My guess is that within seconds you can probably start to hum some famous songs. . . . → Read More: Life would be much more interesting….with background music!]]> Next time you’re watching a television drama show or a movie notice the soundtrack. Why am I bringing this up? Because the soundtrack or background music makes a HUGE difference in the mood of the show you are watching.

My guess is that within seconds you can probably start to hum some famous songs. Jaws? Star Wars? Superman? Do you get the idea?

Your business needs to keep this in mind. How so? Everything is engineered and designed by purpose for a movie. The soundtrack is carefully chosen, the costumes and wardrobe, the lighting, etc. But lets just focus on the soundtrack.

What “soundtrack” can you use in your business? Perhaps it is a television with a certain news show on in the lobby, perhaps it is background music, perhaps it is a “soundtrack” for a DVD or CD you utilize. Perhaps it is the phone recording on your voice mail or “phone tree.”

How do you focus on this? You need to determine which music sounds and audio create what type of moods are best for your business situation. What do I mean? Well, if you are a car dealership certainly you need different music is appropriate for you versus a financial planner’s office. And at the car dealership the type of cars you are selling and the type of buyers is also different. Someone buying a Buick (do they still exist?) is different than someone buying a Nissan. Does this make sense?

And then after you determine the market what is the action you are wanting them to do. Are you wanting someone to buy something? Are you wanting them to sell something to you? Are you wanting them to refer business to you?

Can each of these things make a difference? Absolutely.

To prove my point lets do a quick experiment. Now granted, sometimes the case is the opposite but generally the lack of music doesn’t create the drama.

Do you get my point?

So, make sure to utilize every type of psychological viewpoint you can.

And be careful when you swim in the ocean. I know I always am!

-Matt

And then we get on an elevator.

And this elevator has other people on it.

And a lot of times the conversation stops — either from you, or from the people who were having . . . → Read More: Psychological Marketing: How quiet elevators apply to your business…seriously.]]> Sure, we’ve all done this before. We’ve been walking in a hotel or in a building having a great conversation.

And then we get on an elevator.

And this elevator has other people on it.

And a lot of times the conversation stops — either from you, or from the people who were having a conversation between themselves.

And it’s kind of awkward, isn’t it?

Now has this ever happened to you? And you go up the floors, 3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-14 (some skip 13 due to superstitions) and then you get out, and the conversation begins again.

Why does this happen, and what in the %$&@ does this have to do with your business?

Well, first the environment we are exposed to sets the tone for how a marketing or sales message is delivered and received. The environment is so important and yet often times overlooked. And a little, tiny, itsy bitsy mistake can cost you thousands. So, just as in the elevator a conversation is stopped, the wrong environment can kill your marketing message or business.

Second, what are the expectations of the people who are going to receive the marketing message or sales presentation? These expectations, or beliefs, or prejudices, or feelings about you ahead of time also govern the experience.

So, how does this apply to you. Well, you have to stop and think several steps ahead before you make a sales presentation or deploy a marketing piece. Is the environment appropriate? Is it preparing people for your message?

Here’s a perfect example. If you have an “in-bound” business what can you do ahead of time to prepare people for the sales presentation.

What can you do to open them up, to help them relax, to build your credibility, to build your authority?

In some scenarios a book of happy customers that have written letters about you can be very powerful.

In other scenarios photos of your happy customers can also work very well.

What does this do? It shows people you are a nice person (hopefully) and that you have helped some people before.

Will this be “enough” to persuade people to buy what you are selling ahead of time? Maybe, maybe not. But, if done correctly, it can certainly help tip the scales in your favor.

This is part of what psychological marketing is about. Tapping into the minds of your prospects, and answering the unasked questions. Creating a scenario or a condition ahead of time to prepare people for the sale. Reverse engineering your processes so it is like a greased slide when you talk to them.

So next time when you get on the elevator remember this automatic process. It just kinds of “happens” without you consciously deciding it.

-Matt

Different words have different meanings attached to them, and often times even the same words we use mean different things to different people.

Why do . . . → Read More: Mind reading: Are you entering your target customer’s minds…]]> In your marketing and sales you need to realize that every person you talk to has different language that they need to hear to buy your product or service.

Different words have different meanings attached to them, and often times even the same words we use mean different things to different people.

Why do I bring this up? Because you need to consistently study the language that can make the biggest impact in your marketing and sales to your target market. For example, when selling to CFO’s of a company the language needs to be different than a CIO. One has a certain set of beliefs, experiences, and ideas regarding how to approach the goals of the company. The CIO will have a different set of beliefs, experiences, and ideas regarding how to approach the goals of the company.

If you do not tailor your message to each specific individual, then you will not have as good of response as you could possibly have.

So how do you determine the appropriate language of your target market?

You study to see what they are reading, watching, and listening to and how other people are selling to them. You figure out what words and what type of language they are using. What you want to do is study the process, and take apart the process like you would a puzzle. Once you take it apart and understand it, then you can adopt it for yourself.

It will take some work, but the good thing is hardly anyone out there will perform this work. They just want things to be easy, but if you take the time to study how other people are selling and marketing to your target market you can be miles ahead of your competition. And of course you also should study your competition, too, to see how they are marketing to your target market.

Oh, and just because they are marketing to your target market doesn’t necessarily mean they are successfully marketing to your target market. Sometimes big companies pour a lot of money down the drain just “to advertise” and very rarely quantify the leads they get. You need to justify every penny you spend on marketing — if you want to get the highest return on investment that you can.

So, don’t assume that if you see a “big company” spending money that they know what they are doing. If the current recession teaches us anything is that this market correction will weed out the inefficient, sloppy, and dumb businesses.

-Matt