Using Gravity in your Market Research
Gravity is a pretty basic scientific principle, summarised by the statement “what goes up must come down.” There’s a corollary to it in Marketing that’s pertinent, too… “what goes around comes around!” The Seven Hole System of Market Research uses both.
Here’s how gravity works for you in determining customer needs and wants:
1. Information comes in through the main receptors (eyes and ears–you’re unlikely to use the others much in business presentations!)
2. It passes to the brain (hopefully, but not often enough in most business presentations).
3. Ask more questions, or answer their questions.
This simple, powerful System works on some fundamental truths…
• Prospects buy for THEIR reasons–NOT YOURS!
Prospects are really only going to give you one of three possible answers. Everything else is window dressing. Those answers are:
Let’s consider them, one by one:
1. If your prospects genuinely NEED what you’re offering – and they’ll make that decision, by the way, not you – all you have to do is get them to want what they genuinely need. Then they’ll say YES.
2. If they say NO, it will be for one of these three reasons:
If they’re saying “no” because of the first reason, learn to accept it graciously. There’s nothing to be gained by trying to persuade them otherwise. You’ll damage the relationship, along with any chance that they might say “Yes” if their situation changes in the future.
If they’re saying “no” because of the second or third reasons, it’s almost certainly your own fault – because you don’t know the Secret Language of Prospects.
Learn all about it here. (And teach it to your staff so they have no excuse.)
No-one can build a large, profitable customer base rapidly without a sound understanding of this vital, little known language that’s used by every prospect under the sun – including you! (The reason you don’t recognise it when your prospects speak it is because you only speak it when you’re a prospect!)
3. The only reason anyone says “Yes” when they really mean “NO!” is because they’re up against someone who won’t take NO for an answer! Rather than get embroiled in an unpleasant confrontation, they find it easier to simply give in to your insistent pressure.
Only a fool would ever believe that this is going to produce a customer who will actually continue to buy from you or refer others to you.
Why should they? They’ve already gained the real benefit they wanted when they finally said “Yes” (meaning NO!).
That benefit was to get rid of YOU!
They’ll even bear the cost of buying initially because the desirability of that benefit is so strong for them.
• If prospects only buy you for THEIR reasons, you need to find out what those reasons are!
You can’t do that by listening with your mouth. You have to use your eyes and ears. Use your mouth to get them to start telling you why they’d buy from you.
To find out what they need and want, so you can tailor your marketing and sales to precisely those things, you need to do these simple things:
- Ask them what they need and want.
- Allow them to tell you! (Don’t try to tell them what they need or want.)
- Refine your questions. Listen to what they’re saying. The best way to get and keep their interest is to be interested in them and what they’re telling you.
- Listen for their existing emotional responses — fears, concerns, prejudices, values, etc — and target your marketing and selling directly to those responses. Two of the biggest mistakes made by small business are, first, trying to create new emotional responses in their prospects and, second, trying to change their existing emotional responses. Both are high risk. The most successful sellers and marketers ALWAYS target prospects’ existing emotional responses, even with new products or services!
- Follow up! Never withhold information or help from prospects — which is what you do when you fail to follow up. I don’t mean pester them. That’s pushy. Send them additional information that may be of interest to them, or that relates to their interests or circumstances. Remember… just because they don’t say “yes” this time doesn’t mean they’ve said “no” to you, every time, forever. Just not right now. Circumstances change. So do peoples’ attitudes. Give them reasons to recall you favourably.
And remember this, too… most people (around 80%!) buy only after the fourth or fifth approach! And fewer than 2 out of 100 sellers ever make more than two approaches!
The inference from those 1997-98 statistics from the American Sales Institute is clear: 80% of the most profitable business is done by as few as 2% of sellers. Awesome! (And so absurdly easy to fix!)
In summary, the Seven Hole System offers these three huge advantages:1. It keeps your marketing, selling and advertising simple and direct, avoiding over-the-top claims and “death by information overload.” It also reduces espensive waste.
2. It makes your prospect the focal point of your selling — not your product or service.
3. It communicates clearly to your prospect that this is a business designed to fit their needs — not just your (or your company’s) needs. A business that’s safe and easy to deal with, and that creates positive emotional responses… a business they could easily and happily buy from, over and over again – and safely and happily refer their friends to.
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