3 Laws for Success with Small Bussiness Advertising using Classic Salesmanship
What triggers a person to buy a product or service? One way could be from a salesman using classic salesmanship with a customer. But what entails classic salesmanship? Getting to know the customer and how they can benefit from a product or service is step one. The salesman then directs them to the product or service with the features they need to get the benefits desired.
A good salesman does things that most small business advertising don’t. It makes personal connections with customers that elicit emotional responses. Then they back up that emotion with reasoning and logic that supports what they want to do based on that emotional response.
A lot of small business advertising simply tout the features of a product or service rather than explaining to the customer how they’ll benefit from those features. In reality, the customer doesn’t much care for a feature unless it directly benefits them.
For example a vehicle that can hold up to seven passengers. But why would I want or need this feature if I only have a family of three? It doesn’t benefit me. But say a good salesman learns that my only child has a bunch of friends over to our house and that I shuttle them between activities a lot, the classic salesmanship can take over and the salesman will recognize that the feature can benefit me.. That vehicle with room for seven could make life easier because I can fit everyone into it, thus making me the coolest dad on the block cause my child can spend more time with friends.
To create effective small business advertising, you must know something about your customer or potential customers. Once you know enough about your customers to describe them, you can make small business advertising that directly speaks to the customers. You can show how they’ll benefit from your product or service.
The key to success in small business advertising can be summarized in three words: Features. Benefits. Emotion. The response you’re looking to elicit, and the order in which the words and concepts matter to potential customers, is backwards.
First, emotion is what your small business advertising must elicit. It has to make an emotional reaction or response. They need to desire and feel connected to your product or service.
Next, you must justify the emotional desire from your customer by showcasing the benefits in your advertising. People are looking to purchase a product or service that they desire, but they must first justify the expense. By describing the benefits, justifying the expenditure becomes easier for the customer.
Last you can show off the features of a product or service. Do remember that features only matter in the first place if they demonstrate the real benefits that support the customer’s emotional reaction and desire to purchase. So don’t focus on the features in your small business advertising at the start.
Remember, you want to elicit responses in the proper order if your advertising is to result in actual business for you. Emotional response comes first. Describe the benefits that justify the purchase second. And last, showcase the features that provide the benefits.