"WHO ARE YOU AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?"
I recently dialed a wrong telephone number and heard the
following recorded message:
"Hi. You've reached Mike and Kathy. Who are you and why do we
care?"
It was immediately followed by the "beep" signaling my
opportunity to leave a message. I obviously dialed the wrong
number so I hung up. But then I started thinking about that
abrupt message. That's exactly what every potential customer
thinks when he or she is exposed to any advertising message...
"Who is this and why do I care?"
DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWER?
How would you answer a prospective customer who asked, "Who are
you and why should I care?" If you were the prospect, would that
answer increase or decrease the desire to do business with you?
Prospects may not ask you this question -- at least not in words
that blunt. But they are asking it, silently and unconsciously,
every time they see your ad, visit your website or listen to
your sales presentation. You can increase the effectiveness of
all your advertising by automatically answering it for them.
It's actually a 2 part question so we'll look at each part
separately.
PART 1: "WHO ARE YOU...?"
People only buy products and services from companies and
individuals they trust. Part of that trust is the assurance that
you're capable of delivering the benefit each customer expects
in return for the money he or she pays you.
The unspoken answer to "Who are you...?" may be as simple as
including a statement like, "authorized distributor for ???"
(the name of a well-known company) in your ads or promotional
material. New distributors for network marketing companies often
use the well-known corporate name of their company to establish
credibility for their business opportunity offer. Opportunity
seekers tend to overlook the credentials of a novice distributor
when the opportunity is supported by the resources of a
well-known large company.
TIP: Instead of listing professional credentials or personal
achievements, convert them into benefits for your customers. For
example, prospects and customers don't care that you were a top
producer in your organization last quarter. They do care that
you helped so many new distributors just like them get off to a
fast start last quarter that their production made you a top
producer in your organization.
PART 2: "...AND WHY DO I CARE?"
People buy things because they expect to gain something more
valuable (to them) than the money they spend to get it. What
they expect to gain is a BIG BENEFIT. That's why they care -- IF
they are the right prospects for your product or service.
You control whether or not they're the right prospects. How? By
targeting your advertising to reach prospects most likely to
have a strong need or desire for the benefits provided by your
product or service. It's easy to capture the attention and
interest of prospective customers when they already need or want
the benefits you provide.
TIP: Be sure to promote the biggest single benefit you offer to
prospects in your targeted market. If you target several
different markets, determine the most important benefit for each
and promote it in that market. The big benefit may be different
for each market.
You may never be asked, "Who are you and why do I care?" But
prospects and customers silently and unconsciously ask it every
time they see your ad, visit your website or listen to your
sales presentation. You'll see a dramatic increase in the
results of any ad or promotion when you automatically give them
the answer.