Your prospect’s eyes glaze over, and you continue to speak with enthusiasm as they look for the nearest exit. Why are you losing your prospect’s attention when you talk about your business? One of the biggest reasons is that the conversation may be based on you and how great you are rather than focusing on wooing your client. Like in any relationship, we need to focus on the one whose attention we want and how we are the best option for them. Let’s look at how to woo our customers into doing business with us.
STEP 1: Describe your ideal client
Everyone is not your client base. You need to consider who your ideal client is. If you have been in business for a little while, you can look at your client list and write down the traits of your favourite and worst customers. This will give you a good outline to identify your ideal client. From your current favourite list, you can ask them during a follow-up call why your customer chose you as their ideal choice.
STEP 2: Build a relationship with your client
For someone to buy from you, they need to know who you are and trust you. Trust is built through positive interactions with your client. This can be by follow-up as you said you would and contacting your clients to see how their business is doing. If you see an article about your client’s company, you can contact them and congratulate them or offer some help depending on what the article is about.
STEP 3: Focus on your client’s problem
You may be the most accredited individual in your industry and be a shining star but that is not going to solve your client’s problem. Your client is looking for a solution which will solve their problem and you need to be clear about how your solution is the best one for them. Outline the problem your client has, and then talk about some possible solutions they may have tried. Highlight them and why they may not have worked for your customer. Then you can give your solution. When you have hooked them with your solution, you can back up your solution with your accreditations. But focus on your client and solving their specific problem first.
STEP 4: Give alternatives
Sometimes you may not be the solution to a customer’s problem, but you may know someone in your network who can help them out. Let them know. Give them the details of the alternative solution to help them. This will show them that you truly care that they get the best solution for their problem. With you being seen in a positive light, they may look you up when your solution will solve their problem or when they have a friend who needs your solution.
STEP 5: Listen actively
After you have spoken about your business, you need to actively listen to your prospect. What questions do they have? Are they concerned about the price? If this happens, you need to ensure they understand the benefits of your offering. People are often price-sensitive when they don’t understand or fully appreciate the value you offer them.
Now that we have seen the five steps to woo our customers, we also need to ensure our message is crisp and clear. Here are five questions you need to answer when talking about your business:
1. What is the problem? By clearly identifying the problem and stating it, you are showing that you understand the problem. This is the crux of your business.
2. Who has the problem? Here you look at who is the ideal client for your solution. There may be other people who may need your solution, but you need to focus on your ideal client. The one who you will get the maximum return from when you engage with them.
3. How can it be solved? This is where your business comes in. You will show your prospect why your solution is the optimum choice for the problem.
4. Why your solution? There may be various ways the problem can be solved but it is crucial to highlight why you are the best solution for the problem.
5. What should they do next? Your call to action is crucial. You can highlight the different places for your prospect to get more information like your website or social media pages. If they ask, you can give them your business card. You may also ask for your prospect’s card so that you can follow up with them.
By answering these questions well, you will have a great pitch for your business and the only glaze you may ever see again is the one you find on doughnuts.
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