Prospects will become clients for one reason and one reason only: They have pain.
Did you know that psychologists and sociologists have repeatedly found that people are more motivated to avoid pain than to seek pleasure?
A marketing instructor once quipped to me, “You will make more money selling Vicodin than vitamins” (not so funny in light of today’s substance abuse crisis). But the quip was to help remind me what marketing researchers were discovering.
In 1983 researchers Letham et al introduced a “Fear-Avoidance” model. The central concept of their model is fear of pain drives behavior (Letham, Slade, Troup & Bentley, “Outline of a Fear-Avoidance Model of Exaggerated Pain Perception,” Behavior Research Therapy). A number of investigations have corroborated and refined the fear-avoidance model.
Educating your target clients on how to avoid pain is an important marketing technique. Being generous with information on how to solve the problem is what gives this strategy its horsepower.
Your target market experiences its own pains and problems. The secret to maximizing your attraction factor is to articulate the problem. Truly identifying your market’s predicament tells them that you understand and empathize with them.
If your problem is attracting customers, the secret is to turn their pain into your gain.
To attract more clients, start with a problem you can solve.
For Ed Sanderson, cofounder and CEO of Ducerus, that problem is paying the high cost of a higher education.
“We do everything related to college, such as admissions planning and major/career search, but what most people find us for is the money part,” says Sanderson.
Sanderson has been in the college planning field for over a decade (15 years). His primary focus is to make sure that families successfully navigate the admission, financial aid, and college funding process.
“We work with parents that already have a student in college or high school and need a lot of help quickly,” says Sanderson. “It is our passionate belief that every child deserves a higher education. Our philosophy is guided by the principle that college should be affordable.”
Everyone knows parents who have this problem: how to pay for college without going broke.
Ducerus uses what I call the Educating Expert Model to help attract clients. The company hosts workshops that provide a wealth of information that families need to fully understand the process and significantly improve their financial aid awards.
Next to buying a house, paying for college is the second biggest investment most families will make.
“Having the information we provide is like having a flashlight to explore a darkened cave, while everyone else is stumbling along blindly,” says Sanderson. “The mistakes that most families make can literally cost them tens of thousands of dollars in financial aid.”
Sanderson also offers educational articles on subjects such as “The shocking truth about 529s and other college savings plans that can actually cost families significant money” and “Why families need to plan ahead to maximize aid awards before it’s too late.”
Bottom line: understand the problems and offer information on the solutions.
