Information-Rich
Everyone's heard of Tempur-Pedic mattresses. They are one of the top-selling mattresses in the U.S., and it's hard to avoid their television commercials. But 10 years ago, they were relatively small. What made them stand out were their one-page text-heavy, information-rich advertisements in magazines.
Tempur-Pedic mattresses were different. They were made from "memory foam," approved by NASA, and guaranteed to give you a better night's sleep that was easier on your back. Since I woke up every morning with an aching back, I decided I couldn't lose to try one, as the company also gave a 30-day money-back guarantee.
I ordered one (it was expensive—$1,500), and I was sold after one night's sleep. No more aching back. Their advertising promised what they delivered. And their advertising worked because it featured information-rich facts and figures that answered all my questions and justified the high price tag.
High-end professional services firms do exactly the same. On their websites you'll see a lot of information-rich content, service descriptions, case studies, blog articles, free reports, assessments, and more. These high-end service providers understand that they need to build trust over time by answering the questions and concerns of their prospects.
Relationship-Based
When I bought my house in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I worked with a real estate agent who was referred to me with these words: "She'll make you feel like you're her only client."
What a great way to recommend a professional service! And when we worked with Claire, that was our experience. She felt like a friend from the very first meeting. She didn't have to work too hard, as we bought the first house she showed us, but once she sold the house she didn't disappear. She helped us get integrated into the community, invited us out to restaurants, and even invited us to Thanksgiving dinner.
Now, how could we possibly recommend another real estate agent other than Claire? And throughout the housing crisis and to the present day, she has kept busy and is successful. That’s because her reputation keeps bringing her new business.
Are you treating your clients as "just another client" or do you consider each one a friend, someone whose company you enjoy and want to sincerely make a difference with?
Experience-Oriented
Ice cream parlors have understood this principle for ages: they'll happily give you a taste of any flavor of ice cream before you buy. It's only common sense. But how good are you at giving your prospective clients a taste of your services before they buy?
Please note that this doesn't mean "giving away your services" before they buy. The ice cream man doesn't give away a full cup, just a small taster spoon. And that's enough.
What you have to figure out is your equivalent of that taster spoon. The way Tempur-Pedic accomplishes this is by sending a small sample of their memory foam in the mail so prospective customers can feel how this foam is different. They also include an educational video that explains all the benefits of this foam.
I've found that the material on my website and in my weekly e-zine provides the content-rich information prospects need. But when a prospect gets closer to a buying decision, I've found nothing works better than a presentation of some kind that gives a solid sample of my best material.
I accomplish this through talks, tele-classes, and webinars. This way, they don't just get the information, but they get to hear me deliver it, answer questions, and go into the more "arcane details" of the programs I offer. This experience is enough to persuade qualified prospects to take the next step.
Exclusivity
If you offer high-end services, like a high-end restaurant, there are only so many seats you can fill. Exclusivity means a limited number of people will have the opportunity to be a paying client.
In my one-year Marketing Mastery Program, I make it very clear that I can take on only 15 new clients a year. I also emphasize that this one-year program is the only opportunity they'll have to work with me one on one.
Not only that, but if someone wants to participate in my program, they need to apply first. You can't beg people to be in an exclusive program. You need to make it somewhat hard to get into. If you do that, you'll also attract better clients, those committed to doing the work necessary to succeed, as well as willing to pay a premium fee.
Value, Responsiveness, Follow-Up
Everyone talks about great customer service, but very few quantify that service. What does it really mean? I like to use words such as value, responsiveness, and follow-up. The very best high-end services firms deliver all of those consistently.
To me, value means giving more than you promised; responsiveness is getting you what you need when you need it; and follow-up is keeping your promises every single time. As easy as it is to say those are important, none of them is easy to deliver on.
A couple years back, wary of the stock market, we decided to invest in rental properties. But there was no way I wanted to take on the duties of a property manager. We were lucky enough to find a company, "Memphis Invest" in Memphis, Tennessee, that delivers magnificently on all three of these service areas.
First, they helped us to find properties at a very good price. Where else could you buy completely renovated houses in a good neighborhood for less than $60,000 to $80,000? Not only did they sell us the rental properties, but they helped us with the paperwork to put our houses into IRA trusts. Whenever we had a question, they'd get back to us immediately.
Now that we've been renting out our houses for a few years, they keep us up to date on repairs, tax reporting, and everything else we need. What I still find amazing is that the property management arm of the company calls me regularly to ask if there's anything they can do to help.
Needless to say, Memphis Invest is extraordinarily successful, not just because they developed a business model that works but because of their amazing level of service.
I've learned the secrets of great high-end marketing from businesses such as exclusive restaurants, Tempur-Pedic, my real estate agent, ice cream parlors, and Memphis Invest. They all know how to do it right.
How can you use the examples of these businesses to take your business to the high-end?
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