How to make sure your offerings are important, relevant, and useful to your prospects
“I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.”
- Thomas Edison
Several months ago, I rolled out a new group coaching program. After reading the sales letter, a prospect immediately sent me an email saying she was ready to buy, but realized she would unfortunately be out of the country, unavailable and on holiday during the dates of the program.
Why was she ready to buy after reading the sales letter?
Because, in her words: “I felt it was written exactly for me!”
I had to smile because she was right: I had written it exactly for her. And for others just like her.
This was no accident.
Before I wrote a word of that sales letter, I conducted a series of interviews and coaching consultations with real prospects about their needs, hopes, and dreams.
Once I learned what their issues were, the resulting impact of those issues, and how that made them feel, I spent some time identifying how my service could solve that specific issue. Additionally, I uncovered the exact feelings they would have when their problem was solved.
I went through this process with each of the issues I identified.
Using this raw data from multiple people, I was able to create a customized sales letter that addressed the challenges they told me they had. In many cases, I used their exact wording and turns of phrase.
As a result of reading the letter, it was entirely predictable they would see themselves in it and both know that I understood where they were coming from and was genuinely interested in supporting them.
This process (thank goodness!) is not rocket science, but it does take time and concerted effort to execute well.
The alternative is essentially shot-in-the-dark marketing, or what one marketer called “Hope Marketing.” This is the slow route to success – if you ever get there– because people won’t see your offerings as important, relevant, or useful unless they are specific to them.
And, you can only know what’s specific to them by asking them.
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Image License: “Innovation,” 
Some rights reserved by Vermin Inc
Well. That makes sense! It’s also exactly the advice I needed to hear today. (Thank you!) How did you find people to interview? Or, rather, if you are NEW and don’t have existing clients, where would you find them?
Patty K´s last [type] ..If I’m not shy anymore- who am I
Thank you Tshombe, for sharing such excellent and practical advice. I interview my professional service firms’ clients regularly, but it had not occurred to me to interview my marketing coaching clients for this purpose. And I had been wondering what I could do to make my own marketing and selling materials more compelling. Ta da! An answer arrives via your excellent blog post.
Patty – you could interview people who are the kind of people you would like as your clients. If that is still a work in progress, the interviewing process could be designed to help you uncover some guidelines for who is and isn’t a good client for you. Have fun!
Barbara Breckenfeld´s last [type] ..Architects’ Forum- food for collaboration
Hi Patty! It does make sense, doesn’t it? Identify what your audience’s problems are and offering solutions in the way they want them. It’s a lot easier said than done.
But, what if you don’t have an audience?
I like Barbara’s suggestion to interview folks who are the kind of people you would like as clients. These would be what are typically referred to as “Ideal Clients,” and I think it’s a good place to start so that you are crystal clear on the people who jazz and energize you. That way, you’re not wasting time on people who do not appreciate you or who drain your energy.
Michael Port calls the criteria by which you define your Ideal Clients as your Red Velvet Rope Policy. Only those who ‘pass the test’ are granted access.
That said, your Ideal Client is really a subset of your Target Market. If you do not have existing clients right now (or even if you do!), pick one specific audience of people to market to.
Yes, you can have more than one market, but I believe it’s best to start with one and stick with that one for at least 6 months. This makes it so much easier to focus; find where these folks hang out on- and offline; discover their innermost needs, desires, frustrations, and wants; uncover how they prefer to consume educational materials and marketing messages (what media, for example); and appropriately package and deliver the products and/or services that solve their problems.
How do you pick what audience (Target Market) to market to?
There are many ways, and sometimes the terminology people use can be confusing (for example, some folks use Niche and Target Market nearly interchangeably, while others define them distinctly). (This makes me thing it may be time to write some blog posts on the topic!)
In short, you can define your Target Market in terms of industry, demographically, by psychographics, geographically, or a combination. The more specific usually the better.
Of course, you will attract Ideal Clients outside of your Target Market — and you certainly can choose to work with them — but the core idea behind targeting a certain market is to more efficiently, effectively, and QUICKLY establish yourself as The Authority in your niche (which I define as the specialty or expertise you are known for).
This means you maximize your (and their) time and money, which in the eyes of your market is more valuable than Generic Suzy’s who does everything and markets to everyone. So they pay you more, and you earn more.
