As a marketer and/or company is in search of customers. But you are not the only one in search – your customers are also searching for you.
Every customer has a need (or want) that needs to be fulfilled and they are actively looking for solutions to that need.
If this is so, why are hundreds of customers not trooping into your store or buying your products?
Well, these customers are not just searching for “things” that will fulfil their needs; they are searching for brands that reflect something they (the customers) believe in.
Every company has a set of values, and 90% of people buy from you because they have similar set of values.
However, if you do not clearly communicate these values, you will leave your customers wondering about for other people that have those values
So how do you do that? How do you make sure your customers find you?
3 steps to help your customers find you
1. Sell your story before your product
Given 5 minutes to sell something to a customer, the mediocre marketer will spend 5 minutes talking about what the product is and how favourable the price is, the average marketer will spend 4 minutes talking about the product, its features, and spend 1 minute talking about how it is better than the competitor’s product.
The Superior Marketer on the other hand will spend 3 minutes talking about the story behind the product, and the remaining 2 minutes will be spent by the customer justifying why he or she has to purchase that product.
Is it that easy? Yes, actually.
This happens a lot with Apple fans and iPhone users. A person will do everything possible to justify their purchase of the $1000 gadget they just got from Apple, when there are other less costly alternatives.
It’s the same reason people would for hours in queues on the release of a new iPhone, when they can simply walk into a store the following week and purchase it.
Apple has been able to sell its story before trying to sell its products to anyone. And since people have bought the story, they feel no resistance in buying the product.
So…how does this apply to you?
To achieve a successful level of sales and marketing, you must be able to tell people the story behind your brand and the product you are selling.
You must tell them the WHYs. Not just why they should buy, but why you and your product exist in the first place. Why are you in existence? And why should anyone care.
- Start by writing down your origin story (i.e. the story behind the creation of your product).
- List the emotional benefits the product can offer (things like confidence, security, status, etc)
- Construct your message in a way that is appealing to the customer.
We all know Apple’s story of “challenging the status quo.” What is your story?
2. Stop being too logical
Make a wild guess: How many of buying decisions are made through careful analysis of the product and the logical details it has?
Let’s make it easy: 5%.
That’s right. Only 5 out of every 100 buying decision you make are logical.
So what takes the remaining 95%? It is determined by your subconscious emotions.
This phenomenon was discovered by Harvard professor, Gerald Zaltman, and shared in his book “How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market.”
We buy things because of an emotion, how the product makes us feel, not because of logic. Although we may justify our buying decision logically, the true purchase came as a result of an emotion.
This is why you need to quit being so logical about your product.
Customers do not care if your cloth is made from wool from the farthest place on earth or your furniture was made to be perfectly sized. Customers do not really care how much features your gadget has or how better it is than your competitor’s. Harsh, but true.
What they care about is the feeling. We love Apple because they make us feel different, we love Tesla because they make us feel like we’re part of something greater: a sustainable planet.
How are you making your customers feel?
3. Promote yourself online, aggressively.
It’s not enough to sell your story and share emotions. Doing just that will not get your customers to you.
Understand that there are many – many – other companies doing what you do. So, alongside doing the previous steps, you must also promote yourself online.
- Post consistently
- Optimize your online accounts
- Run ads once in a while
- Seek promotions from influencers
- Explore tactics and strategies for succeeding online
If you do not promote yourself, your customers will not find you.
Remember…
Just as companies are looking for customers, customers are also looking for companies. The companies that will turn out as leaders are those who can successfully help their customers find them.
