In sales or marketing, here’s a fact you live with every day: if your prospect isn’t feeling any pain, they’re unlikely to buy.
Think about it. Few people switch banks unless they’re so angry about something they can’t take it anymore. Many people rarely see a doctor unless something hurts. And on and on.
That means you have to bring the pain.
In your marketing and sales messages, remind your prospect of the pain they’re enduring. It’s probably been going on so long, they’ve learned to live with it. So remind them.
Remind them of the long delays. The inattentive service. The extra charges. Things that didn’t work as promised. The lack of communication. The inconvenience.
Agitate those pain points. Stir up the emotion. Remind them of how each of those ongoing indignities makes them feel every time it happens.
Now offer relief. Show the prospect that it doesn’t have to be that way.
Clearly and quickly, explain how you make all that pain go away. How you ensure quick attentive service. How you hold the line on cost increases and back up your promises. Let them see how much better life can be.
But there’s one last bit of pain you still have to cure. The pain of change.
What kills too many sales is the pain of uncertainty — can you really do what you say you’ll do? — and the inconvenience of making the transition to a new provider.
So apply more pain relief. Provide case studies that show real results, and testimonials from customers or clients who are thrilled they made the change.
Then make sure your transition process takes as much work as possible away from the prospect. How many steps can you eliminate or manage or automate or make easier?
The best thing about this approach — other than the results — is that it always puts the prospect at the center of every message. You’re not talking about you; you’re talking about them. And that’s who they’re most interested in.
So whether it’s a sales call or your website, an email or direct mail, follow those simple steps. Bring the pain. Offer relief. Make it easy.