
Bundling services to produce a desirable result makes it easier to buy several things with one decision. For you, this means more revenues, more easily generated.

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What’s Your Core Difference?

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After positioning yourself as a SPECIALIST . . . understanding and communicating your ‘core difference’ is an essential element for attracting prospects to you and your practice.

To  learn what your core difference is, talk with your clients.

Client interviews can reveal some very useful insights.  For example, asking your recent clients (who presumably know your competitors) “Why did you choose our firm?”  and, “If we didn’t exist, which firm or provider would you go with?  Why?”.

That will tell you a) who your competition is, b) what their competitive position is and, c) why yours is more attractive.  Pretty powerful information!

KEY POINT:
Learning what clients find attractive . . . makes you more likely to attract them.

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Breaking Promises, Eroding Trust

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Seth Godin posted this.  He bought something. It didn’t work.
Employees at the store promised to take care of his problem.
Not one did.

I don’t know which is worse.
To never promise a client you’ll do something they want from you or make a promise but never fulfill it

    OK, I think I know.
    To make a promise to your client and fail to keep it.

    In both cases your client doesn’t get what she wanted.  But when you make and break a promise . . . your client loses something else –– confidence in you and the value of your relationship is eroded.

    KEY POINT:
    Keep your promises to clients    .  Pretty simple, isn’t it?

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    “And the Winner is . . .”

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    If you’ve ever faced a meaningful problem — e.g. you’re about to spend a significant sum on landscaping, a new furnace, tutoring for your child, braces, a senior living center for your folks, etc. you probably asked yourself: “Is this the best provider to use?”

    Create Your Own Credentials and Credibility
    Facing a challenge in my own life recently, I found one provider offered a ‘Special Report’: “Six Key Questions To Ask Before You Hire a ___________”. It wasn’t about their solution. It was about my question.  WOW!  It blew me away.

    Buying a Professional Service
    You really need to know two things to make a decision on a professional service, don’t you?  “What will fix my problem?” and “Who is the best person (or, firm) to do it?”

    Information Raises The Bar and Sets You Apart
    As consumers, we want to know WHAT we need, WHERE to find it, and WHO to use to get it.

    Helping a prospective client learn what they must know to make an ‘informed decision’ is not only extremely useful, it also differentiates you from your competitors who don’t provide such information in the ‘initial’ phase of a prospect’s decision-making process.

    KEY POINT:
    Help people make good decisions . . . by educating them not only on WHAT they need but on HOW TO IDENTIFY which provider is the best one to use.  THAT . . . is a ‘best practice’ that helps prospects make the right decision . . . more likely and more often . . . in favor of you and your firm.

     

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