Do
You Want To Sell More? Then Stop Trying To Be Everything To Everybody!
By Eric Graham
I know you’ve
heard this a thousand times, but from the looks of things few businesses
are following the advice…
Far too many businesses
(online or offline) define their target market as “anyone with
a pulse and a wallet.” (Not always in that order.)
You read their sales
copy and it’s the same old, walking on eggshells “corporate
speak”, devoid of personality, writing to a group style, as everyone
else in their industry.
Sure. They’re
not going to eliminate any “potential buyers”… But
there’re not going to stand out from the crowd and get their message
noticed either!
You need to define
your target customer as specifically as possible. You should describe
your customer in exacting detail. Not as a group, but as an individual.
Get a laser focused, clear and precise image in your mind of one specific
person. Know that persons sex, age, marital status, wants, needs, educational
background, psychographics, demographics, geographics, technographics
(level of technological sophistication), understand their psychological
motivations, hopes, fears… Everything!
And then (and only
then) write your copy directly to that person. Craft your message to
your target customer in a one-on-one, person to person style, keeping
this focused image of who you are talking to clear in your mind.
So… You’ve
clearly defined your target customer. Great. Now you’re ahead
of 95% of the business in your market.
Do you want to know
how to jump ahead of the other 5%?
(This next tip is
something that very few top marketers talk about… But it just
may be one of the most important activities you ever do for your business.)
Clearly define who
your customer IS NOT! Spell it out… Write it down… Let the
world know, exactly who you REFUSE to do business with.
Eliminate the freebie
seekers, bargain hunters, complainers, whiners, price shoppers, deadbeats
and time leaches (Michel Fortin calls them “Vampires”…
I love that…)
The first step in
face to face selling is to qualify the prospect. So I’ve never
understood why so many businesses are afraid to do the same thing when
selling in print or on the computer screen. Cowards!
Guess what? An amazing
thing happens when you “take something away”. By stating
(unapologetically) in your copy that “This offer IS NOT for everybody…”,
“…only a select, elite few will qualify…”, “…unless
you meet the following qualifications, you can’t beg us to let
you buy this…”, something magical takes place in the sales
process.
The dynamic changes,
from YOU trying to convince the PROSPECT that they need your product…
to the PROSPECT trying to convince YOU that they are qualified to buy
what you are offering.
So, stop worrying
about eliminating part of your potential market by only focusing on
your “ideal customer”, the ones you eliminate wouldn’t
have bought from you anyway. And by adding a bit of “posture”
to your copy, your conversion rates with your REAL market will skyrocket.
Just remember this…
If you try to be
“everything to everybody”, you will end up being “nothing
to nobody”.
About the
Author
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