Success Tips Newsletter
In this issue:
The top performers deal in proof
By: Eric Albertson
Word count: 942Time to read: 3 minutes
How do the top performers win more often than everyone else?
(A simple change you can make immediately that will enhance your results for the rest of your life.)
How to tell?
The world is full of hype, exaggeration, and other nonsense; put yourself in the prospect’s shoes, how would you decide?
A matched set is the key
This is so simple and so rare. You address the “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) from the client’s point of view and then you prove it in no uncertain terms. Like the furniture in a 1960’s living room, you deliver a matched set; a promise and a proof.
Marketing Syntax
If you are a frequent reader of this newsletter you know that I frequently discuss the Marketing Syntax; this is the order of things in a communication that gets a client’s attention, holds the attention, helps them believe, and then gets them to action.
A key to survival in modern life
Being able to persuade and influence is a key to successful living in modern life. To get anywhere in this life we must be able to reliably get another human beings attention, hold that attention until we can make our case, and then get them to take action on our behalf. Getting this done starts with understanding what the other person wants (WIIFM).
Me-me-me-meeeeee
Talk about me-me-me all day long and ignore the WIIFM and you are, to most folks, irrelevant.
Only a good start
In our rough and tumble world, talking to the WIIFM is only enough to get a very brief listen. To hold the attention long enough to get somewhere, you need one more little thing…
Matched set redux
Becoming a master of the WIIFM in your client’s world and the associated proof that you can reliably deliver the WIIFM is a key to both financial success and life success. Talk to the WIIFM and prove you can deliver; life is very good. Can’t prove you can deliver, life is tough.
The story
14 years ago my wife and I sat in our living room listening to yet another remodeling company blather on about the materials they used, their years in the business, and the beauty of the finished product. All this capped by the high pressure close.
At the time I traveled 3-4 weeks out of every month. My wife, Caroline, stayed home with our 6 month old son who had yet to sleep through the night. Caroline had some other health issues that made her very tired (as if a traveling husband and baby were not already enough).
Both of us were bleary eyed and sick of hearing the same old stuff from each of these contractors. Every contractor sounded the same. Finally a young lady from one of the contractors came in, took one look at us and simply said: “I bet you folks would like to just go to bed tonight and wake up and have this project all done wouldn’t you”.
In unison we both said YES. Next she whipped out a string of quotes and photos of families. Each quote basically said how easy it had been, how fast it had been and how smooth it had been; we were sold.
The sales person also gave us a long list of folks we could call to confirm all of her points and then told us that we would hear from her in person every Friday on the phone or at the house so she could make sure everything was going according to plan.
She listened
The first key was that she listened and asked questions. She didn’t make us feel like idiots.
She observed
We must have looked like a couple of wrecks. Our son was wiggly. The dishes weren’t done.
She turned it into a sale using proof
She gave us piles of proof; testimonials, quotes, pictures of happy families, notes from customers and a list of people we could call. Finally, she simply guaranteed that we would get what we had asked for at a specific price and within a specific time frame in writing.
Easy to do?
Probably not. I found out later that she was the number one sales person in her company by a very large margin.
Worth doing?
Ten years later I ran into her and asked her what her secret had been. She said she just treated everyone the way she wanted to be treated. I also asked her what she was doing now; she told me she was retired. She had just turned 40.
Anything else?
When I hear her say that she had just retired I had to ask again about her secret. She said that there was one other thing; because she had always looked young in a man’s business she felt that she needed to use lots of proof that she could perform so folks would take her seriously.
Story is the easiest and often most compelling proof
In the Marketing Fast Track we show you many different ways that you can build proof elements for any product or service. Perhaps the most important is the proper construction of a concise story. If done correctly and in the proper place, a good story is all the proof many need.
A shot of high proof
No matter what service, product, or combination that you might sell, proof that it will work and work well in the client’s situation is the key to the sale. Start with the WIIFM of the client and then add the proof – in no time you will be on your way to far more results in business and life.
Cheers,
Eric
PS – I help clients in all sorts of different businesses (insurance, consulting, law, manufacturers reps, printers, landscapers, software, technology services, engineering, real estate, commercial real estate, builders, financial planners, CPA’s, remodeling and designers) Here is a little thanksgiving proof I got this past week from a happy graduate of the Marketing Fast Track Program:
The Marketing Fast Track Program
provided a systematic way to develop marketing methods and messages that
focused on what the CLIENT gets, versus the standard me-me-me marketing
done by most. We've totally changed our marketing messages and the
changes have resulted in higher sales and lower marketing costs.
The best testimonial on the MFT system was received recently from a new
client of ours that responded to one of our new ads created with the MFT
formula and methods. She said "Your ad just spoke to me. I thought you
were talking directly to me. That is EXACTLY how I felt. My husband said
to tear out the ad and call those folks." She and her husband have since
become very good customers.
Our new ads using the MFT methods and formula have been working so well
that even in the current housing recession (some say depression) we have
been able to increase sales while spending less advertising dollars.
Jeff Jones
President
Interior Expressions Design Showroom
(520) 275-9368
(520) 275-9368
Jeff@InteriorExpressionsAZ.com
1171 E. Rancho Vistoso Blvd Suite 131
ORO VALLEY, AZ 85755
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