Arsenal football manager Arsene Wenger once said: “To achieve great things you have first to believe it”, and he’s 100 per cent right. The trouble is it’s now more than 12 years since the Frenchman delivered any major achievements to the London club, but I digress.
Good marketing not only focuses in on the client’s issue and how you can solve it, but it also provides proof points to support your abilities and achievements. On the flipside, marketing that is subjective or unsubstantiated will lack punch and won’t generate more business and leads. But you already know that, right?
Proving your achievements
The best businesses reinforce their marketing messages with proof points that demonstrate their experience, expertise and reputation. It is what marketers refer to as “the reason to believe”. In other words, if you tell a client you can help them manage the financial issues associated with a divorce, you must be able to prove it. A good reason to believe gives a client a sense of comfort; it shows that the claims you’re making in your marketing and sales messaging are actually true.
Focus on proof points
The key to building your reason to believe is… believability. Seriously, stay with me here. You need a client to be able to independently verify what you’re saying – and simply saying, “our clients love our work and think we’re excellent” won’t cut the mustard.
There’s a number of ways of proving your worth, such as:
1. Client testimonials: The best way to prove your value as a financial planner is to show where you’ve delivered for your clients before. A good customer story or testimonial, supporting your marketing message is still the number one way to demonstrate that you can deliver what you promise.
2. Independent statistics/research: Think about research, data, or qualifications that back up your marketing statements. For example, if you have a specific planning qualification that verifies your claim, then use it. Independent data can be extremely useful in distinguishing yourself from the competition.
3. Showcase where you’ve given advice: Do you write for an industry publication such as Professional Planner? Or do provide commentary and advice to the media, for example, on Sky News or in Money Magazine? Any public relations activities demonstrating your achievements and experience in the financial planning industry are a valuable way to demonstrate to clients, and potential clients, that you’re at the top of the game.
The informed consumer cares
I’ve written before about the age of the informed consumer. We live in an age where more than 70 per cent of the research about your services is conducted online, by clients before they ever meet you. If you can’t substantiate the information you have on your website, for example, how is a prospective client supposed to evaluate your services?
Just listing what you do isn’t enough, as you risk being lost in a sea of similar businesses trying to win a client’s attention…and that’s a hard row to sow!
If you don’t know where to start with collating some proof points, testimonials, research, or promote your achievements or those of your business, contact a marketing specialist, who can offer a helping hand.
