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Will You Add? - Your Business is a Cereal Box: Attract, then Inform
The process from deciding you want to sell your business, to the time the business is sold can last as long as 5 years. To prepare yourself and the company it is better to break things down in stages.Stage 1 Strengthen business operations You want any prospective buyer to view the company in a good light, to do this you need to start strengthening your business model as much a possible. You want to put as much value as possible on the business. Even if the business does not sell, this is good sound business practice, secrecy in this stage is vital.Stage 2 Pre- sale objectives This stage
Be your own client
What do your clients look for? Try a little role playing: Pretend you are your own prospective client and objectively evaluate your communication material.
Ask yourself: Would I buy from myself? What would keep me interested? What am I looking for? What do I really want?
Learn from how you search the web: If you were looking for administrative help, would you be searching Google for “15 years of experience”? Probably not. You would be more likely to search for terms like “database entry” or “transcription services”. If that’s what you look for, chances are most of your clients will do the same. Give them wha
The law of demand states that the quantity of a product demanded decreases when the price of that product increases. So when the BMW manufacturer raised the price of their cars over a two-year period, sales should have dropped off. Right?Not exactly. This strategy helped incredibly for BMW sales in South Africa. To keep sales from slipping BMW actually raised the prices in an effort to take on a more upmarket image.A growing number of middle-price brands are under attack from competing products in both the luxury and the discount markets. Customers are moving away from middle-of-the road products in favour
The lesson: Ingredient lists don’t sell cereal. Look at your business features as you would the nutritional information on a cereal box: people only look at it when they are already considering buying the box. It displays important information that needs to be communicated, but it does not answer the first questions in the client’s mind.
For service providers, marketing is a challenge: you know your service is useful and has value, but because you don’t have a physical product, the benefits may be harder to define. After all, your client will only experience what you do once they actually hire you, which they won’t do if the benefits of using your services are not convincing.
How will you, as a service professional, deal with this fact? You must communicate with your clients by being focused on their needs first.
Attract, then Inform
I notice that many of my clients put too much emphasis on what they do instead of emphasizing why their audience should choose them over the competition — or choose them at all.
Note these claims:
What’s wrong with these claims? Absolutely nothing, if they are true. In fact, these are features your clients should be aware of. They are part of what you are offering (the “what” of your business), but they are independent of your clients and their personal concerns.
Benefits are effective in attracting people because they speak to what they can gain personally. Once you have their attention, then you can enhance your selling proposition with features. Features can close a sale, but they will usually not be your client’s first point of entry.
Your benefits should:
I vs. You
In the features list above, notice how many times “I”, “we”, “our”, “my”, and “me” are used. People are naturally concerned with their own needs first. By presenting them with a list of reasons why you are so great, you are sending them the wrong message: that their needs are secondary to what you think they should know. Don’t make the mistake of turning your marketing into a giant r?sum? of your accomplishments. Use words like “you” and “your” more often.
Be your own client
What do your clients look for? Try a little role playing: Pretend you are your own prospective client and objectively evaluate your communication material.
Ask yourself: Would I buy from myself? What would keep me interested? What am I looking for? What do I really want?
Learn from how you search the web: If you were looking for administrative help, would you be searching Google for “15 years of experience”? Probably not. You would be more likely to search for terms like “database entry” or “transcription services”. If that’s what you look for, chances are most of your clients will do the same. Give them what
Leaving school and embarking on a journey in the real world can be a daunting prospects these days. Although it is an extremely liberating feeling to be earning your own money and doing what you please when you please, you may experience difficulties in getting that step up the work ladder. It therefore may be a good idea to actually get experience whilst you are still studying. Temporary jobs are ideal for students still at college. You can earn good money and gain experience at the same time, working in a temporary legal secretary job for example.Law students would gain valuable experience of the way a legal fir
How will you, as a service professional, deal with this fact? You must communicate with your clients by being focused on their needs first.
Attract, then Inform
I notice that many of my clients put too much emphasis on what they do instead of emphasizing why their audience should choose them over the competition — or choose them at all.
Note these claims:
What’s wrong with these claims? Absolutely nothing, if they are true. In fact, these are features your clients should be aware of. They are part of what you are offering (the “what” of your business), but they are independent of your clients and their personal concerns.
Benefits are effective in attracting people because they speak to what they can gain personally. Once you have their attention, then you can enhance your selling proposition with features. Features can close a sale, but they will usually not be your client’s first point of entry.
Your benefits should:
I vs. You
In the features list above, notice how many times “I”, “we”, “our”, “my”, and “me” are used. People are naturally concerned with their own needs first. By presenting them with a list of reasons why you are so great, you are sending them the wrong message: that their needs are secondary to what you think they should know. Don’t make the mistake of turning your marketing into a giant r?sum? of your accomplishments. Use words like “you” and “your” more often.
Be your own client
What do your clients look for? Try a little role playing: Pretend you are your own prospective client and objectively evaluate your communication material.
