One question
I often get from small business owners is "How do I get
people to buy my stuff?" I'll admit the phrase "getting
people to buy" makes me squirm a bit as it seems to suggest
pushing products on potential customers when the opposite
should be true. Customers should be attracted to what you
offer and should be coming your way checking out your
products and services.
One thing to
keep in mind is that people buy when they're ready to
buy and not necessarily when you're ready to sell.
That said, there are a few things that make products and
services enticing.
Ask
before creating
First, it is a mistake to create
a product or service before asking potential clients what
they want. "Build it
and they will come"
only works in the movies. :-) Many self-employed people make
this mistake (myself included in my early days). Now this
doesn't mean you have to launch into a giant market research
project. It can be as simple as getting 10-20 people who may
qualify as your ideal client and having a quick teleseminar,
Q&A, etc. It can even be a simple email survey using
www.surveymonkey.com.
Your
goal is to find out the real problems you can solve for
people in your area of expertise and focus your product or
service on what you hear. Resist the urge to create
something you're
passionate about. Instead, ask your potential clients what
would be valuable to them. The answers may at times surprise
you. When you create what people ask for, the end result is
naturally enticing.
Generalists are less enticing
When you query your clients and
customers for the problems they're having in your area of
expertise, be prepared to hear some things aren't
necessarily the focus of your business. It's important to
stay focused. If you try to address all of the problems for
everyone, you dilute the power of your product or service.
Your goal is to stay specialized and niched. You want to be
an expert in your field and if you try to be all things to
all people, you dilute your expertise.
Expertise is
enticing. You won't go to a general doctor for a heart
problem. You'll seek out a heart specialist. And so it is in
business. You want to position yourself as the expert in
your field and narrowing your focus builds your expertise
and makes your product/service more attractive. So think
about your #1 area of expertise and stick to it. Resist the
urge to be all things to all people. Generalists are less
attractive.
Results sell
When you talk or write about
your product our service, the features aren't what's
important to prospects. Focus on describing the results
people will achieve with your product/service. Tune into
channel WIIFM (what's in it for me) and tell potential
customers exactly what they'll experience with your product.
What problem will go away? What are they likely to achieve?
How soon will they achieve it? When your product description
is results-focused, it becomes far more enticing to your
potential buyer.
If you enjoyed this article,
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