This post is all about how to increase your sales and profits, by matching your actions to your promises.

Marketing & trust

Trust plays a BIG part in sales and marketing.  That’s because we buy from people we trust.  It’s also why testimonials and referrals are such powerful marketing tools.  They provide a short cut to the trust building process.  Even if you don’t know a service provider, the fact that a friend recommends them to you, immediately makes you massively more likely to do business with them, than with a stranger.

Marketing & consistency

There has been a lot written about the importance of building trust, yet very, very few marketing professionals ever mention one of the most important elements in the trust-building process. Consistency.

Even if a person or company has been recommended to you, you are unlikely to go ahead and use their services if they seem inconsistent, when you speak with them or check them out.  For example, if Bob recommends an accountant to you, but when you call them you are left waiting for ages before an uninterested person answers the phone, you still won’t use them.  That’s because there’s a lack of consistency between what you have been told and what you have experienced. This causes confusion and in marketing we know that a confused mind ALWAYS says NO!

Consistency & image

Many businesses (of all sizes), think that this consistency problem can be overcome by investing in a snazzy new logo and some well designed marketing material.  Banks and phone companies are a great example of this. They will often invest a fortune (millions) on beautifully designed websites, brochures and commercials – only for you to find that when you call them, you are placed in a queue, before your call is transferred to someone who’s clearly not interested and usually reading from a script or check list!

Whilst it’s REALLY important to invest in great design, this is only part of the challenge.  You also need to make sure that a prospective client’s experience of your business is consistent with that polished, professional image.

Marketing & customer service go hand in hand

Why not take a look at the overall experience a prospective client is likely to encounter, when connecting with your business?  Examine every part of the process.  This should include (though not exclusively), things like; how you deal with their initial email enquiry or phone call, how you handle the initial meeting and the follow-up.

How does their experience in these areas match up with your marketing promises of great customer service?  Remembering all the while that GREAT customer service means that you offer significantly better customer service than your competitors! Every business I have ever studied promises great customer service, yet most provide an average service at best.  They seem to do as little as they can ‘get away with’ – when they should be constantly searching for better ways to improve their customer’s experience.

This simple exercise should be expanded to include how well you look after your existing clients too – that’s if you intend keeping them!  Right now, with so many businesses really struggling, your competitors are working harder than ever to persuade your clients / customers to switch to THEM.

When you decide to offer truly great customer service you; add value to your service, generate more referrals, win more new business and just as importantly, retain more of your existing clients / customers too.

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It’s a fact: People will only buy from you, if they believe that the value of your product or service (herein called a service), is significantly higher than its cost to them.  If they believe they can get better value (or a better deal) elsewhere, they will go and spend their money somewhere else.

Equally, if people think after reading / listening to your marketing that you must be out of their price-range, they won’t even get in touch with you.

You need to know how to strike the correct marketing balance and that’s what this article is all about!

Effective marketing works on a number of different levels.  For example, it should show people what a great service you provide and also reassure them that your prices or fees are set within their range.  You achieve this by pumping massive value into your services, PLUS showing that people, just like them, are already using and benefiting from your services.

For example, when I market my services, I have to make sure that people know that I work primarily with small businesses and that my fees are easily affordable to them.  Otherwise, I risk people NOT calling me or emailing me for more information, wrongly assuming I’m out of their price range!

Getting your marketing balance right

To find out if you have got your marketing balance right, you will need to measure the quality and quantity of the responses you get.  If people often tell you they’re surprised at how expensive your price or fee is, it means you need to pump more value into your services.

Yes, some people will say they think you are expensive, just as a way to try to negotiate your fee down – and you will always a get a few of those; but if this response becomes regular, it’s usually an indicator that the perceived value of your service is too low.

Another indicator that there’s a problem with your marketing balance, is if prospective clients start asking about your price or fee, early into your first conversation with them.  When this happens, it usually means you are either marketing to the wrong crowd or you have caused them to think you are probably out of their price range.  When people think your price / fee is likely to be great value or nominal, they are less concerned about it and more interested in how you can help them or how your service works etc.

How to make testimonials work!

One of the ways I demonstrate both the value and affordability of my marketing services, is to provide testimonials and that’s what I suggest you do too - but not just ANY OLD kind of testimonial!

YOUR testimonials need to show the value and the affordability of your service.

Most testimonials I see, are from people simply saying how great, professional or effective a service provider or product is – which is fine – but only if it’s clear that the people giving the testimonials are just like them. This way, the reader can relate to the message and ‘see themselves’ in those testimonials!

For example, the testimonials I use are all from people who run small businesses or are self-employed – who are elated at how I’ve helped them achieve fantastic results.  These are the same kind of people I market my services to.  This means that these testimonials tick both boxes; showing the value and relevance of my services.

What next?

Take a look at your current marketing feedback and see if you can spot a pattern.  If you find people are often too fee-sensitive when they respond or that you do not get as many responses as you would like, take a look at your marketing balance.

This is obviously a big subject and there are dozens of elements to consider, if you want to blow the lid off your sales and profits.  I will be addressing all these in future articles / blog posts.

Over to YOU!

What tips do YOU have, to overcome prospective clients or customers that are fee-sensitive or too price focussed? I would love you to share them with the readers and myself!

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