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| Subject: You Can Help People Decide To Buy From You | |
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Author: Dennis S. Vogel |
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Date Posted: 14:27:06 07/19/17 Wed In reply to: Dennis S. Vogel 's message, "Building Trust And Receptivity To Your Advertising" on 09:37:09 05/23/01 Wed The ideas below can help you develop advertising, point-of-purchase signs & sales presentations. These aren't templates, these are insights you could use with templates. What's In It For Them? There are general & specific reasons to buy things. You can start with general reasons, then focus on what applies in particular situations. You can list the insights by subject & use the most urgent & important answers as your opening statement or headline. Here are important questions in general - When people determine if they need your product/service, what do they need to know? What should people know about you to assure them you're the best provider for their situations? Here are more specific considerations - What's happening now in your area? How does your product/service help people cope with what's happening? What kind of value can you add to make that product/service better for people in those conditions? How can you help people get maximum benefits from the value you add? How can you help people maintain those benefits? Do you have another product/service to increase those benefits? Do you have more knowledge than competitors? How can you apply your knowledge to people's conditions? When people solve problems, those solutions might cause other problems. How can you help people decrease problems? Example - I mow my lawn to fulfill a legal requirement. Now I have grass clippings. What can I do with the clippings? Some lawn mowers cut grass into mulch (small bits). That mulch becomes fertilizer. Products & services aren't perfect solutions. What can you do to decrease inconveniences, imperfections & side effects? Example - Before I use my lawn mower, I need to put fuel in the tank. If I spill any gas, it's a hazardous mess. Some gas cans are more convenient to use because they're made for pouring into small engines. Overworked Minds Resist More Decisions Let's start this next topic with an obvious point as a baseline. People have "decision loads". You can help people manage decision loads. Though some enjoy shopping, people are unlikely to enjoy making more decisions. People want to decrease the numbers of decisions. They want to decrease the time they spend in making decisions. You should use your knowledge about your niche & products to help people make good decisions quickly. When you establish a reputation for helping people make good, quick decisions, people will be more receptive to your offers. If you offer "turn key" solutions, people can get problems solved by letting you make some decisions. Example - I have old lawn & bushes that are dying. A landscaper agreed to remove the bushes & lawn. He'll also plant grass seed & set up sprinklers with a timer. He'll check the grass & remove the automatic sprinklers at the right time. I won't need to deal with any of it until it's time to mow my new lawn. Often people don't know where to start when they think about decisions. Ask about their conditions. Ask what they've done so far. Ask what they want to achieve. They might not have an answer for each question. You can help find answers by showing different options. Make it as easy as possible for consumers to fill gaps. Determine the gap between current conditions & customers' desires. Show how your product will fill gaps. Decisions & Thought Patterns If people often make decisions about offers like yours, they might decide quickly. Their thought patterns & receptivity to offers will change as conditions change. When product categories & people's experiences change, they might deliberate longer because previous thought patterns were set for other conditions. It depends which benefits people want at a particular time. What's more important now? Do they value convenience, functionality, reliability, durability, price or another feature & benefit? The importance of a benefit varies depending on competitive offers & people's experiences. Example - If people keep upgrading, they won't keep a product for long. Durability would be less important. Functionality might be the most important general benefit. A specific function might the reason for an upgrade. Your supply chain & trade journals might have helpful information. You should offer more than product benefits. You should offer a strong benefit of buying specifically from you instead of competitors. Decisions Are Big & Small You should develop advertising based on people's decisions. I've included a few factors below. What will they buy? When will they buy it? Can they rent it? Will they use it enough to justify buying it? When do they have time to shop? How much can they afford? Which model & brand should they buy for their conditions? How many offers/stores do they check? How will they learn to use it? Do you offer lessons? Are there instruction books or videos? Do instruction books or videos have general tips or detailed steps? Do you have suggestions about storing the product? Do you offer delivery & set up? Detailed testimonials could help people choose options. They might be guided by testimonials (including case studies) from people in similar conditions. Why did customers buy certain products? How do those products help them? What advice do they have about getting maximum benefits & avoiding mistakes? Help People Decide Based On Their Problems Are people apt to buy now or ask for information? How much information will they listen to or read at a time? If you advertise in mass media, can you afford a full sales message or urge people to ask for information? If it's a multiple step sales process, you should guide people through a decision process. In each increment, you should provide information for their next step. There are various logical scenarios. 1. You could start by describing a problem, so people can determine if they have it. 2. If they have that problem, they can get information about solutions. 3. With that information, they can determine which solution they can afford. 4. They can decide when to buy a solution based on their priorities. 5. They can choose a payment option. Issues Are Confusing Or Simple Some people know how to simplify decisions. When they have key information, they can process big & small issues. Others will endure problems because they delay purchases until they're comfortable with a decision. You can ask people which issues are confusing or simple. You can offer information to help clarify issues. Sometimes many simple issues combine into a confusing mess. You can ask people how many decisions might be too many. Multiple step selling lets people gather incremental information & make incremental decisions. Information can overwhelm people. You should help people put information together easily so they can make simple decisions. Example - If multiple sizes or styles are available, how will you help people choose a size or style? If you offer payment options, how will you help people choose an option? Thinking & making decisions requires effort & people often have low energy. When they feel pressure to decide, they use more energy. As they use energy, deciding gets harder. A wide selection of models & brands can be a benefit because people might find what matches their situations. A wide selection also increases the decisions to make. You might help people determine which models to consider by eliminating whatever doesn't match their situations. Ask prospects if they feel comfortable with standard combinations or if they want to decide each option separately. How much information do people need to make the best decisions? If you guide them about facts to consider, you can make decision processes easier & faster. You can put questions & factors in diagnostic charts to guide people's thoughts. (You can use a search engine to find sample diagnostic charts.) You could help by giving information or advising them which information sources to check. Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if you need any clarifications. Dennis S. Vogel thrivingbusiness@email.com No competitor is invincible. You don't need a miracle. Your business will THRIVE if you have the right marketing. You can use these URLs for free information. https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/ http://www.voy.com/31049/ [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
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