Are You Presenting to the Right Audience?
Here’s a fun story about a father teaching his son what real value and worth is all about.
“You graduated with honors and I’m really proud of you son. You know that old car I have in the garage? I want you to have it, as my gift for all of the good things you are doing in your life. Because I want to reward your hard work.”
“You mean that old car? Oh… Dad, my friend’s dad just bought him a brand-new Jeep just for fun, and he didn’t even have to earn it.”
The father said, “hold on there…”
“In our home, we believe in earning and contributing. And when we work for something, we understand its value… Your complaining about this shows you still have much to learn. Before you start looking at other cars – I want you to see how this car is valued…”
So, he sent his son to the used car lot.
They offered $1,000 “because it’s old and worn out…”
Then he sent his son to the pawnshop.
They offered $100 “for the scrap metal…”
Then the man sent him to a car show.
When his son returned, he was very excited…
“Dad! It’s amazing! They offered me $100,000!”
They said, “It’s a classic – an Iconic Nissan Skyline R34, and many people would love to have this car!”
Then the father gave him a gift even greater than the car…
“Son,” he said, “If others do not see your value – you are not in the right place! Because the right people will always see your value.”
“So, I guess you’ll want to keep the car, after all?”
Effective Communication Tip #1 – Always Present to the Right Audience!
Hindsight is 20/20
I once had a similar experience…
It was in the ’90s when the Internet was new…
Companies like Macromedia (Flash) and Adobe were just getting started. My team and I were learning and creating websites with HTML, Flash, and JavaScript.
We approached a major Car Dealership in Salt Lake City and offered to build them a website complete with an online, interactive video of their car driving up the beautiful cottonwood canyons!
We asked for $4,000. Because we just wanted to pay for our expenses while we created something, we’d never seen anyone else do. We thought we’d own the Internet marketing world after this project.
Yet the owner wasn’t impressed at all.
He said, “The Internets a fad. I don’t think it will be any good for car dealerships.”
Our ideas were later proven to make big money for thousands of car dealerships.
And he would have been the first car dealership in America with a video showing his cars online when we had dial-up Internet.
We thought it would be an Internet sensation. Looks like we were right!
Now we’d easily get $80,000 for the kind of video ad campaign we offered him!
Do Your Customers Fully Understand Your Offer?
Effective Communication Tip #2 – Are You Clearly Communicating Your Value?
If you aren’t getting paid what you are worth – you are in the wrong place (unless you are just getting started, then just do your best and look for your ideal customer as you go along).
Yet, it’s YOUR JOB to educate others and identify your target audience.
Because most people won’t figure out how you can help them – unless you show them how with easy-to-understand examples.
Some industries need to spend more time educating their leads – because their product and service is NEW.
Great marketing is about helping others see your value, so they will talk to their friends about you and help you grow your business!
Remember your “Customers don’t buy the best products – they buy the best presentation!”
Would you like to see how I got 100 stores to promote our product in 3 months with a great offer? 100% of the stores I visited purchased. – read my ProBar story here…
At every step in your advertising and marketing journey, your questions can be a valuable marketing tool!
Effective Communication Tip #3 – Ask The Right Questions! This can make it easier to Find Your Ideal Audience so You Can Show Them Your Value!
“The Secret to Spectacular Sales was… [to ask] the right questions, in the right way, at the right time.”
Do you ever survey your customers or potential customers?
Fact is most successful businesses get to know their customers really well.
It’s how we’ve been able to get amazing results for our clients. Sometimes we spend more time learning about our client’s market than we do writing their ads…
Because that’s the real price of excellence!
Mediocre marketing companies will spend more time creating content instead of making sure their content is what the customer really wants.
Yet, spending the time to understand your ideal customer is worth it –
Because SELLING IS EASY when you are speaking to the right audience.
Two questions made millions for Ryan Levesque… and they just might for you.
Before Ryan asked his leads these 2 questions, his business was failing.
Things began to turn around for him when he asked them:
- What are your greatest challenges?
(This allows you to see if your product/service even offers them a solution?)
- Why didn’t you buy from us?
(This will let you know if you are targeting the right audience.)
These 2 questions saved his business!
Because it let him know if he could meet the needs of his leads or not.
And when he could – they came to him, excited to pay him.
Perhaps two questions like this can do the very same thing for your business.
Of course, you’ll want to refine these questions to your industry – because more industry-specific questions will give you more specific answers!
Clear communication is always important in business relationships.
If you don’t ask, how are you going to know if you are presenting to the right audience or not?
Here’s one more question to assist you in understanding your audience…
Effective Communication Tip #4 – Stop Asking Vague Questions!
What’s The Worst Question to Ask Your Customer?
If you want to know what your customer really wants, so you can offer them a solution – Stop asking questions like, “What do you want?”
Why? Because it probably won’t assist you in understanding how they make purchasing decisions, or how you can better assist them.
After asking different questions to thousands – here’s what we have learned.
While it may be surprising – asking your customer what they don’t want is sometimes an easier road to travel than asking them directly what they really want.
Some feel it is too personal – and more find it’s actually easier for them to come up with the answers you need when you ask them to share the things they don’t like.
My Dad worked for the Army as an intelligence Interrogator. I liked reading his books. I even went along with him on his trips to the Army War College.
As a cadet, I learned in challenging situations our US Special Forces teach our soldiers to, “Adapt, improvise and overcome.”
In other words – find another way to get there!
To win at this game sometimes you need to say it or ask it differently.
This takes practice. And you might not get it right the first time.
Just realize the Best Marketers Will Always Work on Their Questions Until They Get It Right!
If you would like to UPLEVEL your business with the right questions – ask me to write the surveys for your customers.
This is what I do best.
I come up with the most effective Words, Questions and Phrases for ads.
While I think I can learn something from every person on this planet – there probably isn’t anyone in the US who has a better skillset at this.
And I learn new ways to apply these skills almost every day.
If you’d like to see several fun examples of what I do – visit the website.
See what you can learn from My Multi-Million Dollar Sales Success Story!
Your Favorite Advertising Professional,
Cory Molloy
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