What do you do?

I am a  ___________ (fill in your profession here) I expect you have put something like, engineer; accountant, lawyer, business coach or I have a pet shop or a computer shop. You might have said I am in advertising or I build web sites. When you answer like this people form an image in their mind based on their experience or lack of it with that profession.

What you are doing is telling people the industry you operate in. Customers do not come to you because of the industry but because of your speciality. People come to you for the results and benefit your product or service gives them. People read this newsletter because it specialises in providing small to medium sized businesses marketing advice that helps solves problems.

Sell the sizzle not the steak

Every salesman is told to sell the sizzle not the steak. Simply this means telling customers the result they will get from using your service or product.

Imagine you go to your computer repair shop and he tells you that he is going to take the cover off, move a few bits around and maybe put a new bit in your machine. Does this sound like something you would pay for?  Probably not.

What you want to hear him say is “ I will fix your computer”

Make sure you are telling customers the results your work produces and the benefits they will get from it. Then they will see the value of it.

Create a great marketing message

Aim to market the results of your work not the process you use. For example mine is “I work with business owners to market their business using low cost methods that can increase their customer base and increase sales”.

Other examples may be:

For a free review of your current marketing activities and suggestions on how they could be quickly and simply improved please give us a call on 01226 290288 or email Gareth@gapmanagement.co.uk.  My suggestions are free and yours to keep. Usually they cost very little to implement.

To develop your own message answer these three questions:

• Who do you work with?
• What is their problem or concern?
• How do you solve it?

Next try to appeal to the listener’s emotions by:

• Use words and phrases that are easy to understand and they can relate to. You may need to have a number of variations of your message for different audiences. For example, I have a slightly different message when talking to business advisers from when talking to engineering companies.
• Concentrate on benefits not features. Benefits are what the customer gets out of the product or service.

Using your message

The results your customers get from your services or products are a great starting place when writing your marketing material, ads, flyers, sales letters web site etc. Marketing is really about telling people that you have what they want. You must tell people that you have what they are looking for.

An accountancy firm may have literature and advertising that says “ we specilaise in family-owned businesses.” This will naturally appeal to family owned businesses because as it helps position the firm as experts in the field.

Lawyers for the rich and famous tells you exactly the type of clients they are looking for. There is also an implied comment that we are expensive and do not come here if you are not rich or famous.

Building relationships

People buy from people. So marketing is about developing relationships so that people know like and trust you. Build your marketing activity around these:

Know

People have to know you are out there. There are hundreds of ways you can create a presence from advertising and Yellow Pages (expensive and not always targeted) to web sites, articles, word of mouth networking etc.

Build marketing momentum by using your message in a variety of different way. This will help you to generate more sources for sales leads and enquiries.

Like

This is the “you” or if you like the rapport part of marketing. People who like you and the way you do business will be easier to do business with. On the other side if you like them then doing business with them will be easier for you too. Think about your ideal client be clear about what their characteristics are. This will help you to speak easily and clearly to them.

Trust

This is vital in every relationship and at every stage from attracting a new customer to maintaining a relationship. You must demonstrate you understand their situation and have answers to their desires or problems. You want people reading your marketing material to think you are talking directly to them. Yes that’s my desire or my problem is the sort of reaction you are looking for. The more that someone thinks you understand them the more likely they are to buy from you.

These factors are vital for:

• Forming new relationships
• Strengthening those relationships
• Maintaining relationships

About GAP Management

GAP Management helps business owners and managers to focus their sales and marketing efforts to be more effective and to find win and keep customers, to grow their businesses and be successful whether they market in person, in print or on the web.

For personal help with marketing and sales to grow your business contact me on 01226 290288 or email Gareth@gapmanagement.co.uk