7 Customer-Centric Marketing Techniques

1. Values and Identity

You must have heard the old saying:
"People buy from people they know, like, and trust."

And it's true.
Sure, there are times when you have bought from someone you couldn't stand.
You might buy a hot dog on the street from a stranger who you don't know.

And there are certain kinds of salespeople that no ever one trusts, it seems, but we still end up buying from them.
Yet, by and large, given the choice, you would rather buy from someone you know, like, and trust - wouldn't you?
Of course you would. But let me ask you something:

How do you know you like someone?
How do you know you trust someone?
How do you even know that you know someone?

This could become a long, philosophical discussion.
You and I might enjoy discovering how we get to know people and what are the steps to getting to like someone and building trust.

And, truth be told, it's probably just a little different for each of us.

But we don't have time for that. We need a shortcut, a tried-and-true method, a simple technique that can build that feeling of "knowing, liking, and trusting" in our prospects' minds, even before they have ever met us.

And fortunately, there is such a method.

It has to do with sharing your own personal / or your company's core / values and identity.

Very few people even try to do this, and of those who do, even fewer do it well.
But don't worry about doing it well.
If you make a sincere attempt, following the guidelines of the Template I'm about to give you, you will go a long way towards creating that kind of bond with your prospects.

They'll end up saying (or writing) things like,
"I don't know why, but I could tell she was the kind of person I want to do business with."

Values and identity are why.

Here's your first Template:

Template 1: Values and Identity

Step by step:

How to develop sales-inducing content to use in your copy as you share your values and identity with your prospects:

Part 1

1. Make a list of your most important values.
Do this on a separate document on your computer, or a clean sheet of paper.
This is important! Take your time.


Values are concepts and principles that are important to you.
They are the "guiding lights" that influence your behavior, priorities, decisions, and actions.

For example:

Freedom
Respect
Community
Tradition
Innovation
Family
Independence
Relationship
Empowering Others

Those are examples.
You may relate to all... some... or none of the above!
Everyone's different.

After you have your list, set it aside for a moment and make another list: Identity.


2. As you think about your role(s) in the world. in your job. in your family. in your community.
What comes to mind?
On a fresh document or sheet of paper, write this down.

Some examples might be:

- I'm a good provider for my family.
- I'm a natural leader.
- I'm supportive of people when they're at their best and when they're at their worst, as well.


By the way, here's an opportunity to stretch beyond your "job description."

Don't limit what you're saying to:
"I'm a bus driver." "I'm a CEO." "I'm a civil engineer."
You can include those on your list if you want, but what we're looking for here is who you are in relationship to other people.
Why?
Because that's the kind of identity that can help improve the power of your sales copy.

Now, again, everyone has their own sense of identity.

Some, all, or none of the above examples might ring a bell with you.
Take your time to think about who you are in life and how you express who you are in your interactions with others.




Part 2

1. Now you have two lists:
Values, and Identity.

If they are handwritten, make a copy of each list and store the original away for safekeeping.
If they are on your computer, print out one of each list.

2. Go to your first list, Values.

Circle the values that you have heard or otherwise noticed are the same as those of your customers -or would be seen as important and appealing by your customers if they knew you/your company had those values.

3. Do the same thing with the Identity list.

4. Optional: If you don't know what your customers' values and senses of personal identity are -ask them!


You can do so in personal interviews, or by online surveys.
A great free online tool you can use for surveys is
surveymonkey.com.

The more you know about your customers, the better you will be able to serve them - and, the more they will buy from you!


Part 3

Now, use what you have just discovered when you write your copy.

This is incredibly powerful - it will bond your customers to you for a long time to come!

Here are a couple examples:

1. If a top value of yours that resonates with your customers is leadership, and an important part of your identity is as a healer, you might use copy like this in your marketing:

All my life, I have found myself blazing trails for others -in my family, in business, even in church groups.
Wellness has always been a big priority with me, and that is why I have chosen to become a distributor for these nutritional supplements on the Internet.

2. Let's say a top value of yours is teaching and learning, and a big part of your identity is as a coach.
You could use this in your copy:



See how those examples bring copy to life in a much more vibrant (and compelling way) than the typical dull prose that you read in most emails and on most Web sites and blogs?

By getting to know the person a little bit at these all important values and identity levels, you develop a human connection that makes buying (and buying long-term) one heck of a lot easier and more probable!

And notice that while there was some work involved in getting clear on which information to include, it was only a few sentences in each example. But powerful - wow!

