One of the most famous sayings in marketing is, “Enter the conversation in your prospect’s mind…”
However, I realize it can be tricky to apply something so vague to the real world. So I want to give you a concrete example...
Let’s say you’re a Realtor.
Your single target market is lakefront homes in Winter Haven. And the first thing you need to get going is a list of all the names and addresses of lakefront home owners in Winter Haven.
But that’s easy to get. That data is already out there, it’s a known fact, and everyone can access it.
What's more valuable to you is to know who among these homeowners are thinking about selling their house.
And so, what do most Realtors do to get those names?
Most of the time they think, “I need to get my name out there…” They believe they need to brand themselves as the lakefront specialist. So they send out postcards with their picture on the water, a telephone number and a tag line that goes, “Call Dean, the lakefront specialist, and start packing!”
But guess what? The response they get is pretty much zero.
And here’s why: Those postcards are all focused on them, the Realtor. But marketing that's all about the business owner is the worst way to make people raise their hand. It never works.
A slightly better approach, also common among Realtors, is to offer a free assessment (over the phone or online) to find out how much your house is worth.
More people will respond to that than the "call Dean and start packing” ads. But not by much.
Because here’s the thing…
People are reluctant to respond to offers where they have to talk to a real person. Especially when they’re still very early in the process, when they’re just thinking about, say, selling their home.
Everyone's been around long enough to know that whoever is on the other side of the phone, they're going to try to convince us to list our house… even if we're not ready for that yet.
Instead, if you’re a Realtor trying to make prospects to raise their hand, the most valuable thing you can do is...
Instead, if you’re a Realtor trying to make prospects to raise their hand, the most valuable thing you can do is...
To enter the conversation in your prospect’s mind.
Which simply means…
You start thinking the way your prospects are thinking.
For example, when somebody is only thinking about selling their home, guess what’s the first thought that runs through their mind?
That’s right. It's, “I wonder how much these houses are going for…"
So give them what they want. Give them some neutral and objective data about lakefront house prices. Offer them, say, the September 2019 report on Winter Haven lakefront house prices.
That way, your prospects can get an idea of what’s going on in the market. Without having to announce they’re thinking of selling their house, or having to commit to a real estate agent. By getting your free report all they’re saying is...
“I’m curious about it.”
But to you, that curiosity signals something very important.
Because now that you’re thinking the way your prospect is thinking… you know that whoever raises their hand and downloads your free report…
That person is most likely going to sell their house in the next 12 months.
And that’s what it means to “enter the conversation in your prospect’s mind."