Marketing the invisible: services
Our business is a service, and it's hard to sell
something you can't see. We've collected testimonials from satisfied clients,
but those are not enough. We know we need to show the benefits from using our
services, but benefits don’t tell the whole story. How do we market services?
—Lynn, Principal
Summary of Advice Received
How to sell the invisible: Why selling
Batman is easier than Invisible Man
by Meryl K. Evans, eNJ Editor
Describing Batman is easier than
Invisible Man. You can describe the caped crusader (well, depending on which one
— comic strip, TV show or movies) by saying he wears a gray body suit with
tights, a black mask that hides everything except his mouth and chin and has
pointy ears, black boots and a cool car called the Batmobile. The outfit is
finished off with a big black bat logo on his chest for a touch of branding.
Invisible Man? Walk 10 feet north or
maybe he moved west ... oh, just keep working until you run into something you
can't see. That's the guy. He catches bad guys because they never see him
coming.
We've had times in our lives when we
wish we could instantly become invisible. But when people can't see you, it's
harder to find you and take advantage of your services. While it's not easy to
make your services visible by showing the end-results or benefits they create,
it's possible to make the strengths of your services stand out in any of the
following ways.
Focus on the benefits
Most managers and marketers know that selling
benefits works. However, the problem is that most sell features rather than the
benefits. The features for a computer include having a fast processor, a flat
screen monitor, a keyboard and a mouse. A benefit: saving time. You save time
because you don't start over or use correction fluid whenever you make a mistake
while typing using a typewriter.
Not only does Ken Farrish, president of Farrish
Marketing Services, recommend
highlighting benefits, but also offers a few additional suggestions.
-
"Highlight the benefits or results (be specific
to their needs) that your client will enjoy after using your services. Also,
provide a brief outline of the key procedures or steps that involved in the
process of delivering your services, so the prospect understands the depth of
your offering. If you price your services based on an hourly rate, offer two or
three "packages" or "examples" that help the prospect get potential time and
cost into perspective.
-
"Offer your services in stages, to reduce the
prospects' perception of risk and cost. For example, Stage 1: Situation
Evaluation & Proposed Solution(s), Stage 2: Project Pilot, Stage 3: Project
Completion, Stage 4: Project Evaluation & Ongoing Maintenance."
Establish yourself as an expert
Many experts often get called on to do
presentations, give a quote or two for an article or provide sound bite. Allison
Kessler, creative director at 2Design Web, has had much success due to her
establishing herself as an expert.
-
"How do you establish
yourself as an expert? My answer is from an online point of view only — where I
get my best leads. Post several important and interesting articles (how tos,
tips, latest industry news) on your Web site or other reputable sites. This also
helps increase your search engine rankings. Include internal links within your
web site to lead people through your content. Each web page in my site has
almost the same amount of pageviews and that's with over 70 pages of content.
-
"When I suggest
something, I link to a case study where I have done it before and have a
satisfied customer. When writing content, speak directly to your visitors, be
enthusiastic about your services and give lots of ideas to get your readers to
start trying on and owning your service. Add a call to action based on what you
want people to do on your site. I have my phone number, contact email and
request a quote form at every turn. Answer your phone. A lot of people will try
your number in order to verify who's a real business."
People with experts in a niche area often get
called upon when anything comes up having to do with their expertise. Have you
noticed many of the same names appear whenever you read an article covering a
specific topic?
Use testimonials and case studies
Testimonials and case studies take pressure off
— especially for those who don't like to talk about themselves or feel it comes
across as not genuine — because they do the selling for you. A reader recommends
case studies because they show how your services takes care of the client's
needs or wants of people. Potential customers might see themselves in the case
studies.
-
"Be careful with those case studies. Some sound
like a marketing staff member wrote it as you find words like wonderful,
superior and excellent
sprinkled throughout the study. A case study
simply identifies the problem and how you arrived at the solution."
As for testimonials, not just any old
testimonial will do. What does, "She is great!" tell you? For all we know, the
person giving the testimonial could've hated the service, but thinks "she is a
great..." dresser.
To get a high quality testimonial, say
something similar to the following:
-
"I am looking for success stories from
customers like you. If you have a success story, please share it or give
testimonial. What have my services helped you achieve ...?"
You can get more specific depending on your services. If you're a Web designer,
you could ask, "What has the Web site helped you achieve?"
If those infomercials have one favorite saying, it's got to be, "Money-back
guaranteed!" It's a cheesy, but successful line. Ken
Farrish recommends offering a risk-reducing guarantee along the lines of, "If at
any time you are unsatisfied with our performance, you may cancel our contract."
Farrish adds several more suggestions.
-
"Be honest and up front.
Use the 'intangible' to your benefit. Let prospects know it's a challenge
marketing a service. From their perspective, it's also most likely a challenge
in purchasing a service. See if you can leverage this challenge/opportunity by
showing them how you can help them through the process. When the project is
complete, ask your customer for their suggestions on how you could improve your
'service marketing.'"
You might find the first-class newsletter,
Professional Services Journal, a great resource for ideas because
the newsletter aims to help those in the services business. Its
archives are available and you might just dig up a gem. Disclaimer,
we're prejudiced as this is another one of our newsletters and reader feedback
says they're benefiting from it.
Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven
behind meryl.net, helping companies get better results through simple
words that make a big impact. Contact her to discuss how your
business can boost its profits.
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