Selling the Invisible: How to Improve Service Marketing

Getting Started STEP ONE: First step IS your service

Before you market anything, FIX your service!

Assume it is bad: it will force you to improve

Bad News: We’re competing with Disney○ Ignore industry benchmarks; create

the possible service

Getting Started cont.

Forget the excuses- Remember

McDonalds… Those “You want it when?”

cartoons aren’t funny.

Getting Started cont…

Hire people that care

Outstanding service does not mean ZERO defects; mistakes are opportunities

Write an ad for your service; see if your service honestly meets the expectations

Getting Started cont… Your service is the HEART of

service marketing; check your pulse.

Don‘t think better… think different

Create the possible service

Surveying & Research

Even your best friends won’t tell you…So, how DO you improve your service?

ASK!

Surveying & Research cont…4 Tips for improving survey

results1. Have a third party do your

surveys

2. The Letterman Principle: Unless you are convinced you can interpret written surveys, always use verbal surveys.

Surveys Cont.

4 Tips for improving survey results

3. Never ask… “What don’t you like”, instead ask “What would you like to see improved?”

4. SURVEY, SURVEY, SURVEY!!!

Positioning & Focus

The more you say… the less people hear

Have fanatical focus; stand for one distinctive thing that will give you a competitive advantage

What is the hardest task to do? Work to become an expert at it!

Positioning & Focus cont.

No two services are the same… look harder to find the differences

Fear of positioning: To broaden your appeal, narrow your focus

Creating a “Positioning Statement”

Your Position: A cold-hearted, no nonsense statement of how you are perceived in the minds of prospects. It IS your position.

Creating a “Positioning Statement”

Your Positioning Statement: States how you WISH to be perceived. It is the core message you want to deliver in every medium to influence the perceptions of your service.

Answer Some Questions… Who: Who are you? What: What business are you in? For Whom: What people do you serve? What Need: What are the special

needs of the people you serve? Against Whom: With whom are we

competing? What’s Different: What makes you

different from those competitors?

And a last one…

So? What’s the benefit? What unique benefit does a client

derive from your service?

Narrow the Gap

Narrow the gap between your position and positioning statement

Keep the steps small or people won’t make the leap

Craft bold dreams but realistic positioning statements; people can’t make huge perceptual leaps

Reposition the CompetitionDevelop a style and stand for it;

not a little of this, a little of that

Stress your advantages; responsive and caring and?

Relentless focus; you can’t afford not to. Focus wins!

PlanningA Quick Summary of common

Fallacies… by Harry Beckwith

1. You can’t know what’s ahead; plan for several futures.

2. You can know what you want; 3 ideas1. Accept limitations of planning2. Value planning for process, not result3. Don’t plan your future; plan your people

Planning Fallacies

3. Strategy is king, execution rules!

4. Build a better mousetrap; execute passionately.

5. There will not be a perfect time; do it now!

6. Patience is a virtue; keep moving.

Planning Fallacies

7. Think smart. Think DUMB!

8. Planning is imprecise; mistrust “facts”

9. Beware focus groups; they focus ontoday less than the future.

10. Beware memory; in planning, beware what you THINK you remember!

Planning Fallacies11. Experience: Have a healthy distrust of

what experience has taught you.

12. Confidence: Beware of overconfidence bias… maybe they’re right!

13. Perfection: Don’t let perfection ruin good… don’t wait forever!

14. Failure: Start failing so you can start succeeding.

The Last Three!15. Authority: The bumper stickers

are right… question authority!

16. Common Sense: Common sense gets you only so far…for inspiring results, you’ll need inspiration

17. Fate: YOU GOTTA BELIEVE!!!

Communicating & SellingFirst two rules of service

marketing:

1) Make the service visible2) Make the prospect comfortable

Our First Competitor is Indifference!

Communicating & Selling If you say two things, people remember

one; say one thing.

Saying many things communicates nothing.

Meet your markets need.

Attack the stereotype- attack your first weakness (the stereotype the prospect has about you)

Communicating & Selling Good basic communicating is good basic

marketing

Build your case; create the evidence of service quality. NO TRICKS!

Prospects buy how good you are at who you are!

Convey that you are positively good.

Communicating and Selling Sometimes, it’s ALL in how you say it.

Get to your point, or you’ll never get to the close.

Don’t sell your service, sell your prospect.

Focus on buying, not selling; make your service easy to buy.

Other Considerations & Presentations How to nurture and keep your

clients. How many ways to say thanks to

your customers. Quick Fixes: A short summary of

quick win solutions. The Collision Principle: Get out

there, get everywhere, let opportunity hit you.

Just Do It…Forward motion leads to

forward motion…

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