People Do What They Believe Is In Their Best InterestsBy
TJ Rohleder
The only reasonable way to increase your business is to sell more goods to more people more often for more profit. How do you do that? One way is to prove to them that it's in their best interests to buy from you. In his book Million Dollar Habit, Robert Ringer pointed out a strategy that I think is appropriate to this principle. It's most simply explained this way: People will always do whatever they believe, or can be made to believe, is in their best interests.
So you have to show them it's in their best interests to buy whatever you're selling. The best way to make them believe that is to believe it yourself. It all comes down to you selling your expertise or products to prospects who perceive so much value in it that to them, the money you're asking for is worth less than what you're offering. Of course, this has to take place in a free and fair market, which despite some problems, we have here in the U.S.A. and throughout the Western world.
The consumer has to think it's fair. If there's been a bad apple harvest this year and you're selling apples, most consumers will be willing to pay more for an apple than they would in a bumper crop year. If your new widget saves them hours of backbreaking toil every day, they'll be more likely to pay a higher price. For the exchange to be fair, both buyer and seller have to agree to that exchange.
This is true whether you're eating in a restaurant or buying wingnuts. You know the price in advance and decide whether it's worth more to you than the fee asked for it. You can decide not to buy. And remember, people are more willing to pay top dollar for things they really want than for everyday needs. The secret to making money in any market is to figure out what your prospects want the most, and then find out how to give that to them in a way that helps them decide to make the exchange.
How do you figure out what's in the prospect's best interest? The key here is something I emphasize repeatedly in my writings: you have to know your prospects thoroughly. If you've never participated in the marketplace yourself, do constant research and ask lots of questions.
Remember, people are self-serving. They don't really care about you or your company. They may say they do, but the only real reason they do -- or would be upset if you went out of business -- is not because of altruism or any relationship they have with you per se. What matters is the benefits you provide. They buy from you because it's in their best interests to do so.
If you can't determine those best interests any other way, just ask. You can ask in writing via quick surveys or questionnaires, or face-to-face if you have that opportunity. Even if they don't answer directly, you can at least figure out the broad outlines by asking the right questions. Ultimately, your goal is to make people so excited about what you have to offer that they'll gladly pay the price.
As a kid, my mentor was obsessed with comic books. But he had a limited allowance, so he had to make a choice about where to spend his money. He'd bypass candy, soda pop, or marbles to get more comics. Just about everyone in every market is that way; they have some things they want more than anything else, and they have to apportion their limited amount of discretionary cash carefully.
When people are really into a certain category of product or service, they'll keep buying slightly different versions over and over. Keep that in mind. Think ahead to the next product or service that complements what you're selling; because if people are willing to buy that, they'll buy related items. Mix that tendency with an enticing, mouthwatering offer, and your business will increase.
Is there anything wrong with giving people what they want? No, as long as you do so morally and ethically. In some circles, capitalism has gotten a bad rap; many see business people and ambitious entrepreneurs as greedy scumbags who are just trying to cheat people out of their money. And yes, that element exists, and those bad apples taint the reputation of everyone else. But when you get down to it, the heart and soul of good marketing is altruistic in nature, because you're trying to do everything you can to provide tremendous value in exchange for their money. You have to; that's the only way to get them to come back for more. So it upsets me to hear people say that businesspeople are being greedy when they market aggressively.
Of course they're trying to make more money. Isn't that what the American dream is about? But there's no way to do that consistently without using ruthless marketing techniques that, while undercutting the competition, function as a means of serving the customer in the highest possible way. Focus tightly on what people want, and give it to them. Sometimes, as with the PAS (Pain, Agitate, Solution) formula, you'll have to remind the customers they need help, and rub salt into the wounds a little; but ultimately, it's all for the good, even if the critics can't see it.
The way you get rich in business is by reselling customers over and over again. You can't do it by screwing people over.
You can get 1,000 pages of Mr. Rohleder's greatest marketing and success secrets absolutely free, just by going to http://www.6159FreeSecrets.com.
Copyright © 2014 TJ Rohleders All Rights Reserved
|
