Hey there,
Last week I told you I was about to become famous.
In the most inconsequential of ways.
Well, it sort of leaked out today and I got an email from someone in California wanting to endorse me and my products to his list of 1200 holistic practitioners.
Never met the man. No effort on my part.
All because of this new project I'm just putting the finishing touches on.
And it actually ties in nicely to this whole theme of the Irresistible Offer.
He stumbled across something I did that I've been keeping under wraps.
And it impressed him so much he emailed me to ask if he could sell my products for me.
More on all that in a couple of weeks.
But let's back up on this whole Irresistible Offer thing and ask ourselves a very critical question.
What Is Marketing?
In a word? Education.
In a sentence? Establishing the value beyond the immediately apparent.
There are two realities we must squarely face:
1) We must create genuinely irresistible offers.
2) We must communicate these offers clearly and powerfully to our target markets.
And we must do both. Simply doing one of these is not enough.
In Latin there's a phrase “erase ipsa locator” -- it means "The thing speaks for itself". Many people are hesitant about marketing because they think, "Well, if my product’s good, shouldn't it simply speak for itself?" And there is a simple answer to that.
No.
**THE 3 KEYS TO CRAFTING AN IRRESISTIBLE OFFER**
Relevance. Credibility. Value.
When it is undertaken with integrity, I would suggest that marketing is just a synonym for "education". And when you are trying to attract more clients there are six specific things you to educate all of your prospects about. And this education must meet two criteria: It must be both POWERFUL and ELEGANT. You must help people to understand:
KEY #1: RELEVANCE:
“Why does this matter to me?”
They have a PROBLEM. That’s either going to be: A current pain or something they want but don’t have (which is a problem to them). It’s a need they have that’s not fulfilled. It’s a result they want but don’t have. It’s a goal or vision they’re working for. It’s a problem they want to solve. But there are two caveats here.
Just knowing they have a problem is no guarantee that they will act to solve it. The speed at which they move to solve their problems will be determined by how true the following to statements are for them . . .
1. It MUST be solved: even if people know there’s a problem, they won’t move, they won’t act if they think it’s just something that “should” be solved. This is not an intellectual thing – it’s emotional. REMEMBER: All decisions are made for emotional reasons and then justified with logic.
Think about it in your own life and you’ll see the truth of this (even if the emotional need is to feel “intelligent”). How can you help them to reconnect emotionally to the importance of this?
There’s really only two ways:
FIRST - you can create a safe space (where they aren’t scared of being sold or pressured) where they reconnect with the pain they’re in and share that with you (a conversation, telling a story that reflects their experience, having them fill out a diagnostic tool that helps them realize the reality of where they’re at etc.) OR
SECOND - you can create an experience for them that reconnects them to how good it could be (testimonials, a well done video of your work, free intro sessions, a complementary product of session, risk free offers).
This creates a natural gap which compels them to move forward. The key is to make it emotionally real.
2. It must be solved NOW: the truth is that people will procrastinate unless they sense some urgency. You must be ethical in handling this one and know that the more urgent they perceive the need the more likely they are to act. Sometimes urgency can be “There’s only 20 spaces.” Or “If you enroll before this date you get a free set of Ginsu knives.” etc.
3. It CAN be solved: this is crucial. Imagine someone with crippling lower back pain. They know they have a problem. They know it must be solved, but if they believe that “there’s nuthin’ to be done about it” then you are stuck. You must powerfully and elegantly educate them to see that it can, indeed, be solved. The most powerful ways to do this - in order are:
a) Give them the experience directly (i.e. you cure their back pain in a free session).
b) A referral from someone they trust.
c) A Case Study: tell them the story of people from beginning to end. It’s the “Before and After photos” principle. Give a lot of information, numbers and figures within the context of the story. Be specific not only of the results achieved (the more specific the better) but also the impact this had on their life (e.g. what did it mean to be free of back pain? able to go jogging again? able to play with kids? better sleep? etc).
d) A testimonial. This is a quote from someone speaking about their experience and what it meant. Make sure you give their full name, where they’re from, the name of their business and if possible ask them if you can include their phone number and photo.
e) Educate!!! Give them information. It’s better in story form but raw data can work too.
KEY #2: CREDIBILITY
“Why should I believe you?”
YOU can solve it: Everything before is a set up for THIS piece. You must show them that you are qualified and credible.
They must both like and trust you. Again, giving them the experience directly, referrals, case studies, and testimonials (in that order) are the most effective ways to do this. But you also want to look at this sideways too - the real issue is building up your identity, brand and reputation.
Anything you can do to build this builds up your credibility (e.g. public speaking, running events, writing a book, hosting a network, hosting a radio program, becoming a columnist, being featured on the news or a magazine cover etc).
KEY #3: VALUE
“How much? What am I getting for my money? What’s in it for me?”
You can solve it BETTER [more quickly, with more convenience, cheaper, etc.]: They can believe that they have a problem that must and can be solved now but . . . why should they choose YOU to help them solve it.
That’s not a rhetorical question.
Until and unless you clearly define your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) you shouldn’t be surprised to see business going to the competition.
Remember: #2 wasn’t chosen.
The prospect can only make one choice. Why should it be YOU?
Most businesses I meet have NO compelling answer for this. A good exercise for this is to challenge yourself to create a “Top Ten List” of reasons to do business with you.
Here’s a good example from a friend of mine who sells hand made jewelry - all made from salvaged wood and stones (literally stuff he finds under bridges, fallen trees etc.). He carves it, polishes it and it looks GORGEOUS. My first step in working with him was to change his company name from the abstract “Metamorph Designs” to “Salvaged Earth Designs”.
I challenged him to create HIS Top Ten List. He did and put it onto a big poster and hung it outside his tent at the Farmer’s Markets at which he sold (you can find this towards the end of this package). This allowed people to read it before approaching and be educated.
Don't be abstract. Be specific. You need to hit them between the eyes. Don’t be cutesy. People buy products, but what they want are benefits. They want a result that is self serving to them. Speak directly to that.
Relevance. Credibility. Value.
NEXT WEEK - you are going to learn four more secrets to crafting an effective and irresistible offer . . .
***the three critical key elements to creating your irresistible offer.***
I hope all is well with you.
Warmest,
Tad Hargrave
Founder
Radical Business
"helping conscious folk make more money"
tad@tadhargrave.com
www.tadhargrave.com
P.S. Please consider the environment before printing this email - Thank You!
P.P.S. In a few weeks, a handful of you are going to get the chance to receive an Offer Makeover from me. It could be worth thousands of dollars to you. Seriously. You can't sign up for it yet. So, don't try. I'll be offering the chance to my best clients first - and then to my entire list.
FREE 90 PAGE "THE WAY OF THE RADICAL BUSINESS" EBOOK: www.tadhargrave.com (sign up on left hand side)
conscious business marketing, eco-business marketing, ethical business marketing, green business consulting, green business marketing, sustainable business marketing
Monday, August 20, 2007
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