Three Phases of Customers
- Before – Prospect – Get them to know me
- During – Lead – Get them to like me and buy from me the first time
- After – Customer – Get them to trust me and buy from me regularly and refer prospects & leads to m
Go an Inch Wide and Miles Deep
- Go Niche!
- Dominate!
- Once I own it do the same with another then another!
Figure out Ideal Target Market (PVP Index)
- P – Personal fulfillment: How much I enjoy dealing with this type of customers?
- V – Value to the marketplace: How much are they going to pay for my work?
- P – Profitability: How profitable is my work?
Give them a score of 1 to 10.
Example: Wedding Photographer
- Personal fulfillment – 5
- Value to marketplace – 7
- Profits – 9
- Total score – 21
Corporate Photographer
- Personal fulfillment – 3
- Value to market place – 6
- Profits – 9
- Total score – 18
One Ad – One Objective
Remember I’m not getting my name out there (may be sometimes). It’s for my prospect to say Hey It’s for Me!
Primarily I’m nurturing my customers as an educator or I’m calling them to action (CTA).
Unique Selling Point (USP)
Design a compelling USP to attract customers even before they see the product. When customers can do apples-apples comparison and it comes down to the price, I’m toast! Because there will always be some giant incumbents who will undercut you until you go bust.
Finding out my USP
Find out clear, concise and quantifiable answers. Not wish washy “I’m the best” “I have the highest quality”. Ask myself:
- Why should they buy?
- Why should they buy from me?
Crafting my USP
When I confuse, I lose. Remember 1000 Songs in your Pocket
50GB doesn’t mean a thing to most consumers. Neither does a bunch of technical jargon but 1000 songs anyone can instantly understand the benefits. Genius Apple!
Delivering USP, an elevator pitch
You know (Problem)? Well what we do is (Solution). In fact (Proof).
You know when there’re power outages that bring down critical systems in enterprises? Well what I do is install backup power systems for companies so they have a continual supply of power for their operations. In fact, I installed the system at ABC bank which gave them 100% uptime since.
Figuring out My Offer
- Of all the products and services I offer, what problem am I sure that I could solve for a niche?
- Of all the products and services I offer, what do I enjoy delivering the most?
Supplemental questions on Page. 72.
People purchase with emotions and justify the decision with logic
They respond to surveys and researches with logic. Buy they do buy based on their emotions.
Crafting an Irresistible Offer
My offer should cover all essential elements:
- Value – include most valuable thing I could do for my customer
- Language – learn the language and jargon of a niche (if selling golf clubs, say hooks, slices)
- Reason Why – justify why my offer is great (e.g. overstock, damage inventory, moving office…)
- Value Stacking – pack in many bonuses (e.g. We’ll double your offer, That’s not all …)
- Cross-sells – when they’re in buying frame of mind, sell them complimentary products & services
- Payment Plan – offer installment payments. Incentivize those who pay one-off (discount)
- Guarantee – offer outrageous guarantee (not satisfaction guaranteed)
- Scarcity – reason why people need to take action immediately
Take my time to craft a compelling, well-thought-out offer, and see my conversion rate skyrocket.
Target the Pain, Be a Problem-Solver Be a Pain-Reliever.
Remember features tell.
it got 4 HDMI ports, 1080p resolution…
Benefits sell.
We deliver to their house, we mount it on your wall and we ensure picture quality is spectacular and integrates perfectly with all your peripherals.
I’m giving them Pain-Relief, and they become less sensitive to price. Assume I’m having a stomach-ache and I could find only one pharmacy own the road. I wouldn’t mind paying an extra to relieve pain.
Cure rather than Prevention
People are much willing to pay for a cure than for a prevention. Target existing pain rather than promising future pleasure will result in a much more conversion, much higher customer satisfaction and lower price resistance (see above example).
Choose Compelling Words
Animal, Fish, Shark.
Which of these 3 triggers the most emotional response in me? Of course, Shark it is. Here are some most compelling words to include in your copy:
- Free
- You
- Save
- Results
- Health
- Love
- Proven
- Money
- New
- Easy
- Safety
- Guaranteed
- Discovery
Push at least 1 Emotional Hot Button
- Fear
- Greed
- Love
- Guilt
- Pride
If I’m not pushing at least one emotional hot button, my message is likely too timid.
Tell for Who, as well as Not for Who.
- It filters out people who aren’t part of my target market or who aren’t a good fit (in a sense reduces complaints, refunds …)
- It makes me more credible.
- It makes the real prospects feel more tailored to their needs vs if I had said my product is for everyone.
Enter the mind of my prospect with “The Enemy in Common”
- The economy, government, taxes
- Poor upbringing, parenting, unsupportive families, friends
- No time, money, opportunity, skills, fair boss, et.
Clarity over Cleverness, Always.
It’s hard enough to get a message read, understood then acted upon at the best times.
Get the Names In.
Rather than getting my name out there, I’d rather get my prospects in here.
Social Media Marketing is Free Only When…
My time is free. Think of my time as a cost when I’m on marketing on social media.
Emails Dos and Don’ts
- Don’t Spam – never ever buy or combine lists of emails where recipients haven’t explicitly requested to be emailed (it’s illegal in some countries)
- Be Human – write like one
- Use a commercial email marketing system – Not Gmail, Outlook (I will get shut down if I start mass mailing) use one-to-many services like Aweber, MailCimp, Infusionsoft (they work hard to bypass spam filters, ensures good delivery)
- Email Regularly – Don’t wait to the point it gets cold. Build constant value. Nurture.
- Give them value – 3 value-building, nurturing emails for every CTA.
- Automate – another great reason to use commercial email marketing platforms
Don’t forget snail mails.
Email doesn’t replace snail mails, it complements it.
Most Dangerous Number in Business, 1
1 makes business brittle. Does my business have only 1 source of leads? Only 1 supplier? Only 1 touchpoint?
Then it is destined to fail. Many businesses hit hard when Google changed its Search algorithm. They put all their bets on Google SEO and literally found themselves with no leads overnight.
As a closing note when it comes down to marketing: Be a Farmer, Not a Hunter.
- Advertise with intention.
- Farm prospects.
- Nurture them.