| Identify Target Audience • Critical Needs • Marketing Message • Map Your Sales Process • Brand Identity • Traditional Advertising • Public Relations • Personal Selling |
Pinpoint Critical Needs
There are several aspects to pinpointing your clients’ critical needs that will have a direct impact on your bottom line profits. The first is the particular need, goal or problem of your potential client. This could come in the form of any product or service being offered on the open market today.
If you are good at what you do you’re going to know a lot about how to help people in your area of expertise — you’ll have a lot of industry knowledge. This knowledge represents a minimal basis for you to be considered as a solution. To be successful this information needs to be coupled with specific knowledge about how your solution will impact your potential customer.
You are the bridge between your customer and the solution they desire. If you can’t explain product benefits to your client, in their own terms, you’re going to miss a lot of opportunities to acquire new business. Product knowledge, coupled with a deep understanding of client need, is an excellent recipe for success.
Now let’s put some frosting on the cake.
Let’s say you have ample industry knowledge and can explain product benefits in a way your clients can understand — what’s left after that? There is one more area of need you’ll have to satisfy before your prospects turn into clients. You need to generate trust.
When dealing with an industry expert most people are going to be at an informational disadvantage. They know they’re at a disadvantage. How should they know if they’re getting a good deal or not? Since nobody likes to be taken advantage of you’ll need to generate trust.
One way to generate trust is to bring up touchy subjects early on. Let’s take an example. In the construction industry the typical perception is that contractors are messy and don’t get work done on time. If your construction company does not fall into this category it will be good for you to bring this subject up early, perhaps even making it a focal point of your marketing strategy. This will help dispel any attitudes of mistrust in this area.
Most industries have a perceptual challenge to overcome before trust can be established. Developing a deep and layered understanding of your clients’ needs, goals and problems is one of the most powerful exercises you can engage in to increase sales and profitability.
