How good are you at romancing your customers?
If you suspect you might not be good enough, you're in luck. Because this week we have a snappy little piece from writer Michael Hepworth that shows us how to do that. No need for a big warmup. I'll let Michael take over from here.
Michael... she's all yours:
When I was a teenager, I had a friend Gavin, who had a very direct approach with the young ladies in the town where we lived. We used to laugh because he got a lot of slaps, and we were also envious because he was sometimes successful.
At the time, I didn't appreciate the marketing lesson in this. Thinking back, I realize that one of the reasons Gavin got slapped so often, is that he was trying to make a very difficult sale. He tended to fail more often than he succeeded. He just didn't know how to romance his prospects.
When dealing with your customers, are you rushing the sale or trying to close a sale that is hard to make?
If you are advertising or selling to people who have never heard of you and you start off asking for a relatively big commitment to quickly, the answer is almost certainly yes. It is also true when trying to sell big ticket items or complex solutions to new prospects. Are you making the same mistake as Gavin, and turning off many prospects, simply because you are too aggressive and they are not ready to take such big a step?
In many cases to move forward in small increments, each building a greater level of trust, will yield better results than asking for a big commitment right away.
You can't afford to undermine your efforts with this kind of mistake. To reach a qualified prospect and get turned down is simply too expensive, and the opportunity cost is too high. Like most marketing mistakes the issues are subtle and are not always obvious to the casual observer.
Savvy marketers understand that no matter how much success they have with a program, they owe it to themselves to continually find ways to improve their results. They know it costs exactly the same to run a direct mail piece, a sales campaign or an advertisement that yields 1%, 2%, 3% or 4%.
They also know that you can often get dramatic increases with only very minor changes, that cost nothing.
The easiest way to increase your success rate with customers is to get a little romance going. The key is to make the easy sale first. My young friend might have been more successful if he had built trust by inviting his prospects for coffee, getting to know them a little better and understanding what they were wanting out of a relationship. So it is with your customers. You have to be prepared to invest time and energy in building trust by selflessly providing value before asking for any commitment.
Making the easy sale first, usually involves offering something free. Let the customer try out your services at no risk.
What can you offer free, without breaking the bank? The most simple gift is information. Do you have information that is useful and valuable to your prospective customers? It must not be self-serving, otherwise it defeats the purpose. The best kind of information is the kind that helps them avoid making bad buying decisions, or protects them from dangers they might not be aware of.
You can also offer a free, no obligation, consultation or service to new prospects. If your services are good and your prospects are properly qualified, the downside risk is minimal for you. You should get a lot more people trying your service and becoming customers.
Remember, I did say, make the easy sale first. You still have to sell, but it will be easier. Be clear about the benefits your prospects will get, if they take this first step. Don't make the mistake of thinking that because you are offering something free, people will automatically take you up on your offer.
However, once they do take you up on your offer, you are well on your way to developing a profitable long-term relationship.
If you would like any marketing advice on your current marketing activities please contact TA Fastrack on 07 3040 3588
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