Ask yourself: Would I buy from myself? What would keep me interested? What am I looking for? What do I really want?
Learn from how you search the web: If you were looking for administrative help, would you be searching Google for “15 years of experience”? Probably not. You would be more likely to search for terms like “database entry” or “transcription services”. If that’s what you look for, chances are most of your clients will do the same. Give them wha
Companies of all sizes can benefit from a variety of local, state and federal funding assistance programs to improve their quality management systems and upgrade employee skills. This broad definition covers ISO, Six Sigma, Lean, change management, leadership and basic skills training. Some of these programs offer matching funds while others provide tax credits. A few even bestow outright grants. However, gaining access to - and understanding - these funding programs can be a daunting task. That is why it pays to select a management consulting firm that knows how to navigate these often bewildering waters.
What’s wrong with these claims? Absolutely nothing, if they are true. In fact, these are features your clients should be aware of. They are part of what you are offering (the “what” of your business), but they are independent of your clients and their personal concerns.
Benefits are effective in attracting people because they speak to what they can gain personally. Once you have their attention, then you can enhance your selling proposition with features. Features can close a sale, but they will usually not be your client’s first point of entry.
Your benefits should:
I vs. You
In the features list above, notice how many times “I”, “we”, “our”, “my”, and “me” are used. People are naturally concerned with their own needs first. By presenting them with a list of reasons why you are so great, you are sending them the wrong message: that their needs are secondary to what you think they should know. Don’t make the mistake of turning your marketing into a giant r?sum? of your accomplishments. Use words like “you” and “your” more often.
Be your own client
What do your clients look for? Try a little role playing: Pretend you are your own prospective client and objectively evaluate your communication material.
Ask yourself: Would I buy from myself? What would keep me interested? What am I looking for? What do I really want?
Learn from how you search the web: If you were looking for administrative help, would you be searching Google for “15 years of experience”? Probably not. You would be more likely to search for terms like “database entry” or “transcription services”. If that’s what you look for, chances are most of your clients will do the same. Give them wha
Sponsoring a local food event in your community can not only show your commitment to local growers and food producers, it can be a profitable way to bring together the public and provide needed publicity for your business, charity or municipality. With summer turning to fall, there are many opportunities for event planning such as harvest dinners, farmers markets and late summer festivals. Seasonal events such as these offer many ideas for local food marketing. A well planned local food event has 3 key elements for success: Know your event’s theme and stick to it! Fully promote your event
Your benefits should:
I vs. You
In the features list above, notice how many times “I”, “we”, “our”, “my”, and “me” are used. People are naturally concerned with their own needs first. By presenting them with a list of reasons why you are so great, you are sending them the wrong message: that their needs are secondary to what you think they should know. Don’t make the mistake of turning your marketing into a giant r?sum? of your accomplishments. Use words like “you” and “your” more often.
Be your own client
What do your clients look for? Try a little role playing: Pretend you are your own prospective client and objectively evaluate your communication material.
Ask yourself: Would I buy from myself? What would keep me interested? What am I looking for? What do I really want?
Learn from how you search the web: If you were looking for administrative help, would you be searching Google for “15 years of experience”? Probably not. You would be more likely to search for terms like “database entry” or “transcription services”. If that’s what you look for, chances are most of your clients will do the same. Give them wha
Whether you are trying to drive traffic to your website, sell goods and services, land a plum job, or impress your boss, being a thought leader on a niche topic is the best approach. If you have a passion or interest, why not become recognized as a thought leader and monetize your interest? Many will tell you simply to "start a blog". The problem is, 10,000 people a day are also starting blogs, literally.These five techniques have far less competition, potentially large payoffs, and don't require you to come up with something clever or interesting to say every day or get yourself on a plane to travel the world,
Be your own client
What do your clients look for? Try a little role playing: Pretend you are your own prospective client and objectively evaluate your communication material.
Ask yourself: Would I buy from myself? What would keep me interested? What am I looking for? What do I really want?
Learn from how you search the web: If you were looking for administrative help, would you be searching Google for “15 years of experience”? Probably not. You would be more likely to search for terms like “database entry” or “transcription services”. If that’s what you look for, chances are most of your clients will do the same. Give them what they want and organize your information accordingly.
As you create any communication material, answer these questions:
The answer may be different for each target market, so it is important to know who your prospective clients are before asking yourself these questions.
Being completely objective about your own business is not easy; you’ve worked hard to build it and you know it inside out. Defining your benefits from an outside perspective can enable you to better understand how other people view your business. Getting a view of your own “big picture” is something a professional business coach can help you achieve.
Whether you do it alone or get outside help, it never hurts to think about what you have to offer to potential clients. So, next time you’re at the grocery store, stop by the cereal aisle and ask yourself: “What are MY 5 essential nutrients?”
Copyright. Cristina Favreau. All rights reserved.
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