Most businesses have similar goals. We want everyone who isn't a
customer to become one. When they become customers, we want
them to keep buying from us for life. It sounds nice and all, but it
doesn't happen automatically. If we're going to increase
conversions with prospects and stay connected with our
customers, we'll need an effective system to communicate our
Unique Selling Points to them. But there's a small problem. In order
to communicate with our prospects and customers, we need them
to give us permission to contact them as well as their personal
contact details. For example, in order to send an email explaining a
new innovation, we'll need their email address. In order to have a
sales associate call and share about how we're better, we'll need
their telephone number. If we want to send a postcard highlighting
a new service guarantee, we need their mailing address. Logically,
this only makes sense. In this chapter, we'll outline how to get your
prospects' and customers' contact details as well as permission to
communicate with them.
The Age of Information & Educated Customers & Prospects
In the old days, pushy salesman would walk you through a
five-minute pitch. After a quick pitch, they'd expect prospects to be
ready to buy. If that didn't work, added pressure, sales gimmicks
and even the enlistment of the manager were used to close the
deal. This is still used in some industries such as some car
dealerships and timeshare sales. The majority of you reading this
would probably agree that those strategies are dying. In today's
world, people don't like to be pressured. They don't want to be sold
on something. Instead, they want to be educated so they feel like
they are making the best buying decision. The same rules apply
with your current customers and prospects. Right now, they are
deciding. Prospects are asking themselves if they will buy. They are
weighing their options. Customers are asking themselves if there is
something better. Will they remain customers? In our last chapter,
we learned about Unique Selling Points and that overall value is the
biggest reason why someone decides to make a purchase.
However, your business should also master the psychology of
WHEN prospects buy and WHY customers will remain faithful after
their initial purchase.
The A-Z Buying Spectrum
From a small pack of gum to buying a franchise, your customers
and prospects are feeding on information to determine if they will
buy, pass or try something new. From friendships, mainstream
media, news or even their gut feeling on the inside, they are
looking for signals to support their decision. All data affects their
decision to buy. For prospects to convert to customers, and
customers to remain loyal, they must continually feel like they are
making the right buying decision. We learned in our last chapter
that Unique Selling Points are key pieces of information to increase
conversions and overall customer satisfaction. Unique Selling Points
are the WHY! Consider the A-Z buying spectrum; it is the decision
making process that we all go through before making any
purchase. The Z position represents a buyer and a committed
customer. The A-Y positions are prospective positions. For example,
"A" would mean someone who is not very likely to become a
customer. "Y" would mean the prospect is close to converting. If
they're an existing customer, "Y" would mean that they're likely to
buy again. No matter how big or small the purchase, everyone goes
through the A-Z spectrum before deciding WHEN to buy.
Sometimes this process takes weeks and other times it happens
within 30 seconds. Regardless of the decision you make, your brain
evaluates the data and information it has and then makes a
decision.
Are you considering dining out and selecting a restaurant? Your
brain thinks of past experiences, the mood it is in, and then blurts
out a thought. Want a candy bar? Your brain says you're hungry
and you compulsively put it on the counter jumping right to the "Z"
position without thoroughly considering the decision. Are you
thinking about selling or purchasing a home? The first time the
thought came to you, you were in the "A" position. For six months
you've been thinking about it and looking at new homes. You're
now at the "L" position. The real estate agent visits your home and
tells you that you could get $20,000 more than you thought if she
listed it. You're now sliding down to the "T" position and are more
likely to move closer to the "Z" position, which is when you sign the
papers and close on your home. In summary, the A-Z buying
spectrum is a timeline for when people buy.
We Googled You... Here's What We Found Out
Did you know you're in the education business? That's right, you're
providing an education to prospects and customers about your
business and services. Whether you're a family owned operation or
a fortune 500 company, people are researching and becoming
educated about your business. Prospects are sifting through your
business online to decide if they’re going to work with you.
Customers are analyzing your services and products and deciding
to stick with you or go elsewhere. What few businesses realize is
that there is indeed an education process that led these prospects
and customers to you— or sadly, away from you and to your
competitors. You see, before a prospect or customer ever comes in
contact with you, they've likely already researched you, your
competition and have some preconceived ideas about who they
will work with. Before you even know who these people are, they've
already read your online reviews. They found a blog post from two
years ago highlighting a bad experience. They've Googled you
upwards and backwards and read the first two pages of
information. Lastly, they've even posted on social media to get
feedback from their friends. What you might not realize is that
everything that exists online about you is part of their education
process. Remember, they're judging you based upon what they can
find out without contacting you or committing to a business
relationship.
It isn't just online though. The education process goes even further.
Every experience they've had with your staff, whether good or bad,
is also part of that education. From how your staff treats them
when they enter your location to how you package your products is
all part of the ongoing education. Was someone rude to them? Did
they have to wait a long time? Was the person who answered the
phone nasty? Were they offended by something that happened?
Remember, they're judging you, right or wrong, based upon their
experience. Each experience pushes them in a direction on the A-Z
buying spectrum. Good experiences point them to the "Z" position.
Bad experiences move them away. Finding a positive review points
them to the "Z" position and finding a complaint with the Better
Business Bureau pushes them back the other way. Unfortunately,
very few businesses realize they're indeed in the education
business. You see, they're learning all about your business without
you. It should only make sense then, to take control of the
educational process and own it. After all, nobody knows your
business and the value you can bring like you do.
