Customers buy if they believe you understand them and care about them.
- Make a list of the prospects’ biggest problems from their point of view. (If you don’t know what they are, ask them!)
- Decide how these problems make your prospects feel. Tell a story about someone experiencing the same problem. (Eg, a NGO had high phone bills and 3 staff to organize an annual fundraising event till uses ECHO to reduce its precious resources to 1 staff and an 80% reduction of phone bill.) What does this encounter look and sound like? What external and internal forces cause these feelings and sensations? Be really creative in putting yourself in the prospects’ shoes.
- Address those feelings. Write about your prospects’ feelings and reactions. Prove to them that you understand and care. Then prove that you can solve the problem.
If you want to make sales for ECHO or ecobaskeets, focus on
customers’ feelings and beliefs. Unless you can convince them that you understand
them and their problems – that you are empathetic – they are probably not going
to buy from you. There is a good way to do this when you are writing or
creating your marketing piece.
How to start?
Why be empathetic? When you just relate the facts – “We have
a store at such –and-such location” or “We sell a product that does this and
that” or “We are consultants in the field”, you are implying that you are
similar to everyone else. You make yourself an ordinary commodity. Do you know
what people do with commodities? They try to get the lowest price.
So, when you market yourself, capitalize on your unique
ability to understand and solve problems. It will greatly increase your client
base and their loyalty to you.
As a side benefit, it will also help you get paid what you
worth. As noted businessman Nido Qubein says:
“When you solve the problems that
keep CEOs awake at night, they never ask you what you charge.” – Source: ST/ANN
