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Help Needed: Should I Sell What They Want or What They Need?

by fated82
6 replies
Hi all,

I want to pick the brains of some of you here. I was wondering what is the best approach to this selling scenario.

I met up with an financial planner and he wanted me to write a monthly e-newsletter to his list of 20,000 subscribers. He said that his previous copywriters charged $200 per email for the job.

As a direct marketer, I knew that if he wants to maximize results form his emails, he should be testing and tracking his emails. In short, he doesn't just need a copywriter to write for him. He need a direct marketer to write, track and improve his results.

So, how should I approach this? Should I just sell him what he wants or what he actually needs?
#needed #sell
  • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
    The first step in the conversation with your client is to see if he/she
    is open to an idea of getting better results from the emails going out.

    "What if we..." is a great conversation starter.

    It's inclusive too.

    Best,
    Ewen
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  • Profile picture of the author concentrator
    Yes, you should ask more questions and wonder if the client is interested in more aggressive marketing emails. At the end, you could charge more money per email.
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  • Profile picture of the author dollarswealth
    I agree with you all, but for me before I make suggestions, I will take the offer and over deliver on it the sell my other services. Something like that
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    Originally Posted by fated82 View Post

    I knew that if he wants to maximize results form his emails, he should be testing and tracking his emails. In short, he doesn't just need a copywriter to write for him. He need a direct marketer to write, track and improve his results.
    He's not testing and tracking results? Get a conversation going with how he made out with the previous writers. Get a handle on what a new client's worth to him. Then have an introspective conversation which starts with why he sends out newsletters as part of his marketing plan. Then take that to what he'd really like to achieve. And if that conversation brings up how testing and tracking services can help that happen, or reveals another service which would work with his goals, from there it should become a matter of helping him determine and realize the value (getting to those goals) of using direct marketing services.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    You will need to talk to him but beyond that what is he using his newsletter for?

    Me may not want to sell in it. When I send someone a birthday card I'm not trying to sell them. This could be the same idea. Maybe all he wants is top of mind awareness.

    If that is the case conversions minus open rate really won't matter. He simply wants a quality newsletter that people will read monthly.

    That way when they think and need financial services they will call him. And when he calls them it will never be a cold call but one from a trusted information source.

    Also don't assume he isn't tracking. Maybe the open rates of his previous copy writer sucked. Or people emailed him that they were not enjoying the info. Me may be doing all these things. He may simply need a writer. But you will never know what he needs till you ask. And you need to know what he needs before accepting the job anyways.
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    Aaron Doud - Sales & Success
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  • Profile picture of the author jimmyvanilla
    I think it's safe to assume what he wants is more business from his current subscribers. That's what you sell. You give him whatever he needs to get that result. If that includes writing & tracking then you do it.
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