The Importance of Patience In Marketing Services
The Importance of Patience In Marketing Services
As all of us know who have attended any sort of comprehensive sales training program in the last 10 years, presenting your solution before you have uncovered the key problems and made the prospective client lust after your solution (ok perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but you get my point) is one of the biggest obstacles to success in selling.
This issue has implications and lessons for the world of marketing. This is what I mean. When I review marketing materials, sales letters, websites and so forth, I ask the logical question "What do you want the reader to do once they've finished reading this?" The answer is invariably that they would like the reader to call to learn more about their services.
When you think about it, that is a huge request. Consider this, someone you don't know, who you've never spoken with, receives your letter or visits your website. What are the odds that based on what they read they'd want to actually talk with you?
OK, perhaps if they're desperate they might. But really, come on, how many of your prospects are truly desperate? The reality is that it's extremely unlikely anyone is going to pick up the phone based on a sales letter or some copy on a website. Why? They're afraid of being sold something.
As it's often been said, "We love to buy stuff; we just don't like being sold." So why do we persist in having a marketing strategy that revolves around the hope that people will "call us up" after they read our sales letter or visit our website? Because it seems like it's quicker. We don't have any patience for anything that has more than one step to it. But what we perceive as the quickest way to make sales is really an illusion. The reality is that we're making life harder (not easier) for ourselves.
Much the same way as the sales rep thinks he can expedite the selling process by cutting to the chase and just telling the prospect about how wonderful his services are, consultants and small business owners think that they can likewise speed up the process by having the call to action be call me now! And they're invariably disappointed.
So what's the alternative? When it comes to marketing your services it's crucial that you think of it as a two-step process. Step one is How Can I Get People To Express interest in what I do? Step two is: How can I convert large percentages of those who have expressed interest to buy my services?
Thus the "selling" is done in step two, not step one. (Except that you naturally have to "sell" prospects on expressing that initial interest.) So if this makes sense, why are so many people reluctant to do it?
Simple. It adds another step to the process. It adds a bit more time. And we're just not very patient. As I've said countless times before, marketing isn't complicated. (Although some of us seem compelled to make it so.) It's simply a matter of thinking about marketing your services using two steps.
Not one. And that requires patience. Hope this give you some good food for thought.
The Importance of Patience In Marketing Services - To learn more about this author, visit Mark Satterfield's Website.
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It's been said that sales quotas (whether they be weekly, monthly or quarterly) are one of the biggest obstacles to effective sales performance. The rational is that the pressure to meet the deadline causes sales people to attempt to "hurry up " the sales process. They typically do this by presenting their solutions way too early in the process.
As all of us know who have attended any sort of comprehensive sales training program in the last 10 years, presenting your solution before you have uncovered the key problems and made the prospective client lust after your solution (ok perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but you get my point) is one of the biggest obstacles to success in selling.
This issue has implications and lessons for the world of marketing. This is what I mean. When I review marketing materials, sales letters, websites and so forth, I ask the logical question "What do you want the reader to do once they've finished reading this?" The answer is invariably that they would like the reader to call to learn more about their services.
When you think about it, that is a huge request. Consider this, someone you don't know, who you've never spoken with, receives your letter or visits your website. What are the odds that based on what they read they'd want to actually talk with you?
OK, perhaps if they're desperate they might. But really, come on, how many of your prospects are truly desperate? The reality is that it's extremely unlikely anyone is going to pick up the phone based on a sales letter or some copy on a website. Why? They're afraid of being sold something.
As it's often been said, "We love to buy stuff; we just don't like being sold." So why do we persist in having a marketing strategy that revolves around the hope that people will "call us up" after they read our sales letter or visit our website? Because it seems like it's quicker. We don't have any patience for anything that has more than one step to it. But what we perceive as the quickest way to make sales is really an illusion. The reality is that we're making life harder (not easier) for ourselves.
Much the same way as the sales rep thinks he can expedite the selling process by cutting to the chase and just telling the prospect about how wonderful his services are, consultants and small business owners think that they can likewise speed up the process by having the call to action be call me now! And they're invariably disappointed.
So what's the alternative? When it comes to marketing your services it's crucial that you think of it as a two-step process. Step one is How Can I Get People To Express interest in what I do? Step two is: How can I convert large percentages of those who have expressed interest to buy my services?
Thus the "selling" is done in step two, not step one. (Except that you naturally have to "sell" prospects on expressing that initial interest.) So if this makes sense, why are so many people reluctant to do it?
Simple. It adds another step to the process. It adds a bit more time. And we're just not very patient. As I've said countless times before, marketing isn't complicated. (Although some of us seem compelled to make it so.) It's simply a matter of thinking about marketing your services using two steps.
Not one. And that requires patience. Hope this give you some good food for thought.
The Importance of Patience In Marketing Services - To learn more about this author, visit Mark Satterfield's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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