Did you propose to your spouse on the first date? Of course not – if you had, chances are pretty good you would have gotten shut down pretty quickly.
And with good reason. Who can predict whether a first date will result in everlasting love? How do you know if the other person will be there through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, without regard to whether you put down the toilet seat or pick your dirty socks off the floor?
We don’t carry around crystal balls (at least, I don’t). We can’t know whether someone will prove themselves to be trustworthy or a cad, devious or delightful, smart and funny or stupid and boring.
Only time can reveal those inner-most truths about someone else.
So, too, with your marketing.
Most lawyers slap up an ad or a website imploring the public to call for a consultation. No risk, right? Well, it depends. To the lawyer it seems innocuous enough, but look at it through your prospect’s eyes.
To the consumer who is scared not only of his or her debts, but also of the prospect of filing for bankruptcy, it’s like saying, “I know we just met but come with me to Vegas for a weekend. I’m not expecting anything, we can just be friends.”
Uhm . . . no.
Prospects think that the minute they walk into a lawyer’s office they have sealed their fate. They are terrified of authority, don’t want to drag themselves to meet with a lawyer, and don’t know you from a hole in the wall.
Now that nasty “no show” rate starts making sense, doesn’t it?
Change your thinking, dear friend.
Rather than advertising and marketing for consultations, you should be seeking prospects. People who are interested in learning more about the solutions you provide. People who are receptive enough to listen to you, to let you into their world.
Put the consumer in charge of the solution, empower them and let them make the decision to come see you. Give them enough information and they’ll either decide that you’re the right choice or you’re full of hot air.
Businesses all over the map are taking this approach, and it’s paying dividends. Consider the blogger who puts out article after article only to see his practice take off like a rocket. Or the retailer that sends out special offers by email as a way of driving traffic into the store. Or the accountant who sends out the newsletter every few months detailing new developments in taxes.
Like it or not, the consumer is already in charge of the buying decision – who gets his or her hard-earned money, and why. Information is power, and the rise of the Internet and email creates a way for people to gain ever-increasing stores of information to make the choice that’s right for them.
You do the same thing when you are going to buy something. Send out an email to a listserv, check the web for product reviews, drop a note to a friend who has made a similar purchase in the past. Gone are the days of walking into the store and picking up whatever television the salesperson points to.
Of course, there’s a risk to all of this – you. The risk is that you will not deliver the goods, or not deliver them in a way that makes sense to prospects. Your information will be muddy, your message incoherent or off-putting.
So you hone that message, tinker with that information and make it approachable and fact-filled. You open your doors and show the world that you know your stuff, and know it better than the guy down the street.
Besides, if you don’t then you’re just getting down on one knee and proposing on the first date.
Picture courtesy of The 5th Ape.