2. "This is you - happier"

When was the last time you saw a movie?
It may have been last weekend at a theater.
Then again, you might have watched a DVD or Blu-ray disc at home - or a movie on a cable channel.
If you travel a lot, you might even have one of those nifty portable DVD players you can take on an airplane with you.
Maybe that was where you last saw a movie.
My point is: Movies are big business. People spend a lot of time and a lot of money so they can watch movies.

There's something in human nature that likes movies.

What is it?

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure most people - when they recall events, or when they fantasize about something in the future - do so by running "movies" in their minds.

Even people who "can't visualize."
They may not be able to purposely construct images in their mind, but I bet they still review memories and anticipate future events by running mental movies, perhaps without even realizing what they're doing.

This is important because along with those mental movies come emotions.
Motivating emotions.

You know, the kind of emotions that lead people to buy things.

Like, say, your product or service.

Pretty nifty, huh?

What I mean is:
Suppose you could write copy that would cause prospects to put themselves in a mental movie with your product or service playing a starring role?

Oh really? You like that idea?
Good. Because that's what the next template is all about.

Template 2: "This is you -happier"

Step by step:

How to put your product or service into your prospect's life before they buy (by making it real in their imagination).

Part 1

Make three lists of how your product or service changes the lives of your customers.

Start with yourself -how has it changed your life?

Then, think about the customers and clients you are closest to and know the best. How has it

improved their lives?

Finally, let your imagination run wild -based on what you know, how could it make your prospect's life better?

Examples:

Let's say you sell a massage chair.

List #1: How the product has changed my life

Something you can look forward to and count on every day,
no matter how the rest of your life is going.
You don't have to go to the chiropractor as often because
your back just feels better all the time now.
Your sex drive is improved because you're feeling better more
relaxed, more comfortable in your body!


{MISSING}



List #3: Imagination gone wild! How the product could make your prospect's life better.

Here you have to use your imagination:

Something you can look forward to and count on every day,
no matter how the rest of your life is going.

You don't have to go to the chiropractor as often because
your back just feels better all the time now.

Your sex drive is improved because you're feeling better ­
more relaxed, more comfortable in your body!




Part 2

1. First of all, be aware what you just did was brainstorming.
That means, no holds barred - you could write anything! No editing, no second guessing. Just "let 'er rip!"

2. There's a time and a place for everything, and this is the time to take out what you shouldn't use in your final copy.


The new FTC rules are very clear that you can't make claims about performance of a
product or service that aren't "typical."

Unless you have rock-solid proof as to what "typical" is, leave out specific results that could get you in trouble.

3. What comes out? Here are some things you definitely do not want to include:

The massage chair lowers blood pressure. When you use the massage chair, you don't have to go to the chiropractor as often. The massage chair improves your sex drive!



Part 3

1. The trick is to offer possibilities that are likely, and non-specific, enough so that people feel intrigued, but do it without making specific claims.

2. So, from what you have left, write a paragraph or two that will play like a movie in your prospect's mind when they read it.

3. Here's an example of such copy:


Do you ever have a hard day at work? Almost everyone does. Imagine coming home and instead of having to pour yourself a stiff drink or take some pills to unwind, you had another, healthier, better choice: You could simply sink into what has now become your favorite chair, the Triple Ripple Relaxer, and feel the gentle soothing undulation of natural massage movements slowly, thoroughly, increasingly relaxing your neck, shoulders, ribs, lower back, hips, even knees and calves!

It all happens simply by sitting down and pushing a button. Relaxation without any difficult concentration or mind-altering substances. You feel better... you enjoy other people more... and just as important, you are a joy to be around yourself!

Now, that's a far cry from the actual words you brainstormed! But those first steps were necessary as part of the process to develop this copy.

Those steps, and what you wrote down, served as the foundation you used to springboard from, and write the "script" of the "movie" that brings your copy right into the imagination of your prospect - and makes your offer many times more appealing!






Technique 3: Summarize Benefits at the End
Flighty, excitable you.

Yes, no matter how cool-headed and rational you are, there are times when you lose it.

Admit it.

If you're a guy, it just might be when you're watching football.

If you're a gal, it's possible this happens when you're reading a romance novel.

Or not. Maybe football's not your game, and romance novels don't do the trick for you.

How about family?

A grandchild, a brother or sister, a parent - whether the emotions are positive or negative, welcome or dreaded, most people have the capacity to become slightly irrational when it comes to family.

Then there are th