Author: Neroli Lacey
Article source: http://www.advertisingknowhow.com/. Used with author's permission.
WHAT'S THEIR PROBLEM?
How do you begin a dialogue with a prospect, be it in person, on your website or in print?
You talk about your client's business problem.
What IS your client's business problem?
Answering this question is the hardest part of marketing. What we all do instead, is focus on our solution, i.e. "what we do."
"We sell network management software."
"We are a business-oriented law firm."
"We trade commodities."
Worse still, we continue talking about ourselves: how many employees we have, how many years we have been in business, where our head office is.
Let's think again. Are you worried about the vulnerability of your IT systems today? Do you dread losing your information assets? Aha, our network management software has worked wonders for clients just like you.
Are you thinking of expanding your business? Do you know how to find an experienced team that knows your industry backwards and can deliver. Are you looking for a team that has done this kind of transaction for many years. A team with the best experience and knowledge of your industry in the country? We don't just deliver wordy legal contracts, we deliver cost-effective business solutions.
Do your clients want specialty products delivered in exactly the way your clients want to receive them, sometimes in custom format? We don't just trade commodities, we deliver service and quality every time, in just the way you want it.
Every good piece of marketing collateral starts by setting out the business problem. Because reading this, your client will say, "finally, someone who understands what I am struggling with." This is your "hook." The hook requires empathy. Later you will apply logic. i.e. why your service is the ideal fit for his problem.
How often do you put yourself in your clients' shoes and wonder what she struggles with? I've seen how hard this is with every client I have ever worked with (save one, he just needed a writer to set out his thoughts on paper.)
I have also seen how transformative it is to do this exercise. When you really understand what your clients' problem is, you also understand the nuances of your solution. Doing this work becomes an exercise in strategy. It helps you answer what you are about in the marketplace.
It positions you. "Positioning," means defining exactly who your ideal client is, what they really want and what you are really really good at. Position yourself correctly and you knock your competitors out of the game.
How important is it to begin your dialogue with your client's business problem. It is crucial. Good writing (and good talking) is good thinking.
Do you have a robust marketing plan to execute against? How clear and persuasive is your website, brochure copy or direct mail? Call Neroli Lacey NOW to win more business TODAY. About The Author
I'm Neroli Lacey of Beyond Communications Inc. in Minneapolis, MN. I've been helping executives transform their businesses and their lives with outstanding marketing materials since 1995. VISA, 3M and Perot Systems are some of my bigger clients. I have worked with clients in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, Minneapolis, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Delhi. I used to be one of the top journalists in Britain writing for The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, New Statesman, Vogue and Tatler.
Before newspapers I was an investment banker. I grew up in London, England, studying Latin with Greek at Bristol University.
Please visit my website: www.beyondcommunications.com
Or contact me at: neroli@beyondcommunications.com
612-215-3826
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