All the talk is of doom and gloom. The newspapers are full of
crashing house prices, unemployment and businesses going under.
It’s depressing news.
What does this mean to you?
How is your business positioned to survive this recession?
Are you feeling confident you’ll prosper and continue to
profit… or… do you fear the worst?
You’re going to have to work harder at persuading potential
buyers, if they’re looking to spend money on a product or
service, you’re the guy whom they should be doing business with.
Here’s the thing.
People are watching what (and where) they spend their money
on more carefully. Your potential customers are more wary.
They’re more sceptical. More suspicious. They’re worried about
their own futures. Their own job security.
And quite right to. Let’s face it when you don’t even know how
solid your own bank is these days….
But there’s still going to be money to be made even in these
uncertain times. You see whole marketplaces aren’t going to
dry up overnight. Nope. And there will still be fortunes to be made.
So let’s take a look at some of the things you should be using
RIGHT NOW to ensure your business continues to prosper in the
current economy.
1. You should be using irresistible offers in your marketing
to attract customers.
What do I mean by this? The answer is simple.
(By the way I wrote an article about this on my web site.
www.markpocock.com. If you’re interested in reading this it’s
titled Don Corleone) – read it here
http://www.markpocock.com/marketing-articles/don-corleone/
Basically having an irresistible offer is like when Marlon
Brando’s henchmen in the film The Godfather were discussing how
to get someone to do what they wanted. They were rabbiting on
about this method or that, … when Brando growled at them,
“Make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
That’s it.
And that’s what you need to be doing to all your customers today.
Making them an offer they simply can’t turn down.
I mean if you make an irresistible offer to your prospects and
your competitors aren’t doing this, it becomes a no-brainer for
someone to do business with YOU. Your business is going to be
chosen every time above every other one of your competitors. So
basically you increase your market share. You clean up.
So start thinking about the type of irresistible offer you can
make to your prospects.
2. You need to be developing your list.
This is your list of buyers and prospects. And you need to be
developing a relationship with this list. Contacting them often
and offering them valuable free content which is relevant to them.
You should also be using this list to generate sales from.
People have either indicated an interest in what you’re offering.
Or they’ve bought from you in the past.
Remember it’s cheaper to sell to someone who has bought from you
before than continually going out and finding new customers.
And one way of doing this is using email. Especially as it’s free.
Or use a sales letter.
Want to do a sales promotion, send out an email or sales letter
and watch the sales and inquiries come in. You should use email
to drive traffic to your shop as well.
Need extra money to pay Johnny’s university education? Send out
an email.
Look, you’re probably on various email or mailing lists already.
And you already receive special offers. Such as Clothing companies,
golf companies, guitar lists.
You need to be doing the same thing with your customers.
3. You’re familiar with Ronseal the garden paint manufacturer?
Of course you are! And their catch phrase, “It does what it says
on the tin.”
Well you need to prove to your prospect you do what it says on
your tin. Your business will do what your prospect expects from you.
How can you do this? How can you provide proof?
It’s simple.
There’s four ways you can provide proof and boost your credibility
in your customer’s eyes:
a. Testimonials. Use customer testimonials in all your marketing.
You haven’t got any? Well start collecting them.
b. Case studies Provide case studies of people in a similar
position as your ideal client. Somebody they can relate to.
c. Your history. Provide your company history. Show them you’re to
be trusted.
d. Your track record. Show your track record of helping customers.
Use these and you’ll put your prospect’s mind at rest. Let your
customers do their boasting.
And please, one thing.
Never say you’re the best. UNLESS you can prove it with facts
and figures. And have irrefutable proof. Otherwise you’re just
full of horse manure.
4. Like I said prospects are more wary where they spend their
money today. They’re more choosey. More selective.
So how can you tip the most cynical prospect over the edge so
you’re the one they spend with?
Simple.
Include some free bonuses with your product or service. Bonuses
which have a high perceived value to your customer. And bonuses,
which (hopefully) don’t cost you much. Or, only cost you time.
Just adding a few bonuses can help to tip your prospect into
doing business with you.
5. You know, 80 years ago ads and marketing pieces actually sold.
They had to earn their keep. It wasn’t a matter of keeping your
name out there. And hoping you’d attract sales. Marketing back
then had to bring in a return on investment. Or else the company
went out of business.
This was true direct marketing.
Nowadays for some reason all you hear about is build your brand.
Keep your ad in front of people and build brand awareness.
Why just the other day I was on a business forum online and a
business owner was inquiring about whether he should start his
business with his logo or build his brand. He was unsure what
to concentrate first.
It was amazing the advice he received. One said get a logo first.
Another said build his brand from day one.
I was gob smacked.
My advice was to write sales material which targeted the dominant
desire in his hottest prospects.
And I’d advise you to do the same.
Don’t just shove a web site up, sit back and think my web site is
beautiful and prospects and customers are going to flock to it to
order from me. If you do you’re in for a shock.
Listen up.
Your web site is your sales person. It’s your direct marketer.
It’s talking to your hot prospects. It’s gotta sell for gawd’s sake.
So make it work for you.
Make sure it sells and talks to your prospect. Spells out the
benefits of doing business with you. Overcomes objections. And
then lights a fire under your prospect so he’s galvanized into
action.
So think of these three things:
a. Who is your prospect?
b. What does this person need or want?
c. Show them your solution
Do this and you’ll make more sales.
6. Make sure you’re a business which puts your customer first.
Don’t talk about yourself to your customer. If you say “We do
this” or We’re …(fill in the blanks)…
STOP right now.
I got news for you. It’s all about the customer. Why? Because
they’re only interested in one thing:
WIIFM.
What’s in it for me?
Talk about what you can do for your customers. Put yourself in
their shoes and ask yourself what’s their major concern right now.
And show how you can provide the solution to their problem.
Think of it like this. You need to enter the conversation going
through their mind right now.
When somebody types into Google a keyword or keyword phrase about
the service or product you’re selling, and they find your site,
your site needs to reflect exactly what they’re thinking at the
time. Otherwise they ain’t going to be hanging around very long.
So put your customer first and you’re stacking the odds in your favour.
Ok I hope these quick tips help you generate more business in this
economic downturn.
Warmly
Mark
PS. If you’re struggling to make sales – then give me a shout.