If They Get to Try A number of years ago, I moved from Jersey City, New Jersey to Brown Deer, Wisconsin. I still remember the process I went through searching for the services of a competent and reliable doctor, dentist, and accountant, etc. I didn't know many people who could give me a referral. So I turned to their advertising. Looking through the Yellow Pages was of little help. After all, each ad was pretty much the same. They all said, "We care about you," "We're the best!," "Providing excellence for 40 years!" In addition to those meaningless slogans, each ad contained nothing more than the company name, address, office hours, a few services offered and a phone number. Some of the ads also contained a picture of the doctor, dentist or accountant. There was no way I could make such an important decision from these types of self-centered ads. Not one ad gave me a simple way to learn more about them and their services, other than calling for an appointment. In other words, I would have to "pay" to learn more about them. With this marketing strategy, I would be forced to select three total "strangers" blindly. I wouldn't have any idea if any of them was competent or could fulfill my needs. We want to buy from people we know, like and trust We all base our selection of service professionals on three basic criteria--know, like and trust. We want to know the people or company we do business with. We want to like them and the way they do business. And we must trust that they are honest, ethical, competent and will charge us fairly for their services. The only way you can determine this is by "trying" their services. Just because they say they are honest and trustworthy in their ads doesn't mean a thing. We all know that advertising can often be exaggerated and self-serving. You determine these things based on how they perform and how they treat you. The approach all of these ads took was, "I am a dentist (or doctor, or accountant, etc.). You can trust me. Call for an appointment -- and don't forget to bring your checkbook." They all said, "The risk will be entirely on you . . . not on me." The Give to Get Marketing approach attracts like a magnet None of these professional service providers understood human nature and my needs as a consumer. If only one of them had understood the power of the "Give to Get Marketing" approach, my decision would have been so much easier--and that provider would have acquired a new client. Just imagine if I would have received a direct mail letter from Dr. Smart with the following message: Welcome to our Neighborhood Yes, I may check around to make sure Dr. Smart is a qualified and reputable professional, before responding. But, if he actually treats me well, comes through with all his promises, and is willing to give me good value for my dollar on continuing visits, he'll probably get me coming back for the next 20 years. Plus, he definitely will get referrals from me later. That's because I would have finally found a professional I could get to know, like and trust. And the risk wasn't on me. We both win. Remember...
Understand that your prospects are looking for someone to do business with. But they want to get to know, like and trust the person or company they select. One of the easiest ways to do that is by letting them "Try before they buy." Give a little, and you'll get a lot more in return. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2000-2023 by Maria Gracia, All Rights Reserved. All content, graphics, and HTML code are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit written permission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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