How To Bring Down The #1 Competitor Sucking Away Sales

February 24, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

Imagine toppling the king of them all!

Envision your competitors mingling in one room. Picture the face or logo to go with the title “Biggest Competitor.” Do you have one in mind?

Maybe it’s a local (or virtual) big shot who gets all the sales (or so it seems).
Maybe you are thinking of a mega store or brand that outsells, outproduces, outdelivers every time — even though their service can’t hold a candle to your white-glove attention.
Maybe you are thinking of a business that sells what you sell, only with a slightly different quality (or in a different location, using a different method, with a different technique or system). You’re neck and neck. The casual customer wouldn’t even know the difference between you unless he paid attention. Truth be told, he’s not motivated to comb through the differences. To him, you’re all the same. You can’t think of a way to stand out, even though you racked your brain trying to figure out a way to put distance between you and this competitor.
Maybe you don’t even know who your competitors are…you just know you lack sales. You scrape by…even though you advertise, and stretch to market yourself in the time and budget you can afford.
Or maybe you don’t think you have any competitors. Your uniqueness attracts plenty of qualified clients, but you know you want more. You just don’t know where they are, or why they are not sniffing around.

Biggest Competitor

The truth is, every business battles one powerful competitor who turns your ideal client’s head in the opposite direction. You want to shout, “Hey, don’t you realize I’m perfect for you? Can’t you see I can help you?” But this gargantuan competitor consumes your customer’s attention and resources. Your voice is barely a whisper.

Your customer’s radar doesn’t even detect your efforts to get her attention.

Even stranger, this competitor beats up every business, in every industry! Health and wellness tribes, foodies, fahionistas, software companies, crafters, beauty suppliers, butchers, bakers, candlestick makers… they all compete with one, universal, monstrous force.

This gorilla-competitor is a huge problem for you, too. Only you can’t see it because it is invisible. Your customer doesn’t even know she’s doing business with your #1 competitor, the King Kong of all forces stealing your business.

This powerhouse of a trickster, always “cheating” you out the sales that are rightfully yours, and effortlessly pulling your customer off your scent, is simply:

Anything and everything else your customer spends money on…that’s your #1 competitor!

Before you dismiss the category as too broad, I’m the first to agree. “Everything else” is too big to fail. People are natural consumers. Sure, some people get by on a lot less, but most people search for experiences, products, gadgets, ideas that make them feel good! Everyone wants to feel good. And there’s always a bright, shiny thing that generates excitement and sends your customer running off in that direction…instead of toward you!

How you get your idea customer to run toward you with their wallets wide open?

If you’re doing what you’ve always done to generate sales, don’t assume anything will ever change. Decide first to alter your marketing strategy, and remember the sequence that stirs the “feel-good” pot and results in a sale…

A-I-D-A: the classic sales and marketing tenet.

As you read through each letter in the acronym, keep in mind your tenacious, invisible competitor — everything ELSE your customers desire — instead of you!

A – Attention. If they don’t know that gap exists in their lives… they will choose the competitor. Get their attention.

I- Interest. If your customers don’t see the gap between what is and what could be if they worked with you… they will choose your invisible competitor every time. Make them interested in how they would feel if the gap were closed.

D – Desire. If they are unaware of the pain, discomfort, hardship, inconvenience, dull and uninspired situation they are in now, then they will never know the ease, enjoyment, convenience, prestige, enlightenment, and fun associated with closing the gap…and they will choose instead the invisible competitor that holds that promise for them. Create desire for your offer.

A – Action. If they never receive a compelling and specific invitation to do business with you… they will choose to spend their money with your invisible competitor. Make an offer that inspires action.

Can you do this in one fell swoop? Indeed! Direct response copywriters (the good ones) can achieve all of these components in one long page of copy. You still see this a lot. All the elements of A-I-D-A unfold in a single, smooth, structured form. This kind of writing is tight as a drum. In fact, think of it like thumping on different points of the surface of a drum. Over one tightly stretched surface of hide, you get different sounds and tones depending on where you strike it. At any point in the copy of a long form sales page, you will hear a pitch-perfect copywriting element that either gets attention, increases interest, creates desire, or causes action. Copywriters and salespeople are trained in the A-I-D-A structure. While it takes years to perfect this kind of writing, long sales pages are worth studying!

