In 2000, I had just started a new job. I was the director of a department that was now offering a new innovative service and I was responsible for getting the word out to our existing customers.
I scheduled many meetings with our customers to show them what this new technology could do. I would get many “ooohs” and “ahhhs”, and when I heard this, I would talk them into a proposal for their next project.
I was so excited! I had tens of thousands of dollars in proposals out and our president was excited about it as well.
But these proposals did not turn into sales. When I followed up with these customers, some would say “I’ll keep you in mind for my next project.” and others just wouldn’t return my calls.
All that time I put into each proposal was for nothing! People were interested in what I offered, but for some reason, they just wouldn’t buy from me.
I met with our president about it – discouraged and embarrassed. And instead of being disappointed, he suggested we hire a consultant. So we did. And what she taught me changed the way I think today.
I was forgetting one, very important thing. I was NOT putting myself in THEIR shoes.
See, I got it. I knew what I did could help them. I understood what problem it was going to solve for them. I understood the value this would bring them. I understood how this would be implemented. I was convinced they needed this service from me.
And I FAILED to make sure they did too.
Often we are so close to what we do – living it and thinking about it day in and day out, we forget that others aren’t at the same place we are. We get it. We “drank the Kool-Aid” as they say. The big problem is we forget to bring others to that same level of awareness.
So with this understanding, how many proposals have YOU created that amounted to NOTHING? How much business have you LOST because you were doing it wrong? Think about what difference fixing this problem could make to your business!!
But, unfortunately, even knowing this, it’s not always as easy to fix as you would think it would be. There is a PROCESS to do this. A PROCESS to educate people – to bring them to an awareness, to help them see they need to fix the problem your solution solves – and to do it NOW.
That’s what we do at MEMO Marketing Group. We help business owners develop this process for themselves. This process strategy will determine how you talk to prospects and what marketing materials are needed to support your efforts. Hope these thoughts help. Let us know what questions you have.
