So I got back super late last night from my whirlwind tour of my prospect’s financial advisor offices.
And can I just say, the visit totally took my breath away.
Their offices are right on the ocean, and walking distance from Plymouth Rock.
I had a few minutes before our meeting started, so I drove down to see the famous rock.
Turns out it was a silly decision, because Plymouth Rock is 2 blocks down the street… on the busy end of the street… where parking is a giant no-go.
Anyway, I sorted out the parking, saw the rock, listened to live jazz music on the beach, noticed babies in strollers and happy couples napping in hammocks, and even saw a dad skipping rocks at low tide with his toddler son. Pure bliss.
Then, I went to my meeting and the aforementioned steak dinner.
And do you know what I learned?
The right hand has no idea what the left hand is doing.
The client (who is paying me), the financial office (who invited me into their world), and the end customers (who shared charming dinner conversation with me)… all had completely different ideas about the best way to bring in new clients.
Wildly different.
It was mind-blowing to me.
My next step is to carefully craft respectful and honest letters to both companies to share what I saw, and to encourage this one simple action step:
Let’s all talk more. All of us. Especially to the end-user customers, because they have the smartest ideas of all.
The 83-year-old retired doctor that sat next to me said this:
“They seem like earnest guys, and like they really know and care about their business. It would be better though, if they tried to bring us along for the ride.”
Ouch, man.
That’s a toughie.
And despite not feeling connected to the advisors, the doctor is going to schedule an appointment anyway, because he likes their earnestness and their try-hard.
So what I learned is: Being passionate can take you a long way, but it works even better if you tighten up your messaging and bring the rest of us along for the ride.
Much love,
Melanie Saladino
Direct Response Copywriter
Customer Avatar Expert
P.S. I’m still offering free “Find Your Ideal Buyer” consultations through August. I might have to switch to a pay-for model, once the kids start school. Either way, If you’d like to know who your ideal buyer is, we can sort that out in about 15 minutes by Skype. It’s a free consultation. There’s no obligation. Click here to reserve your spot.
P.P.S. Can I tell you a secret? I have this crazy idea to start a print letter. It would be 16-pages long, delivered to your home. Like a care package that comes to your house every month, complete with marketing advice, inspiration, buyer psychology training, and take-care-a-you stuff for people who write for a living (and maybe are kinda hard on themselves and would like a little pick-me-up). Plus, stickers. Because I like stickers.
Is that something you might be interested in? If so, could you hit reply and let me know? I’d appreciate it.
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