There was a time that we were only presented with options for the masses. The messages put on the airwaves, newspapers or magazines were about production. Outproduce the competition and you could get the attention needed for sales. Exactly who was looking at your message and when was secondary. We didn’t have the fine tune controls for it to matter. It was simply a numbers game.
In the digital age, we can measure what is happening and allow our messages to become more targeted and personal. The sales funnel may start with more mass approaches at the top, but they can get more personal the further down a person engages. Thus, a buyer may not know who you are. Your name and what you offer is mixed in with the thousands of other relentless messages they receive.
However, you might offer an invitation or a step which catches their attention. The well-placed advertisement should not be a selling pitch. That would ruin a first date with your customer. A step will do.
The Personal Step
The challenge is moving a mass message to a more personal encounter. If your funnel has been designed well, then each step of the way is a touchpoint that increases in trust. You get to know who the person that shed anonymity is and they get to know more about your value proposition. It’s a mutual and well-timed exchange of value. Here’s what is important in the progression:
- Connection. Your message and the buyer’s thinking have to connect. Their distractions have to be overcome. Your message has to appeal within a short period of time and speak to a problem or strong desire quickly and potently.
- Individualism. Each buyer may start with something generic, but by the time they engage your salesperson, there should be increased recognition and servicing around who they are as an individual. What one person cares about is typically completely different than what another is going to focus on.
- High touch. There’s a time to let someone self-service and there is a time when they are ready for a conversation. Knowing the difference and ensuring the touch points match the ideal experience has to be managed by both systems and intentional thought.
If you treat every customer the same, then you may be ignored because your message risks irrelevance. You are selling rather than helping a person buy. There’s a big difference in the feel and experience for a buyer.
Where can your own process get more targeted and personal?