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Marketing
Articles on Packaging Communicating
Your Core Marketing
Message
I
was recently working with a client on a marketing
project (a title for a book on personal growth) and
in the process I discovered this model for
growth and change: In
meeting with a client the next day, I realized that
this model not only applied to growth and change
but was just as applicable to how we help clients
and present our marketing message: and
one more.... Applying
This Formula to Your Marketing Materials
One
of the biggest mistakes I see with clients is that
they start with #5 first. They tell everything
they do to solve the problem before there is
agreement that there is even a problem to
solve. And
you wonder why people are not interested in what
you do. Well guess what, they aren't! They first
want to know that you understand their situation
and then how you can help them. This
Five-Step model provides the perfect template for
simple, direct and persuasive marketing materials
that do just that. Since
I'm closer to my business than to any other, I'm
going to give you an example using my business to
demonstrate how this works. All you need to do is
apply it to your business. Ready?
Here goes! Not
Attracting Enough Clients to Your
Business? Do
you continually struggle with marketing? Do you
love performing your service but find it a real
chore to do the marketing necessary to attract new
clients? And if you've done various marketing
activities, have you found the response to be less
than you hoped for? When you get a lead to a good
potential client do you find that you don't convert
a large percentage of them into paying clients, and
if you do convert them, do you often not get paid
what you feel you're worth? You
Can Learn How to Magnetize Clients to Your
Business Marketing
really shouldn't really be a struggle. The
marketing side of your business should just be as
easy and as fun as performing your services. Of
course, you'll find it a lot more enjoyable and
rewarding if your marketing activities result in
prospective clients calling you ready to work with
you. And you'll be a lot more enthusiastic if most
of those prospective clients turn into clients that
pay you what you're worth every single time. Sound
impossible? Really it's quite easy. If
It's So Easy, Why Haven't You Done
It? Successful,
effortless marketing starts with an understanding
of how marketing really works. Because we think
of marketing as "trying to get something" instead
of "giving something," our marketing efforts make
us feel like used car salespeople. No matter what
techniques or strategies we apply (even if they're
the right ones), we usually fall flat on our faces
because we have the wrong "Marketing Mindset." And
since failing at marketing isn't fun, we tend to
give up on it altogether, hoping our good work will
result in word-of-mouth business. It will, but
we're missing huge opportunities to build our
businesses if we don't start marketing in a way
that works. Master
a Five-Step Process to Magnetizing
Clients Successful
marketing starts with a mindset that understands
why people are attracted to us and buy our
services. Then it's a matter of working with
the fundamental principles of service business
marketing. I call these principles the 5 Ps -
Positioning, Packaging, Promotion, Persuasion and
Performance. All of these 5 Ps are about
communicating the value of your services in such a
way that people see what's in it for
them. Action
Plan Marketing Has the Expertise and the
Tools People
come to Action Plan Marketing for assistance in
developing and implementing a 5 P Strategy for
their business. They know they might be able to
do it themselves but they realize that it will save
them huge amounts of time, effort, frustration and
money if they have a road map and learn the skills
and strategies that are proven to work. I provide
this expertise through many products and services
such as tapes on marketing, Workshops by Telephone
and one-on-one consulting and coaching. If you'd
like to learn more about how I can help you start
attracting more clients and making more money,
please give me a call. I'll be happy to discuss
your situation on the phone at no cost. Call
831-338-7790 or visit my web site at
http://www.actionplan.com
and then email me with any questions you might
have. So,
I hope that's clear! Are your services
presented in a way that makes it easy for people to
know why they need you and how you can help them?
If not, take some time and, using this simple
format, create one or two pages that really
communicate the value of your services.
The
Problem Solution Dilemma Are
you feeling a little frustrated that very few
people seem to be responding to your marketing
materials? Perhaps people look at them and read
a little but you get very few "tell me more!" or
"that's for me!" responses. Does it seem that no
matter how much you write, nobody seems interested?
Perhaps you've you come to the conclusion that
marketing materials don't really work. This
is a topic I seem to return to often because it's
so key to overall marketing effectiveness. In a
workshop I led this past weekend it was the theme I
returned to over and over. What you need to do to
get more attention is very simple: Always lead with
problems and follow with solutions. Sounds simple
but very few Independent Professionals are doing
it. Take
a look at any marketing materials or web site.
