We are having a great seminar series running at the moment - group discussion is always so valuable, not least when it provides material for this blog! We are at the stage when we get to talk about moving from initial contact to gaining attention using that ubiquitous tool: The 30 second introduction.

How many versions should I have?

How many intros do you need? Here is the key: Figure out who the message is for - in other words what is the profile of your ideal clients? What do those businesses (or individuals) have in common in terms of their demographics/size/industry type and so on. This will form the first part of your message:

“We work with Fortune 500 companies” or “I work with small businesses and independent professionals in the service sector” are a couple of examples. You can perhaps vary your message around this theme (more on that later) but who the message is for should ALWAYS be clear.

OK, what do you do for them?

Think about the problems that your target audience is facing and will readily relate to. These are the issues they deal with and will gain their attention. For example:

“We work with small business owners and independent professionals in the service sector who want to grow but struggle to attract high quality clients consistently”

Now, you can vary the second part a little as far as the words go. Figure out what works best but you should be highly comfortable with the words. They should be things that you would say in a conversation or it won’t sound natural. However you may want to vary some of the words just so as you don’t sound like a tape recorder. Make sure that the core message is the same though!

What do you think about when you hear the word “marketing?”

When we are in business for ourselves one of the things we have to do is market that business. I hope that everyone sees it that way. Sure we can hire someone to help us, maybe even a marketing manager, but ultimately we have to market the passion we have for what we do. However the concept of marketing often causes problems. Perhaps it brings to mind visions of creative genius executives working to produce the next killer brand or logo in a smoke filled room…..

 OK, maybe I revealed a little about my belief system there! The point is that we all have ideas about marketing and we may feel that we are just not “marketing people”

What is your message?

I invite you to check such thoughts at the door. You are a marketing person, it goes with the territory and you might as well figure out a way to enjoy it! If that raises doubts in your mind, recognize them and move on. Don’t forget that you are the world’s foremost expert on what you do, and more specifically, what value you bring to your clients. The client that loves you for what you do doesn’t care that you don’t have a Nike Swoosh for a logo, they care that you know about them, their problems and how to solve them.

That is huge and there is your marketing message. It is all wrapped up in what you do to make your client’s world better. If that isn’t fun and worth going to work for, I am not sure what is. Guess what? That is marketing your business right there!

Is your message getting through?

As a business owner or independent professional, getting the word out about your business is clearly a key activity. However, often times it seems that we are talking in a language that our prospects don’t seem to understand or even hear. We LOVE what we do and we can clearly see the benefit of the latest innovation that we have put in place - why doesn’t everyone else see that? Surely it’s as clear to them as it is to us? Well, actually, no it’s not.

Are you broadcasting on the right wavelength?

If you want to listen to an FM station you need an FM receiver right? OK, I know that’s changed a bit with the Internet but let’s stay with the metaphor for a minute! If your prospects have an FM receiver and you are broadcasting on Medium wave they will not hear you. Remember that people (including your prospects) are going through life thinking about their personal issues and challenges therefore their receiver is tuned to WIIFM - i.e. What’s In It for Me?

Here’s the deal - most broadcast messages are going out on WWD - What We Do. If you are talking/writing/producing a brochure/website solely concerned with what you do, you are relying on the prospect turning that message into something that makes sense to them personally. Chances are they won’t do that - chances are they have a receiver tuned to a different wavelength and therefore your message is simply noise.

Change your wavelength!

The passion that you have for your business has direct effect on your clients world - it makes their lives better. Think about that in specific terms and turn that into your message. In other words less about the services you offer (WWD) and more about what benefit that provides to your customer, what pain it takes away (WIIFM)

This is a mindset change - your BEST client will tell you why they work with you, what they love about you and what pain you take away/pleasure you provide for them specifically. It will work wonders for the attraction you will get from your prospects.

Who is your ideal client?

That may be easy to define, but more often than not it can be a challenge. Many of us individually or as a business serve a wide variety of clients. Insurance for example is applicable to pretty much anyone - or is it?

The temptation when we have a service or product that serves many types of client is to say something like: “You are a potential client for me if you have a house or a car” or ” If you want to make more money we should talk”. The difficulty with this is that, although it may be true, people don’t relate to such a message and when you talk in these terms it is hard for them to think of anyone who might be a good referral for you. Why? Well vague out gets vague back - you are asking people to think for you.

So, how do you focus your message? The best I have heard are very specific such as an attorney who works exclusively with men going through divorce, a web deisgner who works primarily with small businesses embarrassed by their website, even a coach who coaches Indy Car Drivers!

These are specific areas of focus and if they apply to us (or someone we know well) we feel it immediately and can see how that service could help us. I know the arguement against this! “Well I don’t want to limit myself because I genuinely can serve that wide range of client”. I am sure that’t true - the trouble is you may not get the chance if they don’t understand the value you offer.

Also, specialization and expertise are attractive. So is passion for what you do. I would argue it is easier to be passionate about something when you have a clear view of who you ideally like to serve. Here’s the deal. When you are specific you will find people will begin to ask questions like: “Can you also do that for…….?” In other words they will relate to what you are saying and ask you whether you also work in other areas - isn’t that better than trying to “tell” people all the time?

I have always felt some sympathy for those in highly competitive businesses, especially when there are a lot of players. For example Real Estate, Financial Planning and Insurance. 

I recently attended a networking event and, as usual, I was unable to meet all the attendees. A couple of days later I received a very nice email from someone who was there interested in meeting to discuss whether I would like to save some money on my general insurance and how they could help.

This is a common approach I find and often includes information on how long the company has been in business, where they are located, their commitment to customer service, lowest prices in the industry, widest range of products, most unique products and so on. Features and benefits in other words.

The reason I have sympathy for this is that everyone tells me roughly the same thing! All companies seem to have the same features! In the case I cite above there is the added difficulty that I, personally, don’t buy insurance on price. Obviously that’s a factor but it isn’t the predominant one. What is, you might ask?

Well that is what you need to find out! You can do that by enquiring it of me, but that requires a dialogue. I am willing to be though, there are other people out there looking for customer service and a relationship, or other vague terms. As a clue to my situation, here is an attention getting message that woudl engage me:

“Often times my clients work with me because they find buying insurance a real pain. In particular they don’t want to keep track of all their premium due dates and they hate the fact that renewal notices are the only communication they have with their insurance agent. When they have an insurance question they are frustrated that they can’t get a timely and accurate answer from their agent who they may not evern really now”

That talks to me hugely!  What do you best clients say about you? Why do they work with you. specifically? If they say things like “the relationship” or “the customer service” ask them what they mean SPECIFICALLY. What do you do for them that makes them LOVE you? You might be surprised at the answers but if that’s how you help them, that’s probably how you can get the attention of similar prospects.

I know, you may feel that limits your audience. We will talk about that here soon!