Chapter 6: Building Your Own Product Awareness in the health and fitness market

Focus on solving their problems, not selling your product

The fastest way to kill a new market is to hard sell a new idea to an untapped market that is not ready to accept your new ideas. In other words, the prospects should ‘raise their hands first’. Otherwise, you will be perceived as a sleazy salesman trying to get into their pockets.

No matter what market you are in, whether you are in retail, distribution, network marketing or even door-to-door sales, you must remember the principle that people will only open their minds if you have a solution to their problem. You must focus on the itch, not the scratch.

For example, if you are promoting a wellness product, say an energy booster, you must talk to your prospect about him (assuming he likes) having more energy to go to the gym and build up his body so he can talk to women with more confidence.

If the customer is focused on preventing high-blood pressure, provide him with information on how to reduce blood pressure.

Focus on THEIR needs and not why you THINK the product is the best for them or their family.

The key is to market information first. Not ramming the product down their throats.

You must build the rapport with your prospect/customer and let them approach you as a solution to their problems or else you will have a slim chance at closing the sale or your sale will be just one time (because the customer purchases from you out of obligation or just to get rid of you).

Don’t count on getting a repeat sale if you do things wrongly or haphazardly.

Positioning Yourself as an Information Expert

How do you position yourself? How do you look like an expert rather than a peddler?

Think for a moment. Does your doctor call you up to see if you have a flu or a headache or go, “Hey, Mr. John, how’s your health coming along? Have you come for your regular check-up this month? Hey why not I give you a special promotion or an offer this time around or I’ll drop by your house if it is too inconvenient to come to my clinic?”

Sounds more like a peddler than an expert?

In reality, a person who sees a doctor often has to make appointments way in advance and do it through a secretary or receptionist. The doctor probably is too busy with appointments that even if you don’t give him any business, it wouldn’t make a difference to him.

As a matter of fact, you would probably pay more just to see him and whatever he’d recommend, you’d buy! Even if you wish to seek a second opinion, you would still pay him for his advice in the first place.

If you want to be a solution provider and an expert, DO IT ONLINE!

Today, blogs are becoming more and more prominent and it is very easy to set up a blog. To get readers, you can learn about pay-per-click advertising or join blog networks where you can network with a lot of other readers.

This is the easiest way to setup a website and soft-sell information. You can link your main business and website there once readers are comfortable with you; you can give your readers your contact information (e-mail or phone number).

Choosing the right product to specialize in is the key.

If you know who your target customers mostly consist of you can select a product line that will cater to this need.

For example, you may be living in a big city where air pollution is very bad. You can choose a product line that cleanses the air. If your town has a lot of women who are stay at home moms, maybe you can consider being a Tupperware Distributor.

The key is to know all that you can about a product and write (or pay someone to write for you) articles about your product and you will steadily increase your product awareness.

For those who prefer a ‘high touch’ method instead of a ‘high tech’ method, you it is better to build bonding with friends and relatives or best of all, be a product of the product. Share with your friends and relatives about your experience with the product without hard selling them.

Building the Relationship with Your Customers

It has been said, a loyal customer is worth much more compared to thousands spent on advertising.

If you are in a network marketing company, you must consider that getting business here requires you to provide a very personalized service. Imagine a butler.

You either compete on price, service or quality. Experience teaches us that we normally only get 2 out of 3 of these criteria.

Since price is standardized and the products qualities are similar in most in network marketing companies, you must put yourself in the shoes of the customer. Why would the customer buy from you and not from someone else down the street that is in the same company?

You have to differentiate yourself from the others only through service.

Servicing a customer doesn’t just mean bending over backwards or driving miles just to service one (although in some situations it might be necessary). The most important thing to do is to have a good knowledge of your product and relate it well to your customer’s needs.

Don’t be a ‘walkie-talkie’. Build a strong relationship with your prospect and ask him or her questions about their health related issues.

Give your recommendation of your product once they are open to you and you will be able to share your own experience and build bonding with the customer. Don’t just show the catalogue. Create a program (recommended by the company or your own experience) using a combination of products and services to impress your customer and show them your enthusiasm.

If you are taking your business online, you can utilize newsletters and e-mail just to keep in touch with your prospects and customers. That is the best way to develop your relationship with them and they will trust you more when they make a decision to buy from you or not.

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