4 absolutes for creating marketing magnetism in your business

How many of you believe that your clients can describe what you do with precision? How many of you can describe your value proposition with precision?

If we do not have a powerful value proposition, how can we expect our clients, who are out talking about us, to have a great way to discuss what we do with others? In financial services, we still primarily get new business from referrals. So there is a disconnect.

Today it is critically important to have a strong, powerful and memorable conversation about what you do. These are four absolutes for creating marketing magnetism in your business:

1. Exploit your uniqueness. If I asked, “Why should I do business with you as opposed to the firm across the street?” you may respond, “Because we are better.” The problem with that is people don’t actually believe you will be better. What we need is to be different. Answer the question “Why are you in this business?” Because the answer to that question leads to “Why you?”
2. Brag about your benefits. How do we talk about what it is that we do in a way that is powerful and meaningful? The biggest mistake that we make in marketing is that we don’t communicate our value properly to the other person. People don’t buy features; they buy the benefits of what those features will do for them.
3. Have a model to clarify your value. Do you have a method for communicating the details of the value you bring? It’s important to have a visual along with your words because people don’t really pay attention. If you want people to pay attention and remember what you are saying, you need to do it differently.
4. Go viral. How do you make sure the reputation you’ve worked your entire career to build matches your online reputation? If I told you that a lifetime of reputation can be superseded in a matter of seconds by your online reputation, would you change it? It is not about bad things people may find about you online, and it is not about posting daily on social media or becoming some sort of a digital marketing expert. It’s really just about making sure you have a presence online that is as good as you are. Give them reasons to come in and see you!

Maribeth Kuzmeski, Ph.D., is the president of Red Zone marketing, which consults with some of the nation’s top financial professionals. Hear more in the December episode of MDRT Presents: