Just got off the phone with a client. He is in the real estate business and unless you've been living under a rock, you know that industry has been hit very hard over the last several years.
"Buyer motivation has changed dramatically", he said. "People are simply not doing anything."
"Well, yes," I added. "The question is how are you responding?"
The fact is buyer motivation has changed throughout our economy these days. And we need to change our message to respond appropriately. We can't keep telling the same story and expect people will listen.
"So David, (the clients name) why do you think people have stopped buying? I want you to apply my Empathy Marketing System. Put yourself in their shoes. How do you think they feel?"
"I'm not sure," he responded. "There is no sense of urgency."
"If you ask me David, I would say that people are afraid. They are afraid of making a bad decision. They are afraid of the uncertainty of the times. Many are paralyzed because they realize that they made some bad choices and don't want to make another."
"Some have been burned by the stock market. Some have found themselves way over their head financially. Some have made some bad business decisions and they are paying dearly for it."
"Combined with the news we hear everyday, people in general feel very uncertain."
"Your job is to create an environment where your prospects and clients feel confident with you and your services. They need to know that they are making a good decision in doing business with you."
That begins first by:
1- Demonstrating you understand their concerns and fears. I don't mean preying on peoples fear. I mean connecting with them. You might simply say, "Many of our clients have expressed concerns that they don't want to make a bad decision. Can you relate to that?"
2- Explain how your service is oriented to protect their interests and assure them that they won't make a decision until they feel very confident.
3- You must deliver on the promise.
David and I role played his conversation and he felt confident in the approach.
Regardless of the market or industry you are in, the point is we must always be sensitive or empathic to what your ideal prospect or target market is feeling and thinking. Then we may need to adjust our message and our product delivery accordingly.