You can achieve a similar result affect another way.

A content strategy that follows A-I-D-A rules

Less intense, but equally disarming; content you float across targeted social sites strings together a powerful and unique value proposition. Organized, well-placed, smart content persuades buyers at every point along the sales funnel. Content marketing at its best now follows this same structure great copywriters have always knows and used.

But you don’t have to be an A-list copywriter. All you need is a structured strategy and the determination to stay consistent in providing it. Effective content touches real people at different stages of the buying cycle. Words, and secondarily, images move them along from a state of casual oblivion to the point where they are frantically pulling out their credit card at the thought of working with you, or buying your product.

You don’t have to be in their face with the full-out frontal assault of a hard-hitting sales pitch. Social networks, email, and blogs now function together to present a case to your customers and enfold them in your story. Valuable content attracts and entices over time, in little bitty parts, so that by the time your customer actually calls you, clicks to order from you, or visits your bricks and mortar shop; your “Invisible Competitor” has withered away to nothing…

Your customer has already made a decision to buy from you.

Flickr CC photo: Wing_Clipper

The Number One Threat To Your Customer’s Objections

February 12, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan 2 Comments

LOVE.

That’s it, baby. All you need is love.

What is an objection, but an assertion of fear?

Fear that they’ll make the wrong decision, spend too much money, buy the wrong color, type, or size.

Fear that they’ll lose an opportunity, lose face, or the chance to buy something better in the future.

Fear that they don’t know what they’re getting into.

Fear that they’ll blow it, break it, lose it, crash it, fail…

The customer’s objections always stem from some kind of fear.

And what is the opposite of fear? LOVE.

“What’s love got to do with it?” you ask. We’re in it to win it. The goal of marketing is to find good leads to a sale. The goal of a sale is to make money, earn a living, grow the business, earn the respect of our customers and competitors. Sales are crucial. (If only we could get past those peaky objections!)

When St. Paul sat down and wrote to the Corinthians, he penned a challenging list of ways to live. Do you think some Corinthians had any objections? Of course! But the good news includes this bit about love, and if you want to counter objections steeped in fear, the best way to do that is to drop down to the basics.

Love is patient.

You can’t exactly show patience in a blog post or video, but you can craft your content to effectively speak to your perfect percentage of the world. If you do get the chance to talk in person, just listen to their objections. Listen with patience. Don’t interrupt, or you might miss out on the juicy bits that help you understand what’s brewing beneath the surface.

Sometimes I get off the phone and wish I could remember more of what the other person said, than what I yapped about. Shoot, what a missed opportunity! Too little, too late. Don’t make my mistake. Just listen patiently and…focus on understanding.

Love is kind.

Learning how to listen patiently is a skill. The next part is processing the knowledge before speaking.

When a customer objects, she’s exposing her soft underbelly of doubt. This is not the time to pounce, but to show gentleness.

One of my resolutions for 2014 is to take time to ask questions, a natural part of a copywriter’s job. Part of that goal extends to the business side, listening to prospects and deciding in real time whether to even make an offer of my services. Sometimes it’s just not a good fit.

Just yesterday I talked with my friend Jenny in London who had a phone call with someone who was considering her services. This prospective customer showed hints that she wasn’t ready to fully benefit from Jenny’s service. Did Jenny bend her will and force a situation that didn’t feel right? No, she didn’t even make an offer. That was admirable and kind, don’t you think?

It’s just as kind as countering an authentic objection from someone who is truly ready for the outcome you can provide. If your product or service is genuinely going to help your customer and bring a level of peace, clarity, happiness, delight, service, or utility to her life; then you’re doing a disservice NOT to offer what you’ve got. Recognizing and overcoming an objection comes from kindness.

Love is not boastful.

The only thing boasting does is put distance between you and your customer. Boasting says “I’m up here. You’re not.” That’s not going to win him over. There is a time for graciously accepting those roses everyone’s throwing at you, but a fist pump in the face of an objection doesn’t cut it. Think of an objection as a chance to offer a solution. If you take it as an opportunity to leverage yourself and your ego, you blew it.

