The parallels between attracting customers to your business and attracting a date this weekend are often missed, but for those businesses that understand how to interpret the similarities, the rewards will be grand.
Marketing and dating are not often two words found in the same sentence. Okay, maybe since the advent of the internet dating they are more commonly found together, but you catch my drift. They are not often found together, but they are built upon the same foundational principles.
Select a Target
Knowing who you want to date is by far the most important element of a successful attempt at dating – the same applies to your customers and target market. If you are putting your effort into attracting customers that are premium customers just because you know they have money – and that’s really the only reason you are marketing to them – you will learn the that these customers do not make you happy, and therefore you do not treat them with the passion required to have a successful engagement. By knowing who your perfect customer is, you’re able to determine which customers to leave alone.
When you know who your perfect date is, it’s much easier to focus on achieving the objective – getting a date. Why? Because you are not distracted and you don’t waste time with the ones that you know you will not mesh well with. It’s nothing personal, it’s just reality, you know you, and you know what you like, and you’re actually doing the other person a favor by leaving them alone. When it comes to customers, the same is true. You may spend 45 minutes with someone that is simply in your store to “browse” or “tire-kick” and they will probably not buy anything anyway – or it will be a small ticket item. Whereas if you are focused on the right customers, you will spend 15 minutes and sell more.
Some pointers:
- Look at your existing customer list and rank them in order of which ones are closest to perfect (i.e. they were easy to talk to, they appreciated the value of what you offer, they didn’t haggle you on price, etc etc)
- From the top 10-20 customers, create a list of customer features that you consider the main reasons you enjoyed working with those particular customers – keep the list to 10 features
- Prioritize the list of 10 features by importance to you
The Approach
Winning the affections of a prospective date requires one dramatically important element – the first move. If you never make a move, you won’t get a date. Period. Customers are no different. Anyone who’s been shopping has probably experienced the annoying circumstance where a retail clerk flat-out ignores your presence – even when you try and make eye-contact to get them to make a move they still don’t. You’re ready to buy, but they don’t seem to care. It’s frustrating, and you will probably walk out of the store empty-handed, even if you found something on your own that you liked.
Ever wonder what the most successful pick-up line is? It’s a game-changer. You better sit down for this, it’s only one word: “Hi.” Crazy, right? Simply saying hello and acknowledging the person’s presence is in most circumstances the best way to get a date/customer. Take notice next time you go shopping, where do you typically end up spending your money? I’d guess that it’s in the stores where the service is friendly and inviting – the places where when you walk in, the staff members say, “Hi,” or, “Welcome,” or similar.
Call it an ice-breaker, call it an opener, call it a pick-up line. Whatever you call it, make sure you do it. Acknowledge your customers; let them know you are there for them. Don’t be annoying, because no one likes the annoying salespeople, but make sure they know you are there and ready to be of assistance when it becomes necessary or desired by the customer.
Some pointers:
- Pick-up lines are lame. So are scripted “Welcome to Shenanigans!” welcoming statements forcefully delivered by irritated staff members to customers as they immediately cross the threshold of the entryway. Avoid them. Go with as subtle an approach as possible. Typically, a simple, “Hello, how are you today?” is just enough, especially when delivered between 3 and 7 seconds after they enter your store.
- Obviously, not all businesses are retail businesses. If you are in outside sales, for example, you may not have customers walking in your door. The concept remains, though, keep it simple. As an example, when you call a prospect, don’t bombard them with 10 features about the product you are selling. Instead, focus on building rapport and a personal connection by asking them what features they have found lacking in other products that compare with yours – let them do the talking first.
- Practice different wording and approaches with different customers. Take notes on which types of customers were receptive to which types of approaches. If you’ve heard of Split A/B testing in advertising, use the same concept to test your initial approach.
- I used the concepts of a retail store and outside salesperson in the above examples, but your approach in marketing is really anything related to the first point of contact with a prospective customer. It could be a postcard in a direct mail campaign, it could be a door hanger, it could be a billboard or TV ad, it could be a Facebook page or a tweet on Twitter. The point is, keep it simple, and try and make it as close to a simple “hello” as possible.
Coming Up:
- Dating Your Customers – Part 2 – Demonstrate Value and Anticipate Objections
- Dating Your Customers – Part 3 – Create An Emotional Connection and Increase Buying Temperature
- Dating Your Customers – Part 4 – Kill Last-Minute Resistance and Manage Expectations
