How To Find The People Who Will Buy Whatever You Want To Sell Them!
April 18th, 2008 by 
Mark Hendricks
“How To Find The People Who Will Buy Whatever You Want To Sell Them!”
by Mark Hendricks
http://www.internet-success-system.com
One of the first questions you should be asking yourself is just exactly…
“Who is your market?
In other words, just exactly who is going to buy what you’re offering?
If you say, “Everybody.” Then we’re in BIG trouble.
If your market is everybody, then your real market is nobody.
Probably the easiest way to describe what I mean is to compare it to fishing.
The absolutely easiest way to catch fish is to put your bait in a barrel that contains…
“a whole bunch of hungry fish.”
Now I know that sounds like an over-simplification, but it’s the truth, isn’t it?
They’re all grouped together. They’re hungry. You’ve got the right food. You drop
bait in. They bite.
Here’s a little three step secret to the successful marketing of anything!
“You’ve got to…
reach the right market…
with the right message…
at the right time.”
Simple as that.
Think about it for a second.
Let’s use our fishing example.
The right market - you’ve found them…they’re in the barrel!
The right message - fat and juicy wiggling worms.
The right time - they are hungry…now!
Do you think they’re going to bite?
Yes!
Now let’s see for a second what happens if you’re missing just one piece of our 3-step secret.
Scenario #1:
You go fishing in your bathtub (wrong market)
Fat and juicy wiggling worms.
They are hungry…now.
Doesn’t work, does it? Why? There’s no fish where you put the bait.
Sure, there’s hungry fish out there, right now, but you put your bait in your bathtub instead of the barrel.
Scenario #2:
You go fishing in a barrel…you found them.
You bait your hook with brussel sprouts (instead of fat and juicy wiggling worms).
They are hungry…now.
No bites. How come? Wrong bait.
Scenario #3:
You go fishing in a barrel…you found them.
You bait your hook with fat and juicy wiggling worms.
They are NOT hungry now.
No bites. You guessed it, wrong timing.
Okay, okay. You get the point. But that’s the quickest and easiest way to describe
exactly what has to happen when you’re marketing your product or service.
And we’ll be discussing ways to deal with each of these three steps in the process.
But remember…
“Right Market…Right Message…Right Time.”
Okay, let’s get started with finding the right market.
Most people make one gigantic error when deciding how to go about selling their
products/services.
They decide, first, the product/service that they want to offer, and then try and offer it to the market.
This is a very expensive and frustrating mistake.
Let me share a little secret that is literally worth a pile or three of money to you.
Make things easy for yourself and…
“Find the Market First!”
That’s right, before you decide what product/service to offer…
“Find A Group Of Fish…Who Have Shown That They Like To Eat The Same Bait… And Who Are Hungry Now! And Then, (Now Don’t Argue With Me On This One)…
Give Them That Bait!”
You’ve got to give people what THEY want…not what YOU THINK they should
want.
If you can give people what they really want, then you’ll “catch a lotta fish!”
Okay, good, you’ve hung in there this long with me, now let’s see how we can apply
this “masters of direct marketing secret” to marketing online.
Here’s the problem…
Where is the market and what do they want?
Now put on your thinking cap and follow along.
Fish like to swim in schools. Sheep like to be in a flock. Cattle like to be in a herd.
Important Point…
“People Like To Belong To Groups So They Can
Associate and Feel Comfortable and
Be With Like-Minded People.”
Have you ever heard of the “group mentality”? Or “herd mentality”?
Sure you have.
Now you may want to argue with me and say, “Well, what about independent
thinkers?”
May I suggest that “independent thinkers” love to discuss the benefits of “independent thinking” with other “independent thinkers”. So they really do function in groups, don’t they?
I’ll explain why people like to be in groups in a later chapter. It’s actually a fact of our own biology.
Anyway, I digress.
Now where do you figure we could find people who are “flocking” together in
“groups” like a “school of fish”?
Right you are.
Subscribers to newspapers, to certain magazines (whether special interest or business industry), they receive newsletters by mail or internet, they belong to clubs and organizations, and all the other niche areas where people group together.
Let’s talk about little ads in the back of a magazine first (this will also apply to theother areas).
You’ve probably noticed that the ads are divided up into sections, or areas of interest.
And do you know who goes looking in those sections.
Actually it’s a few kind of folks.
People who are looking to buy (remember to feel better or solve a problem).
People who are looking to sell (marketing their product/service — your competition
by the way).
And those who are just “lurking” (browsers, window-shoppers, sort of like fish who
are swimming in the stream, but not hungry enough at the moment to bite).
Now remember…right market, right message, right time.
The first thing you need to do is to go browsing a little just to look around this “pond” we call the magazine.
One thing is immediately seen…there are a lot of messages posted there (or bait being cast).
But that doesn’t mean that the “fish” are biting, does it?
No. It just means that there are a lot of people “fishing”.
