Simple Steps For Selling To Your Target Prospects With Marketing

You can’t sell without marketing. Understand your target prospects’ perspective, craft your message, and get out there!

Understanding The Value Your Prospect Sees

The main key to marketing effectively is understanding your value – the value your prospect sees.

People don’t buy things they don’t need; especially these days. You have to speak to their pain, their need. So, try this quick exercise.

What Do You Sell?

Write down the following:

What do you sell? What’s the product or service?

Now, why would I buy it? What problem does it help me solve or avoid? Why would I want it or need it?

Keep asking yourself ‘so what?’ And keep answering that question. This will help you get down to the root of value.

Craft Your Message

Once you have this information you can start crafting your message. Your message must speak to the value or once again, no one will buy your product/service.

Marketing messages should be short, concise, and to the point.

Say it and get out of the way.

One mistake small business owners make is saying way too much. The message gets lost.

So, practice the KISS method here (Keep It Simple Stupid).

Get The Message Out

The next step is to get the message out. You want your message to be where your prospects are.

Once you know the value you can identify to whom it is most valuable. Now that you know who, ask yourself ‘where are they?’

I am often asked to advertise in various periodicals and programs.

My first question is always— who is reading it? Who is receiving it?

If the answer isn’t small business owners and business leaders, I pass.

You Don’t Need To Be Everywhere

Don’t get caught up in the idea that you have to be everywhere— you don’t! You need to be in the right places.

You have a great marketing avenue with social media.

Ask yourself where your prospects hang out and communicate online; what are they reading, commenting on, sharing?

Then go there, with your message, consistently.

You Can’t Be Selling 7 Times

Conventional wisdom says you have to be in front of your prospects at least 7 times in order to make an impression.

However, you can’t be SELLING 7 times.

So, get creative on how you show up.

You want them to get used to you, to see you as an expert in your field and therefore want to be engaged with you.

You Can’t Sell If You Aren’t Marketing

Earlier I said you have to be consistent. You can’t do one thing and wait for it to work.

Marketing is about gaining exposure and credibility.

You want to be top of mind when someone is ready to make a buying decision.

There’s no question that it’s work. It just doesn’t have to be hard work!

Follow the steps outlined here and then build on them. Get yourself out there.

Remember—you can’t sell if you aren’t marketing.

Well, you can but it’s a heck of a lot harder! And less fruitful.

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Virtual Selling is the definitive guide to leveraging video-based technology and virtual communication channels to engage prospects, advance pipeline opportunities, and seal the deal. Download your free chapters of Virtual Selling here.