World events and the economic climate of the past few years have changed the way clients view special events. When times are good, clients spend money. When times are tough, clients pull back and look at events as perks, benefits and often times, as an expense. During these times, our clients need us most to help them increase business and market share. Learn the strategies necessary to position your business as a “must have” resource for your clients when tough times arise, as well as, how to take advantage of the opportunities to grow your business in good times.
A. What pain is keeping them up at night?
1. What are the three biggest challenges/ problems you are facing in your job, your business, your event planning, your wedding planning, your meeting planning, etc.?
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2. What do you see as the solutions to those problems? How would you solve them?…Surprisingly, you will find that most of the people you speak to will know the answers to their problems, but they just don’t know how to solve them themselves.
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3. What do you see happening in the next few years that will affect those problems? (This question may not apply to brides and some other prospects)
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B. State that problem in as detailed a way as possible.
This problem must have everything to do with the client and nothing to do with you. I’ll repeat this. The problem has to be all about the client and not about you. This is so important, yet it’s a detail that many marketers miss.
1. Client-centered problems
2. Conditional problems
D. Creating the problem component of your message:
1. Put a professional planner in charge of your event (where planning is a problem).
2. Take the confusion out of finding the right…(where finding the right vendor is a problem).
3. WOW every one of your customers (where impressing their guests is the problem).
Solutions are what your clients want and need from you.
Let’s look at a few solutions:
· Less stress
· Stress-free planning
· Saving time
· Making you look good
· Guaranteed successful event
· Increased attendance
· Higher sales
· Looking better
· Feeling better
· Being healthier
· One-stop shopping
It’s okay to target several audiences…but only after you have defined and targeted your primary target audience first.
A. Determining Your Target Market:
My clients have the following problem:
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This is the solution I have for them:
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This is the target audience I am going to solve the problems for:
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You would start by asking:
“Do you know how…?”
Or
“Do you
know when…?”
and follow with
“What we do
is…”
An event planner could say something like this:
“When you plan an event, booking the date and the hotel is quick and easy. Then come the particulars and the details that take lots of time. So many choices, so many dishonest, unprofessional vendors that drive you crazy and slow your job down to a crawl…We bring you all the solutions you need to plan a successful event that makes you look like a pro at planning and saves you time and money.”
Or
“What’s worse than having an
event where the suppliers aren’t professionals?… They make you look like a fool; they overcharge you. Your guests don’t have a good time and the boss
is fuming at you…We put the “Special” into your special event with guaranteed
WOW and Success to every event.”
Your problem has to be real in the mind of the customer or your solution is meaningless. If your solution is weak and overused like most of your competitors, you’ll have almost no chance of interrupting their mindset and joining their conversation.
But how do you find out what their main objections are?
A. Objections to Hiring an Event Planner:
The objection racing through the mind of the client is:
“I wonder if hiring an event
planner for our event is the right thing to do. We might lose control of the event. Should we do it ourselves?”
B. The “Feel, Felt, Found” technique:
1. You start by empathizing with the prospect, by telling them you understand how they Feel and why they might be feeling that way.
2. Then you bring in other
customers and relate how they, too, have Felt that way.
3. Now, here’s what others have Found
from their experience…
A. Person’s name or Company (the client) had (a problem) that was bothering them, a problem that was causing them pain and anxiety that they were stuck with.
B. You, the product/service provider, came in and provided your product/service, and they got (the solution).
C. Since that product/service was provided, they got (benefit/result/advantage).
That’s the formula!
Here’s how you can reduce or eliminate the risk to the prospect:
· Give them a “test drive” of your product or service.
· Show them examples of how you do business.
· Provide them with a FREE consultation.
· Give a Money-Back Guarantee based on “point of consumption”.
· Tell them your service will be done by a certain time period or it’s free.
· Promise a specific product that provides a specific benefit and guarantee it.
“Why
should I buy from
you when I can probably buy this product/service that I know that I need from
any other source?”
Here’s where your P.O.D. (Points of Difference) come in.