The Keys to Satisfying Prospective Clients
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by Robert Middleton, Action Plan Marketing
- Do you keep your promises?
- Do you return your calls on time?
- Do you go the extra mile and
- Do you clean up problems before they turn into disasters? If you do, the trust will grow and so will your business.
I’ve always said that the most important word in marketing is "YOU." That is, your marketing needs to convey very clearly what’s in it for the client or customer. "This is what YOU get, client." Take a look at some of those very important conditions that must be met before a prospective client is likely to do business with you. Needs and Wants
First the client has to be made aware that your service meets their Needs and Wants. You accomplish this through your Positioning strategy. That is, your Solutions and Benefits better match up to your client’s Needs and Wants or you won’t even get to first base. I’ve seen too many businesses with clear solutions and benefits that simply had nothing to do with what the marketplace was looking for. Your most important marketing work is in this area. If you’re off target, all your subsequent marketing activities will be wasted. Liking
People want to do business with people and companies they Like. What can you do to increase your "likability factor?" Start by looking at how you’re Packaging your services. Is what you do easy to understand? Are your graphics attractive and interesting? Do you have practices that make it easy to do business with you? Is your pricing reasonable? How about your phone message? The content of letters? People are making snap judgments about you all the time and if something you do rubs them the wrong way they are turned off. So step back and look at how you are packaging your services. Is it helping your prospects to like you more or just the reverse? Recognition and Remembering
It’s hard to do business with a firm that is invisible -- one you never see, never hear from. To be Recognized and Remembered you need to have an ongoing PROMOTIONAL program. It need not be expensive but it does take a monthly investment. Your promotional activities are like the gas you put in your car. No gas, no distance. I won’t go into all the promotional vehicles you can use for your business here, but I will say that promotional vehicles are SYNERGISTIC. That means by using three or four promotional vehicles you get the "power of ten." To your prospective clients it looks like you’re doing more marketing than you actually are. These multiple impressions add up. Consistency and a commitment to getting the word out are essential for marketing success. Belief
If prospective clients don’t Believe you, they won’t turn into paying clients. How you get clients to believe that you can help them is by building a case through the use of Persuasion. Persuasion is one of the most subtle yet undoubtedly one of the most powerful elements of marketing. Persuasion can be accomplished by the written or spoken word. Your brochure, web site, letters, mailings, ads, phone conversations, presentations and proposals all need to both logically and emotionally communicate that your service can indeed provide what your prospective client is looking for. The biggest mistake I see business owners make is simply not building a complete case for their services. Don’t expect your prospective clients to make a "leap of faith." They need to know the whole multi-dimensional story before they Believe and take action. Trust Building Trust is your most important long-term marketing strategy. There is really nothing tricky here. It’s all about Performance -- how you take care of your clients -- that keeps them coming back and referring new clients to you. In fact, it’s lack of trust that can kill a deal faster than anything else. Even if you have mastered the first four steps, your prospective client may not take the plunge if they get a negative reference. Ask yourself what you are doing to build trust with your clients.
378 Cambridge Avenue, Suite B
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Tel: (650) 321-4449
Fax: (650) 321-6646
Website:www.actionplan.com
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