Is your marketing doing what it’s supposed to? Does it bring in new prospects regularly? Does it spur existing customers to buy more?
Current marketing falls into one of three categories.
- The first helps a company become known for what it does. The main focus is to build the business up in the eyes of the prospect or customer. Each piece t tells the prospect or customer how great the company is and why they should do business with it.
- The second focuses on the perceived needs of prospects or customers. The marketing people look at their products or services. They try to imagine what needs they would have if they were a prospect or customer. Then their marketing shows how the products or services they offer would be the best to meet those needs.
- The last focuses on the actual needs prospects and customers have. The marketing then shows them how their products and services are the best to meet those needs.
Which Category Does Your Marketing Fall Into?
If you said category 1, you probably are not attracting many new prospects or customers to what you have to offer. All you are doing is building your name and brand. Most likely companies which have a severe problem are not going to have any idea of how what you offer can help them with their problem. So they aren’t going to pay much attention to what you have to offer.
If you said category 2, your marketing may be great for the needs you talk about. However, those may not be the needs your ideal prospects have. Some may decide to explore what you offer further. However, they do this on their own. You are not connecting with all the prospects who really need what you offer.
If you said category 3, you are in the best position to attract most of the prospects for your products or services. Your marketing pieces will connect with them They are more likely to buy what you offer to take care of the need they have.
How Do You Find Out the Biggest Needs
of Your Prospects and Customers?
Do the research.
- Read everything you can in articles and online about problems your prospects are currently having.
- Ask your best customers what needs they had and why they purchased the product or service from you.
- Enlist your sales reps to ask their customers and prospects what problems they are having.
- If you have booths at trade shows or conferences, ask the people stopping at your booth what current problems they are having.
- Any time your people are going to conferences or association events, ask them to talk to prospects and informally ask them what problems they’re having.
Analyze all of the information you get from all of these sources. Make sure all of your marketing focuses on how your products and services will help them overcome these problems.
Review everything you learn and build your marketing around it. Mention the problems or needs your prospects and clients have. Then show how the product or service you offer is the best to resolve those.
When you do this you will find that you will connect with more of the prospects you desire. They will be a better quality and more interested in purchasing what you offer. Your existing customers also will be inclined to purchase more.
A side benefit – you will gain a competitive edge on your competitors and generate more business for your company.
