Adjusting your marketing to how people really buy
Whenever I’m asked after events, or at meetings, which of the strategies we implement has the most profound effect on marketing results it’s this: As a business you need to align your marketing and sales funnel with the way that people now buy…
When people ‘do’ anything the process involves a series of psychological changes, steps even, that take them from their initial perception or thought through to an action or, in a customer’s case, to a purchase.
Those stages are;
Indifference Awareness Consideration Preference Intention Action (Purchase / Re purchase)
“By not leveraging these psychological steps that people go through during this buying process businesses are leaving huge amounts of profit on the table…”
Advertising isn’t working as well as it used too!
The reason that traditional advertising is less effective nowadays is due in the main part to the fact that consumers are now much more in control of the buying process. Due to factors such as 4G, smart phones, Google and social media they are searching, reviewing, analysing and educating themselves much earlier in the sales process than they have ever been able to before.
As a business you MUST adjust your marketing and sales funnel to match this change.
Your initial challenge is this; your business must be there for them to find in the ‘awareness’ stage, when they are searching and reviewing solutions to their problem or needs.
And therein lies your second challenge: During this stage they are not looking for you, your products or your services but simply searching for a solution to a specific problem, want or need…
So as well as being there during the ‘awareness’ stage you must be looking to simply start the engagement process NOT pushing for a sale. In a B2B environment, this can be achieved with something as simple as a download or article (such as this!) and in B2C look to use free samples, trials or deliver educational, or even simple inspirational, content.
This FREEMIUM model approach creates three key advantages for your business over your competitors: Firstly you start to position yourself as a trusted, and ‘likeable’ source; secondly, you automatically create a lead generative approach to your marketing that will increase your enquiry levels dramatically; and thirdly, by simply getting them to ‘do’ something you will have started the first step to a committed relationship with your potential customer or Client, that is 20% more likely to end in a sale (something psychologists call Completion Bias).
In short, a few simple adjustments in the way you market your business will enhance your current engagement levels, increase leads and ultimately boost sales conversions.
2-minute video where I talk more about this:
Accelerate your business growth…
If you’d like to discuss how behavioural selling strategies can 3X your online enquiries, improve your sales conversions and also increase sales from existing customers then feel free to get in touch.
