Three Ways to Make Your Audience Actually Buy the Stuff You Sell

So you’ve attracted your potential clients — now you need to figure out how to sell them something they‘ll want to buy.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

I remember the day I realized what a terrible salesperson I was.

I had implemented a simple 6-week marketing campaign to get some new leads. I got about 15 leads out of my humble list of 300 or so.

“Yeah!” I thought to myself, “I got game! Go me.”

Do you want to know how many of those leads I converted?

Exactly zero.

Nothin’. Goose egg.

I realized that I may know how to attract ’em, but I had no idea how to keep ‘em.

Oh, I knew all the selling tactics. I read the books, listened to the training. But, they felt…icky.

I hated the groveling. The neediness. The hyping.

I hated dealing with objections. And most of all, I hated telling them how much it cost and secretly hoping it wasn’t too much. Or too little.

brrrr…thank goodness those days are gone. Though my “selling” looks a lot different today, the proven principles (and tactics) are the same.

Here’s the thing…the difference in feeling icky or intelligent is in how you position yourself before you even meet with the prospect.

Engaging your ideal prospects simply means to somehow interact with them instead of passively pushing advertising on them; to get them to sit up, pay attention, and signal to you that they are interested in what you are saying, doing, or offering.

Marketing is mostly formulaic at a high level. But down on the ground (during implementation) there are a lot of variables to consider. What works for one business owner may not work for you.

Having an understanding of the big picture, and where your marketing efforts fall within that picture will help you tweak the variables in your favor.

That’s why it’s good to observe other marketers and brands. You can see how others have “tweaked” the variables so you can develop a strategy that works best for you. What works for one person may not necessarily work for you.

ENGAGING your prospects simply means getting your prospect to say “YES” to the opportunities you present to interact with you. It is “wooing” the prospect to interest them in what you have to say, what you can do for them, and what you’re selling.

So…how exactly is that done?

The key is to sell them something they can't refuse.

For most professionals, this engagement is often accomplished with a lead magnet.

I have also heard it called “an irresistible offer” or a “juicy carrot” in some marketing circles. Some examples of lead magnets are consumer guides and books, consultations, webinars or seminars, or other useful resources that will solve the prospect’s pressing problems.

Using the examples shown here, let’s look at three key principles for effectively ENGAGING your prospects.

A Clear and Uncomplicated Offer

Since the goal is to get the prospect to take action, you need to be clear and direct about what action you want them to take, as well as the outcome they can expect. That action has to be easy to do, and hard to mess up.

For example, if you want to send them to a web page, make the URL easy to remember and type in the browser, if needed. Some prefer to talk to someone, so remember to provide a telephone number. Don’t make the mistake of making multiple offers hoping one will stick. Too many choices may lead to indecision and ultimately inaction.

A clear and uncomplicated offer has three components:

1. A compelling headline
2. Talks about the prospect’s problems
3. The answer to the concern is easy to get to

Focus on the Prospect’s Problems

I sometimes see marketers create lead magnets that focus on the process instead of on the solutions (outcomes) that the prospect is looking for.

Educating your prospects on their issues might interest a small segment of people. But telling them the mistakes to avoid would be compelling to more
people. Your offer — whether it is a book, a guide, a webinar, or some other useful resource — should be relevant to their needs. What are they thinking about? Follow that conversation. What are their concerns and worries? Use language that addresses those concerns.

Good lead magnets are all titled in a way that follows the conversation
going on in the prospect’s mind and offers hope of a solution and successful outcome.

Put Yourself in a Category of One

Putting yourself in a Category of One simply means “packaging and presenting” your offer so it stands apart from other, similar offers.

For example, instead of offering a “free consultation,” call it something
else. Repackage it creatively to sound special and unique. This will automatically set you apart from your competition and make you stand out in the prospect’s mind.

Observe the difference:

Is it a “free consultation”, or a “Needs Assessment Analysis”?

Keep in mind though, that these principles, along with the ones to attract your ideal clients, aren’t the only principles for success in your marketing — nor are they necessarily the top principles. They are however powerful principles that could make the difference between a “meh” or “mahvelous” result for you.