Consumer Confidence Tanks
No surprise—income is down, unemployment is up, even slippery savings are piling up—people and businesses are holding onto their cash as if we were heading toward the GREAT RECESSION. Or lost in it.
It’s getting tougher just finding a pair of ears willing to listen to you.
What you may need is a powerful way to connect with their fears—and overcome them!
If you’ve been in business for a while, you already know, at least intuitively, the sales process proceeds in 4 steps: Connect, Qualify, Negotiate, Close. When we CONNECT, we build the initial relationship, get to know the person or group, and establish ourselves as someone who is likeable and trustworthy.
The QUALIFY step opens the door to talk about the benefits and features of your product and services to see if there’s a good fit right now. You are qualifying them and they are qualifying you. Do you have what they want?
NEGOTIATE gives you the opportunity to talk prices and terms. Of course, the final step is the purpose of the process—to CLOSE the sale and fulfill on your promises. The goal is to move your potential buyer to take the next step, toward the close.
Sound familiar?
The #1 mistake most business seekers make is they skip over the first step and move directly (or too quickly) to talking about themselves, their product, and its features.
Their presentation is all about THEM. Why they are superior, great and wonderful… And, of course, why you should do business with them.
STOP!
People are hard-wired to think of themselves first. It’s like dating. Your initial emphasis must be focused on their interests and FIRST give them something of value up front. This establishes you as keenly knowledgeable and concerned about them. You invoke the power of reciprocity—long before you begin to “sell”.
How can you do that?
What you may be lacking is a powerful presentation to help you make that initial connection. What should be in that presentation? Ask yourself this question, ‘What is of most interest to them, what fears do they have, what hopes and dreams’… speak to those interests first, the “little voice in their brain” BEFORE you even begin to talk about your P&S.
This approach is called Education-Based Marketing. Perhaps you’ve come across this in your snailmail and inbox. It looks something like this…
WARNING! Do not hire a contractor before you first read this independent research report on the 5 most dangerous trends…
Those free reports are filled with compelling information that you’re genuinely glad to know before you decide to buy.
Let’s face it. You, like everyone else, want to make the best possible buying decisions. You want all the little know facts in advance—before you make your purchase.
What kind of information should go in your free report?
Use this as your pattern: Make a point, tell a story. Make a point, tell a story.
The “point” for a contractor could be data showing that a dangerous number of ex-cons are being hired to come in your home to do the work. Follow this with a story of what happened to so-and-so, with a picture of an innocent child with her mom… and BINGO! You’ve made a startling point that directly relates to the concerns and fears of your potential buyer.
The solution? Choose a contractor that only hires bonded, licensed workers (which just happens to be your company’s certified practice).
A few more facts and stories like that and you will have created a dialogue that makes an indelible connection with your potential buyer. You’ve empowered them to make good choices and established yourself as the undeniable expert. WITHOUT selling.
If you want to explore how POWER PRESENTATIONS can apply to you in your specific market to help you attract and engage more new clients, send me an email or give a call. We’ll take an honest look at how this might make winning more new clients a heck of a lot easier for you. Especially in this unsettling economy…