"Lulu, here's how this product gives you what you want."
Everyone who responded asked Lulu, in some way, if she'd like to buy your product.
That's what you want, but is probably not what Lulu wants. Not really. Here's the next question. Look at your answer and then tell:
What are you thinking Lulu wants?
21 comments:
Yep, It is harder than it looks.
I have no idea how I would know what Lulu wants if I just met her.
For the benefit of this post I'll say I know she wants to control night sweats without using drugs.
I can tell my story, like in the first post and send her to a free report about different things to try for night sweats. This report will not be about my product and it will have 3rd party sources.
This way I'm not being a salesperson, I'm giving helpful info.
I don't know if I'm any closer to helping Lulu.
Happy Birthday Kim
Robin
Hi Robin --Thanks for the birthday wish...
Right you are, there is no way you'd know what she wants when you just met her.
Most folks assumed they found out some things about her during the conversation.
It might be with you that Lulu had mentioned night sweats, in which case you have an opening.
What if you told her you're in marketing, and you're coming out with a report for women who want to get rid of night sweats, because you used to have them?
And would she like to be notified when it comes out?
You'd have a chance to build some anticipation, some credibility (you're putting together a report), add to your mailing list and you didn't push to sell anything that first time.
Of course you can tell you found something accidentally that actually fixed the problem. And now, you're pretty excited and writing a report about it for other women who have the problem...in case they'd like to know how it might be overcome without drugs.
How does that sound?
She may very well ask you about the product you use, but it will come from her, not you.
I'm just thinking I'd like to be Lulu for that conversation with you...
Plus I'd be excited to have met you - and I'd tell others that I just met someone writing a report about this issue on the Internet.
Cool...
What do you think?
Kim this is why I love working with you. The way you word it is perfect and makes total sense.
Of course I would say I'm writing a report about night sweats instead of sending her to the report because I don't have it ready yet...
Thank you for clearing the confusion. I think I was on the right path just needed your insight.
Robin
Lulu, here's how this product gives you what you want... You know, the extra energy you told me you would love to have, between dinner, bathing and bedtime for the children. Followed by cleaning up the bathroom.. etc. Without you falling a sleep besides your husband, on the couch later on that night.
Christel Nolle
the Netherlands
Lulu,
I will be very honest with you and say, I cannot guarantee that my product will help you. The truth is that nobody can. There is no such thing as one product fits all.
All medications,both prescribed and over the counter, work along with the body, to alleviate what problem it is having. It is documented that good nutrition helps the body overcome whatever dificiency it is having. Unfortunately, what might help me might not be what your body needs.
My company recognizes this and we feel that sixty days is enough time for you, to decide if our product is for you. If it is not, then we agree to refund your money. We have enough confidence in our product to make that guarantee.
Lulu has a problem that she wants to solve. I first need to find out what her problem is and what she has done to rectify it. If I know of anything else that she can check out (information etc) other than my product, I would offer that. Then I would see if my product or service can solve her problem and offer it accordingly.
Dear Kim,
I'm not sure I understand your contest or your second question. If I look at my response to question #1, in this make-believe scenario, I thought that I had learned that Lulu wanted to be a better mother. In my mind I pictured a woman who was so stressed that she was worried because she was yelling at her kids. Somehow in our meeting, she had conveyed that desire.
If I knew nothing about Lulu except her name, I wouldn't have said my answer to question #1. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have mentioned anything because I don't view all new introductions as possible sales.
I'm not clear why I would be answering "here's how the product gives you what you want" if Lulu had not asked me the question herself. She must have become interested in my products to begin with.
So if I just meet Lulu, I pretty much don't mention my products. If we talk about "what do you do?", I might say that I help mothers be less stressed. If she asks me "Oh really, how do you do that?" I may begin my schtick about how I was stressed but now I'm not. And only after she expresses even more interest, and even asks me if I could give her more information, then I will send her to the website I'm building (or give info other ways).
I don't think this is what you mean for your question, so can you please clue me in?
Thank you,
Julia
Julia -
No problem if you assumed, based on what she told you, that she wanted to be a better mother. The question was designed to make folks think a little, and ponder what someone else might really want.
Chances are good that even if they describe a problem they're having, to which they do not know the fix, that they will NOT, at first, want to buy or try a product they know nothing about.
Chances are they'll want to know what you did, yes indeed, but get more information first. But not about your product, but about the nature of the problem first. So she can educate herself about it before deciding how to solve it.
Like someone having trouble learning to play tennis...they'd probably, at dinner with someone who IS a tennis person, want to see say a demonstration of (or a website) the person showing some basic strokes or common errors beginners make, BEFORE buying his recommended racquet.
