Why do people view their CPA as their most trusted advisor? Because the customer has a problem and they go to the CPA for answers to painlessly take that problem away from them, and to make their problem the CPA’s problem. How can you completely take the pain away?
We are an information society. We want information and knowledge fast. We don’t want to sort through piles of information we want it in a concise package. We gladly pay others to take something complicated and make it easy for us. Just look at the Microsoft for Dummies and everything else for Dummies book series. Most people view insurance as complicated plus they think they are needlessly spending money for something that won’t pay when they need it to.
Can you make the complicated simple? Think about the problems your customers have. Can you create a white paper or seminar that makes it simple and painless? When you do that and you can communicate the value of this simplification to your potential customers you’ll find a hungry crowd knocking on your door.
Your potential customers are at different pain levels when it comes to the problem. Some are just clueless, some know they should do something but they just don’t want to, some are thinking about doing something, and some want to do something right now. Yet, when you have an informative educational way to simplify the complicated you have a way to move people through the pain continuum. And the whole time your building a relationship and providing value so when they realize they want to do something now, who do you think they’ll call? Some schmooze you happened to cold call them at dinner asking them for an appointment, or the person who took the time to educate them so they’re ready to make a good buying decision.
Position yourself as the expert with the answers to their problems. Position yourself to take the pain on yourself and away from them. Position yourself for life-time relationships based on added value and trust. Marketing is the little tool that will enable you to do all that with almost no effort.