What if there are zillions of companies out there that need your skills but don’t realize they need your skills? This question came up recently with a woman who has 14 years of technical editing experience but was in despair. From her point of view, so many companies urgently need someone to clean up and clarify their prose, but they won’t act on this need. They don’t get the value of effective written communication.

Likewise, suppose you’re a magician with house plants. But office managers keep telling you, “Geez, so what if our plants are diseased and dying?” Or you’re a parenting expert who specializes in increasing the self-esteem of chidren under the age of 10. But so many parents with children in that age group look at you blankly when talk about ways to improve their children’s self-image and confidence.

Forget about trying to persuade people to value what you value. You can break through this kind of resistance only by demonstrating that what you’re good at helps them accomplish some objective that they do hold dear. Tell the companies that spew out atrocious grammar that you’ll win them greater credibility with investors. If you’re the green thumb, tell managers that you improve productivity by creating a healthy, reassuring indoor environment.

Pitch yourself to companies in terms of what they know they want, and you boost the chances that they’ll want you. To discover the pitch most likely to ignite desire, follow these three steps:

1. List all the benefits (outcomes, advantages) your company offers. Create another list of what your target market would like to achieve. Find one or more commonalities on the two lists and use those for your marketing pitch.

2. If you find nothing in common, look closer for items on each list that you can relate to one another in some way, and see if you can make that connection convincing.

3. If you strike out on finding commonalities on the lists, find another target market!

When the economy turns tough, it’s especially important to concentrate on those who already understand the value of what you sell. This ensures that every marketing dollar brings you closer to the thriving business you want. To implement this focus:

* Contact past customers, who are five times more likely to respond than non-customers.

* Contact knowledgeable or specialized prospects, for instance by advertising in magazines for experts or enthusiasts.

* Contact new people through speaking engagements sponsored by sophisticated special-interest organizations.

* Contact influential colleagues and media people who know you and might take it upon themselves to educate prospective buyers.

* Contact current clients and ask if they know others who would benefit from your products or services.

* Contact prospective customers who don’t know you but match the profile of your best clients.

An old Zen proverb sums up the point nicely: “When you see a swordsman, draw your sword. Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet.”

Author Bio: Marcia Yudkin is the author of more than a dozen books, including 6 Steps to Free Publicity, now in its third edition, and Persuading People to Buy, from which this article is adapted. Learn more about her books on the fundamentals of turning strangers into customers: http://www.marketinginsightguides.com

Category: Marketing
Keywords: marketing psychology,persuasion,principles,audience,market,clients,customers,buyers,value