Sharing my Frustrations… and, Will YOU Pass THIS Test!
July 13th, 2011 // 10:54 am @ Scott
Last week at our Chapter Event I got a little frustrated.
Oh we had an incredible group, we always do.
And they worked hard and everyone took home significant value, as you’ll see by the videos over the next few weeks –
But.
I was frustrated because people were putting up too many roadblocks between themselves and the goal of getting customers and providing exceptional value and experiences.
The exercise was to establish all 5 of their value based selling propositions (you’d have to read Dan’s new book on Price Strategy to understand) none the less, what I told them was –
“THERE ARE NO LIMITS! You should build this thing so that it’s exactly like what you want, exactly like what the customer wants, exactly like the way it will maximize your financial gain and give you the advantage.”
Bill Glazer used to talk about the “Sales-Prevention” Department and as you know I’m a free spender and travel a lot and just about never miss a week with a fine dining experience, I’m ‘out there’ and I’ve got to tell you something –
It’s hard to spend money.
Rather, it’s hard to find people who really want to take it, in exchange for exceptional value.
Your business CANNOT be this way!
If you want a test of this I can give it to you three things that’ll show your true colors, if you think you can handle it…
1. Your customers engage you, ask you questions, communicate in some way or another.
As example, every week we get responses to these emails I write, nearly all positive, of course some small minded pretenders find their way into my communication path from time to time, but not often…BUT, bad feedback is FEEDBACK and really, that’s a sign of a pulse in your business.
I often go out of my way to find a manager or tell someone about how wonderful someone is doing or about a great experience I’ve had. I tip like a king (do kings tip? They should) to give people feedback – your customers ought to be telling you things with their interaction.
2. People see it as victory and sign of accomplishment to being paying, investing, giving you MORE money. People want more of what they like, and they want things they like to know their affection.
Example, I buy everything Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer put out. Everything. I order something from every course at every high-end restaurant (sometimes two or three, just ask Ryan) sometimes just to take a bite or try something…I want the experience.
Could just about say people fight over getting into my private coaching program, now, to be fair, they don’t fight each other (but they might if I offered that as an option) they do fight the system, fight the process, fight the qualifications to get in. In this case, a 6 (sometimes 12) month waiting list that nearly never goes away because no one leaves, some get booted off the island for lack of performance, some trade up to Private Clients when appropriate.
Point, it’s an achievement.
3. People tell stories about ya. Plain and simple, if you are doing things right their talking about you to others. They are sharing you and willing to help you if you ask. In fact, they want to help, if sometimes, you just would ask. Heck, it’s a great illustration of what I’m talking about, ask ‘em for something and see for yourself…take your own temperature through them.
For example, we put more people in a room for a local event for Dan Kennedy than anyone I know of, period, for some time. This in large part due to my asking people to help – they did.
Now – let me give you three things that will make all of these other three possible.
Chances are, you are simply not going to get as great of response as you might think from our three little tests.
You must remember –
- Your business must ‘be’ about You, it must have personality. You’re not coca cola and event they use different forms of personality in their marketing and relationship. But, you need real connection with your customers and you get that through having personality and sharing yourself. THIS IS THE ONE THING NO ONE ELSE CAN REPLICATE or COPY! It makes you unique, if nothing else.
- You need to provide ‘surprises’ and ‘what’s next’ for your customers. They get bored WITH EVERYTHING and EVERYONE. You need to do nice things that they don’t expect. One of my good friends and clients who writes weekly (who I’ll be introducing you to in the future) recently talked about a Yoga Studio that gave out fresh, healthy popsicles after workouts…little extras like that.
I could go on but not time to elaborate or give further examples. I want to get to number 3, and THE BIG things I got frustrated with last week in terms of our members thinking…
And if you pay attention to what I’m about to say it will change your business forever and dramatically change how much money you make, the prices you can charge, and how much your customers enjoy giving you money…
At our chapter event we were talking about selling and price strategies and primarily making it irrelevant and not the deciding factor when people buy from you.
You do that by creating these propositions. Today, I’ve talked with you about after you get the customer how to tell if you’re doing it right.
But, I’m getting to the same place by telling you this 3rd strategy.
3. YOU MUST MAKE YOUR BUSINESS AN EXPERIENCE
More specifically, you must WANT TO BE YOUR OWN CUSTOMER.
I ask you, challenge you, dare you, plead with you to CREATE and CONSTRUCT a business that YOU would want to patronize, to give money to, to do all three of the ‘tests’ I’ve told you about today.
If you aren’t excited about your business, what you do and how you do it, then my gosh – how on earth do you suppose and expect your customers to be excited about you or anything else…
This is big. Please read it again, listen to what I’m saying…
You’ve got to build the business so that you would want to be a customer.
You’ve got to create an experience so you would be impressed and want more.
You’ve got to deliver something so incredible so unique that you are excited about it.
Truly, what you ‘do’ for your customers should be exciting to you too –
If not, then you’ve got big problems, because if the chef doesn’t like his own food, not to many customers going to either…
Live it, Be it, Profit from it!
After all, we’re in the marketing business, so the famous saying
“Build it and they will come” doesn’t work.
But, you’ve got to at least build something so they WANT TO come, pay, stay, and refer, and it begins with you. So what do you say, make it fun for you and them, everybody’s happy.
Category : Blog