Look at the opening paragraph of text. It is almost
always a solution -- "We help you improve ABC by
doing XYZ" -- or even worse, a process: "These are
all the services we offer." Nobody really notices.
It seems OK. But it's not. Because it simply
doesn't get any attention, let alone
response. Why? Because
a solution or a process is not what we are thinking
and feeling. We are thinking and feeling about
our problems, predicaments and pain. So if those
are mentioned in the first words in your marketing
materials, people say, "Yes that's me" to
themselves and continue to read further. For
instance... "Do
you feel you're doing OK in your job but you
have the nagging feeling you could do a whole
lot better? The thing is, you have no idea
what's not working and where to start looking."
(career counselor) "Did
you know that the average data entry company
makes an average of 3% mistakes on every single
project? Doesn't seem like much, but with a
million entries, that's 30,000 errors." (data
processing company) When
you read those opening statements, don't you want
to know more? It's a bit like an author setting
up a mystery. The crime has been committed; who did
it and who can solve the case? It's almost
impossible not to read on. However, if we start
with the solution, this is what it comes out
as: OK,
that's nice. It is a solution, but it brings up
the question for the reader, "Why do I need this
solution in the first place?" So they don't
continue to read further. Especially if the next
part goes into detail about all the
services. No,
you need to lay the groundwork for solutions by
making it crystal clear that trouble is brewing
that they may not even be aware of. And the more
you can do that, the more your prospects will
continue to read your materials. This
"problem theme" can be repeated virtually
everywhere in your written materials. Here are
a few examples. The
Home Page - Start with a summary of the problem
as outlined above. But don't tell what you can do
next. The following solution should be a scenario
of what it could be like: "Despite the huge
attrition rate in the insurance industry, many
companies are bucking the trend and retaining a
high percentage of their most valuable employees.
How do they do it?" Services
Page - Don't just list all the services you
offer, open with a paragraph that reiterates the
problem in a somewhat different way, and then
present the services as a solution to that problem.
"These services are designed to not only reduce
attrition but to increase customer satisfaction and
profitability." Clients
Page - Don't just list all your clients, tell
what kinds of problems they were facing before they
came to you, or give a more complete list of the
problems your typical clients are
facing. Case
Studies - Every case study starts with a
problem: "Before we started working with this
client, their situation was like this..." Then tell
what you did for the client, and finally, tell what
results they produced as a result of working with
you. Contact
Us Page - Don't just list your company name,
address and contact information. Come back to the
problem: "If you are tired of losing money from
employee attrition we can help...." Articles
- Start your articles with a problem paragraph that
sets the tone. Notice how I started this eZine
article? Discuss what issues people in the industry
you work with face every day. Talks
- I start my talks with a question: "Why do we
tend to hate marketing?" That warms up the audience
because that's exactly where they're coming from.
Then I build permission to suggest solutions so
that marketing can be fun. Audio
Logo - This is when people ask you what you do.
Notice that everyone is talking mostly in processes
or even worse, labels. Some are using solutions,
but very few are using problems. I've found the
best formula is as follows: Take
a look through your marketing materials and see if
your messages are falling flat by opening with
processes and solutions, and then replace those
messages by opening with problems. I guarantee
you'll get more readership and response.
The
Million Dollar Bet One
of the biggest challenges we have as independent
"knowledge business owners" is effectively
communicating to our associates and prospective
clients exactly what it is that we do. We often
settle for broad generalizations such as
"Organization Development Consulting," or "Process
Improvement Specialist." Now
if you've been following the Marketing Flash for
some time you know you need to phrase what you
do in terms that really mean something to the
prospective client. I call this a Solution
Statement or an "Audio Logo." But really it only
starts there. Once you've said, "I work with
organizations to improve performance, specifically
in the area of getting products to market faster,"
what do you have to follow up with? I
have a million dollar bet I make with people when
I'm giving a presentation. I ask them to give
me the names of 20 of their associates or clients
whom I'll call and ask, "Can you tell me exactly
what so-and-so does?" If all 20 can give me, even
generally, the same answer, you've got a million
dollars. I've never had a taker. Most admit that
even their husbands or wives couldn't tell them
what they really did! So
what's a poor knowledge business owner to
do? The
next step, after clearly defining the solution you
offer, is to hunker down to the hard work of
creating some marketing materials that communicate
precisely what you do, how you do it and why you're
qualified. It amazes me how few people have
adequate marketing materials. Here's a basic
guideline: For each of the following headings you
should have about a page of material. Lay it out
nicely in your word processor and print it on your
letterhead and put it in a presentation folder and,
viola!, you have marketing materials that
communicate what your prospects want to
know. Problems People
are always thinking about their problems. Are you
aware of the problems your clients are
experiencing? List the various problems in some
detail one after another in order of importance.
