What marketers never tell you

Tell me if this is you...

One day, you have an idea. It’s your very own idea, getting you excited just thinking about it! You do some market research and realize that there’s a demand for your solution and that your competitors aren’t doing it right. You decide to go for it - you start your own company. You pitch investors and successfully fund your idea, offering your solutions, connecting with clients, getting your business off the ground.

A few years later, you've made it, your business is running, with a few employees, all of them enjoying their day job and their fantastic boss. But you're looking for more, it's time to grow, it’s time for new clients - it’s time to market big and reach a wide audience.

You do what everyone else does. You get in touch with a marketing company, they seem legit and tell you all about their previously successful campaigns. You're sold, so you tell them all about your solution, your team, your journey, and why everyone should buy your solution.

Your marketers smile and nod and begin creating marketing material, all focused on how awesome YOU are. Six months later, you decide to fire your marketing company because there is no growth whatsoever, and you’re wasting tons of money on these "so-called professionals" who can't even tell you what's wrong.

Now, you're back to where you were six months ago. What went wrong?

I’m going to tell you, and it’s not going to be fun to hear, but here is what your marketing company should have told early on…

No one cares…

Now, while that sounds harsh, the fact that you don’t pick your toothpaste based on personal admiration for the toothpaste CEO and board members doesn’t seem to bother you. Yet you expect people to carry the same passion for your company as you do? Sadly, they don't.

It feels like a punch in the gut, but let it sink in. They don’t care, and why should they…

Now you’re asking - “So how do I make them care?"

You don't have to make them care, they do care. - they care about what you should have cared about from the start in order to sell your solution – themselves.

In short, if your content is focused on you, and not them, you lose. Here is the good news, it's not difficult to pivot and make your marketing client-focused.

Here are five things to make it happen:

1.??????Understand their frustration. Showing empathy isn't only the key to understanding your client's needs, but it also creates a genuine connection with your clients. Empathy creates understanding, and understanding creates trust, and trust is the gateway to serving your clientele with your solution.

2.??????Tell their story. Not your story, but theirs. A story about overcoming hindrances and achieving success. Every story has a hero, and every story has a red pill, a magic sword or a holy grail that makes helps them overcome their challenges. In your client's story, their magic power and uniqueness is their willingness to make a change, and their secret power is your solution.

3.??????Speak their language. While your solution might be the obvious, logical choice, the problem is that humans aren't logical, they are emotional. Your clients aren't looking for your solution for the purpose of purchasing your solution, they are looking for a way to ease the stress and frustration that comes from lacking your solution. Speak into their frustration with empathy, and then introduce your solutions.

4.??????Make it bigger than yourself. Your solution isn't only about your client's success, but it contributes to the greater good. Make your solution about more than solving a direct problem. Make it about empowering your clients to make a difference in the world as well.

5.??????Tell them what to do. Your clients come to you for answers, so don't be afraid to tell them what they need to do in a way that they can understand you, with clear action.

With these five points, keep in mind that change is a process, and takes time. Trust your gut and find some good advice to make the right changes. Be'Hatzlacha - good luck.