11 Principles of Marketing Success
(inspired by my business mentor Ann Hosmer, CEO of Building Winning Team, who passed away a few years ago, may she rest in peace)
By Shoshana Shamberg, OT, MS, FAOTA,
President of Abilities OT & Irlen Diagnostic Center
Baltimore, MD
How do you convince someone of the value of your service or product? Skills for negotiating are crucial and take conscious planning and practice. Here are some ideas to help you to achieve success. Do not get discouraged by rejection but think of rejection as a window to learning and refining your skills.
First Principle:
“No fear of rejection”
Avoid showing any neediness: I want this business, but I do not need it. Let it be your customer’s need not yours. Create confidence and trust.
Second Principle:
“I am not OK, but you are”
When people feel superior to you, they feel more comfortable with you. To be OK, is to feel comfortable and therefore SAFE. By allowing your client to feel OK, you allow the other person to be more comfortable with you. When you present yourself as a polished and slick person, you can put the other person on the defensive. As a result, they become mistrustful and are less likely to buy into you and what you are offering.
Third Principle:
“Emotion-based VS decision-based sales, marketing or negotiation”
Establish your mission and purpose. Never demonstrate your neediness. Always allow your client to be OK. Have no fear of hearing or saying NO.
Fourth Principle:
“Asking questions allows your clients to rationally judge a decision after it is made to gain time to get the clearest picture possible”
Allowing the client to answer your questions, helps build the vision that the client needs in order to make a clear decision that won’t turn into a NO as they think more about concerns and you are not there to address them immediately.
Fifth Principle:
“Invite the client to say NO. Do not be terrified your client will say NOand feed your neediness”
Train yourself to want the sale, but not to need the sale.
” Regardless of what happens, the right clients are on their way to me now”
Potential dialogue: “Sarah, I have no idea if my service has any relevance to your clientele. It may or may not enhance the results you are getting in your business. If not, then let me know, and I will be on my way. But if you think it is worth your time to hear me out, I’d like to know the best time to get on your calendar.”
Sixth Principle:
“Convert your goal to a MISSION and PURPOSE”
If your goal is to gain new referrals from the person you are speaking to, then focus on that goal. “Help my colleagues see the value of my service or intervention in gaining the best results in his/her business” Help your client build his/her mission for success. Asking questions fuels you leading the client to their mission, which serves as a catalyst for a decision. This allows your client to take ownership of that decision.
Seventh Principle:
“Ask good questions, avoid bad questions”
Good questions lead with an open-ended 5 W’s and the H – who, what, when, where, or how”
What I hear you saying is this intervention would really boost your success rate?
What do you see as the greatest benefit of offering this intervention to your clients?
What is your greatest concern about adding this intervention or service?
What else do you need before getting started?
What is the greatest challenge you face should you include this service/product?
Bad questions lead with a VERB: Is that what you really want?
Eighth Principle:
“The greater the high, the greater the low”.
The wider the pendulum swings on the positive, the greater the chance for negative thoughts to come in later, pushing past neutral to the hard negative side. Stay in the neutral range and invite the NO into the conversation and deal with it immediately. Keep emotions under control. Like in fishing, when the fish is hooked, you feed the line to the fish instead of yanking it towards you. Each affirmative question should be followed by an open-ended question that invites the client to see a negative that, if not handled properly, could become a “credibility killer.”
“As you can see by this testimonial, this service/intervention allowed your customer to gain skills they did not have before. Think about that for a moment. How do you think your customer would receive this new intervention is similar results occurred?”
“You sound hesitant, what is behind your hesitancy?”
Nineth Principle:
“Have decision makers present to hear your proposal”
“Of course, you make the decisions, but who else might you want to be involved in the decision making?”
What is your criteria for making a decision to add a new intervention, product, or service?
Know the process your client uses for making their decisions before you enter the meeting.
Tenth Principle:
“Find the client’s PAIN. Help formulate or present a clear SOLUTION”
PAIN is a recurring problem that is unwanted or does not produce the client’s desired result and is their greatest frustration. You are looking for the crack in the door that lets you see the problem that you can really help them solve.
What are the most pervasive problems that impact the success of what you do?
What is your greatest frustration? What you know, gives you’re the greatest level of success?
Eleventh Principle:
“Avoid giving presentations in sales situations where you are forced to answer questions rather then asking them. In that situation you may be at risk for losing control”
Insure you are presenting to the real decision makers. Be clear about the agenda advance of the meeting. Be clear that you want a clear YES or NO concerning what you are sharing. Present in the world of the client. Present only information that addresses their concern. Address your presentation to their mission and goals and address their PAIN. Give your client every opportunity to say, NO.
Additional suggestions:
In order for your prospective client to value the quality of your service,relate the price you charge to their goals. Identify your price and stay with it. If pressured, do not lower your price, but instead consider offering additional services or benefits, rather then less.
Provide testimonials and references from credible sources. Have some that can be contacted for verification. Have articles and research-based resources to support success and the validity of your service/product. Provide examples of similar clients, with ideas for success.
References:
Start with the Know by John Camp
The Art of Success by David Neagle
Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
Start with Why by S
