Know Your Product Before the Campaign Starts

Inauguration Day has always fascinated me. No matter which party is assuming (or retaining) control, I’m glued to the television. Per my usual, I find myself drooling over both the meticulous planning required for an event like that, as well as the amazing bulletproof ‘cars’ and SUVs of the motorcade. The precision of the planning and the strength of the motorcade should mirror, without a doubt, your knowledge of the product or service you’re selling. See what I did there?

You need to plan for every eventuality in your postcard campaign, and part of that preparation comes in the beginning as you steady yourself for potential pre-sale questions and objections. There is no faster way to lose a sale than when you show you don’t know what you’re talking about. These 7 Pre-Campaign Questions are key to making sure your prospect has confidence in what you’re trying to sell them.

  1. What are all the product benefits? Do I know, and can I easily explain to a prospect what my product is going to do for them? Are they able to understand the efficiencies or savings (both time and money) that using my product will provide?
  2. What are all the product features? How does my product actually DO what I’m promising it will? What are the bits and pieces of my product that contribute to the achievement of the prospect’s goals?
  3. What methods, approaches, & sales techniques are the competition using? This is when you dip into your Slush Pile and see how your biggest competitor is selling their product. Are you able to mirror their tactics? Should you mirror them? Or are you better off creating a stand out approach (e.g., your exceptional customer service leaves your competition in the dust. Say that!).
  4. How much can a buyer reasonably expect to pay (also plays into your costs and giveaways)? Plan for the campaign, plan for the sale, and plan to pay for the sale. What I mean by that is, if you’re charging $x.xx, does that leave you room for healthy margins, room for future marketing, and above all else, can you afford whatever the giveaway might be that you’re featuring just to get the business in the first place?
  5. Can I expect to get multiple sales from my buyer? This is a question better-suited for something like a landscaping business over a bakery. Landscaping can be set up on a recurring contract. People drop into bakeries when they have a need. The repetitiveness of your product is key when thinking about the potential of multiple sales/transactions.
  6. WHO will buy my product? Not only WHO will BUY my product, but WHO will WANT my product? You’re not going to sell a fidget spinner to most 40-year-olds. And a kid in high school doesn’t yet appreciate the value of stock trading without commissions.
  7. What objections might come from a prospective client? As strange as it might seem, whenever I’ve sold something in the past, I ask myself how I could lose a sale. Think about what you’re trying to get someone to buy from their point of view. Find the weakest points of your argument or product and either fix them, or have a plan in place to counter any objection that comes your way.

So now you know that I love Inauguration Day and why. I try to keep politics in its own little bucket in my personal life, for obvious reasons. I don’t need the drama, and there’s no way I’m going to miss out on my mother’s Thanksgiving Day apple pie crumble over an argument. But I hope you can also appreciate the need for great planning and execution even before you begin your postcard campaign. Benjamin Franklin once said that, “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Don’t be that guy.

Give Opportunity Knocks a call today. Our Success Coaches are standing by with everything you need to plan for an outstanding campaign. Minus, the speeches and marching bands, we’re here to make sure your postcard campaign goes off without a hitch. (Secret Service sold separately.)