If you want to close more sales or if you want your marketing to be more effective, you need four different messages.
Many building materials companies can make a convincing case of why their product is better and still not make the sale. Their solution is to make more sales calls and keep using the same message to their customers. If you’re in this situation, here’s how to get better results by broadening your message.
Why You Don’t Make The Sale
Whether it is an architect, a builder or a contractor, choosing your product is probably a Nice to Have and not a Have to Have. Unless your competitor has recently upset the customer or the customer has been specifically told to look at your product, you are likely to be filed away in the Nice to Have Someday drawer.
Your sales and marketing messages need to be compelling enough to make going with you a priority. Different customers are motivated for different reasons. You should have a message for each of these reasons that you can use as needed.
When you approach your sales and marketing with only your product message, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities.
The Four Messages You Need to Grow Your Sales Faster.
1. Product
Every company can tell you why their product is a better choice. A weakness with many product messages is that companies will promote the benefits of their product to their customer’s customer. If your product saves energy or has a longer warranty, these have no benefit to the builder, architect or contractor.
Benefits like, easier or faster to install, are important to a builder or contractor. You need a product message that has value to the customer you are selling.
2. Company
You should also have a company story that is not how big you are or how long you’ve been in business or a meaningless claim like, “We’re Innovative.”
Customers want to know how you are a better company to work with. Subjects like technical support or design assistance, training, shorter lead times, faster quotes and other ways you support the customer are an important part of your company message.
Many customers today will move their business to the company that supports them in ways that make their life easier. This can be even more important than the features of your product.
3. Business Proposition
You should be able to tell your customer why going with you is a smart business decision. It’s not just “Make More Money”
To develop a successful business proposition message, you have to understand their business so you know the challenges they are facing.
How might their business be more successful when they choose you? Will it help differentiate them that will lead to more business for them? Will it help them make better use of their limited supply of labor?
4. The Person
While we like to think that the customers are choosing products based on what is best for their company, they also are thinking about the possible risks and benefits to their personal lives and careers.
Will choosing
Get
Make my life easier?
Is the architect you are calling on, trying to get promoted? Or are they a partner and want to get more hotel design projects?
How will the big box buyer look smarter because they chose you?
How will you make the facilities managers job less stressful?
The same things apply to the person you are selling at a builder, contractor, dealer or distributor.
Work Smarter Not Harder
In simple terms, if you have to make 5 sales calls to make a sale or spend so many dollars in marketing, having four message options will increase the likelihood that you will improve your results.
You are now prepared to use the right message or messages depending on what is most important to each customer.
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