Marketers Focus On People, Merchandisers Focus On Product

Sales/Marketing Strategies   Written by Richard Weylman on 03/2007 - Word Count: 1129
- -    

I receive many questions at my speaking engagements about positioning and promotion, here are some ideas to help you expand your business flow through marketplace positioning and promotion.

Positioning is a solid commitment to make the right people aware of who you are and what you can do for them. Essentially, in the financial services industry, you should be positioned as a financial resource to individuals--in other words, someone who is a change agent. Specifically, when things change for people financially, the person they call is their financial resource and that should be you.

Secondly, promotion is a specialized form of communication. It is speaking clearly and persuasively in the language of the market. It's listening perceptively so that you can help them to buy as opposed to just sell. And it's writing with clarity and power using lively verbs and lively nouns to paint a picture so that people can understand the tangible value of the intangibles that you offer.

How should you characterize what you do so that you are positioned correctly? The key that unlocks this level of understanding is to recognize that you must communicate from the point of view of the prospect and client. People today buy only from their perspective. This is annoying for many because it represents the fact that we live in a narcissistic society. Be that as it may, we must recognize we have to market to people in a way to which they are responsive as opposed to
a way that, perhaps, we're most comfortable.

This being the case, it's vitally important, then, that you answer the age-old question up front in all of your marketing and sales efforts, "What's in it for them?" Fortunes have been made in this industry and many others over the last several years by organizations and individuals who focus on answering that question consistently, concisely, and clearly.

We often say such things as, "We have good ratings." That's what we may say, but what they need to hear is, "Our good ratings will give you peace of mind." You might say, "We have a wide range of products." That is your point of view. What they need to hear is if you're going to be able to meet their needs as they change. You might say that you provide good service. However, what the individuals in the marketplace need to hear is that you'll be there when they need you. You might say you have years of experience. That's your point of view. They need to hear that you're going to help them by giving them the right recommendations.

Once you capture this idea in your mind and recognize that you must communicate from the individual's point of view, all the other pieces fall into place. By communicating from their point of view, it immediately positions you as a resource. By communicating from their point of view, it differentiates you in the marketplace because most people simply don't take the time to determine their prospect's or client's point of view. Thus, they all seem pretty much the same.

Most importantly, when you focus on their point of view, it allows you to promote in a very specialized way and utilize it in all of your promotional and presentation activities. Simply put, their point of view is the benefit to them of the things that you have to offer. With this
understanding, let's look at how you can integrate the buyer's perspective or "benefits" in all your marketing and sales efforts.

· In direct mail pieces that you submit for compliance, start with a grabber headline laden with benefits such as "You can achieve the peace of mind you deserve," or "You can protect yourself against unforeseen circumstances." A grabber headline gets people's
attention and 75% of the population will continue to read if you start with a grabber headline.

· Trade show displays. Often trade show booth signage is all about the firm or you. It should be exactly the opposite. When you set up your trade show booth, stand in the aisle and look at your booth. The benefits panel should be on the left-hand side and a features panel on the right-hand side.

Benefits panel examples:

We Can Offer You:
Peace of mind
The Retirement You Deserve
Security for Your Family
A Pension Program That Will Make a Difference

The features panel would then describe the various products and services that you offer. Remember, benefits get their attention; features prove that they can come true.

· Thirty-second voice mail messages. When you call an organization or an individual, are you leaving messages that are laden with benefits, or are you simply leaving messages asking them to call? A message that tells people you want to speak to them because you've discovered some ways to maximize their insurance dollars will clearly motivate them to call you back much more quickly than saying, "Call me, I need to talk to you."

· Seminar events. Make sure you have a benefit-oriented title and that all of your promotion activities speak to the attendees' point of view. These activities could include announcements, invitations, telephone campaigns, endorsements, etc. In addition, your seminar evaluations should always ask what the program did for the participants so that you can use those statements in future promotions.

In summary, remember that merchandisers focus on products, but marketers focus on people. It's your choice. But today let us not forget that to get the attention of people, you have to pay attention to them.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Richard Weylman, CSP, serves as President of The Achievement Group, Inc., an Florida-based consulting firm dedicated to professionally and ethically help people move to the next level of productivity and fulfillment. He is the author of "Opening Closed Doors, Keys to Reaching Hard-to-Reach People" and numerous other sales, relationship marketing and management audio and video programs. To receive more ideas and insight on how to market to high net worth people, recruit quality people, or practice management issues, schedule Richard to speak at your next meeting,



Copyright (Reprint Terms)
Copyright© 2005, Richard Weylman. All right reserved. For information contact FrogPond at email susie@FrogPond.com.