It’s a marketing maxim that only about 3% of a market is ready to buy at any one time. I have no idea if that is true numbers-wise but you get the idea. It means that almost ALL of your possible prospects aren’t currently in buy mode for your product or service.
Yet, the majority of ads are “Buy My Stuff” type ads. It targets that 3% and leaves the other 97% strolling right on by. That is wasted money, wasted time and, more importantly, wasted OPPORTUNITY.
So, what do we do?
Well, we’ve got to have other stuff around that they will be interested in. Things they will find useful and valuable. These things can also pull them along the process and make them more ready to buy… from YOU.
“But, wait just one minute Jason. I gotta pay bills NOW!”
True. True.
You gotta get sales NOW… and, you gotta start planting those seeds for a future harvest. Or, you’re gonna be caught in this Feast or Famine cycle which no one loves.
Here’s the thing. Once you start doing what I’m about to tell you to do you’re gonna find that you have much fewer of those Feast or Famine cycles and more of those Kingly Feasts!
Let’s bring this to life. I’ll use a Windows & Siding Company since so many of them come to me wanting to buy leads. Here’s where most of them are at Marketing-wise:
“Hey homeowner! Get a quote from us to replace your windows! We have great reviews!”
Hmmm….
Guess what? You go to every other Windows and Doors and Siding website and you’ll see pretty much the same thing. They’re all in a bloody battle for that “3%”. Then, they say “Advertising is too expensive.” and, they’re not lying. If that’s how you do it then Advertising *IS* too expensive. Can you think of anything that would NOT be expensive if you wasted 97% of it?
So, what do you do?
You make it your job to educate them, enlighten them, help them all along the way. You’ve no doubt FORGOTTEN more about Windows or Siding or Doors (or whatever it is that you sell) than they currently know.
How about a nice video of you explaining how different types of windows work? What about an explanation of how the whole process goes… from selecting which Windows to replace to how you guys measure it, to how long it typically takes, to what kinds of pre-cautions or techniques you use to make sure the whole thing comes off spectacularly?
What about a story about one of your customers and WHY she wanted new windows. Here’s one:
“I didn’t realize how bad my windows looked until I saw them in my daughter’s wedding photos.”That’s what Donna from Flower Mound told me. The photographer had done an outdoor shoot in front of the house. Beautiful dress, beautiful flowers. And right there in the background: yellowed frames, cracked caulking, one pane with a fogged-over seal that had failed years ago. She’d stopped noticing it. You do that with things you look at every day. But in the photo? It was the first thing she saw.Yada, yada, yada…
Here’s one: “7 Common Mistakes Window Buyers Make.”
Now, if you were really bold you could go whole hog on this and create “The Homeowner’s Guide to Windows, Doors, Siding, Roofing and Every Kind of Repair or Fixit You Can Think Of.” and get a bunch of OTHER vendors in your area to supply you with info. Charge $5 to MAIL it to them (yes, literally send it to them). But, that’s only if you want to DOMINATE.
Ok… hopefully you’re getting the point. You can’t just be yelling, “Hey homeowner lady! I’ll give you a quote! We have 5-Star Google Reviews!” and expect to really reach the upper echelons.
Anyways, if you had a bunch of these types of things floating around on your Facebook, your website and your email list you’d start to experience this whole marketing thing differently. Sure, it’d take a little bit of time (90 days) but don’t all seeds take a little while to sprout and yield a harvest?
Best,