So they can see if they like his approach and are in harmony with it.
See what I mean?
Probably my bad for not being more clear here.
It's just that ALL networkers are taught to answer every problem by immediately trying to sell their product.
But people trying to solve problems don't want to buy first. They want to learn first. And not about your product, but about the problem itself and ways to solve it. If it were easy to solve, she'd have done it already. Right?
So first she will want to know more about the problem, and be happy you had it too. Then the product approach - e.g. natural versus drugs.
Once she feels a bit more educated about the problem, and agrees with your product approach, natural for example, she'll be maybe ready to buy your product.
I'll show you some ways to provide that preliminary 'educational' info without sending her to a corporate site full of seller talk.
Does that help?
Let me tell you what happened to me. I liked the product so much I decided to go into business for myself and make it available to other people like me. So they can try it to, and that's what I am doing. So,hat do you think? Would you like to try this out and see if it workds for you - the way it did for me?
Hey Lulu,
I know what you mean that there are so many products to choose from that it's overwhelming... I can give you some resources to investigate to help you find what you're looking for. Maybe you'd be interested in getting my newsletter. I write brief articles like "keeping your Brain Snae"- sifting through the crap to learn what you need to get what you want ...I appreciate you sharing your concerns .. if I can assist you in more ways just let me know!Yes, here's the signup sheet for te newsletter...
Since I would be obtaining very spevific information from Lulu ... I would be able to speak directly to product benefits and how they would help answerher needs. The process I would use is very simple, first i would attempt to provide product answer, If I did not know I would search our technical resource materials, if still no answer I would call our product help line ... either on my own or in a 3 way with Lulu ... I have done this before and the help provided is incredible ... as perceived by the potential customer.
Question one was the challenge to complete this statement. [Lulu is someone you've just met through a friend.]
"Lulu, here's how this product gives you what you want."
Question two was: What are you thinking Lulu wants?
The friend referred me to Lulu because she knows Lulu is concerned about protecting her identity. Lulu does her banking online, and she shops online. I’m thinking Lulu wants to be as safe as possible from having her identity stolen, and in case it is stolen, from its effects. She hasn’t done anything about it yet, but she’s heard all kinds of commercials about credit monitoring. So this is how I would complete the statement in question one:
Lulu, my company provides a service that gives you true identity protection. Here’s how. First, it monitors your whole identity, not just your credit. Credit fraud accounts for just one third of identity theft. Second, it includes full recovery service in case the unthinkable happens. A team of specially trained paralegals handles everything to restore you to pre-theft status. It also covers your children, all the way up to age 25. And you’re covered even if the thief turns out to be someone related to you. Does that sound like something you’d want to know more about?
Bryant Sandburg
bwsandburg@gmail.com
I understanding how overwhelming all of this can be Lulu, with some much informartion out there. Tell you what, I have another website which is just stories of people's experiences with these products. Perhaps there's someone on there you could identify with. And, again, we don't know what the products will do for you, everyone is different and will get different results. If you are not happy, we offer a money back guarantee. So, which flavor shall we order for you, chocolate or vanilla?
Hi Kim, Julia here again.
I’ve thought a lot about your post. You present an interesting viewpoint—offer information about the problem before selling. I’ve seen this done a lot on the web. After I learn that you know a lot about my problem, I will trust the solution you offer. It is a variation of building relationships.
But a week ago, I had an interesting thing happen. I had a woman come to me wanting information about clearing up her acne. She had read some materials I had distributed where I work, and maybe she had heard about me at that place, but we had never met. I came prepared to educate, offer information, offer testimonials from people I knew who had acne… I didn’t plan to do all this—just whatever most appealed to her.
When she arrived, I went through the briefest little introduction and before I knew it, she wanted to buy. Basically she had arrived with her check book open. I did very little, offered little information, and barely had a relationship with her.
I realize this example is off-line, but it still screams the question: so why do people buy?
I’m not sure how this fits in, but I have been reading Seth Godin lately. He offers an additional reason people buy—that they have a preconceived story in their head, and you offer a product which tells a story which fits with the ideas they already have.
REI is a great example. REI’s story is that if you’re really hip, smart and athletic, they offer the hippest, most well-made equipment to make your athletic adventure as hip as it can be. When I walk in the store, everything jumps up and down yelling “I’m hip, I’m smart, and I’m athletic”. If I wanted to buy a kayak, I would feel really good about buying one there because of that image (with the only exception being that we have a local store which sells kayaks and its story is “I’m smart, I’m athletic, and I’m locally owned.” A slightly different story which would match with someone with a slightly different preference in their head).
