Getting Prospects to Listen

Imagine you're standing in front of a group of 100 people.

You don't really know these people, but you've been given the opportunity to get up and say a few words about your business.

What would you say?

The first rule of marketing is to capture your prospects' attention. So, here's what I want to ask you.

Would you rather get the attention of all 100 people or would you rather get the attention of a small percentage, say 10% of those 100 people?

Answer that in your mind before you read on.

Okay. Most people think, "I'd rather get the attention of 100 people than 10. DUH!"

But that's where the problem begins. Because you'd rather get the attention of 100 people than 10, you usually say something with the intention of getting everyone to want your products or service.

While speaking at a women’s entrepreneurial meeting, I warned the members of this type of behavior — appealing to the macro in the hopes of gathering the maximum amount of prospects. 

It seems logical, but the problem is that it doesn’t work. 

The reason? 

When you try to appeal to everyone, you have to create a very general message, for example, “I’m a residential Realtor®.”  A general message like that just isn’t memorable, especially considering the current number of Realtors® in any area.

A couple weeks after my talk, I spoke with a Realtor® who was in the audience that night. She confessed that she hadn’t stopped thinking about my message from that night and how much she needed to change her current message. 

I then asked her, “Picture your ideal client in front of you, someone you would love to work with.  Now tell me, who would that client be?”  With hardly a moment’s hesitation she said, “I think it would be former military employees because I relate to them so well, having been one myself.”

Voila!  In that moment she went from a category of thousands to a category of one.  After all, how many Realtors® do you know that market solely to former military individuals?

Does it sound like you couldn’t get enough clients with such a specific focus or message?  Let me show you how and why you’d end up with more prospects by focusing on this much smaller niche of people.

Picture once again being in front of 100 people and having the opportunity to describe what you do in 20-30 seconds.  By targeting a message specifically for military employees, it’s true that only individuals with military experience would pay attention. 

The key point, however, is that everyone with military experience would be listening.  And because your message would speak to them directly, they would feel special, recognized, and there would be little doubt in their mind that YOU understand them and their needs better than any other Realtor®.

Now let me ask you this. 

What does every person currently or formerly in the military person know? Would you believe... someone else in the military?  So even if I’m a former military employee and I have no need for a Realtor® right now, there’s a decent chance I know someone in the military that does need a Realtor®. 

When I hear your message targeted to people just like my friend and me, it’s highly probable that I’ll recommend you to my friend.  I might even make a point of meeting you to tell you about my friend.

When you speak in general terms, your message fails to get attention, and without your prospects’ attention you stand no chance of generating business from them. 

Narrow down your message for a very specific individual who won’t be able to resist listening to a message tailored to his needs, wants, or fears. 

Then, watch your business transform faster than you believed possible.

Another way to transform your business is to get past any fears you have about calling your prospects. If you're ready to overcome the self-sabotage of sales call reluctance, watch my free video "How to Call Prospects When You Lack Courage."