Love is not proud.

Wait, let’s dissect that word right there. Proud. You’re supposed to proud of your work, your reputation, your company, your service. What’s wrong with pride? The wrong kind of pride interrupts your ability to deliver on your promise. If you’re really “that good,” chances are you’re a little humble about it. Pride can blind you to the chance to improve, even just a little. And our customers continually challenge us if we let them…

Let them.

Love does not dishonor others.

So what’s a little objection, anyway? It’s true, not everyone is our ideal client. But everyone is worthy of being served. Objections often enlighten an entrepreneur of unsolved problems, and new creative solutions. Honor every objection with a sincere goal of helping your prospect make the right decision. You might find you benefit from it as well.

If you consider it a privilege to serve on all levels, then you might offer additional services to support someone after a sale. That could mean maintenance, follow up, service plans, or even alternate products. A heartfelt objection could trigger a new evaluation of your products line or markets.

Honorable sales is meeting your customer where she is in the moment. and showing them where she could be.

Love is not self seeking.

If you come from a place of service, everyone wins. If you’re thinking at every moment that a sale is at stake, then your thoughts are swirling around what you stand to gain. When that starts to happen, then any objection might even personally offend you. (Not good enough? Not comprehensive enough? Not desirable? Overpriced? Not status-y enough? How can this person not see the value?)

Your customer wants to know the most important thing: “What’s in it for me?” (That’s why they’ve given you their valuable time.) If you start feeling self conscious or inadequate during the moment of an objection, then the sale is already lost.

As you write your copy, visit with customers, or make phone calls, you stand squarely between your commitment to your customer, and her desires and needs. Being able to anticipate an objection with open eyes, the whole self-conscious aspect of selling dissipates. That icky feeling goes away.

Love is not easily angered.

Well, this one is tough. Most times an objection is not a challenge to a duel. But if you feel angry, maybe it’s only because you didn’t lay out the terms properly. If anger rears its ugly head, then look at the way your’e doing business and change it. Make sure you don’t let yourself become a doormat.

As a young sales person selling semiconductor equipment in Silicon Valley in the 90s, I made the mistake of bending over backward every time a certain customer called, even to the point of partnering in a research project together. I was just sure I’d get this account’s business, so I put everything on the line. I enlisted the help of some busy engineers at my company, and moved heaven and earth to obtain and transfer sample wafers between our two companies. When the sale went to our competitor, I was devastated. Givers make this mistake and get burned out if they don’t know how to protect themselves (a topic for another post).

In business, anger usually stems from the feeling that something is not fair, or that you’re being used. An objection that triggers anger means you should step back, re-evaluate your offer, and then move on.

Love keeps no record of right and wrong.

If you keep getting an objection — but no decision — then it’s time to give your prospect his freedom.

Some objections are just stalling, not true objections. On the other hand, try not to place a value on them, and address each one without judgment. Just as there are no wrong questions, there is no good nor bad objection. If someone raises a good point, acknowledge it and direct attention to your overarching value.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in truth.

You want your customer to be happy because a happy customer makes a happy business. Deception will only make you and your clients miserable. Stand up for yourself, but also know your limitations. The truth will set you free.

Acknowledging how you’re NOT a certain way, can be the key to bringing your customer over to your side. Long ago, I went shopping for hot tubs. The internet was just getting going, so I hoofed it around to the local shops in search of information. At one store, the tubs were so shallow, I thought they weren’t as good as the others. In my mind less water meant an inferior tub. Only when the sales person countered my objection did I realize that mine was one objection he actually enjoyed getting! He pointed out my small stature and how people my size tend to bob at the top instead of ease down into the seats. A shallower tub didn’t have that effect, and besides, less water meant lower heating costs…who knew?

Love always protects…

Do you want a relationship with your customer? Protect her decision to buy with a guarantee, a commitment to stand by her, to support her decision to say yes, or no. An objection is often a question about support. (E.g. If this happens, then how am I protected? If I don’t like something about it, then what? If it doesn’t fit, will you take it back? If It stalls in the middle of the desert, who will come get me?)

Put her worry to rest. Make sure she know’s you’ve got her back.

