Most new clients are skeptical at best when I explain to
them how changing their marketing approach can actually
make prospects come to them. They definitely don't believe
it when I tell them marketing can be easy and fun. But it
all changes when their phone starts ringing off the hook
and new money is rolling in…
First, a bit of a backdrop story: why your marketing
doesn't work.
Chances are before you started your own business you had a
fair share of experience working for a larger company which
probably used many of the "traditional" marketing
approaches like fancy brochures, big ads, sales force
cold-calling on potential clients - just to name a few.
So when you started your business you probably thought the
way to go is to do what they were doing, only to discover
that this approach costs a small fortune and doesn't
generate nearly the type of response you need to stay in
business.
Fortunately, there are better ways to attract new clients…
And they don't require spending hours on networking events,
cold-calling on strangers, and arm-wrestling so-so
prospects into making a buying a decision. But how - you
ask?
Let's suppose for a minute that instead of creating your
next promotional piece your job was to help your best
client solve one of their nagging problems.
For example - let's say you are a business management
consultant who wants to attract more clients.
A "traditional" approach would be to whip up some sort of
one-sheet-type flier or brochure that would say something
like "I'm a hot-shot consultant, I graduated from an
impressive university, I have half a dozen of
accreditations and designations and all the initials behind
my last name to prove it, I can help your company solve 101
problems listed below, and here is the jaw-dropping list of
satisfied clients I already worked with."
Materials like this could help further establish your
credibility at a later stage of developing relationships
with your prospects but they are terrible for generating
leads.
And while it's exciting to see all that great stuff about
you written in a neat brochure, there is one huge problem
with it - it's only exciting to you. If you distribute it
to your potential clients, it will be quickly and
efficiently relegated to a circular file next to their desk.
Instead, imagine that you wrote a short article addressing
one of the big problems you know your current and potential
clients struggle with. To continue with the example of a
management consultant it could be something like "The
Hidden Costs of Excessive Turnover; Top 7 Ways to Hold on
to Your Best Employees." Or "5 Time Management Myths that
Are Killing Your Productivity and How to Fix Them."
You get the idea, right? OK, so it's time for a quick quiz.
Answer these simple questions:
1) What would your prospects rather read:
a) your bio (or other boring sales brochure), or…
b) an educational article filled with helpful tips and
ideas?
2) Which of the two items would your potential clients be
more likely to request from you on their own and then
forward to their peers and colleagues:
a) your sales brochure, or…
b) a special report (a.k.a. white paper) addressing one of
their key problems?
3) Finally, which of the two items would have a higher
chance of being published in an industry publication and do
a better job of positioning you as the authority on solving
a specific problem:
a) your one-sheet, or…
b) 500- to 1500-words article filled with specific how-to
tips?
If you answered "b" in all three cases, you're 100% correct.
What I just described to you is a simple shift from a
"traditional", sales-focused approach, to something often
referred to as education-based or attraction marketing.
It really doesn't matter what you call it. Bottom line - if
you are willing to stop viewing your marketing as a way to
GET people to buy from you, and instead explore how your
promotions could actually HELP potential clients solve some
of their biggest problems - you might experience two
pleasant phenomena.
One, because promoting yourself will become a natural
extension of what you already love doing - which is helping
your clients solve their problems - you will enjoy spending
more time and effort working on marketing your business.
And two, your phone will actually start ringing so often,
you'll be forced to turn some of the less-qualified
prospects away! (Now - that's a new thought!)
© 2007 Marketing Mentors. All Rights Reserved.
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The author, Adam Urbanski, teaches service professionals
and business owners how to develop better marketing
strategies to increase sales and profits. His website
offers more how-to articles and free tips to create a
winning marketing action plan at
http://www.themarketingmentors.com
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