So could it be that my products fit the story that my client already had? Or was it something else?
You really have me thinking—information about problems, information about solutions, testimonials, relationships, stories… Why do people buy?
I’m not convinced there is any one answer—only the answer you choose to use in your business.
What do you think?
Julia
Julia:
You gave the answer about what triggered the acne lady to buy:
"I had a woman come to me wanting information about clearing up her acne. She had read some materials I had distributed where I work, and maybe she had heard about me at that place, but we had never met."
She had read. She was aligned with what she read. You did not pitch her. She came to buy BECAUSE she got information first, studied it, decided the approach and product were for her.
My point is that when people have a problem our product can help with, what, besides pushing the product in their face right away, can we offer them so they can come BACK to us after digesting that, and make the buy move?
I don't mean sales material, which is not information by anyone's standards - it's just sales hype about the product.
My little vldeo I' working on now will offer some tips.
Kim, this may be a double-posting of my reply, please check your published comments before potentially posting this twice.
I am experiencing some IE issues today. Thank you
Hello Lulu,
Our mutual friend Donna called and said you were having a very difficult day and asked if I would give you a call.
So tell me Lulu, what has you so upset and worried these days?
(Listen)
Lulu, do you mind if I ask you a question?
Question: Lulu, do you consider this problem you are experiencing as an itsy-bity, medium sized or super-sized problem?
(Listen)
There's good news and bad news. The good news is most problems are easily solved after the problem is defined, very few are so difficult that they are unsolvable. And to be quite frank, I have encountered very few unsolvable problems over my life-time.
Now here is the bad news! As individuals we are the one's that must make a choice. Never allow others to make a choice for you and never make a hasty decision in the midst of confusion, if at all possible. We have only one real guarantee when it comes to our problems, if we do nothing to find a solution for our problems, we continue to deal with those problems.
Let me share a secret with you, something Donna may not have told you. Donna and I met one another after she read some information I wrote. Yes, Lulu, I am also an author. I have written about problems for many years. Luckily I have solved quite a few of my own and happily some of the information has helped others too.
Donna read an article I wrote which explained how to tackle a problem head on. After reading that article she did a bit a research and came back to me to see if I had any additional articles that might help her to find the solution to her problems.
So Lulu, would you like to take the first step? I would be glad to share the articles I have written with you and to allow you access to all the resources I have at my finger-tips if you want to start to tackle this problem today?
I will be glad to help you every step of the way but you have to be ready. Are you?
Hi Kim
In my last post I didnot try to sell Lulu anything I offered her
a way to get more information as well as testimonies, from others who had some of the same problems as she did and a opportunity to speak with an expert if she had questions. Did I miss somthing.
Thanks
She wants to have more energy during exercise and not feel so tired for so long after exercising. She also wants only natural, organic solutions.
I have several free reports on my blog, PaulsHealthBlog.com
One of these reports is an educational white paper. I invested a year researching, studying and writing this report. It's titled, "A Common Sense Guide to Why People Get Sick and How To Stay Well."
My grandfather and father both died of cancer. And now that my wife and I have a little baby boy, I want to make sure I'm around to see him grow up. So I read about health on a regular basis.
I also wrote this paper for marketing purposes. However, the end result is I feel comfortable talking to people about the subject of health. I have conversations with folks, instead of pitching a product.
Today, I had two such conversations with people. One was with a woman who has severe pain in her elbow, to the point where she goes to the doctor to have a cortisone shot.
I ended up giving her a business card to check out my health blog, as well as a Staying Alive Press newspaper.
Another woman that I see every day at work is health conscious. She takes liquid vitamins and drinks bottled water. We talk about health related stuff on a regular basis.
She has seen me take my whole-food multi, The Pops, and had questions. So I casually talked about it, without asking her to buy, or even asking for a referral. Then I change the subject.
Some say this as an aspect of Take Away Selling. I'm not that smart. I'm simply being myself and let the conversation flow where ever it may go.
Now she says she is going to order and become a regular monthly Subscriber, when her liquid vitamin product runs out.
My whole attitude is, "I don't need anybody." Consequently, people feel comfortable around me when we talk, and whatever happens, happens.
Lulu, you wouldn't believe it, but I used to have a sore back all the time just like you. Personally I didn't want to go and see my doctor who would have just prescribed drugs, so I researched and found lots of natural alternative treatments that were available.
I've typed them up in a document, and you're welcome to have it. Just let me know your email address and I'll send it to you.
Lulu wants to do something that will get her life moving. She feels she is at a dead end. No promotions, no time for family, raises are of no help. All this is a heavy load on her shoulders and she is tired.
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