- Don’t try to target everybody.
The more tailored your message and offering is to an individual (i.e. the more relevant it is and the more it is able to solve their particular problem) the more likely they will buy it.
Segment your target audience, and tailor your marketing communications accordingly.
- Understand your prospective customers
If you know exactly what their problems and needs are, what media they trust, etc, you are half way to getting them to buy from you.
- Make sure that your proposition is single-minded, specific and relevant to each defined segment of your target audience.
Use evidence to support your proposition.
- Nurture them.
- Get them to buy a solution to their problem. And then get them to buy it from you.
- Focus on benefits and advantages (not features)
Customers never buy because of product features. They buy because they perceive some "benefit" to those features.
Most people can only hold two or three thoughts at one time in their short-term memory. Long lists of benefits just cause confusion.
Emphasize the benefits that are unique to your offering.
Benefits that are generic to your product category can convince a customer to buy... but not necessarily from you! Use benefits that differentiate you from the competition:
Wrong: "Our software makes you more productive."
Right: "Our customers report an average 30% decrease in costs, about twice the industry average."
- Don’t give up. Be relentless and your profits will surge.
Remember that 8% of sales people get 80% of the sales - only because they are relentless.
- Demonstrate the value of your product/service
Get them to trial it or give them a sample - and make sure you follow up afterwards.
Get them to watch your demonstration video.
- Make it easy for them to say to say ‘yes’
Remove any feeling of risk.
Position yourself as an expert.
Give them a water-tight guarantee.
Reassure them with testimonials.
Make it easy for them to buy.
- If they are still wavering, give them an incentive to act now.
And/or tell them that the offer is ending soon - people hate the idea that they might be missing out.
- Use a simple, clear and effective call-to-action.
- And finally, if it make sense, and the personal touch is need, then give them a call.