Always trusts…

An objection is a chance to put your customer in the driver’s seat. You answer with honesty and turn the decision back over to her, making the sale a two-way street. Trust allows you to enter into a relationship with a customer on even footing. And it may even pull your contracts and/or terms into better shape. If you’ve been burned a few times (as all new business owners and entrepreneurs have been at some point), then you know the value of being able to trust your customer in the same way that they trust you. Build trust into your offer and you both win.

Always hopes…

Have you ever wanted to ask, “How many more objections can you possibly have?” Do you ever feel that the whole sales process is getting wobbly because you both have lost sight of the big picture, the big transformation?

Sometimes, too many objections or ‘nitpicky’ objections are just an indication that your prospect doesn’t have clarity about the real value your provide. Don’t go down that dark path with her. It’s your obligation to steady the pace. You know who you are and how you help, so when you see that the conversation is taking a turn for the bleak, then lift it up. The transformation still exists for your customer, but you must point the way. Bring it back into the light.

Always perseveres.

You win some, you lose some. Every “no” gets you closer to the next “yes.” In the world of content marketing, you don’t often get the chance to directly counter objections, but you always have another chance to position yourself in a new or different way.

Wrong person? Inopportune timing? Not in a position to make a decision? It’s okay; your content can be shared in another way, on another day, with the right person. Consider putting out a fact sheet with a list of the most common customer objections (FAQs). If you persevere, you’re always ready for the next objection because you’ve anticipated it.

Don’t let fear of rejection cause you to freeze when your customer raises a bona fide objection. It’s a natural part of the sales process and a precious opportunity to earn a happy client. Follow the rules of “love” and enjoy it.

St. Paul’s mission was to spread Christianity all over the land with the powerful sales technique of love. It might work for us, too.

“Prospect” Is NOT A Bad Word!

October 16, 2013 by jennifer mcgahan 1 Comment

Lately I’ve been sensing a distaste for the words “Prospect” and “Customer” and even “Sales” by some social media folks. That’s just plain wrong.

I value the trend toward friendship, connections and genuinely liking your followers. Heck, look at the name of this website!

Remember, also, that you’re in business. What does a “prospector” eventually find? GOLD! Those are your customers.

You are actually doing your company a disservice if you don’t recognize the importance of serving someone who truly needs your products or services and will pay you to get them. You nurture special relationships with paying customers if you want your company to survive.

So when I say “prospect” I do mean –yes — someone whose life will be better if they open their wallet and purchase whatever it is you offer. That’s the beauty of business. I’m tired of beating around the bush about that. The people you can help — those folks are your “prospects” and it’s clearly your job to serve them.

But there’s a huge difference between serving them authentically and benefitting at their expense. Enormous. Put value into the word “Prospect;” don’t take honor away from it. Your prospects and customers are golden. They become your friends. Family, even. It’s really up to you.

Please don’t be afraid to use the terms “prospects and customers.” It’s a privilege not to be taken lightly!

Warming Up A Prospect With A Cold Email

August 26, 2013 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

You know it would be better to have an engaged subscriber — someone who opted in to your list. You even know the benefits of using an email service for your email marketing.

But the fact remains that sometimes you truly need to contact a certain demographic or even a specific individual to get the ball rolling. You have no choice because it’s part of the prospecting required to open the door for new business. You’re sending it from your personal professional email address to theirs — and it must impress them.

Sometimes you just have to send a cold email.

First, accept that even when your recipient knows you and and expects regular emails from you, the delete key is easy to access. Bet you do it too; delete emails with barely a scan, especially when you’re busy or you’ve fallen behind cleaning out your inbox. According to the Radicadi Group, a technology research firm, business people get an average of 108 emails every day, and they tend to pile up. How do you make sure yours stands out?

The best way is to become that sender who consistently send useful and interesting emails.

The second best way to get your emails opened is to make sure the person receiving your emails is expecting them. Rule number one in deliverability and list building is a confirmed opt-in.

But there are times when you want to try reaching out to someone you’ve identified might be a good fit as a business client or a partner in a project…the only trouble is, they just don’t know it yet.

You need to send a cold email to start a relationship.

