The following is not my article but it is my opinion. Anecdotes constantly remind me to focus on managing my business. This article reminds us that, “you will get what you want only when you convince the customer he is going to get what he wants.“ Another favourite of mine is, “Find out what the customer wants and sell it to him.“
Being human, I do occasionally take my eyes off the ball. This reminder from Steve Clarke of Eureka Sales will, I am sure, help your business.
EUREKA SALES (Steve Clarke).
We do this and we do that… You need to understand and accept that no one is really interested in you or your products. That is OK, take a deep breath and let me explain what I mean.
Most human beings are only interested in “what’s in it for me”. Someone once explained this to me by saying that people are tuned into radio WII-FM, that’s: What’s In It For Me. I have never forgotten it since, I hope you don’t either.
Review all your sales copy, including your website, in fact, particularly your website, as it’s often one of the most prevalent “we” areas. “We” do this… “We” have been around since… “We” have the greatest…etc. etc. Get over yourselves – people do not care! What’s in it for me? So what that you have been in business 25 years? What does that mean to me? If there is no tangible benefit to the customer, don’t mention it – sorry, but they just do not care, not yet.
Think about where you can change “we and our” for “you or your” – talk about and to your customers, not about you and your business. Moreover, whatever you do… stop “feature bashing” and focus on benefits.
People purchase based on the benefits to them. What will they get from your product or service? How will they feel, what will they save and so on? You have probably heard this before, but people do not buy features, they buy benefits.
All too often business owners waste time, effort, and money pushing feature after feature of their product or service and…you guessed it, the potential customers just don’t care. They are trying to work out… WIIFM – so tell them!
Look at your collateral materials and your website. If you’re a “feature basher”, your work consists of flyers, leaflets, ads, and a website, all of which have your logo and company name, a list of things you do or the “features” of your products and your phone number. Are you surprised that no one cares enough to respond?
What do you blame the lack of sales on? Your competition, cheaper pricing, the government, a rise in VAT…? Sorry, they are all just excuses. You may be right in one respect. They do not want you or your products: but they do want to know what you and your products or service can do for them!
This is often very difficult for many people to get to grips with. In my Marketing Master Classes, we work through numerous practical exercises to help you put all of this into practice until its second nature to you.
Here is a very simple method of uncovering the benefit over the feature of your product or service. List one of your features; let us say it is a low emissions car… a feature of the car is that it has low emissions. Now say “which means that…” and the next thing out of your mouth is a benefit.
Michael and Nadia Walsh for perfect English and Russian language marketing and website translations. quite_write@yahoo.co.uk website www.michaelwalsh.es telephone 662 067 490.