Positioning Is Everything

I feel like working at InfusionSoft has been my own Ph.D. program in small business marketing.

I’m not just running my own business, I’m also seeing data from across hundreds of businesses and helping entrepreneurs become more successful themselves.

I like finding solutions to the core problems small businesses face because fixing those are what really gets them growing.

I always try to keep my solutions simple, because often when you increase complexity you’re actually giving yourself a weaker result.

The root cause of most problems is usually based on one or two issues, “bad targeting of their market” and “their marketing positioning.”

It’s not just targeting the wrong people, it’s not having a deep commitment to understanding their psychology and why this specific problem matters to them.

If you don’t know these things you’re not going to be able to deliver a compelling message to that audience.

With marketing positioning, too many businesses don’t realize that selling to different types of customers requires you to use unique positioning strategies.

You don’t sell hamburgers to adults the same way you do to kids for example.

You want to get clear on these items before you get too deep into forming strategies and campaigns.

Knowing the target and your product’s positioning is what should be guiding the language you use and how you speak to your market.

When you’re following up with customers you want to pay attention to what brought them into communication with your business in the first place.

Different products will dictate different styles of follow up.

If it’s a product that will need to be refilled periodically then that’s not going to require the same type of follow up than if you’re selling mortgages.

When you’re following up with a new customer it’s a good practice to pay attention to what you believe your next sale to them will be.

Perhaps it’s not another sale, but instead, asking them for referrals six months from their purchase date.

If it’s a one-time use product what you want to do in your follow up is continue to remind them about the value of their purchase.

Perhaps there are features they may have overlooked that will allow them to get even more functionality out of the same product.

This is even easier for a service based business like a lawn care service. The sales may seem more transactional, but they also don’t take too much maintenance to stay top of mind with your clients.

You can send them educational content that will help support the value you’re already providing to them as a business.

Timing this so it occurs prior to your next estimated transaction date is a good way to retain your clients over time.

Timing is key to consider with your follow-ups so you’re keeping in line with your customer’s expectations in terms of contact with you.

If you’re selling an ebook you don’t want to follow up on how they liked it within 2 days since that’s not enough time for most people to finish the material.

From there you can get feedback or ask for a referral depending on how their interaction with your business went.

Action Steps

  1. Determine what the next sale or relationship point with your customer is.
  2. Provide them with a follow up by email that guides them towards this next point.
  3. Add value to their purchase or to the service they’ve already contracted.
  4. Follow up at the proper time to retain your relationships, solicit feedback and referrals as well.

 

Result You Will Achieve

Better online interactions and more referrals from customers by mastering the art of the follow-up, understanding positioning and your customer’s needs.

Mentor: Paul Sokol

Automation Specialist of PLS Consulting. Paul Sokol was the Automated Experience Expert at Infusionsoft – has designed automated marketing strategies since 2008.

This article is based on an EHQ interview with the mentor.