A couple of days ago I tried this — only I wasn’t asking for his business. I wanted to give the guy MY business. Here’s the story:

Last week Mr. MyTeamConnects and I bought our first rental property. As a writer to and for investors over the past decade, I am excited to finally start investing my own money in real estate. (Woo hoo! )

Now, you’d think I would know what to do with a property after all the research, webinars, seminars and phone calls about real estate investing that I’ve been exposed to. But though I know the marketing side of things, I have a steep learning curve to climb dealing with actual property. Now that I own a tangible investment, I’m searching for a property management firm to get some questions answered.

Funny how it works learning something new…in theory, it’s easy-peasy. In practice, you really feel the bumps in the road. 😯

The first firm I contacted told me they don’t manage houses like ours that have septic tanks and wells, due to liability issues. (Hmmm, first road block.) But he referred another management firm — even gave me the owner’s direct email address. Cool! I sent an email to him on his buddy’s recommendation.

To his direct email address, mind you…name spelled out and everything.

I’ll bet you can guess what happened. No response. After waiting a couple of days I went to the firm’s website and sent an inquiry through the website. It was sent to “propertymgr@…” not the man’s direct personal email that his colleague/competitor gave me.

See, the gentleman my first contact recommended was not expecting my email. So it’s probably sitting somewhere in a junk folder. The email filter did it’s job, even protecting him from someone who needs his services! I even dropped his colleague’s name in the subject line: “Your colleague Bart at Bella recommended you.” Crickets. No response. He probably never even saw it.

Now imagine how difficult it is to get a response from a cold email when its purpose is to engage a possible customer — it’s even more challenging!

Many business people, especially B2B sellers, contact prospects via a cold email. They get their list of names and address from various sources:

Business cards from a conference, trade show or Meet-up they attended.
LinkedIn contacts
Purchased email lists
Online data-gathering services like Jigsaw or ZoomInfo

Whether you have a long list of cold prospects, or you’ve selected just a few to contact, your next hurdle is creating an attention-getting email. How do you capture someone’s attention within the first few words?

Tip #1, and I can’t stress this enough: Never forget that you are not “selling” anything with a first touch. All you’re trying to do is get them to read and respond in some way.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this first email is a one-time shot.

It’s a fantasy to believe that all you have to do is send a cold email, and someone picks up the phone and calls you. As I said before, you’re lucky if the email even lands in their inbox, let alone gets read. The type of response you’re aiming for with a cold email is more likely to be one of the following:

Reading it and simply digesting the message. It’s rare that a reader will remember and follow up at some point in the future, even if you’ have left a good impression. Plan to reach out at least a couple of times, spacing your emails a couple days apart. Remind them who you are and repeat your message.
Clicking on a link for more info: a white paper or web page. This is the ultimate response, because now you can ask if they would also like to receive updates, a newsletter, or a follow-up by phone or email.
Deciding to add you to his contacts on a social site — following you on Twitter, checking out your Facebook page or Linked In profile. Reinforce your message or campaign by repeating it on your social sites. That way, your recipient will see a common thread, something to hang onto and remember.

If you make an impression, that’s great, but guess what? The ball is still in your court. Oops, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to just getting that first cold email opened…

Now that you have the proper mindset, it’s time for the real work — writing a subject line that compels action when they don’t even know who you are.

Thursday’s blog post will give you five smooth moves you can use to get their eyes to lock onto your subject line and open your email. Stay tuned!

How To Satisfy Customers With A Logical Reason To Buy

August 28, 2012 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

People make decisions with their heart, but justify them with their brains. Copywriting pros know:

Emotions sells. Reason closes.

Your ideal customers are waiting for you to show them the logic of buying from you. Even the ones who will buy everything you offer, even they still need a reason to buy. Logic satisfies the reasoning part of the brain.

If you’re doing some inbound marketing (blog posts, tweets, Facebook updates and comments), you’re bound to have a few folks who like your stuff. They comment on your sites and retweet your posts. They may even consider purchasing something from you.

If your ideal customer is emotionally sold on your offering, you are already more than halfway to earning their “yes” and making a sale.

But just because the wheels are set in motion, doesn’t mean the transaction is a done deal. You still have to close the sale.

Your ideal customers — even the ones who are crazy about you — still need “buy-in” from their analytic side.

