Can great products sell themselves?
Over the last few decades, I’ve met entrepreneurs who aren’t sold on the importance of marketing.
I’ve heard people confidently express that “I’m launching an incredible service, I really won’t need much marketing” or “This product is so good it will self itself”.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen that this attitude doesn’t pay. It’s a myth. Even the best products don’t sell themselves. And even the most skilled salesforce needs to have a marketing strategy.
When you have the right opportunity, in front of the right audience, at the right time, and at the right price, the sales process can seem easy. But getting in front of your target audience with the right message requires a smart marketing strategy.
Finding the Right Audience
If you want to feel like your product or service is selling itself, then perhaps the most important action step you can take is to get in front of the right audience.
Before you can do that, you need to identify your target audience. You need to be able to define and describe the customer who needs and will benefit from your service.
When you identify and communicate with the right audience, you’re speaking to customers who will take real interest in your message. These are the customers who, if you do your job effectively as a salesperson, will have an “Aha” moment that your service is exactly what they need to solve their problem. When you get in front of the right audience, the sales process begins to feel more automatic.
You’ll know you’ve correctly identified your target audience when your audience is excited about you and what you have to offer and willing to pay (and can afford!) what you are asking. Of equal importance, you will relate to this audience naturally and actually want to serve them.
Building an Ideal Prospect Profile
Identifying your target audience isn’t a hypothetical exercise. You need to take the time to paint a profile of who your target customer is, and the profile needs to be so real and on-point that you can picture them in your mind.
Whenever you communicate with your target audience, be it by email or a well-placed ad, craft your message as if you are speaking directly with that person. You can even name them.
When you talk to your audience with a clearer understanding of who they are and what they need, your marketing and messaging will become laser-focused and more effective.
Are you wondering, how exactly do I create an “ideal client” profile?
You need to be able to answer questions about their age or age range, where they live (think: US versus abroad, city versus suburbs), their relationship status, whether they have children, their level of education, their areas of interest, their political or religious affiliations, and more. These basic pieces of information will give you a basic picture of who they are.
But to really target the ideal customer, you need to dig deeper. The real goal is to understand what they value and how they think.
Start asking questions about your ideal clients’ behavior. How do they spend their free time? What are their hobbies? What types of books and magazine occupy their book shelf? Where do they enjoy hanging out with friends and family? What are their go-to shows? Do they hang out on Facebook or LinkedIn?
Now the picture of your ideal client is becoming even clear. But to complete the profile you need to answer several questions that get to the core of your target audience’s true self.
What goals inspire them to get out of bed in the morning?
What are their core values?
What struggles are they faced with?
Which qualities do they value most, both in themselves and in others?
When you can answer these important questions, you gain insight into who your target audience is at the core. That’s when you can begin to develop strategies on how to communicate messages that will really resonate with them.
Make It Real.
The most effective marketing strategies aren’t developed for the masses. Rather, they’re carefully crafted to appeal to real people with real interests, real values, and real problems.
To help make your message authentic, take your profile and envision the type of person who possesses all those qualities. Give that person a name and a face. Does the profile remind you of a friend, community member, or current client? Put a picture in your mind of who exactly you’re speaking to when you develop your marketing campaigns and messaging for your sales presentations.
When it comes to marketing and sales messaging, the key to success is to be specific and avoid broad generalizations. The more your audience feels you are speaking directly to them, the more likely they will be to feel your product or service is a solution tailored to help them overcome their unique struggles.
At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I teach business entrepreneurs how to communicate effectively with their target audience to capture their attention. When you identify who is in need of what you have to offer and can afford your solution, you will stop dreading the sales process. Instead, you’ll begin to view sales conversations as opportunities to interact with and help individuals who problems you can solve. When you learn the right sales, networking and marketing strategies, it will start feeling like your services sell themselves.
When your customers feel that you really understand them, they’ll begin to trust you. When you establish trust, a sale is just around the corner.
I’ll close with some words of wisdom by speaker and digital marketing instructor Jerry Allocca: “It’s not about SELLING. It’s about creating VALUE for your audience.”
The better you understand your ideal customer, the more value you can deliver. And the more sales you’ll close!
Contact me at celeste@celestegiordano.com to learn more about how to connect with the right prospects so you can “Double Plus” your income THIS year.
Up Next: You’re Invited
We invite our local community to visit us on April 27th, 2017 from 11:00 to 1:00 p.m. at the 1818 Club for the WGC Atlanta Chapter meeting. “Success Strategies for a Great Next Quarter” business panel discussion led by Shellie Hunt, Jeannie Penland with HGI, Sara Poe with Poe’s Accounting, Terry Son with Forten Media, and Sue Wyatt, Senior Vice President of Brand Bank. Pre-registration for the event is $25.00. Click here to pre-register. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact celeste@thewomenofglobalchange.com.
We are also opening up several other chapters across the United States. I am honored to help launch the Toronto, Ontario Chapter in May, 2017. To become a presenting sponsor or sponsor at this premier Toronto event, contact Celeste Giordano here. For additional information about WGC, please visit our website!
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with almost 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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