Reality
A service business needs a clear benefit statement that is truthful and relates with your brand. Professional advisor
businesses can be ethically too humble when the old habits and ethics
keep them from stating what is good about working with them. Why make such a big mistake that is no longer culturally sensible?
When people cannot
see what you are really offering, words matter. Words are the essence
of a professional advice business.
You must get
your claim in right up front. If you are "polite" about
it and hide it in the third paragraph or don't state it all, your message–all
of it–may never be heard or appreciated.
If your message
is not seen or heard above the others vying for the customers' attention–if
you can't be heard above the din of the crowd, the crowd
will pass you by.
Try this:
Look at a few web sites and notice what annoys you or fails to grab
your attention. If a major claim or benefit statement is not viewed
on the first screen, or the screen must be scrolled to get to the important
claim, the message can be lost to the viewer forever.
Clarity
The objective is
two-fold:
- to be clearly
understood
- not to be
misunderstood
Your writing must
be crystal clear as to what you claim and how easy it is to corroborate.
If you are writing a claim about your expertise, state what you know
very well and how the prospect will benefit from it.
So many advisors
get hung up on mission statements and taglines that they lose themselves
in clever word-crafting and forget to make their main claim–-the
benefit statement–the strongest reason someone should work
with them and the proof that they can deliver on that promise.
My personal example
is a claim that is true and attractive to potential new clients:
My
average consulting clients–financial
advisors–
double
their profits in 30 - 48 months
through conscientious marketing.
I support this
claim with a tagline that encourages the successful to seek help and
a title that explains a bit about how I relate with my clients: You
don't have to be sick to get better. The effect: someone who
reads my title, tagline and benefits statement has an instant understanding
that I coach and package financial advisors who want to be better…and
that is the benefit…doing better.
Most people who
are already successful want to maintain that success. They feel any
changes might fail and jeopardize what they have. These few words–You
don't have to be sick to get better–begin to dispel
enough of their concerns that they will start a conversation with me.
Mission accomplished. We are discussing things of substance. How many
conversations of substance do not happen that could by introducing a
great, enticing benefits statement?
A mission statement
focuses on what you do. A benefits statement focuses on what
clients can get from you. It answers the question–right
up front–-What can you do for me? It is your claim,
but it should excite people to explore your claim because it might benefit
them.
To develop a
clear benefit statement:
- Examine your
data; review your expertise; question your ten best clients and see
what really makes you special to them.
- Craft a claim
you can back with evidence. Hone it to be absolutely clear.
- Put it up front
in your resume, brochure and anywhere else appropriate.
This is not hubris.
It is truth spoken aloud. The burden of proof in a cluttered, competitive
marketplace rests with you.
Happy Marketing!
It's not just about selling anymore.
Questions? Email
jhmco@melchinger.com
| [forward-Click
here to send this to a friend] |
[subscribe-Click
here to subscribe] |
