Getting more customers is one of the primary ways to grow a business.
However, knowing how to actually get them is where things can get confusing. There is all kinds of advice telling you to post more, spend more, get on the platform everyone swears by this year, run ads, boost ads, and then run more ads. Everyone tells you to do more, more, and even MORE!
They tell you that it’s simply a numbers game.
Most people believe that. So, they do more. But the results aren’t predictable, which can send them right back into confusion. It’s a vicious and expensive cycle.
What I’ve seen work is something a bit more foundational. So although reaching out for more marketing is natural when you’re trying to figure out how to get more customers, I find that what works better is helping the people you already reach to understand your offer better.
Why Isn’t My Marketing Bringing in Customers?
Most marketing is all about the business doing the marketing.
How many times have you seen marketing that says what the business does, lists what’s available, and says they’re good at what they do or have? THIS is the problem with marketing for small and mid-sized businesses. It talks at their prospects (future customers) instead of with them. And this type of marketing is the easiest to scroll past and ignore.
I see this marketing mistake in brand-new baby businesses and well-established ones. It’s so easy to make that no one’s immune to it.
Think About Seeing a Doctor for an Appointment
You’ve probably had two different kinds of doctors over the years.
One of them sat with you and explained what was happening in words you actually understood, so you left knowing what was wrong, what came next, and why.
The other one talked at you in the language they learned in medical school. Terms you’d never heard before. It was so uncomfortable that you didn’t even know what questions to ask. So you wound up Googling or talking with your favorite AI to make sense of it.
These two doctors have the same training, so they’re both competent. The difference between them is bedside manner.
People Will Work Hard to Understand a Doctor
When it’s your doctor talking at you, you’ll do the work to understand what they are trying to tell you.
You’ll ask them questions without hesitation, even when you can tell they’re running behind. You’ve chosen them to guide and support you with your health. Which makes this worth your effort. And doubly so, if you’re supporting a loved one with their health.
Your Prospects Won’t Work to Understand You
Your prospects won’t do that for you. They don’t know who you are and frankly don’t care. They don’t have any reason to work at understanding your marketing.
So, in the split second they spend deciding if your message is worth stopping for, they’re looking to see if it’s something they care about. And if all they see is some version of “we’re great!” they’ll keep moving past.
They’ll never pay attention to something that isn’t about them.
Why Do Good Business Owners Struggle to Market Themselves?
They struggle because they know what they do too well, or they’re not exactly sure what about what they offer is valuable.
If you’ve been in business for a while, you know your product, process, and craft so well that it’s easy to forget that not everyone knows as much about it as you do. So when you market, you lead with what’s important to you. You lead with things like features, credentials, years in business, and how good you are.
Absolutely none of this is what a prospect is initially wondering about.
And if you’re newer, you’re likely so eager to prove you belong in the market that you share EVERYTHING that you can do, hoping that something will work. And again, it’s all about you.
There are some pretty difficult questions that many business owners struggle to answer that they MUST answer if their marketing is going to work.
- Who, exactly, is your ideal client?
- What makes you different in a way your prospect would actually pay for?
Let’s start with “Who, exactly, is your ideal client?”
The specific person whose problem your offering is the correct solution for.
So many people make the mistake of believing that their offering is for everyone. It’s not. And, more importantly, you probably don’t have the budget to market to everyone.
Narrowing your market to your ideal client can be frightening because you might feel that you’re cutting yourself off from others who would also benefit from your offering. Here’s the thing: you can’t be the perfect fit for everyone, and you may have a solution for multiple ideal clients. So, choose who you’re going to focus on first. One step at a time.
Getting clear on who that first person is, and how to reach them, is a project in itself. And the clarity you gain will allow you to then get clear on how to consistently attract, win, and keep them.
Now, “What makes you different in a way your prospect would actually pay for?”
This is the reason someone picks you instead of the business down the street or the search result right above or below yours.
Too many business owners answer this question with things that sound good, but people read as, “Well, I’d hope so!” instead of being a reason to purchase something. Examples of this include “We care more” and “We offer great service”. Your competitors are saying the same things, so none of it helps a prospect choose. And most of it is about you again, and you wind up talking at the prospect again.
What makes you different has to be something your prospect can immediately feel the value of and actually buy. Maybe it’s a result you get that others don’t, how much easier you make the whole thing, or a specific problem you solve that everyone else ignores. Whatever it is, you have to say it in a way that lands with them and not just you.
How Do You Connect with Your Ideal Customer?
Connection with anyone, especially your ideal customer, always starts with being easy to understand. You can think of this as bedside manner for marketing.
There’s a sequence to it, the same one a doctor with good bedside manner uses without thinking. It also works whether you sell products, services or both.
- Name the problem your prospect can’t get rid of.
This is what keeps them up at night. You’ll know when you’ve got it when they say, “That’s me.” - Promise them the solution they desperately need.
This is where you need to sit in complete integrity. You’re not promising them just to say the words so they’ll buy from you. You need to KNOW that what you’re offering WILL solve their problem, then you tell them that. - Show them why you are the one who can deliver the solution.
Now you explain to them why what you’re offering is head and shoulders above anything else out there in the marketplace. This is when you describe the features and your expertise in service of solving their problem. - Make a compelling offer.
This needs to be very easy, obvious and low-risk enough that saying yes feels like a natural thing to do.
There are only 4 steps to meaningfully connecting to your ideal client. Unfortunately, a lot of marketers skip right over most of it in a rush to talk about themselves.
These 4 steps are also the foundation of a larger sales and marketing strategy to keep converting clients.
By the Way, You Can’t Easily Judge Your Own Marketing
You’re the absolutely worst-positioned person to tell whether your marketing connects. Everything you create looks clear to you, because you already know what you’re trying to say! You know your offer, value and who your ideal client is, so of course it makes sense to you.
I made this mistake what felt like a thousand times over before I finally understood this whole idea about a bedside manner in marketing.
What it comes down to is remembering your prospect has no context for your marketing besides what you tell them. They’re coming in cold and probably without anywhere near as much education or expertise about your offering as you have.
Because you can’t easily unknow what you know, this is where someone who doesn’t know your business as well can make a big difference. They’ll quickly see if your message is talking at people or connecting with them.
Where This Leaves You
If you’re trying to figure out how to get more customers, it’s unlikely that doing more of the same marketing will fix what’s actually wrong.
When you’re ready to be understood by the potential customers you most want to reach, let’s talk. Schedule a 15-minute fit call today.
About the Author
Karen Finn, PhD is an author and business growth strategist. Download a copy of her book The Business Growth Plan, to get insight into the low-cost and no-cost strategies she uses with her clients to 2x-3x their revenues.
