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Empower, Educate, Create Need and Convert With A Simple Checklist

Guest post by: Erin Ferree

Article Overview: If you’re an expert, and what you do would require or benefit from regular check-ups or check-ins, then consider a checklist. It can help your clients see the need for your services.

Empower, Educate, Create Need and Convert With A Simple Checklist

I was just speaking with one of my clients – a small business IT expert (computer fixing guy). We were discussing how to make his yearly calendar mailer more effective.

I proposed putting a Quarterly IT Assessment Checklist on the back of the calendar. A simple list of 7-10 things that small businesses should check in on in their computer system setups each quarter.

If you’re an expert, and what you do would require or benefit from regular check-ups or check-ins, then consider a checklist. It can help your clients see the need for your services.

The question, of course, is: what’s the purpose of such a checklist? A promotional checklist can take your client through a valuable transformation:

1. Empower.The first few questions should make them feel comfortable with the subject matter, like they’re in familiar territory. You don’t want to come out of the gate with extremely complicated checklist items, because that just makes doing the items on the list feel impossible from the beginning. It gives your clients too big of a mountain to climb in the beginning and many will quit before they begin – and you’ll lose them.Let your clients win with the first 2-3 questions give your client a chance to settle in to the list and to have a moment of empowerment. Then they can start out feeling smart!

2. Educate.The next few questions should make your client say, “hey, that’s a great idea!” or “I never thought of that”. Show them what they should be thinking about and considering. Shed some new light on your area of expertise. This begins to open them up to new ways of thinking, expands their viewpoint and (hopefully) starts to impress the pants off them. These should be slightly out of their comfort zone – a stretch.

3. Create Need.The next part of the checklist should develop your clients’ need for your services. Give them a couple of tasks that are beyond what they can do. These tasks should overwhelm them a little bit (though not too much, be gentle!) Show them that there are a few things that they need you for!

4. Convert.The final point on the checklist – or the call to action after the checklist – asks them to take the next step with you. Contact you for a consult, buy your package, call you for more info, to get in touch for a free chat… whatever that next step is that is best for them. Ask them to do it and don’t forget to give them all the details.

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Article Tags: brand design, checklist, create need, marketing, marketing materials, sales, service business



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