Looking for a quick fix for your sales or marketing troubles? Some people will say there is no such thing. I disagree. Quite often there are speedy solutions, but people ignore them because they seem too easy to work.
If you’re struggling to increase sales and your efforts are falling flat, you might be trying to reach too many people. While selling to everyone who could possibly become a customer may feel like the best approach for your business, it probably isn’t.
Heres why you can’t sell to everyone:
1. Blurry is bad. Focus is your friend.
When you take a picture with a smartphone, you tap on the center of the screen to focus on the items or faces you want to highlight. Take the image without stopping to focus, and the result is a blurry mess. Faces are fuzzy and it’s hard to tell who’s who. You have a photo that no one wants to look at, much less share.
Trying to sell to everyone is like taking a picture. You can do it, but the result isn’t pretty. Applying a sharper focus to your sales and marketing lets you hone in on the people who are your best prospects. With clear vision, your efforts will be much more effective – and enjoyable.
The people in you business picture will be happy with the outcome, and they’ll share your brand, leading to referrals and more sales.
2. It’s impossible to please everyone.
It’s a fact of life that not everybody will be happy at the same time. As much as you might try, one person will feel hot when another is cold. One looks up when another looks down. People are inherently different.
Successful selling requires understanding which people you can serve with optimal results, not simply who you can or might possibly serve. This target audience might include a wide variety of demographics, personalities or needs, but invariably these buyers will have some things in common.
Find out what these commonalities are so you can thoroughly understand how to help these people achieve their goals. The more targeted your approach, the more passionate these ideal customers will feel about what you do for them.
3. Bland is boring.
An offering designed to appeal to everyone rarely succeeds. By the time you remove every element that someone (or anyone) dislikes, there’s precious little flavor or personality left to make your business stand out.
With a lack of differentiation, you look and sound just like everyone else in your market. No one can remember why your business is any better than another, and that’s not only boring, it’s toxic.
The best products and services are distinctive, appealing to buyers who appreciate those unique attributes. The people see your value, and can help you sell by spreading the word about to others who share their interests and perspectives.
If you want to quickly increase sales revenue, apply these three principles:
- Focus on a carefully selected target market. When you think you’re there, sharpen your focus even more.
- Decide who in the overall market you can please best, and do it exceptionally well, just for them.
- Be distinctive. Differentiate instead of following the herd. You’ll be more memorable and profitable.
Make a commitment to these three areas and it will pay off with surprising speed. Give it a try and let me know how it works out.
Image courtesy of Gabriella Fabbri