Have you ever thought about the answer to that question? I mean really, really thought about it. When someone buys a drill bit at a hardware store, they are not buying a drill bit; they are in need of a hole. When someone buys shampoo, they are not buying shampoo; they are buying a sense of cleanliness. When someone buys workout equipment, they are buying an improved level of fitness. And when someone hires a landscaper, lawn care provider or maintenance contractor, they are not buying what it might seem like they are buying. Let’s talk about this.
If you are selling pest control services and you spend time talking to your prospects and clients about the active ingredient in your products, you are not only wasting your time, you are boring your prospects and clients. Trust me, many of them don’t care how the stuff works, they just want to know that it does work.
If a prospect calls you because they have a large infestation of fire ants in their backyard, they want those pests to be taken care of immediately. And, I’d guess that most of your clients and prospects don’t care how you do it as long as its legal and safe. If you’re marketing fire ant control, I’d make sure I had some testimonials of happy clients bragging about what their property was like before you started treatment and what it’s like now. Maybe a picture of what someone’s arm looks like if they get stung by these little warriors. I know firsthand, as my kids have gotten stung by them while vacationing in Florida and I know of no parent or grandparent the would not want to have their lawn free of fire ants.
You have to try to look at things from your clients and prospects point of view, not your own. We often make the mistake of thinking that we know what our clients want and many times we’re right, but why guess when you can make certain. Here’s what I’d like to see you do.
Each and every time you have a chance to talk with, meet, or even e-mail a client, you should be asking them this question. What should we keep doing? What should we stop doing? And what should we start doing? You’ll be amazed at what you hear and your clients will be completely impressed that you took the time to ask them.