Owning the Educational Process
The goal of step 2 is actually very simple. To aggressively pursue a
relationship with prospects and customers and gain permission to
communicate your Unique Selling Points to them. So, instead of
hoping they find something nice about us, we'll proactively create a
marketing process that shares our Unique Selling Points with them
on a consistent basis. These proactive pieces of information,
shared at specific times, will help your prospects move along the
A-Z buying spectrum until they become buyers. Customers who
have purchased from you will receive specific information
encouraging them to become life-long customers and advocates
for your business. This process doesn't happen by chance or luck. It
is a system your business creates to nurture relationships. Your
message and communication will be consistent so that no one slips
through the cracks. You'll learn about this communication system a
little later in this book when we discuss Marketing Automation . Right
now, the important thing is to focus on how the relationship is
formed.
Getting Permission to Communicate
In order to effectively communicate in this relationship, we'll need
our customers' and prospects' permission. Additionally, we'll need
their personal contact details such as their name, address, phone
and email address. While this is pretty logical, you might be
wondering why people would give up this information. After all,
how many times have you been to a website inviting you to join
their email list. It might as well say, "This is a Space Filler" because
on average, less than 3 people out of 1000, opt-in to a mailing list.
However, that's not what we're talking about here. Remember, this
is a relationship. To get permission to communicate with our
prospects and customers, we need to do something better. We
need to think about what interests them. What do they care about?
What intrigues them? To gain permission to communicate, we need
to think about what would be almost irresistible for them to pass
up. In other words, we're going to BAIT THEM in order to get their
contact information. Did we say BAIT THEM? Really? Yes, but we're
not talking about anything unethical or in poor taste. You can call it
"incentivizing" if that makes you feel better, but in order to start
this relationship, we need something good to give away.
Baiting Them with Your Offer
The first part of step number two is your company's free Offer . The
Offer is something that you give away for FREE without any sales
pressure, requirements or gimmicks. The only caveat is that your
customers or prospects must share their personal details to claim
the free Offer . They'll also be giving permission to communicate.
This is the bait we'll use to continually increase your ability to
communicate. In other words, you'll start off by finding something
to give away for FREE that provides real value for your prospects
and customers. This will be your company's Offer.
The free Offer can be almost anything. The secret is finding
something that is perceived as valuable. Even though the Offer
might be valuable to your prospects and customers, that doesn't
mean it should be expensive to produce. It means the contents are
perceived as valuable. It can be a free e-book, printed book,
information package, DVD, Audio CD, one time coupons, videos,
food, beverages, gift cards, trial offers and any number of other
things which fit into your business model. For example, a
restaurant might give away a free dessert as their Offer . A bar might
offer a coupon for two beers for 10 cents. A retail outlet might give
away a 30% off coupon that can only be claimed once. A lawyer
might send a DVD outlining the three secrets to maximizing an
injury claim. Obviously, the Offer is something that is unique to that
business. Remember, the free Offer is given away without strings
attached or any future obligation to buy. Our goal is to simply build
a system, which allows us to gather their contact details for future
follow-up.
Everyone who requests your free Offer will be stored in your
company's database. Don't let the word "database" scare you or
confuse you even for a minute. We're talking about somewhere
that you will securely store your customers' or prospects'
information. There's a wide variety of easy to use and even free
applications to manage your database. Just think of a database as a
bucket containing prospects' and customers' information. By now,
hopefully you understand that the free Offer is the starting point.
You'll use it as the bait to grow your database. As you continue
reading, you'll see why your database is so critical to your success.
Identifying the Best Fishing Spots
Every business is unique and interacts with their customers and
prospects differently. Part of the strategy in step 2 is to clearly
identify all the places your business comes into contact with
prospects and customers. Think of these as the best places to go
fishing with your free Offer . We call these fishing spots Platforms
because they serve up our free Offers . To simplify everything, just
remember that Platforms are anywhere you provide an Offer and
gather information from a prospect or customer.
In case you're wondering - yes, your business has Platforms . Indeed,
every business has at least one Platform . For example, if you have
local clientele with walk-ins, then your business location is a
Platform . Your staff has the perfect opportunity to point out your
Offers . When the Offer is requested, their personal contact details
go into your database and they're given the option to claim the
Offer immediately. It could be a coupon, free food or perhaps a
combination of a few things. Your website is also a Platform . When
someone visits your website, they should be offered something
valuable there as well. This could be an e-book, video series or free
trial. Do prospects and customers call your business? If they do,
then that's another Platform . You see, when someone calls your
office with a question, it's the perfect opportunity to share your
free Offer.
Growing Your Database on Purpose
Obviously, the implementation of Platforms and Offers serves one
purpose— database growth! Prospects' and customers' personal
information are stored in your database and should be treated like
gold. Smart businesses realize that every customer or prospect that
goes in the database represents future revenues and referrals. It's
a virtual bank account that will continue to pay you as prospects
convert into customers and customers remain loyal to your brand.
By providing value through our Offer , we've received permission (at
least for a time) to educate and communicate with our prospects
and customers.
It's probably best to end this chapter by giving you a few gentle
words of caution. If you stop reading here, you're going to miss the
big picture! We understand that entrepreneurs and business
leaders are extremely busy. More than likely you've thumbed
ahead to learn more about the Four Steps. Based upon our
experience with entrepreneurs, we know you're probably feeling a
little skeptical. Unique Selling Points ? Platforms and Offers ? Do I really
need to give something away for free? How does any of this work
together? How long will it take to work? Obviously, it doesn't all
make sense just yet. There are still two more steps to cover. If you
keep reading, everything will make sense.
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