This is a great attention getter and naturally
leads to the next part. Solutions
& Results Now
tell the reader how the services you provide
addresses the problems listed. Again, list them one
by one in detail. Don't be general and vague. Let
them know exactly how your service addresses their
issues and how they result in solutions that mean
something to them. Why
Me/Us? Your
prospective client has many choices in solving
their problems. So let them know how your
approach/solution/results/experience is the best
choice. Is it the way you approach an assignment?
Is it the fact that you guarantee a result? Is it
your industry specialization? Let them know your
Unique Competitive Advantage. It needn't be complex
but it must be relevant. Stories Now
think through the many times you have provided
similar solutions to past clients. Let your reader
know the problem your client faced, the solution
you provided and the results that ensued. These
might only be a paragraph or two. But make them
clear, relevant and as impressive as
possible. Testimonials You
DO ask your clients to give you a testimonial
letter after you've done a great job, don't you? If
so, dig out those letters and extract the best
nuggets and put them all on a page. If you have no
letters, it's time to give them a call and make the
request. This might not be a lot of fun but it has
a big payback. About
Me/Us This
is background material on you and your business.
List anything relevant regarding your ability to
provide solutions to your clients. Education,
projects, related interests, values,
philosophy--anything that gives solid reasons for
you being the qualified person for the
job. Working
With Us Finally,
let your prospective client know exactly how you
start working. Do you offer an initial
consultation, a needs assessment, a free
presentation? When you do start work, what do you
typically do first? The idea is to make your
prospect feel comfortable calling you because they
know how you start and how you work. That's
it really. It does take a lot of work but with
materials like this you have answered the main
questions a client might have about you and your
services. Good materials make prospective clients
more comfortable about doing business with you and
often makes you a higher ranked contender over
someone else with inadequate or no
materials.
The
Power of Testimonials If
you've known me for awhile, you soon learn that I'm
a fanatical jazz fan. I take all the money I
make and spend it on jazz CDs. What's left over
I spend on food and rent. But
I don't like to waste my money. And this is one
of the reasons I shop at Tower Records. Don't like
it? bring it back within 2 weeks. As a result, I've
built a substantial jazz collection with nary a
dud. But
what I like just as much is the on-line CD store at
Amazon.com. And it's not because of the selection,
and they won't take returns on opened CDs. It's
because of the testimonials or reviews listed under
each CD. I
read those reviews closely because they're by
people just like me - jazz fans with a strong
opinion. And if enough of them think the CD is
great, I figure I have little to lose. I'm rarely
steered wrong. The
best business comes from word-of-mouth marketing
-from testimonials. These are clients that have
been convinced not by what *you've* said, but by
what *someone else* has said. After all, why would
they lie? One
of those marketing mysteries is why more businesses
don't use the testimonials they receive to help
persuade prospective clients to do business with
them. After all, a testimonial letter or email
doesn't do you much good sitting on your computer
or in a file somewhere. So
sharing testimonials is like magnifying
word-of-mouth. They can help build a solid case
for your services and they can do it at relatively
little cost for years to come. Some
people are not persuaded by testimonials.
Perhaps they like technical information better.
But if you're not a "testimonials kind of person,"
that doesn't mean your prospective clients don't
like them. There
are several ways to get
testimonials: -
Prepare comments based on what you think they'd
say and run it by them for approval and
editing. -
Get someone to call your clients and interview
them and write down and edit their
comments. In
no case should you ever make up a testimonial -
ever! •
Testimonials that talk about what it was like to
work with you (fantastic service!) are good as
well •
Vague and noncommittal testimonials are worse
than none at all (did the job
adequately...) Skeptical
that testimonials persuade? Please read the one
below from John Callos that I received
recently: "Believe
it or not, I have had an incredible first six
months in business. Right now, I am writing
you from a cyber-cafe in Singapore, where I am
on a 4-month project to build an entire Internet
business bank completely from scratch. My fees?