When people decide to part with their hard earned money, there are two “internal sides” at war. The passionate, carefree, childlike side screams, “I want that!” and the internal skeptic that wants to make sure he’s not hastily agreeing to something he’ll regret later. This is the voice that says,

“What if…”
“How complicated is it to use?”
“Is there a guarantee?” etc.
“What comes with that?”

This is the voice that puts on the brakes if it doesn’t get some answers!

Copywriters allow people to convince themselves they are making a smart buying decision by showing them that they have made a logical and well-reasoned decision.

Believability is what makes someone receptive to your words, and “logic in copywriting” transfers that believability back to the customers. By injecting logical reasons for purchasing a product, service or program, copywriters ensure that the customers have everything they need to believe in themselves (which turns back to their emotions).

How do you get the logical mind of your customer to believe he’s making a sound decision?

All that’s required is that you go into an explanation for why, how, when, where, and what. Don’t just list cold hard facts and statistics…go deeper and show how they actually benefit the user..what it looks like in their lives.

For example, say you sell a computer peripheral that allows users to make quick keystrokes without errors. What you are really selling is something that enables a team to work more efficiently and accurately. If the purchaser of this tool is a department head or manager, you’d describe the feature that prevents errors and then talk about the time and efficiency (“35% fewer errors,” etc.) his department is sure to gain if he installs your product at every workstation.

You might even remind him that with these stats, he’s going to look like a rockstar to his boss!

Or maybe your business is delivering groceries to the homes of elderly customers. You’re selling not only convenience, but a service that provides a personal touch and a social “bright spot” in the day for seniors who may not get to leave the house as often as they like. In this case, you may be marketing to the adult children of their older parents. You’d describe one aspect of the service (bringing groceries in and putting them away) and explain how it improves the lives of both parties. By alleviating an extra trip to the store from their busy week, you provide a service that has multiple practical benefits:

They gain more time to spend doing something pleasant with or for their parent.
They gain peace of mind because someone will be “checking in” on the parent when making deliveries.
They save money on gas, and reduce wear and tear on the car.
They eliminate the possibility of an accident or fall in public.
They get the satisfaction that they are allowing their parents to stay independent in their home as long as they can.

With logical explanations, the value multiplies. Throw in a few facts and figures about aging in place and you’ll solidify the necessity of hiring you.

Your customers may simply want a product because they intuitively know it will improve their lives. But do they know the problems they are avoiding by purchasing it? Do they know actual dollars saved, or calamities they are avoiding if they purchase?

When you allow your ideal customer to connect the dots and imagine your solution working out in “real life,” they are more likely to make the decision to purchase.

Explain how you perform your incredible service. Describe the steps you took to develop your winning system. Show why you can honestly make that amazing offer and stand by it. Give your ideal customers the reasons they can feel good about their decision.

Copywriters want their readers to say, “This is a good purchase. I’m pretty smart to say yes to myself in this way.”

Even if they’ve already made up their minds to do business with you, your ideal customers need to wrap their brains around why this purchase is the right for them. Their own logical thought process needs to kick in and get some satisfaction.

Ironic isn’t it? Your spend tons of time thinking through the reasons someone should justify a purchase — and the decision comes down to one that they’ve already decided on emotionally! We humans are delightfully complex creatures; the copywriter simply paints the picture that allows your customer to see himself after he’s made that decision to buy.

Marketing can be complex. Figuring out what to say and what to leave out to attract the most satisfied customers can make you feel powerless, especially when you’re selling your product online and you’re not there in person. There will be folks who receive your message and those that just don’t get it. They see it, they hear it, they read it…but they don’t “receive” it. You will not be there in person to counter objections and answer questions.

However many of these issues vanish if you give them a clear and compelling reason to buy.

Without logic, your customer has a difficult time justifying the purchase. That’s why it’s so important to satisfy this basic consumer craving for logical and thoughtful reasons to buy. Reveal all those reasons.

You’re in business to make the connection with the right people so that they become your customers and clients. With skill and targeted copywriting you’ll attract your ideal customers.

First make sure people are receptive to your offer, then give them a logical reason to buy through proof, credibility, and reason.