Marketing Ball: Stealing Second or The Longest 90 Feet You'll Ever Travel
Thus far in our series of Marketing Ball articles,
we've come to understand the importance of both
the locker room for planning our game, and what it takes to get to first base.
Last week, we'd arrived at first base.
Our potential client knows we exist and they've invited us to talk to them.
But what happens from here?
How do we get to second base and why can't we just
close the sale right here and now?
==========================
The Key to Stealing Second
==========================
Information.
The prospect sees you now as a potential source of help.
They want some additional information from you.
If you were to ignore this crucial ninety feet of baseline,
and try to close the sale, you'd lose your credibility as well as your potential client.
===================
So what do you do?
===================
Before I tell you, it's important to realize this extremely crucial point
by Robert Middleton in his original article...
"Marketing isn't about one-shot deals, but about building long-term visibility and value."
It's hard to think how you could build long-term visibility
and value with a one-shot deal, isn't it?
That's why it takes so long to get to second base.
On first base, we've gotten the attention of our prospect,
getting to second involves gaining their trust.
That's not a quick sell.
======================================
How to Gain the Trust of Your Prospect
======================================
How do you gain their trust? By building value in their brains.
OK, not everyone is a brain surgeon, right?
But there is a way to achieve this.
After gaining their attention - AND - receiving permission from the
prospect to send them more information, uh..well...send them the information.
Sounds like a no-brainer, right?
You'd be surprised how many "marketers" send absolute garbage every week
(sometimes every day) to potential paying clients. Then they wonder why so
many people unsubscribe or fail to buy.
The Reason: No Value.
I subscribe to a few select ezines.
I'll bet you do too. I'll also bet that you keep on reading them
because you find value in their content. If it's full of sales ads,
you unsubscribe.I know I do.
The point is this.
If your prospect has asked you to send them a valuable piece of
information (your ezine, core article, eBook), they are inviting you
to build trust and value.
=============================
Case Study: Barry as Customer
=============================
One of my business mentors is Robert Middleton. (Duh!)
I learned of his newsletter almost four years ago.
When I first read a forwarded copy, I immediately subscribed.
I kept reading it. And after receiving his ezine for about three months,
I purchased a marketing manual from his web site.
Notice how Robert & I played Marketing Ball...
1. Robert gained my attention:
First Base Objective: getting noticed by your potential customer.
2. I asked to receive his newsletter:
Second Base Objective: Building value and trust via information.
3. After reading it for three months:
Third Base Objective: Helping, Not Selling.
....I read more newsletters over the next three months
....I listened to the free audio on his site
....I read tons of solid articles on his site
....I dialed into his free monthly teleclasses
4. I purchased a product:
Scoring Objective: Presentation, pricing, negotiation, closing.
(Robert received a new customer...me.)
==============
Final Thoughts
==============
As you can see in the above example, it took Robert
(a master marketer) three months of giving me free,
solid information before I became a customer.
And it paid off for him as I've purchased additional products
over the years, and I'm sure I will continue to do so.
Why? Because he sells me on value every time.
Stealing second base initiates the flow of information from
you to your potential customer. But the information will only build
trust and value if it's solid, deep content.
If you give up too soon or rush the prospect, you'll lose them.
So settle in for the ride. Send the free information.
Keep sending it to them until they invite you to third base.
Next week, we'll look at "Rounding Third Base...Heading for Home"
and what it takes to get there.
Until then, thanks for reading!
Barry
we've come to understand the importance of both
the locker room for planning our game, and what it takes to get to first base.
Last week, we'd arrived at first base.
Our potential client knows we exist and they've invited us to talk to them.
But what happens from here?
How do we get to second base and why can't we just
close the sale right here and now?
==========================
The Key to Stealing Second
==========================
Information.
The prospect sees you now as a potential source of help.
They want some additional information from you.
If you were to ignore this crucial ninety feet of baseline,
and try to close the sale, you'd lose your credibility as well as your potential client.
===================
So what do you do?
===================
Before I tell you, it's important to realize this extremely crucial point
by Robert Middleton in his original article...
"Marketing isn't about one-shot deals, but about building long-term visibility and value."
It's hard to think how you could build long-term visibility
and value with a one-shot deal, isn't it?
That's why it takes so long to get to second base.
On first base, we've gotten the attention of our prospect,
getting to second involves gaining their trust.
That's not a quick sell.
======================================
How to Gain the Trust of Your Prospect
======================================
How do you gain their trust? By building value in their brains.
OK, not everyone is a brain surgeon, right?
But there is a way to achieve this.
After gaining their attention - AND - receiving permission from the
prospect to send them more information, uh..well...send them the information.
Sounds like a no-brainer, right?
You'd be surprised how many "marketers" send absolute garbage every week
(sometimes every day) to potential paying clients. Then they wonder why so
many people unsubscribe or fail to buy.
The Reason: No Value.
I subscribe to a few select ezines.
I'll bet you do too. I'll also bet that you keep on reading them
because you find value in their content. If it's full of sales ads,
you unsubscribe.I know I do.
The point is this.
If your prospect has asked you to send them a valuable piece of
information (your ezine, core article, eBook), they are inviting you
to build trust and value.
=============================
Case Study: Barry as Customer
=============================
One of my business mentors is Robert Middleton. (Duh!)
I learned of his newsletter almost four years ago.
When I first read a forwarded copy, I immediately subscribed.
I kept reading it. And after receiving his ezine for about three months,
I purchased a marketing manual from his web site.
Notice how Robert & I played Marketing Ball...
1. Robert gained my attention:
First Base Objective: getting noticed by your potential customer.
2. I asked to receive his newsletter:
Second Base Objective: Building value and trust via information.
3. After reading it for three months:
Third Base Objective: Helping, Not Selling.
....I read more newsletters over the next three months
....I listened to the free audio on his site
....I read tons of solid articles on his site
....I dialed into his free monthly teleclasses
4. I purchased a product:
Scoring Objective: Presentation, pricing, negotiation, closing.
(Robert received a new customer...me.)
==============
Final Thoughts
==============
As you can see in the above example, it took Robert
(a master marketer) three months of giving me free,
solid information before I became a customer.
And it paid off for him as I've purchased additional products
over the years, and I'm sure I will continue to do so.
Why? Because he sells me on value every time.
Stealing second base initiates the flow of information from
you to your potential customer. But the information will only build
trust and value if it's solid, deep content.
If you give up too soon or rush the prospect, you'll lose them.
So settle in for the ride. Send the free information.
Keep sending it to them until they invite you to third base.
Next week, we'll look at "Rounding Third Base...Heading for Home"
and what it takes to get there.
Until then, thanks for reading!
Barry
posted by Barry W. Morris at
4:04 PM
