By Susan Young, President, AimFire Marketing
People love to talk about themselves. That’s why your natural instinct when writing your
website copy, advertisement or direct mail letter is to talk about how your product or service is
so wonderful. Even in sales calls and presentations, people make this mistake.
How many sales materials have you received that focus on your needs? Aren’t most marketing pieces filled with product or service features, specifications and information about the
company offering these products or services? If you want to influence your customers and prospects, you have to think like them — and speak to their needs, desires and pain points, because in this case, it’s all about them. You may make or deliver the most wonderful, best-selling, affordable product or service, but your customer holds the purse strings.
5 Steps to Influencing your Customers
Follow these guidelines when creating your marketing materials, giving a sales presentation or
even when networking:
1. Address their pain. People don’t invest in something unless it will alleviate a problem or
improve their situation. Determine what pain point you can address with your targeted
audience and use this in your marketing copy.
2. Touch their emotions. Entertain! Use this opportunity to make your customer feel good
about you and how they will feel after using your product or service. A compelling story
from one of your best customers may do the trick here.
3. Sell your benefits as they relate to #1 and #2. Rather than simply listing your product
features, state the benefits of your particular offering. This is a more persuasive way to
let them know how you are solving their problem or making their life easier.
4. Quantify if possible. Help your customers visualize dollars saved or improved
efficiency from utilizing your product or service to speak to their reasoning. If for some
reason you can’t quantify in numbers, talk about your intangible or priceless results.
5. Give them a reason to buy. Whether it is a special discount, limited quantity offer or
details about how you outperform your competition in studies, the goal of your marketing
is to get the customer to act. For their convenience, always offer them multiple ways to
contacting you — by phone, fax, email and Web.
Remember your prospect’s favorite person. Keep your customers needs in mind when creating your marketing campaigns, and you will be more likely to get the sale.
Susan Young is president of AimFire Marketing, an Indianapolis, Indiana marketing, public relations and website development firm that helps growing companies with the strategy and the implementation of their marketing programs. You can contact Susan and learn more about AimFire Marketing by visiting www.aimfiremarketing.com.
Copyright – AimFire Marketing. You can reprint this marketing tip on your website or newsletter by including this and the above paragraph.
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