One Size Does NOT Fit All
I’ll begin this article with a word picture which I’ll tie back to sales and marketing:
Imagine you are sitting in a boat with some friends and want to catch fish, fish of different species. Some of you prefer this type and others another because they taste different or fight better or would make a great trophy picture. Different types of fish, much like different types of buyers, have different likes and preferences and require different techniques and “bait.” Bottom feeders require a certain type of bait and gear, and method of reeling to get them in the boat. Those, like bass who often feed on the top, require spoons, crank baits and a keen eye along the reeds, along with talented casts into the coves. Some fish run in schools at mid-level and need their own type of treatment, and can often be trolled for. All prospects, just like fish, deserve the proper bait and techniques to be reeled in at the highest possible frequency, or in our profession we should say closing ratio. Having the proper tools to get the job done is critical to the size of the catch… double entendre intended.
Whether the digital ads placed are promoting an event, a “used piano clearance in progress”, a “New Neighbors” list for new homeowners, a smart piano list, or a Bridge Widgets clearance list, they are all meant to be lists especially crafted to fit the interest of a certain type of online shopper. The fishing word picture is intended to illustrate that prospects need the proper bait, as do ads with different verbiage placed to create leads aimed at varying target groups.
Consistency of message is the point here. The ad, the landing page theme, and the list should work in conjunction with one another so that the consumer/potential buyer gets a reinforced, consistent message and synergy of the interest type being played to. The bait and gear to reel them in need to be compatible. Unfortunately, unless a dealer has staff that babysits and updates their list, the viewer often is less than impressed and this is NOT good permission based marketing or accuracy of the opportunity to the consumer being portrayed. When they get to the list, it should not be a comprehensive one that lists every possible piano like the inventory section on your web site. It should be targeted in its assembly to the type of recipient it is being served to. Put some thought into the construction of the first impression. The “used” target needs to see primarily used pianos and save the new stuff for the bottom of the list. Think about pianos most often purchased by new homeowners and serve a sampling of those prospects , pianos with tech to the smart piano target, so on and so forth. 15 or so units is plenty, it’s not a yard sale for goodness sake! Choose the proper units and keep the list up to date if things sell and new stuff comes in. Being pragmatic will fit the bill.
Since one size fits does NOT fit all, it behooves the company wanting to sell to multiple segments of the consumer population to craft the proper story, which includes telling them about the benefits and incentives per said segment. Telling a sea-worthy and water enthusiast about tents makes little sense, therefore a quality tent to a water lover at 50% off makes no sense for the merchant (be they online or a physical location) at all. Sending randomly targeted incentives out to the masses makes no sense because again, one size does NOT fit all.
The messaging that a company invests in needs to be consistent and compelling; but even more than that, it needs to be fundamentally sound. Since forever in the world of efficient marketing, this is the formula to success: Identify the target, give them an incentive that moves them to action and deliver it via a marketing vehicle or conduit that reaches them. In the old Madison Avenue days it was referred to as the MOP formula: market/offer/ package. Layman’s translation: identify the right audience and give them an incentive that motivates them to communicate with you using the right method … which today we would call an application or online message vehicle. Nothing has changed except the field we are playing the game on. We still need to get the right incentive to the right folks using a vehicle they will receive it from. It’s just that the sellers of the goods and services are not sensitive enough to the new ways buyers receive and process information as they decide how to spend their money. Old school principals are intact but they must be applied using the new tools in today’s tool box. Ignoring the fact that technology has changed the way people buy is just plain “head in the sand” behavior.
We have many sales associates selling through 10% and more of their leads, why? Three main reasons: when a prospect comes into being, they (the highly successful sales associates) believe in the sales funnel because they’ve sold off of it time and again. Secondly, they make sure the leads are worked thoroughly and nurture them to qualification or disqualification. Finally, and of CRITICAL IMPORTANCE, they make sure their list is one they would be proud to be served up, had they been the one to give permission to be marketed to.
Well built marketing ads drive piano-interest online browsers to landing pages that need to be the conduit through which they can view what their interest is. When the list pops up into view, the goal should be to have a list that deepens their engagement and heightens their curiosity. A shoddy list invokes a “so what” psychological response by the viewer. Getting a first impression while viewing a well crafted list with good pictures, some videos, and decent benefit oriented descriptions will create confidence and curiosity in the consumer psyche, therefore a much higher likelihood they will engage with a sales associate. This is intentionally rhetorical – Why work to get consent to communicate, then give a half-assed first impression? It is counter-intuitive to behave that way with your ad dollars. The consumer who is fed ill-prepared and uninspired information is the consumer you hope will FORGIVE your lack of presentation and preparation of their first impressions and forge on through the sales funnel, in spite of your lack of due diligence. Why get permission to create the view of a list you need forgiveness for? Give the prospects what they deserve and you will be included in the consortium of Prospects International clients who outsell their competition by caring about the prospect experience to an appropriate degree. You can wound a relationship before it gets started by not treating prospects according to the interest they have and the information they deserve to make a good decision.
“It’s easier to treat people properly than to repair broken relationships.”― Frank Sonnenberg
Jack is a thirty year marketing and sales veteran with an insatiable appetite for contributing to the sales success of others. After leaving Cox communications in the late eighties Jack has serviced clients such as: Goodyear, Allstate, Verizon Wireless, Steinway & Sons, and numerous independent businesses. His knack for creating targeted strategies has endeared him to clients who he has been privileged to service in many instances for over two decades.
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