Here's the thing... you still have to make every marketing and sales message all about the WIIFM* for your target audience. But it's how you do this ? the words you choose and your behavior ? that makes the connection with the marketplace all about you.
Let's look at what the experts advise. By the way, while these tips sound bizarre -- they're real nuggets, so stay with me:
1. Be an authentic liar.
2. Be your own valentine.
3. Fight bull.
Here's how these successful experts connect with the marketplace ? and you can too:
Be an authentic liar. In his latest book, All Marketers Are Liars, Seth Godin explains "the power of telling authentic stories in a low-trust world." Mildly unsettling at first, he makes the case that our buyers are actually the ones who are lying. To themselves. About why they want to buy from us.
Successful marketers are just providing the stories that our buyers choose to believe. But here's the rub: you have to really live the story you're telling. The second a potential buyer smells anything less than complete dedication to what you're selling, you "cross the line from fib to fraud." It's simply not good enough to have a good story. You have to live up to it as well. If you're a cobbler with no shoes, why should your clients take your advice?
Be a role model for what you sell, and nothing less. Then tell a good story about it, to buyers who want to believe.
Be your own valentine. In his hot little book, Little Red Book of Selling, Jeffrey Gitomer takes a tough-love approach to helping us be the best version of ourselves we can be.
My personal favorites are:
? No Whining ("Don't whine to me that the customer won't return your call. Study voicemail. Don't whine to me that your boss is a jerk. Get a new one. Don't whine to me that your company won't give you a laptop. Go buy one.")
? Kick Your Own Ass ("Ever have a bad day? Ever lost a sale you thought you had? Ever had someone say yes to you and three days later just evaporate? Wanna know what to do about it?? Kick your own ass. No one is going to hand you success?that's something you have to do for yourself.")
The heart of Gitomer's message is put your heart into your work?and if you don't love what you sell, go sell something else. No amount of cleverly packaged marketing spin can camouflage a missing heart. Your clients will see right through it and won't buy from you.
Research shows that people buy professional services because of trust. In Gitomer's words, "If they like you, and they believe you, and they trust you, and they have confidence in you?then they MAY buy from you."
Let your heart shine through in your words and actions. If you do, your clients will like, believe, trust, have confidence, and buy from you.
Fight bull. In their recent book, Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter's Guide, Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway, and Jon Warshawsky give it to us straight. Stop using words that are meaningless, boring, indirect and obscure. Start communicating with your own voice, personality, and style.
How many times have you sat through mind-numbing presentations, meaningless PowerPoint slides, or felt no connection with (no trust in?) the person trying to sell you on their idea, service or product?
So stop. Just stop adding to the bull that piles up every day in business communications. Talk and write to your target audience person-to-person. Ask them simple questions that get to the heart of their wants and needs. Tell them that you've thought a lot about their situation and have some ideas that might help them. And do it without the crutch of slides, silly business-speak, or slick messaging.
In other words, just be yourself.
*WIIFM: What's In It For Me?
References
Fugere, B., Hardaway, C., and Warshawsky, J. (2005). Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter's Guide. New York: Free Press.
Gitomer, J. (2004). The Little Red Book of Selling. Austin: Bard Press.
Godin, S. (2005). All Marketers Are Liars. New York: Penguin.
(c) 2004 TurningPointe Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Marketing educator, Kelly O'Brien, is creator of the "Create a TurningPointe!" Marketing Bootcamp. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and 20-page marketing guide, visit http://www.turningpointemarketing.com
In my youth I landed a job selling encyclopedias door... Read More
People are always looking for ways to close the sale.... Read More
Does your business run on a sales engine or a... Read More
We are each responsible for our own success - or... Read More
1. Determine your current situation. How are you currently positioned... Read More
When your company invests in sales training, what is the... Read More
You do have a "Pipeline" don't you? You know, the... Read More
7 Phrases You Can't Say in Sales (Because They Will... Read More
Everyone knows the importance of having a positive attitude, especially... Read More
I am writing this at the Philadelphia Airport on my... Read More
Many home business owners lament they don't have enough cash... Read More
1. They talk instead of LISTEN. Too many salespeople monopolize... Read More
Your mission as a business owner is to develop a... Read More
Here's an idea on how to make reading the daily... Read More
Based on his most recent e-mail, "Everything looks good --... Read More
"The Close" is sales jargon for the bit where you... Read More
I know you've heard this a thousand times, but from... Read More
There is little doubt that eLearning has not achieved the... Read More
One of the biggest problems for many business owners is... Read More
A lot of energy is expended within selling organizations as... Read More
Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by salespeople is the problem... Read More
Performance and motivation are like chocolate & peanut butter; the... Read More
Have you ever eaten a soft taco? The shell isn't... Read More
During the late 1980's I was a field sales representative... Read More
Maybe everything you need to know you can learn from... Read More
The art of backend sellingThe backend sale can be more... Read More
How well do you handle objections?The fact is, most people... Read More
From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals... Read More
Most salespeople are under the false belief that the lower... Read More
There's an old saying, "Don't air your dirty laundry".If you're... Read More
Tired of sending out sales letters that generate anemic response?... Read More
Step 1: Get Ready - Create a foundation you can... Read More
Proponents of traditional sales training simply teach the material, sometimes... Read More
Have you ever tried to explain to someone what you... Read More
We've all had the unfortunate experience of being convinced by... Read More
1. Sell an inexpensive product to sell an expensive product.... Read More
I saw something in town the other day that just... Read More
Based on his most recent e-mail, "Everything looks good --... Read More
Looking for a way to handle rejection?Edward W. Smith, motivational... Read More
The art of backend sellingThe backend sale can be more... Read More
1. Find a strategic business partner. Look for ones that... Read More
Are you tired of excuses? Looking for a persuasion technique... Read More
All closes are not created equal. Top producers realize every... Read More
We all have something in our past we believe someone... Read More
I was thinking about the statement:The Small Business Administration tells... Read More
There's loads of material about making money available on the... Read More
I'm about to reveal the biggest secret to growing any... Read More
Are you going to win this deal? With just less... Read More
You must be able to coordinate your sales talk to... Read More
The purpose of any business is to bring in customers,... Read More
In our culture it is basically un-American for a prospective... Read More
You want to increase the flow of sales revenue, but... Read More
Dear Friend,You #1 weapon in advertising will always be...Superior Salesmanship.I... Read More
From a customer's perception, it's easy for a salesperson to... Read More
There's an old saying, "Don't air your dirty laundry".If you're... Read More
Some years ago I read and interesting story that illustrated... Read More
If you have problem attracting new customers, the sales marketing... Read More
We all make mistakes and some salespeople seem to make... Read More
I am a big believer that great salespeople generally realize... Read More
My wife and I watched the movie Ray a couple... Read More
Many sellers like to describe themselves as professionals, but what... Read More
Here are 4 easy ways you can boost your sales... Read More
Prospects have many reasons (you might think excuses) for not... Read More
If you want a truly successful business, you need to... Read More
It's all about relationships!Here is how a popular TV show... Read More
Canned or scripted sales approaches are rarely successful, because one... Read More
Sales Training |