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Getting Rid Of The 'Yuck Factor' In Marketing
Copyright (c) 2007-2012 Judy Murdoch
At least once a month a comment about "yucky marketing" gets my attention. I read these comments in blogs and discussion forums. I hear these comments at networking events, when I'm talking with other small business owners--even when I'm with friends and family.
A lot of small business owners cringe at the prospect of marketing their products and services because they don't want to turn people off with marketing that is pushy, obnoxious, and annoying. So they don't market much at all. But keeping quiet about your products and services doesn't serve your business or your customers either. There are people who really need what you offer and you need to let them know.
How do you make sure you're getting the word out to the right people in a way that isn't "yucky?"
First, let's nail down exactly what this "Yuck Factor" is by watching it in action
The Yuck Factor In Action
A few years ago I was attending a sales training class where the focus was on putting ourselves in the shoes of the customer. We did a role play where one student was the "sales person" an the other student was the "prospect."
Here's the scenario: the prospect was VP of Human Resources for a company in the middle of a difficult reorganization. The salesperson represented a company that provided consulting services to help companies manage transitions such as reorganizations more effectively. The sales person and prospect met for lunch a couple weeks ago. The lunch went well, the prospect expressed genuine interest in the services, and the sales person promised to send more information by mail and to follow up in two weeks.
The role play was around the sales person making the two week follow up call.
Here's how it went:
(Phone rings, VP of Human Resources answers.)
HR VP: "Hello?"
Sales: "Hi, this is Jane Smith from ABC Consulting."
HR VP: "Oh hi, how are you?"
Sales: "Just great. I enjoyed having lunch with you the other week."
HR VP: "I did too"
(Short pause)
Sales: "Well, I said I'd call in a couple weeks. I was wondering, did you get the packet I mailed you?"
HR VP: (Suddenly sounds a little hesitant) "Uh, yeah, I did."
Sales: "Great! Did you get a chance to look at it?"
HR VP: (Even more hesitant now) "Uh, no, I haven't yet."
The trainer stopped the role play at this point.
When he asked the person playing the VP of Human Resources how she felt, she said, "I felt kind of bad, like I had failed to complete an assignment. But at the same time I felt kind of harassed because I was busy and stressed out. The last thing I felt like doing was reading through her company's sales materials."
The little role play is a very common scenario that occurs between prospects and sellers hundreds of times each day. The reasoning is that we, the sellers, are doing something useful by providing more information that our prospect can view at their leisure. And asking if the prospect received what we sent is just good follow up. Seems reasonable doesn't it?
In fact the woman playing the sales role was, herself, a very successful sales person. She was using techniques that she had been using for years and believed to be effective.
But was this conversation really about serving the prospect?
Many sales persons will tell you, yes, that the conversation is about the prospect. That it's about helping the prospect solve a problem with the solution they are selling.
But is that how the prospect sees it?
When asked after the role play, the prospect said she was feeling a little caught that she had not complied with the sales person's request. She also felt resentful because the request seemed unreasonable given her workload. From the prospects point of view the exchange seemed to be all about the sales person getting a sale.
The Yuck Factor Defined
The Yuck Factor in Sales and Marketing is when we, the sellers. focus on our need for a sale instead of the client's need for a solution.
And we are unaware that this is what we are doing. We've all done this. We sincerely wanted to help but the desire to add value got mixed up with our need to close the sale. Even worse, the more unaware we are, the worse the Yuck Factor because we're sending two messages: (1.) this is for your own good and (2.) but really it's for MY good. No wonder people complain so much about sales and marketing being manipulative!
Even if you've never sold anything in your life, when you put your need to convince the other person before the relationship, the Yuck Factor is there.
Is There A Yuck Factor In Your Marketing?
Read your brochures, read the content on your website, think about how you speak to prospects and ask yourself:
Do I use fear as an incentive to get prospects to buy?
Do I first acknowledge the problem or unmet need my prospective customer is struggling with or do I jump in immediately extolling how great and wonderful my products are?
When I speak with my client on the phone do I ask them whether they've read the materials I sent, looked over my website, and other activities that don't directly help with their immediate problem?
Is the home page on my website all about me, my company, and my products and services rather than about the client and their problems?
Do I respond to requests for help on discussion forums or blogs with a sales pitch?
If I'm selling something on my website, am I using long sales pages because "that's what the experts say works" even if I'm repeating myself or inserting fluff just to bulk up my copy?
If you answered "yes" to one or more of the above questions, there's a good possibility that your marketing has a Yuck Factor.
Getting Rid Of The Yuck Factor
Step #1: Honest Assessment
Use the suggestions listed in "Is there a Yuck Factor in Your Marketing" as a start point.
Step #2: Be Compassionate with Yourself
Don't skip this step because it sounds wussy. It's tempting to tell yourself, "I not doing that anymore. For now on, I'm going to be totally customer-focused, good, and virtuous." I guarantee this approach won't last for long because it's counter to human nature. We all need to feel valued by others...it's a fundamental part of being human. The problem occurs when our thinking begins to go along the lines of: "Selling stuff and making money = success therefore I need to get people to buy so I can feel successful."
Step #3: Remember Why You're in Business to Begin With
Most of the small business owners I speak with started their own business because they sincerely believed they could provide something people needed but that wasn't available in the market place. Otherwise, quite frankly why be in business? Yes, having your own business offers a lot more upside in terms of making money and it beats being a nameless worker bee in the hive. But the bottom line is that your customers are paying you because they see your products and services as the better choice.
Step #4: Approach Marketing as a Win-Win Relationship Between Equals
Yucky marketing always feels very one-sided. No matter how often the marketer using the word "you" in their marketing, it's all about them and their needs. Whether the customer gets their needs met or not seems almost incidental. Until the sale closes you're the marketer's very best friend. Once you pay your cold hard cash, you never see them again unless they have something else to sell you.
Effective marketing is an equal relationship where the seller wins because the buyer wins. This is not the same as "the customer is always right." This means that if I, the seller, do a good job understanding what my customer needs and how my product or service helps my customer, then the sale is a natural next step.
Furthermore, if my product or service does, indeed, make my customers problem go away or fills an unmet need, they win because they got the value they wanted and I win not only because I've made money but because I have a potential raving fan who may buy more from me in the future, refer new customers to me, and
Step #5: Keep it Simple.
Don't feel like you need to redo everything. Focus on the one or two marketing elements that you use the most: the home page on your website; the way you introduce yourself at networking events and follow-up.
The Bottom Line
Marketing that makes us feel "yucky" does so because at it's core, it's all about the seller and their need to make a sale. Yucky marketing leaves prospective buyers with the sense that their only value to the seller is to make the seller feel successful. However subtle it may be, prospects feel manipulated and resentful--not a good way to begin any relationship.
Effective marketing is about communicating the sellers ability to solve a real customer problem or to satisfy an unmet need. Effective marketing leaves prospective buyers feeling understood, appreciated, and often relieved that a solution is available. The prospect's decision to buy is a much more natural outcome in these situations.
Getting rid of the "Yuck Factor" in your marketing requires honestly assessing your current marketing and sales and changing the one or two elements you use the most.
As you begin removing the Yuck Factor from your sales and marketing you'll notice something wonderful: you'll begin attracting more qualified prospects, it will become easier to close sales, and you'll have more ideal customers. It's a win-win all the way around.
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
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