Are you the type of business that communicates your client
results, or do you only talk about your business processes?
I have found that most successful global small businesses
have the attitude that a sale is the beginning of a
life-long relationship with a client. These small
businesses KNOW the results they bring their clients, and
they know their clients intimately, so to speak. Their
every need is anticipated, and they sell solutions to their
individual client's specific problems. The client is KING,
and the product or service, is a means to an end. That end
being a RAVING testimonial and the constant satisfaction of
the client's own unique needs and values.
Now the problem that I find with my clients who struggle to
attract local or global clients, is that they talk about
the process of what they do, not what they really do for
their clients. There is a huge distinction here, and that
distinction is costing them, and perhaps you, lots of
potential new clients. When I hear a small business owner
say, "My accounting firm has been in business X amount of
years, and we offer the typical accounting services blah
blah blah", it sends up a red flag for me. It tells me that
these people don't really know what they DO for their
clients. They clearly are not connected enough to their
client base to see what their client truly values.
Hate to say this, but nobody really cares about your
business processes. Until you can tell a client what's in
it for them to work with you, they won't pay attention to
you very long. Now, there is nothing wrong with you if you
have been doing this wrong, but you'll want to fix your
marketing message quickly.
You may have heard of the phrase "features vs. benefits",
but have never really known what it meant. Let's learn it
now, OK? An example of a product's feature is its color,
size, etc. An example of a benefit or result is the
solution it brings you. It helps you save money, it takes
away the pain, etc. An example of a business process is a
tax preparation, spinal adjustments, selling candles,
building a home, etc.
Now, I want you to think about how you support your
client's values, and what they really get from you. For
example: In America we value speaking up. Americans tend to
not beat around the bush, get to the bottom line, and ask
for the sale immediately. That's why slogans are critical.
This is not the case with other cultures:
*Japanese value saving face. The main goal is not to
exchange information. The overriding goal of the client
communication exchange is maintaining harmony.
*South-Africans value formality in dress and speech to
promote good client relationships.
*Hungarians value understanding the past. That's why it is
important to use historical context, in order to describe
the present benefit of your product or service.
I love cultures, and I could go on and on. But you get my
point. Different cultures will require you to have
different client-centered marketing.
To help you develop client-centered marketing, I want you
to make a list of the top 10 reasons, values, motivators,
results or benefits that make your target audience buy from
you. Now, not every thing you listed will fit your
business, but it will help you narrow down your client's
motivators. And once you know what motivates them to buy
from you, you can use that message in every piece of
marketing you own.
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Kim Schott, your Global Client Communication Expert, is the
author of the Keys to Client Communication System, the
step-by-step, paint by numbers client attraction program to
attract more clients in less time. To receive your weekly
how-to articles on consistantly attracting more local and
global clients in less time, visit
http://www.SchottCulturalConsulting.com
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