Now let me ask you a question. If you saw a fisherman come back to the same lake
and use the same bait over and over again (expending time, energy, and money), do you think that you could say one of a few things about him?
#1) he’s not catching anything and he’s just likes to “go” fishing.
#2) he’s not catching anything and he’s just plain wasting his time and money.
#3) he’s catching fish.
So the quickest and least expensive way for you to look for…
“the right market and the right message…”
is to look at others who are consistently there. Because they’re either successful,
dumb, or just there for the “entertainment value”.
You’re looking for the successful ones.
Look at their ads, and sales letters. Get on their lists, and study what they’re doing.
And come up with a product/service (the message) that you can provide to that same
“school of fish” (the right market). Interestingly, it doesn’t have to be a new
product/service. It could be just a slight improvement or variation on what they already bought.
“If the fish likes worms, chances are the fish will like
more worms tomorrow, when he’s hungry again.”
So now you’ve found the fish, you found the bait, now you’ve just got to find out
when they’re hungry.
Now just like in fishing, you’ve got to be patient.
Let’s say that you’ve found the pond with fish in it (the market).
And you’ve put the right kind of bait out from watching the successful fisherman (the message).
And they’re nibbling, but not biting, hook, line and sinker.
In other words, they’re sort of just browsing or window-shopping.
My marketing friend, that happens a lot in fishing…and marketing too.
They may nibble (request for your information), but just aren’t hungry enough yet to
bite (buy).
So what do I suggest you do?
Send it to them again in a few weeks, and then again in a few more weeks.
At least three times (seven or more contacts would be great).
Why, you ask?
Number one, they did say they were interested.
And by not buying on the first try, they didn’t say they weren’t interested. They just didn’t respond.
Why didn’t they respond, who knows?
Why don’t you respond to offers?
Didn’t receive it…couldn’t print it out…didn’t have time to read it…didn’t have time to think about it…didn’t have the money right then…had to cook dinner…the phone rang…put in a pile of paper on your desk to read later…lost it…and on and on and on.
See my point?
Sure, the offer is REAL IMPORTANT to you, the seller, You want them to buy now,
don’t you?
But the buyer has got a bazillion other things going on in their life and all they did was sort of “raise their hand” a little and said “I’m interested” enough to ask for you to send your information to them.
They didn’t even promise to read any of it, did they?
No, they just asked for information.
Now having somebody take the action to ask for information sure beats the pants off
of just sending your whole offer out blindly to the masses (remember, if everybody is your market, then nobody is).
So with all this other stuff going on in their lives, there’s a real good chance that your offer…
“Just Didn’t Make It To The Front Burner!”
They may have your info sitting on their desk someplace, it may be stored as a file on their hard drive.
You don’t know.
The thing that you DO know is that at least they asked for the information. So yes
they have identified themselves as a “fish”, who does nibble at bait, but for the time being, may not be hungry.
So what do you do?
This may shock you (and I am repeating myself to make this very point)…send it to
them again.
Maybe with a reminder that they asked for this a few weeks ago, and you thought
they might have misplaced it or lost it in the shuffle.
Or you may have to “jiggle your bait” a little (try a new headline, test a different
price, state stronger benefits, give them more information so they can decide, package together some other products/services to add-on to your main offer, try a stronger and/or longer guarantee, etc.).
That’s just part of the process.
That’s what makes some people good fishermen (marketers) and others not.
Always remember to…
“Reach The Right Market…
With The Right Message…
At The Right Time.”
Here’s another way to find out more about your market…
Go online and browse around the posting boards on websites, newsgroups, discussion
groups, and forums.
You’ll find people asking for help with their problems. And you can even make a list
of those people who have left messages asking for information.
Are they a hungry fish, or what?
You’ll also find files called “FAQ”. Meaning “Frequently Asked Questions”.
And my “Marketing Maniac”, I’m here to tell you that…
“It’s a goldmine to you!”
It’s like getting the fish you are fishing for to tell you exactly what “bait to use, when they’re hungry, and what barrel to find them in.”
WARNING: If you plan to market your services online — You Can Not Blatantly
Advertise Your Product/Service In These Newsgroups, Discussion Groups, Or Forums.
You may get VERY NASTY mail and have your Email box jam-packed, costing you a
lot of time and money, and what’s worse you could be banned from your online service.
And…do not send unsolicited email to people online. The same things I just
mentioned may happen.
More about how to solve that problem later, you can get people to request your email.
Now let’s talk about the most important asset that you will ever have as a marketer
online.
“It’s The List.”
In other, your special list of people who have said they are interested in feeling better, solving a problem, or both, and have expressed an interest by taking action to ask for information and/or have bought from you.
Actually, we just described two lists, didn’t we?
People who said they may buy…and people who are buyers.
Which do you think is most valuable?
Let that question sit for a few chapters. We’ll talk about it later.
