What My Teenagers Taught Me About Marketing "Stuff"
by Charlie Cook
Published on this site: August 17th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
My kids taught me a lot about marketing communication when
they were teenagers. My son had me playing 20 questions. When
I asked what he have done at school or out with his friends
the night before, I'd get one of two classic teenage responses;
"Stuff" or "Nothing". I'd have to pepper
him with questions to learn any more.
With my daughter, I could hardly get a word in edgewise.
She's a great storyteller, but she wanted to tell me everything
about everyone. Neither of them were really giving me what
I wanted.
If these had been s.ales calls and I'd been a business prospect
instead of a devoted parent, I'd have ended the conversation
or walked away. I'd have thought, "Great people, but
they donot understand my point of view or my problems."
Does your marketing turn prospects off with too little or
too much information?
Do you approach your marketing from your customers' point
of view?
Is your marketing generating the leads you need to grow your
business?
If a prospect asked you what you do, you'd n.ever respond
by just saying "Stuff". But what do you say? Do
you tell them that you're in advertising, or that you are
a lawyer, accountant, designer, entrepreneur, franchise consultant,
realtor, trainer, or software developer? Statements like this
don't start a conversation fully explain what you do or how
a prospect could benefit from your products or services. These
one or two word answers are the equivalent of your teenager
telling you they've been doing "Stuff".
Don't make your prospects play "20 questions"
with you to understand your business. Give them a clear, succinct
marketing message that describes how you can help them and
why they need you.
Once you've got their attention with your marketing message,
follow it up with the information they need, a clarification
of the problems you solve, the solutions you provide and a
reason to contact you. Make it easy for your prospects to
get what they want from your marketing materials, whether
you use ads, brochures, a web site or other media.
- Define your prospects' most common concerns and the problems
they want resolved.
- Present the solutions your provide in the context of
these problems.
- Explain why they need you, from their point of view.
- Anticipate and answer their questions.
I was on the phone with Marilyn, who wanted to know what
her firm could do to spread the word and get more clients.
Last year they made over a million dollars, but so far this
year they haven't gotten the number of inquires they need
to continue to grow the company. What is getting in
the way?
While I was talking with Marilyn, I typed her firm's URL
into my web browser to take a look at the way they are promoting
themselves. I had two reactions when her site came up in my
browser. One, it was very attractive and professionally done.
Two, after looking at it for a few minutes, I had no idea
what the company actually did, who they helped or how.
There was a lot of information on the site, but it wasn't
telling me what I needed to know. It took me another ten minutes
and a number of questions to find out what her small business
software development and computer-networking firm did.
Your prospects don't have the motivation of a parent talking
to a teenager. If its hard for your prospects to figure out
whether or not you can help them from your marketing materials,
they're gone. Don't expect them to decipher unclear copy or
hunt through your web site to find the information they need.
Generate more leads and s.ales by using a marketing message,
supporting marketing copy and a coordinated marketing system
that helps your prospects understand why they need you and
how you can solve their problems.
Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business
owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and
be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing
Strategy eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your
business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com
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