How to Get People to Pay Attention to You and Your Message…in 3 Simple Steps

culled from:http://eleanorestrong.com
In almost every professional endeavor I’ve been a part of, my colleagues and partners have endlessly wondered how to “get the word out” about something.
A charity event. A new initiative. A product. A service.
How do we reach people? How do we get them to pay attention? How do we get them to care?
It’s the eternal question.
And I’m here to tell you that it isn’t so hard.
There’s really only one thing that makes marketing effective…
Speaking the language of the people you’re trying to attract.
And it turns out that this is not only true when it comes to how you talk about what you offer. It actually applies to what you offer in the first place.
Let me tell a quick story to illustrate.
As you might already know, I recently released my first business consulting package, the Multi-Passionate Roadmap Program, which is an opportunity for aspiring business owners to have me write a launch plan for their products and services (and, of course, their marketing!).
The sales page for the program immediately brought me several dream clients who happily paid $1,000 for my time, skills, and knowledge.
I also got many inquiries from people wanting to be added to my waiting list or work with me at a later date.
I got so many excited comments from these folks…things like:
“This is exactly what I’m looking for!”
“I totally relate to this!”
“How do you know me so well?”
“Are you in my head?”
How did I achieve this? Magic? Telepathy?
Not exactly. But close.
For almost five months before I even knew what I’d be selling, I had spent almost an hour a day observing Facebook groups and other forums where lots of small business owners, my intended audience, were present in droves.
I just watched. And occasionally responded to people’s questions. But mostly watched.
I didn’t ask any questions. I didn’t promote myself. I didn’t take any surveys.
I just watched.
Over and over again, I saw people expressing needs, concerns, and fears that I knew I could help with. I even thought I’d be excited to help with some of them.
Every time a comment evoked these feelings in me, I captured it in a file, so I had them all in one place.
Based on what I learned, I did some test offers, helping people for free. I captured those people’s concerns and needs as well, and added them to the comment file.
As the file started to reach a “critical mass,” I began spending time with it each day, studying and analyzing the concerns that I felt called to address. I looked for patterns. I brainstormed specific ways to match my talents to their needs.
I genuinely wanted to see these wonderful people get “unstuck” and start finding success. I asked God to help me design an offering that would truly help all of these people who were struggling.
And I did…using their own needs, stated in their own words, as a guide.
Almost every word of the sales materials for the Multi-Passionate Roadmap Program was copied directly from the typed words of an actual person I knew I would love to work with. And the program itself was lovingly designed as the perfect solution for what they described.
It wasn’t rocket science. All I did was listen. And I captured, organized, and analyzed the results.
The problem with many people who are trying to market themselves is that they’re self-centered. They’ve created something that they think is important, and they assume that the rest of the world should automatically see how great and important it is, too.
The best marketers don’t do this. They put themselves in another person’s shoes before they even create anything at all – let alone try to “get the word out” about it. And they know that it takes time to truly get to know other people. Lots of time. It requires patience, great listening skills, and humility. Which means you don’t have any agenda other than caring about them.
So what are the three simple steps to getting people to pay attention to you and what you offer?
1) Pay attention to them. Focused, deep attention. For a long time. (In fact, never stop!)
2) Capture, organize, and analyze what you see and hear.
3) Based on what you learn, create the perfect solution.
Then sit back and enjoy the rewards of putting others’ needs and desires before your own.