While working in Newport Beach California, I came across a sports radio show called “The Jungle” hosted by Jim Rome. I loved the show, and one of the perks to my time in California for business was the opportunity to tune in. I now have an annual subscription to download the show daily via the internet. ”The Jungle” has a very loyal, almost cult-following base of listeners. It is funny, relevant, interesting and audience-interactive. In spite of these great things, the show has trouble getting ratings in new markets. This limits the number of radio stations that carry the show.
The reason for this is simple. The show is built for insiders. If you tune into the show for the very first time, you would have a tough time following the caller conversations and much of Jim’s jargon. It is only after you have been listening for a while does the show get really funny. As you learn the “inside jokes,” as you learn the references to past shows and guests, as you learn the lingo for the call-in listeners, the show becomes hilarious.
The problem is, new listeners don’t get the show right off the bat and are not willing to put in the time so they tune out.
This is not a problem just isolated to this radio show. I see it almost everyday with different kinds of businesses. Businesses assume that the customer has as much knowledge as they do. They assume you understand the industry-specific jargon, acronyms or nuances. Where this can do some damage is that the prospect might not understand what you are talking about, might never ask for clarification, and will simply “tune out.”
Selling opportunities are squandered because you have gotten too granular with your information too soon. The Information put out from your organization must correspond to where your prospects are at in the sales cycle. Too little or too much information at the wrong time can slow down, or worse END, your sales cycle with out the intended result.
Your prospect in all likelihood is not going to stick around until they “get it.” They will buy from someone who can give them the needed information at the appropriate time. If your sales people need help in identifying customer’s buying process and the steps involved OR if you need help identifying what information is appropriate when, give us a call. This is what we do!
1 response so far ↓
Barbara Bix // April 5, 2008 at 7:02 pm |
Great point! Understanding your prospects’ buying process is especially important when selling complex products or services to businesses. These prospects tend to involve many people in their buying process each of which are looking for specific information–and have no interest in anything else. That means that many can say no, although only one person can say yes. Or as you point out, many opportunities to squander the sales opportunity. The answer: validate all your assumptions up front about your most promising prospects’ buying process (e.g. who’s involved, what’s important to them, and how they prefer to get information). Upfront marketing research is essential to ensure you get the right information to the right people at the right time.