Bad news: things your clients don’t care about.
Hi everyone, Angus Pryor here, multi-award-winning practice growth specialist. Guess what I’ve been doing this evening? I’ve just had my first dance lesson! It was a lot of fun. I picked up a flyer at a recent event, and I wanted to talk to you about the points they raise in this flyer. It’s from a group called The Dance Studio. Let me read you the first two lines: “The Dance Studio has been teaching the local area to dance for the past 29 years.” Let’s be clear – does it really make much difference to me that you’ve been in the area for 29 years? Join the dots for me – so what if you’ve been there a while? Does that mean you’re quite good at what you do? Don’t make me guess. They also state, “We are family-owned and operated.” But again, how does that serve me? I could go there, and you might be family-owned, but you might also be squabbling with each other the whole time, so it doesn’t exactly reassure me. Then, they add they have “a long-standing reputation” and are “the most experienced Dance Studio in the local area.” Experience can be valuable, but it’s only helpful if it’s good experience. Sometimes, people have the same bad experience repeatedly.
To be honest, this kind of thing is common – where marketing becomes a list of things clients simply don’t care about. And the reason we don’t care? Because we’re all tuned into WIIFM radio – that is, What’s In It For Me? Fortunately, after a shaky start, the flyer finally hits the right note: “Present this flyer at the studio and redeem one free beginners’ class, valued at $20.” Without that offer, we wouldn’t have gone in. Here’s the key takeaway: just because something is important to you as a business doesn’t mean it resonates with your clients. Focus on what’s in it for them – if you do, the rest will take care of itself once they come through your door. See you next time!