WHAT YOUR PERFECT
CUSTOMER MEANS TO YOU
By Bob McElwain
The long and short of it is: Everything. Your business
may succeed or fail depending upon this definition.
Your website is created with great care to fit the needs, hopes,
and dreams of your Perfect Customer. Every word on every page is
written for this person to read. As you prepare a newsletter, write
an article, or put together a product comparison,
every step is dictated by
who your Perfect Customer is. By what he or she wants or
needs.
Why So?
The answer is incredibly
simple. You can't please everybody. It's flat impossible.
The same holds for anything you write. Your copy will never satisfy
all.
A sales person face-to-face with a customer, can adjust his or her
thinking quickly in response to even a simple question. This isn't
possible on the Web. Even though technologies are coming that
provide an enormous degree of personalization through a website,
they will not be able to provide the subtle changes of direction
experienced sales people make routinely.
Our Only Hope
On the Web, the solution is to talk specifically, one-on-one with
our Perfect Customer. He or
she stands beside us as we develop material. We look up now and then
and ask if that last point was clear. Ask if further explanation
might help. And we "listen" to the answers. For this is the person
we are selling to. Make this sale, and we'll make others. Strike
out, and we may as well close up shop.
Why It Works
In a word, authenticity.
If I speak on my website as I would speak to you face-to-face, every
fiber of my being is devoted to communicating with you. Not to all
of my visitors. Not even to most of them. Only to you, for you are
the only one who matters.
In this I indirectly share my values and attitudes in all I say.
The way I feel about my product shines through in positive fashion.
You recognize that I believe in it, and that I believe it will work
for you. As you read, you will nod with approval, and continue.
Everything said I believe is true.
I can't lie in a
face-to-face encounter and get away with it. Yes, I know
many can, but I can't. And chances are you can't either.
If I do my part correctly, we will have communicated to precisely
the depth you wanted. You will be content with the input
received. Even though the buy decision is likely to be made
emotionally, your position will prove reasonable for I have provided
the information you need.
An Aside:
Experienced sales people can wrap their minds around most any
product, take a firm grip on who the Perfect Customer is for
it, and sell it effectively. It is not a matter of lying or
con. It's only a matter of understanding what is required to
sell. For those new to selling, adapting the approach
suggested above will be far more effective. |
Authenticity
Matters
Others who read my words are not you. But the magic in this
approach is that they will come away with much the same conclusion
you did. Because my
conversation with you resonates with authenticity. That is, it rings
true. It will also ring true for others within my target.
Yet if I
try to speak to the whole of my target, as a politician might in
speaking to a crowd, I will satisfy the needs of only a few,
if any. It will not be possible for my words to ring true for all or
even most of the group. At least not with the clarity I can manage
when speaking specifically to you.
While your Perfect
Customer exists only in your mind, he or she is as
representative of your target as possible. The one person who most
typifies every individual within it.
Always talk specifically to this person. Invite he or
she to
contribute as you develop material.
Ask questions. "Listen" to the responses. And act accordingly.
(Abstracted from "Your Path To Success" by Bob
McElwain
______________________________________
Bob McElwain, Affordable, Personalized, Professional Support;
Author of "Secrets To A Really Successful Website."
For info, visit
http://sitetipsandtricks.com/webways/
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