When it comes to selecting products and services, buyers today are much better informed than they were 10 years ago. Social networks, peer groups, company websites and industry analysts arm prospects with more than enough data to help them through the research and evaluation phase of the buying cycle, or the “hidden” phase. As they enter the formal phase of the buying cycle, buyers usually know which problems they are trying to solve, are acquainted with an available solution and have a good idea of the solution’s cost.
This means that a qualified prospect may be well into the hidden phase of the cycle by the time they reach you. As a result, you must find ways to engage with the prospect earlier in the buying cycle and out-educate your competition during the hidden phase. Best-in-class companies are investing in content-based marketing to ensure they are engaging with buyers during the hidden part of the cycle.
Have you ever felt that a buyer was just not that into you? In businesses where the relationship between the buyer and seller is important, it is smarter to focus on that relationship than on the product.
Here are three ways to go from repelling prospects to attracting them and making them want to buy:
Research diligently before meeting a prospect; Research potential prospects even if you don’t know when you’ll meet them. The more you know, the better the conversation will go. Today, no matter who your prospect is, it is easy to conduct research online. If a prospect has put information online, it is there for you to find. It’s not violating personal space when you research people online; it’s smart.
Ask big questions. If you have researched, you will be prepared to ask good, insightful questions that will engage prospects. The key to engagement is interaction and that happens most successfully when they are talking, not you. Most people are focused on themselves and are more than ready to talk about themselves and their products.
Ask big questions such as, “I know your business has received a lot of awards. What was the most meaningful one to you?” Or, “What’s your biggest challenge?” Or, “What is the one thing you wished your current provider/firm/advisor would do?” The key is to ask an open-ended question that can really get the prospect talking.
Listen curiously to more than 50 percent of each conversation. If the interaction is focused on asking big questions and listening, you will immediately stand out. If you can get the prospect talking, you actually make yourself unique, someone who is interested in them. 17 seconds. That is the attention span of an average person. These days, the ability to listen intently to another person is rare. Do this and you will tell your prospect more about who you are than if you monopolize the conversation.
With this approach, you can get others to pay attention to you the way you pay attention to them and turn a disinterested party into celebrated friend.
In a recent Aberdeen Group report, 58 percent of marketing executives indicated they were investing in content creation, while only 6 percent indicated that content creation was not on their agenda. Developing meaningful content is time consuming, and many companies fail to produce the right materials because they don’t make an adequate commitment of time and money.
Consider implementing a content-based marketing program so you are not already at a disadvantage by the time buyers enter the formal phase of the buying cycle.
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