C2 Create
This phase is all about creating the right environment. To do this you need to understand what this means from the perspective of the prospect, a prospect who belongs to your target market; these are the only people we want to be communicating to.
Creating the right environment is all about setting the stage so that it can lead to the ultimate outcome you desire which in the majority of cases is going to be the sale. It is difficult to disagree with this but what you need is to understand what this means in terms of actions you can take to create this environment.
The list of things you can do is long, and we can only scratch the surface of the more important aspects of this program; there are others available that will deep-dive the subject for you. I do not want to sound like a scratched vinyl record, but I must repeat this is covered in great detail throughout the various resources in this hub for good reason. Here then, is our list:
- Conversational
- Connected
- Channelled
- Conscious
- Compelling
- Cognitive
Conversational
This is about making the presentation more like a conversation between friends than a more formal and old-fashioned sales presentation, where it is all about the pitch and an endless stream of features and closes! Do not let the word conversational paint any other picture than one of two or more people talking and sharing the stage, talking sometimes and listening sometimes, a well-balanced conversation where both parties learn. When we refer to conversational but using sales funnels, the same guidelines apply; it is just the mechanism used that will change slightly. When producing the content, consider using video over the written work and make it personal and feel like a one-to-one engagement. I would call that the perfect sale and a much more pleasant experience.
Connected
When you are connected, the defence barriers are lowered, and the defence mechanisms are stood-down. To get to this state, you need to show a true interest in the client, and this will come from a series of mainly open questions that get the prospect talking about or thinking about themselves and their needs. Not about you and your product. The more you know your client, the better job you can do for them; that is what this process is all about.
Channelled
The conversation is balanced and follows a path that leads to motivations; the motivations I am interested in are your ‘Reason Why’ being communicated. This way, the prospect will understand why you are motivated to help them. Equal to this is the motivation of the prospect. The more you understand this, the better equipped you will be to identify not just what they want (their motivation) but also what they need.
Conscious
You need to be very conscious of what is being said to you if you are undertaking sales in the traditional way and equally mindful that your content follows the pain or pleasure your prospect is navigating away from or toward when using landing page content.
Not just the words but the body language, the cadence, the attitude, and the inflections in the voice. When using physical meetings and presentations, being conscious means actively listening and not just waiting for a gap so you can start talking again! There is significant evidence to support the opinion that those who are the best at truly listening are the ones that are seen by others as the best communicators.
Compelling
When it is your turn to talk, or when you are telling a story in your Hook, Story, and Offer sequence, you should do all you can to make what you have to say as compelling as possible. It is often the case that stories work the best. Stories to illustrate the point you are making. Stories to illustrate your motivation, stories to promote the brand, the product or service and, of course, stories to create the buying environment. Compelling stories are the ones that get the prospect thinking in terms of what it would feel like for them to be benefitting from your product or service right now.
Cognitive
The more senses you can involve in the process, the better. Cognitive participation in the process is the key. The more you get the prospect to think and learn, the better. This may lead to the occasional silence; nothing is wrong with that. Get used to giving the others in the room time and space to think. In all honesty, we want our prospects to be thinking; We want them to be learning too. When you are using sales funnels, have at your disposal follow-up emails that can be used for those who left the process early. Take time to learn why they do this so that you can make the appropriate changes to the content you are using.