But for now let’s talk about…
“How To Develop Your Own Hot Lead List.”
Very simply, use what’s called a “2-step” ad.
Put a teaser ad (one that arouses curiosity) in the magazine, newspaper, postcard,
classifieds, or attach it at the end of your contribution to an onlinne newsgroup/forum (not blatant), that will get the reader to look at your message and respond to receive a “Special Report” or more information.
Let’s say that you found a classified section for fly fisherman, and you’ve come up
with a new, “sure-to-get-fish-on-the-hook” fly.
So in your little ad you write…
FREE REPORT Reveals New Proven Fly Fishing Secret
They read your ad and they not a long explanation, and not your offer immediately
thrust upon them, but instead they see a little more information and an offer to send them a “Special Report” or more information if they just contact you requesting “Fly Fishing Secret”.
Sort of like this …
FREE REPORT Reveals New Proven Fly Fishing Secret
Dear Friend:
A new free report is now available that will show the new and proven secret to
successful fly fishing. To get your copy of this Free Report, all you have to do is [call, visit, write, email] and ask for the Fly Fishing Secret.
Phil Phisher
www.flyfish.com
Voice: 987-555-1234
Fax: 987-555-9876
P.S. You’ll wonder why nobody ever thought of this before.
There now, see how simple it can be.
So then what, you send out your full length letter and offer and more importantly for the long term…
“You now have their name on your list!”
And that is really what you are after first. Just get them to “raise their hand” a little to let you know they are interested.
It’s your first job to develop a list of people who are interested in what you have to offer.
Remember earlier when I said that if everyone is your market, then no one is your
market.
This is what I’m talking about here.
All you want to do with your initial little ad is to find people who have enough self-motivation to take action and respond to your ad.
A couple of thoughts about the little ad sample above.
You notice that Phil Phisher used his REAL NAME to “sign” the letter with.
That’s because you’re trying to start a “real, live, and breathing” human being
relationship through the technology that is in the way.
And did you notice that Phil Phisher gave the reader his phone number and fax
number too.
I find that people are very wary of each other these days.
And you know what, they absolutely should be.
And as an honest and reputable marketer you should take the first step in humanizing
your relationship to your customers.
And this is one way to do it.
Show them that you’re accessible and you welcome one-on-one communication by
way of Email, voice, fax, carrier pigeon…whatever it takes.
Now you could use another technique to qualify your prospects even further.
It’s called a 3-step ad.
Basically it’s the same beginning as the 2-step ad.
First step…a small ad that gets their attention and asks them to respond to get more information.
Second step…use a recorded telephone message that discusses the topic, gives them
more info, discusses the problem and what happens if they don’t solve their problem,
emphasizes the benefits and creates more desire and curiosity, and asks them to respond AGAIN for very detailed information about your offer.
Now by doing the first and second step prior to sending them the full length sales
letter you have assured yourself that…
“This Fish Is Really Hungry.”
And then third, you send them the full sales letter (the juiciest bait) for them to really pour over and bite into.
By using three steps you will eliminate most all of the “nibblers, tire-kickers, timewasters”, and people who really aren’t going to take action.
But in all things…test, test, test.
You could also write news releases and articles targeted to your markets special
interests and have that info published in their newsletters, magazines, and newspapers they read, etc.
Begin by writing interesting short letters and news releases. Remember interesting,
alive and breathing human…and not boring!
Here’s the trick. Don’t tell them all that you know. And don’t tell them how to solve their problem. Let them know the big benefits and great feelings they’ll have when their problem is solved. And just give them enough hints so they’ll want to get another layer of detailed knowledge.
And at the end of your short letter, include your name, Email address, voice, fax,
pigeon’s name, etc….
And in the P.S. let them know that if they would like further information that you
have made available a free special report called “Fly Fishing Secrets” that is now
available that will show the new and proven secret to successful fly fishing. To get your copy of this Free Report, all you have to do is [call, visit, write, email] and ask for the Fly Fishing Secret.
And guess what, you’ve just got their name on your HOT LIST and now you begin
your 2-step or 3-step series, and follow-up steps to convert them to your customer.
And always remember, don’t just send them one letter.
Send them multiple letters (at least three, maybe more) spread out 3-4 weeks apart
will do nicely. Most marketers give up to soon. Studies have shown that it takes 7
contacts with your prospect before you really have developed a position in their mind.
And your Ads are one step, the sales letter is the second (and possibly third), so you can see it’s gonna take a few more tosses of the bait before most people are going to bite and buy what you’re offering them.
So let’s wrap this up.
Here’s the little three step secret to successfully marketing anything!
”You’ve got to…
reach the right market…
with the right message…
at the right time.”
Simple as that.
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For more information and lots of terrific special reports, audios,
and insights to creating your own profitable internet-based business
visit these sites of Mark Hendricks:
http://www.internet-success-system.com
http://www.TheMarkHendricks.com
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