A Marketing Psychology Fundamental: Sell to Those Who Understand You

by Marcia Yudkin

What if there are zillions of companies out there that need your skills but
don’t realize they need your skills? This question came up recently with a
woman who has 14 years of technical editing experience but was in despair. From
her point of view, so many companies urgently need someone to clean up and
clarify their prose, but they won’t act on this need. They don’t get the
value of effective written communication.

Likewise, suppose you’re a magician with house plants. But office managers
keep telling you, “Geez, so what if our plants are diseased and dying?”

Forget about trying to persuade people to value what you value. You can break
through this kind of resistance only by demonstrating that what you’re good at
helps them accomplish some objective that they do hold dear. Tell the companies
that spew out atrocious grammar that you’ll win them greater credibility with
investors. If you’re the green thumb, tell managers that you improve
productivity by creating a healthy, reassuring indoor environment.

Pitch yourself to companies in terms of what they know they want, and you boost
the chances that they’ll want you. To discover the pitch most likely to
ignite desire, follow these three steps:

1. List all the benefits (outcomes, advantages) your company offers. Create
another list of what your target market would like to achieve. Find one or more
commonalities on the two lists and use those for your marketing pitch.

2. If you find nothing in common, look closer for items on each list that you
can relate to one another in some way, and see if you can make that connection
convincing.

3. If you strike out on finding commonalities on the lists, find another target
market!

When the economy turns tough, it’s especially important to concentrate on
those who already understand the value of what you sell. This ensures that
every marketing dollar brings you closer to the thriving business you want. To
implement this focus:

* Contact past customers, who are five times more likely to respond than
non-customers.

* Contact knowledgeable or specialized prospects, for instance by advertising in
magazines for experts or enthusiasts.

* Contact new people through speaking engagements sponsored by sophisticated
special-interest organizations.

* Contact influential colleagues and media people who know you and might take it
upon themselves to educate prospective buyers.

* Contact current clients and ask if they know others who would benefit from
your products or services.

* Contact prospective customers who don’t know you but match the profile of
your best clients.

An old Zen proverb sums up the point nicely: “When you see a swordsman, draw
your sword. Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet.”

Marcia Yudkin is the author of more than a dozen books, including 6 Steps to
Free Publicity, now in its third edition, and Persuading People to Buy, from
which this article is adapted. She helps solo professionals and
small-to-medium-sized business owners connect with their target market
cost-effectively and creatively. Learn more about her Marketing Insight Guides
series on the fundamentals of turning strangers into long-time customers at
http://www.yudkin.com/guides/index.htm