Friday, March 14, 2008

Proper Answering Of Customer Needs

It is a continuation of tyhe last post .......
Expect and address skepticism and objections first
=> Answer the biggest objection first:
=>Why should I bother reading this?
=>Give details, =>reassure, =>persuade —
whatever is most appropriate for your audience.
If you hook them, they want answers to their questions:
=>What is it?
=>What will it do for me?
=>Who else (like me) has used it and what did they get out of it?
(Here is a place to incorporate testimonials and endorsements.)
=>How much will it cost?
=>When and where can I get it?

Focus on the benefit to your customers .

Instead of focusing on the features of the product or what you do,
tell your customers about what they will get.

When you do write about a product feature, tell customers
what it will do for them — why it will make their lives better.
Create a desire.
It may be useful to pose a question to the customer,
show them the benefit, and tell them the action to take to get it.
Consider providing information that is useful in its own right,
such as a helpful tip or resource. This adds a benefit to the publication,
and it demonstrates your intentions and expertise.
Use testimonials:
Unless you are writing to leaders and executives,
who are less likely to be impressed by others' opinions,
let testimonials describe the problem that your business
solves and the benefit. Use testimonials that don't sound
as though you wrote them. But don't let testimonials drown out
your voice and message. You want to develop a personal
connection with your audience.Make it authentic, personal,
fresh, and direct Suggestions for how to do this include:
=>Write the way you talk — casually, informally.
=>Don't get caught up in being grammatically correct.
Talk directly to the reader ("you").
Write as though you are addressing someone you know.
The more you have identified a specific segment of your audience,
the easier this is to do.Avoid hype and overstatement. If you need to
convey excitement, can you do it without saying that it is "exciting!"?
Don't risk disappointing your readers by misleading them or promising
things that you can't deliver.

Edit the draft:

It is time to edit. When you edit, work from general to
specific — and from key messages to details.
Focus on organization first, language later.
Group it Look at what you wrote and start to group the sections
that make sense together. Be flexible. Try different arrangements.
Remove redundancies.Grab them Start with an intriguing anecdote,
a provocative question, or an unusual perspective.
Don't cause customers to respond, "So what?" Inspire them to continue reading.
You likely have fewer than 10 seconds to engage them.
Concentrate on a single message If readers give your message
only a few seconds, will they absorb it? Cut content that doesn't
serve your message or goals. Help your readers scan .
Organize your message in containers
(a heading and a paragraph or two, maybe with an associated graphic and caption).
Convey your important points in the elements that customers read first (and often last):
=>Headings :
They are the most important part of your content because readers are
likely to skim only them when deciding to read more or move on
to something else. Take special care in crafting them.
=>Captions :
Use them to make a point, not just to describe the image.
After headings, readers are most likely to skim captions.
=>Subheadings and bullet lists :
These devices help readers to skim the publication quickly
and give them additional entry points into it.Hone your message
to the essence of each idea Use short sentences (10 to 20 words)
and paragraphs (2 or 3 sentences).
This is also a good time to check for grammar and edit out
anything unnecessary: "modifiers, complex clauses, awkward phrases ".
=> Use an active voice, and avoid business jargon, obscure words,
stale phrases, and any abstract or confusing ideas.
=> Make it concrete and straightforward.

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