Are you ready? $45,000 per month, plus they paid
to get me and my family here. Can you even
believe it?!! I never made this kind of money in
my entire life! "And
lastly, to cap it all off, on my 38th birthday a
few days ago, I received an email from Guru.com.
I was awarded the "Guru of the Year" award
in the category of "Rookie of the Year" !!
WOW! "I
was a virtual nothing when I called you and
ordered your tapes. I had nothing
substantive going on. It was you that gave me
that seed of encouragement that has grown to
propel me daily. Whether it was true or not was
unimportant. I believed that coming from you, a
verified expert as the "Consultant's Consultant"
you must know what you are talking about. So all
this year I have been walking around thinking
that I would be one of the "greats." "I
think I may be proof that if you really believe
something, then you make it happen." John
purchased my "Client Magnet Workshop on Tape"
($99) and then took advantage of the free
half-hour phone session I provide as one of the
bonuses with the tapes. Do
you think John got his money's worth?
:-) You
can learn about this tape set at: www.actionplan.com/workshop.html So
yes, testimonials work. Work at collecting them and
then use them everywhere possible - in your printed
materials, on your web site, and in your e-mail
newsletter!
Programs,
Not Projects A
couple weeks ago, in response to one of my eZines,
a loyal subscriber, John Callos, made the comment
that his business was going gangbusters because
he was now selling programs, not projects.
Wanting to know more, I gave him a call and set up
a phone interview. This is what he had to
say: John
had been going through the boom and bust scenario
that so many consultants experience. He'd get a
big project, put all of his time and energy into
it, stop marketing because he was so busy and then,
when the project ended, spend months looking for
the next project. Sound familiar? He
and his partner Kevin decided to take a very
different approach. First, they focused all
their energies on one industry - the one they knew
best - banking. Before they had tried to be all
things to all people, a big positioning error
because it tends to dilute your energies and
message. Next
they developed a program that was not as open-ended
as a consulting assignment. It had a beginning,
middle and end and very clear objectives and
deliverables. This made their prospects feel more
at ease. They knew exactly what they were
getting. They
gave their program a name: "The Executive
Development Program" and included two main
components - a day of training and ten months of
individual coaching. Because
of the way they had structured the program, it was
unique, not a commodity. Their prospective
clients had nothing to compare it to. This
immediately eliminated the competition. They
didn't charge an hourly rate. They charged per
person with a ten-person minimum. And the fee was
hefty - several thousand per participant. They set
a fee that would make the client take them and the
program seriously. The
exciting thing was that their clients loved the
concept. Now, instead of buying time, their
clients were buying a result through a program with
clear objectives for developing leadership in their
managers. They were happy and so were John and
Kevin. Offering
this program now enabled them to keep actively
marketing their business because all their time
wasn't taken up with projects. They now make it a
priority to market this program consistently to
their target prospects in the banking
industry. I
think John and Kevin hit on a formula they can
consistently take to the bank (no pun
intended)! And I think it's a formula many
consultants, coaches and trainers can adapt to
their businesses as well. Find ways to take your
current services and turn them into unique and
valuable programs. Marketing
Flashes on Programs, Not Projects *
Your program needs a complete marketing program to
go with it. You must position it, package it and
promote it. It won't sell by itself. Start with a
detailed write-up on your web site. *
You need to prove your program has clear advantages
over your previous offerings. What are its main
benefits? Why is this program better than a
project, stand-alone training session or coaching
by the hour? *
You want to develop your program so that it is both
pre-packaged and customized. All the components of
the program are the same for everyone but you are
still able to respond to individual needs and
concerns. *
Your program needs to be all about results, not
processes. Why not guarantee your program? If you
do, you'll reduce the risk to your clients and
increase your commitment to produce your very best
work. *
Make sure your program guarantee has a built-in
requirement that your clients "do their homework."
You can't be responsible for their success but you
can encourage compliance. This way your program
will be win-win all the way. Return
to Index
of Marketing Articles These
articles give just a taste of what you'll find in
the InfoGuru
Marketing Manual.
Check it out! |
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831-338-7790
contact
by email |
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Positioning is a promise of a solution that
makes you stand out as a provider of a unique
and valuable service.