Don’t Market … Message: How Good Messaging Wins You New Business at Lower Cost

E c h o P o i n t Marketing Partners

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How can a company have …A well-known brand

Comprehensive visual brand guidelines

A well-written and beautifully produced print/online presence

A huge marketing budget

And still be “leaving money on the table?”

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“We have a big budget and world-class brand guidelines.

We hire top creative talent.

Our marketing looks great.

So why don’t our customers — and our own people — understand what is unique and valuable about what we offer?”

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Sales calls Marketing materials Presentations

Keywords Employee Communications

Customer Service Speaking Engagements

Website Search words

MESSAGING

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What is messaging?

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BRAND

Value Proposition

Messaging

Content

Platform

Tactics

Copy & Visuals

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Brand

A brand is NOT a color palette, type face or company name

A brand is what people buy:

It is an asset with equity

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The value of a strong brand

Clearer focus = more qualified clients

Greater trust

Deeper loyalty

Higher margins

Higher success rate with new product/service offerings

Greater value (both for consumer and for investor/buyer)

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Value proposition

A statement that defines how a business proposes

to use its resources to deliver superior value to its customers

Why it is of value to this specific audience

How it differs from what is offered by any competitor

What you offer (it’s not about products, it’s about emotion)

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Translating your brand into a value proposition

The value proposition for doing your MBA at Harvard

You gain admission to the world’s

most prestigious and privileged “club,”

access to an elite network of fellow

Harvard MBAs and the badge of

leadership that sets you apart for the rest

of your life.

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Messaging

Messaging does not come from conjuring something new.

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Messaging comes from what you already know

WHO: Everything you know about your customers, industry, competitors

WHAT: Everything you know about your products, people, company

WHY NOW: Why is this product/solution possible now?

HOW LIFE CHANGES: What now becomes possible?

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A simple messaging formula

WHO

Customers:

Competitors:

Industry Trends:

+ WHAT

Our Brand:

Our Products/Solutions:

Our People:

+ WHYNOW

Reason to Act NOW:

Why Products/Solutions Were Not Possible Before:

What Advantages Does the Customer Get:

= HOW LIFE CHANGES

List Specifics to Paint the Picture:

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WHO

Customers: SVPs of active-living/assisted living senior communities

Competitors: single-person shops, salon chains “retrofitted” for the elderly

Industry Trends: Beautiful aging vs. anti-aging, economic issues/housing prices squeezing market

+ WHAT

Our Brand: celebrating longevity – of clients and of our relationships with communities

Our Products/Solutions: salon AND the spa services today’s seniors expect for beauty and health

Our People: experienced and genuinely enjoy serving the elderly population

+ WHYNOW

Reason to Act NOW: need to compete with newer communities and fill pipeline

Why Products/Solutions Were Not Possible Before: No one had a reproducible system until now

What Advantages Does the Customer Get: Happier residents, marketing edge

= HOW LIFE CHANGES

List Specifics to Paint the Picture: In just 7 days, we can transform your “beauty shop” into an upscale

salon-spa that can double monthly income for the community, create all-new marketing value for your sales

team, and a wealth of beauty and wellness services and social activities for your residents. Plus, no more

worries about managing the salon, meeting OSHA regulations, etc.

1. Inventory everything you know

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2.Link audience “wants” with what you offer

We want an edge in an

increasingly competitive

market

Spa services+

Beautiful salons

+Marketing Support

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3. Put the right messages in the right sequence

Motivation #1: keeping communities at capacity

Our upscale salon/spa updates and differentiates you

Attracts qualified prospects (right target audience)

Opportunities to use salon/spa for marketing events

Motivation #2: providing good lifestyle experience

Not “warehousing” senior citizens >> celebrating longevity

Learning/social opportunities

Experienced stylists/staff who connect with older people

Motivation #3: recurring income for communities

Upscale salon/spa attracts more customers

That’s why monthly revenues can DOUBLE quickly

It’s easy to switch, and we continue to handle everything

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Franchise sales sequencing

Engage prospect:

Vision + pain points

Present opportunity

Present evidence

Make the close

First impression

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4. Polish messaging into “content”

Rejuvenate your salon to enhance your community – and your marketing.

Our upscale salon-spa instantly enhances the

ambiance of your community, empowering you to win

affluent residents who are considering even the newest

luxury communities. Residents will love the seasonal

menus of facials, massages and other spa services;

you will love how the spa and our staff support you in

turning spa days into marketing events that far outshine

the luncheons offered by other communities.

Motivation #1: keeping communities at capacity

• upscale salon/spa updates and differentiates you

• Attracts qualified prospects (right target audience)

• Opportunities to use salon/spa for marketing events

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A repeatable system

A strong messaging platform gives you the power to …

Focus on your absolute best competitive advantages

Keep control of your brand

Get great results working with agencies, freelancers or in-house staff

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You can even apply metrics to messaging

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Franchise Assessment Summary

Overall messaging:

61%

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Messaging pitfalls

Avoid franchises’ 5 most-common mistakes

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Messaging Pitfall #1

Asking for too much commitment too soon

Open a conversation

Offer options

Be persistent not pushy

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Messaging Pitfall #2

24 year-old “creative”

for 50 year-old prospects

Watch out for word playKnow your audience

Watch out for word play

Don’t “talk down”

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Messaging Pitfall #3

Lack of specifics

Clichés

Hype

Vague statements that could apply to any franchise

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Messaging Pitfall #4

Too much messaging

ONE big idea

The 3-Point Rule

Room to breathe

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Messaging Pitfall #5

Chasing the Competition

Build your best strategy

Play up your strengths

Stay true to your brand

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Recap

Good messaging …

Starts with the brand

Integrates everything you know about customers and markets

Stays consistent across platforms and media (print, online, face to face)

Can be managed and measured

Saves you time, money and mistakes

Attracts more qualified customers more quickly

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So before you market … message

It’s the surest way to spend less and win more business