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Your Service Doesn't
Exist... Until You Create It.
By Stuart Ayling
Let’s face it… selling a service or a complex product isn’t easy.
One of the biggest challenges is trying to turn the invisible (your service), into something tangible.
In the mind of your potential client, your service (or product) doesn’t exist until you create the ‘mental picture’ of what you can do for them
What do I mean?
Recently I was contacted by Laura (not her real name) from Sydney. She was struggling to promote her new training services business after many years as a successful retail business owner.
The problem she had was that she was used to clients being able to easily find her business and understand what she offered (in a retail setting). Also, as a retailer her customers could make decisions easily based on comparing visible features of the products.
Now Laura had to communicate her marketing message (with no visible product) and get her message in front of the right type of prospects (there is no stream of foot traffic coming past her physical shopfront).
It is a daunting challenge!
Many service firms feel the same sense of being ‘lost’ in the market place.
However there is a strategy you can use to create your service in the mind of your potential clients.
(1) Describe The Problems You Help Solve
Your potential clients will relate to the problems they are experiencing. They will consider engaging your services if they can see a connection to helping them achieve their goals or solve their problems.
(2) Be Definitive
Describe your services – and importantly the benefits you can provide – in a concrete, easy to understand manner. Don’t use the grandiose verbosity used by many companies that try to impress by excess. Don’t use soft airy-fairy imprecise language. Stay focused on what your prospects need to hear to get them to contact you.
(3) Have Proof
Clients want to know that you can really do what you say you can – and be as good as you claim. Proof comes in the form of:
- Proper testimonials (not ones that just say ‘Laura is great.’).
- Demonstrating mastery of your area of expertise by writing useful articles.
- Getting referrals from other people who understand your services (and can therefore recommend
you with conviction).
- Speaking at events where you can
showcase your expertise or understanding of a particular challenge or
opportunity facing your prospects.
(4) Demonstrate How You Do It
Creating and document a structure that shows how you deliver the service (or how you help the client use your product). I call this a
Service Delivery
Model. Make it easy for potential clients to ‘see’ how you will be working with them. Your objective is to make the invisible service delivery process tangible for them. Discuss each step as though it was part of a physical product. Use solid language (not vague ‘It could be this or it could be that…’ expressions) to add credibility. Explain options. Help your prospect be 100% comfortable with what will happen.
Now you are in a position to take a strong message to the market.
Remember my motto:
Marketing Creates Leads… Sales Creates Clients
At this point you are in marketing mode, trying to get people to contact you so you can qualify them and determine if you should move into sales mode.
So don’t expect prospects to contact you and already be committed to engage you. Although this may happen at times, it is not standard practice.
Use your marketing to attract prospects. Then use your sales skills, sales process,
and presentation
skills to convert that initial interest into a paying client.
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