One Recession Combat Strategy You Can’t Be Without

First, did you know that we are out of the recession…. according to the government it officially ended around June/July of 2009. Yup, their top economists piled through the data and victoriously announced that. YEAH RIGHT!! Do you ever get the feeling that we are fed propaganda from the media and really wish we were told the truth and informed about what was exactly what was going on?

I know, wishful thinking eh?

Ok, so reality time… and side note… reality is always hard to deal with because it takes us out of fantasy and plants our feet and minds squarely in “what is”. So back to reality, we are still in the recession. Or maybe we should call it “The New Economy”. Kinda has a nicer ring to it doesn’t it?

In this new economy, consumers are much wiser and are educating themselves much more. Well, at least they think they are becoming much wiser, it all depends on where they get their information from doesn’t it? A lot of people get their information from the internet. And remember, ANYONE can post something on the internet and make a good case for themselves. Key point to remember is that before the internet, people used bathroom stalls to voice their opinions.

Setting aside whether people are getting smarter, dumber or more gullible and let’s just assume the consumer makes more educated buying decisions. What does this mean? This simply means that they need more than generic information to help pry their money from their hands and give it to you vs. your competition.

So that leads us to this One Recession Combat Strategy You Can’t Be Without….

Now, more than ever, you must know who your ideal prospects and clients are. And you must give them exactly what they want and need AND you must clearly communicate that in THEIR buying language.

This means generic messages will no longer get you the response they might have gotten in the past. You must clearly differentiate yourself and speak clearly to their hidden needs, fears, worries and desires. Think of this like dating. If you are married, you learned what your spouse wanted, feared, what kept them awake at night and what they truly wanted. And if you got married, you clearly communicated how you are different from any other person out there and that you are the only one that could give them what they wanted. (Either that, or someone got pregnant and you did the right thing! If that’s the case, go back and read the previous sentence and incorporate that step. :)

Another example, in sales, you are taught to find out what your client wants, and then give them what they want with you and your product wrapped around it. If they wanted to have security that you would service your product when it broke, you spoke to that. If they wanted freedom to pick between a number of options, you spoke to that. If they wanted reassurance that it would integrate well with their existing family of products and other vendors they used, you spoke to that.

So in your marketing, you do the same thing. You find what your ideal prospect and client wants, and speak to that.

What about everybody else you ask? … forget about everybody else. Only speak to the people that are interested.

How do you know what they want? … what are their fears, worries and desires? … one word: RESEARCH!

Go through your database and talk to past clients to find out why they bought from you and what your product did for them, ask people that are good prospects for you about what they want in a product/service. Bottom line is that whoever has the best research and speaks directly to their ideal prospects wants, needs, fears, worries and desires will win.

We are in an age where segmenting your market and speaking to the specific needs of your market will make others think you are cheating and will allow you to reap the spoils of victory.

Oh, by the way, yes, this takes work and effort. That’s the bad news. The best news is that your competition is lazy and will not do this. Why not outdistance them and leave them in the dust?

Be great eh!
Chris