Hooray!
Barbara, you bring up such a great point: “The Cobbler’s children have no shoes!”
Oftentimes, the very thing we do for (or advise) our clients is the thing to which we ourselves may be blind.
Beautiful and well-articulated insight, Barbara!
Thank you, too, for the great advice to Patty (and to me!)
Tshombe, this is one of the core issues of small business owners, as you know. Great job in explaining. It is just along the same lines that I heard Judy Dunn explaining yesterday at our blogging event.
Judy (and other great writing coaches) talk about blogging about issues your clients have. People are searching the web for answers to these issues, and they are searching emails and newsletters for answers.
I am glad to hear that your writing is so effective – even with all the data, it is a talent to express it in a compelling way. Not rocket science, but there is talent and strategy involved!
Lori Richardson´s last [type] ..5 Reasons Why Your Small Business Is Failing or Failed
Tshombe,
You seem to have a way of cutting to the core. : )
This line held particular meaning for me:
“As a result of the letter, it was entirely predictable they would see themselves in it and both know that I understood where they were coming from and was genuinely interested in supporting them.”
It is crucial that we get inside the heads of our clients and prospects—to see the world as they see it. There are many ways to accomplish that. Your interviews helped you gather the information you needed to write a powerful sales letter. (Congratulations on hitting a prospect in just the right spot!)
Blogging helps me do the same thing. (Thanks, Lori, for the mention, You are sweet.) Patty’s question is a good one, too, and Barbara had some good solutions.
Very helpful post, Tshombe.
Judy Dunn´s last [type] ..How to Bring Hundreds of New Readers to Your Blog
Thanks, Lori! Yes, Judy is a master at blogging about what is relevant, and she is at least as good at teaching others how to to it.
Unfortunately, we sometimes love what we do so much and we feel that we (psychically) know what’s best for our clients, we are blinded to what (and how) they are telling us they want and need.
Or, we don’t even ask them or do the relevant research that is available online (and even at the public library) to find out what our prospects are already looking for.
That’s when we end up creating a product, service or program that we have trouble selling, since it’s perceived as irrelevant to/by our market.
I really appreciate your comments, Lori!
Judy, thanks for contributing to the discussion and for your words of support. This issue is such a challenge for entrepreneurs.
I think one reason is that we are a few steps (or more!) ahead of where our clients are. So, when we sit down to write a piece of marketing or create a product or new service, the most natural approach is to assume we already know what our clients and prospects already need and create from that place.
If we meet them where they are at, and speak their own language, our marketing messages are more likely to ring true to those we are targeting.
Tshombe…thanks once again for your detailed response to my comment! Your answer could be an entirely new post.
I really appreciate the help from you and the other commenters. It’s quite the community you’re building here.
Patty K´s last [type] ..Is consistency always a good thing
Hey Patty,
I was thinking the same thing, that the comment could have been a new post!
Who knows? Maybe I will repurpose it by creating a couple of articles or teaching a mini-class.
I also agree with you that the other comments were spectacular. I love how everyone contributed to the clarity around this topic, offering great ideas for implementation, as well.
Thanks much for being a fabulous member of the community here! It was YOUR comment that sparked this dynamite discussion.
Tshombe, Powerful article. I continue to be amazed as I read more of your writing.
It has been my experience that as a coach we actually attract those clients in which we have the same (or similar) lessons to learn.
You said, “Oftentimes, the very thing we do for (or advise) our clients is the thing to which we ourselves may be blind.” ~I don’t think is is a blindness, as much as it is us needing to process karma or create growth for ourselves, in that area of our business.
As you know, all great coaches “go first.” In order to facilitate the change, we must first be willing to go there ourselves.
Peace.
Jason,
Thank you for taking the time to visit the blog, read this article AND the comments, and to comment yourself
I certainly agree with your assessment that whatever we may encounter in our business is a reflection of where we may also need growth.
As for the “blindness” comment, I have uncovered previously unconscious (so in that since, I was intend blind to it.) areas where I needed growth myself, areas that I had also consistently been offering support on for others.
SO TRUE the observation that great coaches must take the lead by ‘going there first’! What a powerful reminder, Jason. Thank you.