Wanna know something the best copywriters know that eludes most marketers?

Your customer generally doesn’t have a clue how to choose the best product in the market UNLESS you tell them.

We all tend to walk around thinking customers have a well thought through and researched list of criteria that they’re checking off.  Almost as if they’re creating a score sheet and carefully comparing one against the other.

This MIGHT be true for the absolute most hyper-responsive customers, but even they could use a little help understanding the things that nobody is talking about in the market…

Things that SHOULD be influencing their buying decisions dramatically but aren’t.

For example, in the “how to be a coach” market, the winning vendors are selling “how to get certified in the fastest time possible”, based on the notion that all you really need is “permission” to be a coach and then you’ll have a great practice.  Couldn’t be further from the truth… which is why there are so many broke coaches out there giving free sessions to one another while they scramble for enough change to buy a pizza. (And even when  they DO get clients, most coaches struggle tremendously to keep them for any length of time)

What works in the coaching market is solving a specific problem for a very specific audience in a very measurable way.  And then working hard to REALLY develop your coaching skills so that after you “take the thorn out of the lions paw” your clients will be interested in a longer term relationship with you that allows you to help them with other parts of their life and business.  True coaching skills come from (a) getting coached for significant time periods yourself; (b) engaging in supervised practice for a year or more; (c) intense self-reflection and journaling regarding the obstacles you encounter (and you will!); (d) carefully learning to exclude the wrong kinds of clients.  (One bad client can RUIN your practice… I’m serious about this!)

See?  I just set your buying criteria.  (If you’re really curious about eliminating the competition with sales copy, you can read my full letter to this market here… but please don’t buy the product unless you’re really serious about building your coaching practice.  This one is definitely NOT  for “lookie-loos” or those with a passing interest.  I’m serious about this part too… the letter is VERY convincing, so consider yourself warned)

Anyway, today I’ve got another killer interview for you with Ryan Levesque, all about how to set buying criteria.  Because Ryan’s positioned as a local marketing guru, this interview is more specifically about setting buying criteria for local businesses.  But don’t be fooled… many of the lessons herein can be used on a global scale!

As always, Ryan over-prepared for the interview, so it’s very rich in valuable information such as:

• Why inexperienced customers feel an overwhelming pressure to box you into a tiny little commodity box (and 3 simple things you can do to get out fast!)…
• WARNING:  if you don’t educate your customer the right way to make their buying decision, your competitor will! (Just do this and you can stop worrying though)…
• Obliterate price ceilings by using simple “apples to oranges” comparisons…
• How to take the “trusted consumer advocate” position without losing your shirt…
• Create a “category of one” to take your prospects OUT of the competitive environment…
• Two pre-emptive advertising strategies that make other vendors in your market cry like little girls…
• The simplest “save the sale” strategy this side of the Mississippi!…
• 5 steps to creating virtually perfect buying criteria even my own Jewish Mother couldn’t resist on her best day…
• Evergreen vs. Time-Sensitive buying criteria (and whether/how to evolve your buying criteria over time!)…

And much, much more!

Listen, learn, and prosper…

Dr. G 🙂