Page 63 - Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing - PDFDrive.com

one they feared the least. They did not choose a good experience; they chose to
minimize the risk of a bad experience.

This intelligent couple was duplicating what happened all over the country
that day, among people choosing accounting firms, remodelers, dry cleaners,
cleaning services, human resources consultants, and thousands of other services.
They were not expressing their preference. They were minimizing their risk.

Yes, build the quality into your service—but make it less risky, too.

You Have Nothing to Fear but Your Client’s Fear Itself

Peggy, your prospect, is frightened.
You are just this invisible thing—a service—a mere promise that you will do

something.
Peggy is afraid. She is thinking about buying something almost sight unseen.
She is very uneasy—and she is the typical prospect.
Often, Peggy is so fearful she does not buy, even though she needs and could

benefit from your service, and even though you are the best company she could
choose.

It is less risky for Peggy to do nothing.
At this point, you do not need to put more sale in. You need to take some of
the fear out.
How?
How do product manufacturers do it? They offer free home trials, or free
money-back guarantees.
Can you do that? Often, you can. Instead of asking for the business, ask for a
project. Offer to do one shirt, one small survey, one blurb for a newsletter, one
small case, one free review of their retirement plan. If it is a big account, ask for
a tiny slice— a slice about which Peggy might not worry and on which you can
shine.
Always remember: Peggy is afraid.
The best thing you can do for a prospect is eliminate her fear. Offer a trial
period or a test project.

Show Your Warts

In the mid-1980s, some researchers at Cleveland State University made a