Make It Personal

“To Know You Is To…”

Most people can finish this statement, “To know you is to… LOVE You”!

In life, that statement may or may not always be true. However, in business, it is a prerequisite when trying to attract new customers, especially in today’s new media world. Subconsciously, people tend to do business with people they know.  It’s difficult for humans to buy from a stranger.  Not impossible, but more difficult.  Of course, this depends upon what type of product or service you are selling.

Ask yourself, would you rather purchase a vehicle from someone you are familiar with or a stranger?  Would you prefer to retain the services of an attorney with a well-known reputation or one you have never heard of?  Lastly, would you be more comfortable inviting a plumber into your home that you know, or have a stranger come to your home to repair your plumbing?

The truth is, most consumers need to understand who you are, what you stand for, and what your company’s reputation is before they’ll even CONSIDER doing business with you. This is even true when simply doing research or shopping online. In fact, research shows that people are far more apt to click on a business name they are familiar with. (Search Engine Journal; Nearly 70% of U.S. consumers said they look for a “known retailer” when deciding what search results to click on.)

My favorite used car guy sold his business. Actually shut it down and sold his lot.  I used to tell others about Dale and how my wife and I bought at least 6 cars from him.  We trusted him. One day, I asked Dale, “what car do you drive?” and a few days later I bought his personal car.  SInce he’s no longer in business, I’ve had to use a different method of buying cars and it still involves trust.  The last two cars and my next one are from dealerships I trust.  I actually have walked away from certain cars that cost less because I was weary of the dealership. This trust factor works with individual business people and with bigger businesses.  These dealerships are ones that put themselves out in the public eye with advertising and community involvement.

The trick is, how do you get people to know you before they need you?

More often than not, a series of consistent “soft steps” make that final hard step much easier. The familiarity and comfort you can build by being heard through a number of soft steps can dramatically improve your advertising results and closing ratios.

Tip #1 is… Stand for Something.  Knowing who you are is absolutely important, but it’s not enough.  Knowing what you stand for and what sets you apart from your competitors can and often times is the tiebreaker.

To see all Twelve Soft Tips to A Hard Sell, click here and contact me to see about how I can help set you apart and help make people understand that “To Know You Is to Love You!”

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