|
Written by Wei-Jing Zhu
|
|
|
|
Saturday, 19 May 2007
Notes while reading the delightful book "Selling the Invisible" by Beckwith. There are no chapters, but topics with single page concise thoughts. Definitely a classic to have and read through.
See also:
Yet everyone reads what they are able to comprehend. So what they noted as important is not the same as what I noted.
My notes on Selling the invisible
Make your service impecable.
Marketing.
Enable third party survey.
Interact with people directly, e.g. in person or by phone.
Marketing
- not just for a department.
- what are you good at? transferable skills
- what do clients really buy?
- service = relationship
- your competitor is your DIY client
- new technology and innovative ways to improve service
- improve each point of contact significantly, e.g. preach to the choir
- life is like high school: popularity contest
Planning
- diversify your options to anticipate risks
- Don't depend on strategies. Do Anything, then learn from mistakes.
- It is never about a better mousetrap perfected.
- Passionate execution of small idea is better than marginal execution of big idea.
- Do it now. It will beat tomorrow's better idea.
- Keep moving.
- Smart people stomp ideas. Allow for dumb ideas.
- Don't rely on focus groups to tell you what people will want tomorrow.
- Dont let perfect ruin good.
- Dont depend on: experts, authority, experience, common sense ...
- Anything is possible. Do it.
How prospects think
- reasons are never enough
- choose the familiar: better to be known badly than not known at all
- biased by the most recent data, event, story => follow up brilliantly
- choose good-enough
- Anchor principle: people are fixated by first impressions. How are you first perceived by: your family, your clients, ... e.g. Prophet has no honor in his hometown. Better to do business with strangers than friends who expects free service.
- last impression lasts.
- people choose the familiar to minimize risk and uncertainty
- eliminate your client's fear
- admit your weakness
- the more similar the services, the more important the difference
Position and Focus
- position
- position statement
- positioning your competitor
- focus
- fewer words but more impact
- to clients, your troops,
Never about the price
- ugly cats
- doubling the price
- dont charge by the hour, charge by the years of your experience
- charge for knowing where
Names
- distinguish your business by its name
- information per inch test
- service = brand = promise = integrity
- takes imagination
Communicating and Selling
- fight indifference
- say one thing
- say many things communicates nothing
- give one good reason
- repeat
- use stories
- attack the stereotype the prospect has about you
- create evidence for your service quality
- no tricks
- prospects buy "who you are"
- people buy what they see.
- make sure people see who you are, judge you by the cover.
- let rumors market you.
- simplify your message with a metaphor
- single sentence why buy from you and not others
- advertising = publicity
- give editors a story
- make your service easy to buy
- sell your prospect: find out who they are, talk about him, not you,
- above all, sell hope
Keeping clients
- dont raise expectations you cannot meet
- shape their expectation
- say thank you, often
- keep your product relevant. out of sight = out of mind
Quick fixes
- sweat the small stuff
- first call - how good is yours
- speed
- over deliver
- make client happy every day
- fix your message
- risk yourself
- get out there, open to possibilities. Let opportunity hit you.
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment 1.0 beta 2! |
| Last Updated (
Sunday, 17 June 2007 ) |
Home 
