I recently dialed a wrong telephone number and heard the
following recorded message:

"Hi. You've reached Mike and Kathy. Who are you and why do
we care?"

It was immediately followed by the "beep" signaling my
opportunity to leave a message. I obviously dialed the wrong
number so I hung up. But then I started thinking about that
abrupt message. That's exactly what every potential customer
thinks when he or she is exposed to any advertising
message... "Who is this and why do I care?"

DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWER?

How would you answer a prospective customer who asked, "Who
are you and why should I care?" If you were the prospect,
would that answer increase or decrease the desire to do
business with you?

Prospects may not ask you this question -- at least not in
words that blunt. But they are asking it, silently and
unconsciously, every time they see your ad, visit your
website or listen to your sales presentation. You can
increase the effectiveness of all your advertising by
automatically answering it for them. It's actually a 2 part
question so we'll look at each part separately.

PART 1: "WHO ARE YOU...?"

People only buy products and services from companies and
individuals they trust. Part of that trust is the assurance
that you're capable of delivering the benefit each customer
expects in return for the money he or she pays you.

The unspoken answer to "Who are you...?" may be as simple as
including a statement like, "authorized distributor for ???"
(the name of a well-known company) in your ads or
promotional material. New distributors for network marketing
companies often use the well-known corporate name of their
company to establish credibility for their business
opportunity offer. Opportunity seekers tend to overlook the
credentials of a novice distributor when the opportunity is
supported by the resources of a well-known large company.

TIP: Instead of listing professional credentials or personal
achievements, convert them into benefits for your customers.
For example, prospects and customers don't care that you
were a top producer in your organization last quarter. They
do care that you helped so many new distributors just like
them get off to a fast start last quarter that their
production made you a top producer in your organization.

PART 2: "...AND WHY DO I CARE?"

People buy things because they expect to gain something more
valuable (to them) than the money they spend to get it. What
they expect to gain is a BIG BENEFIT. That's why they care
-- IF they are the right prospects for your product or
service.

You control whether or not they're the right prospects. How?
By targeting your advertising to reach prospects most likely
to have a strong need or desire for the benefits provided by
your product or service. It's easy to capture the attention
and interest of prospective customers when they already need
or want the benefits you provide.

TIP: Be sure to promote the biggest single benefit you offer
to prospects in your targeted market. If you target several
different markets, determine the most important benefit for
each and promote it in that market. The big benefit may be
different for each market.

You may never be asked, "Who are you and why do I care?" But
prospects and customers silently and unconsciously ask it
every time they see your ad, visit your website or listen to
your sales presentation. You'll see a dramatic increase in
the results of any ad or promotion when you automatically
give them the answer.

About the Author
Bob Leduc retired from a 30 year career of recruiting sales
personnel and developing sales leads. For more information...
mailto:BobLeduc@aol.com. Phone: (702) 658-1707 (After 10 AM Pacific time)
Or write: Bob Leduc, PO Box 33628, Las Vegas, NV 89133