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Understanding Buying "triggers" and Using them in Your System of Promotion

It's one thing to brand a business right? We've been discussing this all along and it's one thing to market so two different things you're branding a strategic marketing is tactical right? Well now let's trigger a sale there are certain things in a consumer's mind that take them from I like that too yes let's give you my credit card okay? And there's a critical point in the purchasing process where applying those triggers as someone who's trying to sell our market to a consumer base there's a certain point in that process that's war libel to result in a sale than others so what it really comes down to is the customer buying cycle so how they bye and what psychologically goes through their head as they decide to make a purchase so people by in a very specific pattern okay? And everybody does this and you will find yourself when you go to buy anything whether it be online in a store deciding to book a service whatever you will go through these three stages as well and there are specifica...

lly three stages to this process okay? And the reason I'm teaching all this is so that you can see where your client is in the buying phase and you will know exactly where to apply the triggers that I'm about to teach you okay the buying triggers so the first step is awareness when they first become aware of you or their need so I'm going to an event I need a black sweater I just realized that I need something or I see that white house black market sells black sweaters that I recognize the need for it does that make that's? The second step is consideration this is where they first start evaluating a solution to their need I need a black sweater. Where should I go for that black sweater who has a black sweater that I can buy that makes sense they start evaluating which service or provider will give them the blacks water they want at the price that they want or with the experience that they want or with the convenience of buying it remember the eyes that we talked about in the very beginning of the class area of innovation okay price, convenience and quality those factors will kind of start to permeate the second step of the customer buying cycle when they first start evaluating a solution to their need once from here they will make a purchase okay from here they will make a purchase and they will start solving their problem. This is where you apply the triggers so you will see your client if your client calls you, then chances are they're already in stage two there in the consideration stage if they don't even know who you are, what photography is, they're like not even in this realm so say for example, you see a pregnant woman on the street or or a senior high school senior or a bride who's like trying to find a dress and you happen to be in the store too and you hand her your card trying to solicit you know, a session out of her she may not even be aware of her need at that point you know a bride might be but a newborn like a pregnant mom might not even be aware that she needs to get newborn pictures like oh that's a prop like that I need to do that like that's something that's a problem or in need that I have so but if they no see your website then they may first become aware of you and there need at that time so marketing and promotions kind of provides that awareness and then it just kind of naturally leads into ok how should I solve my problem right? So a lot of times other marketing will produce a sale in a different business. So for example, if on dad comes on about peces that now have a new intel chip in it or whatever right and you're sitting there watching and it's adele commercial and you're sitting there watching it and you go oh my gosh, I need to get a new computer but I am a, um a mac person that will trigger my need yet I will end up buying from a different company so sometimes marketing like just like makes a client aware of the need but they don't necessarily solve their problem with you okay, so you need to understand that where you're going to apply the trekkers triggers is they are looking at you as a possible solution to their need. Okay, so when a client calls you that's a great indication that they're evaluating their solutions to their need okay, so what are those triggers? What are things that make people buy and where I'm going to show you have a list here and then we're gonna go through every single one of them, okay? The buying triggers are this reciprocity, commitment and consistency liking authority, social proof and scarcity. Okay, reciprocity. I've talked about a little bit about this one in marketing when we talked about marketing yesterday, but the principle of reciprocity generally means that when someone gives us something we feel to give something back in return. Okay, it's, everybody wants to be nice. So the principle of reciprocity kind of means how you can apply that is a free gift with purchase unexpected gift before purchase. Okay, providing something nice without expectation that makes sense, but it has to happen before the client decides to purchase does that make sense if it's applied afterward it's your reciprocity, not theirs so for example, molly was talking today about she has this amazing client who ordered a bunch of stuff and then she just called her and wanted to order more it was a great tail, so she's like what kind of gift can I give her a thank you? We were talking about it and so that is not that is molly's reciprocity like she feels like this client has given her so much that she wants to give something in return. Where is if I provide? I really like a client? This is a classic reciprocity thing. I really like a client. We're going through the session and I noticed that she's having a hard time getting her baby to sleep at night or there's some problem or she says my baby doesn't like to be swaddled, but I wish she would be swaddled because I know she would sleep better. I will go upstairs and grabbed one of my special miracle blankets, which I absolutely love and save me when my son was born because they look a little like straight jackets thumb down and they can't move and I will give her a miracle blanket the sale hasn't even occurred yet, okay, but because I'm doing something nice for her, that kind of feeling of that rule of reciprocity is going to take effect, okay? It makes us commitment and consistency the principle of commitment because if he says that people will go to great lengths to appear consistent in their words and actions so this is why pre consultations air so incredibly valuable because if your client is consistent is committing to a product that you're going to be shooting for, they don't want toe go back on that so they will end up buying it okay same with people who are loyal evangelists to a brand people who buy apple by apple products and they want to appear consistent in there buying pattern does that make sense? So the pre consultation is clearly in shooting for a specific product also signing up for an email lift the rule of reciprocity applies to his email list that has a lead magnet associated with it which we talked about in market research other day if you give something the client kind of feels like oh, I got to stay on the email list you know I gotta be nice back and that that concept of consistency and commitment implies the same thing oh, she gave me this nice thing I need to stay on the list does that make sense? Liking this is exactly how it sounds do they like you were more likely to say yes to a request if we feel a connection to the person making it so good customer service this is where liking takes into effect friendly and available communication and a solid, solid brand do they like you as a business? Do they like you is the personality they're more likely to buy from you and buy more from you or book you if they like you so it's important? Understand with see photography industry? There are two buying cycles for the customer, the booking part of it when they decide to buy a booking and the sales part of it when they are in the sales were with you and they make a sale of the product there's two cycles, the first cycle is not as risky as a second cycle in their mind. Okay, so you're actually layering a buying cycle on top of another one, and you can use certain social triggers in the booking appointment like liking authority, scarcity, reciprocity. All those things can be used to get the client a book, and then you can turn around, watch them go through that customer buying cycle one more time, finding a solution to their need, making them aware of the need in other words, to buy an art piece rather than a digital file. And you can see them trying to figure out a solution to this need and applying the triggers the buying triggers at specific moments we talked about this a minute applying triggers at specific moments to ensure you get your sale okay, I love psychology it's so much fun sam's, like a manipulative person, must be secretly a manipulative person because I love anything that strategic puzzle solving, manipulative or like, gets people to do a strategic thing. I love that authority business personal hard, I guess the principle of authority relies on the fact that people appear hardwired to respond to someone who is an expert. They have done research studies on this. Actually, people will follow the directions of someone in a white lab coat almost to the team, no matter what, because they look at them as an authority or a doctor or someone who is trying to help them official. So when you appear as an authority to your consumer, you were helping to solidify a buying trigger. So for example, you could do things like really making yourself stand out as a professional, you're becoming certified display any print competition awards that you have tout your education to your consumers, tell how much experience you have. We've shot almost five hundred babies in our careers, you know that kind of thing. That's why our client information website, which you saw that the day has all those statistics that pop up that that's basically makes us an authority and all I'm doing is solidifying in my client's head that we are an authority in our field and it's funny, you know, most of you know that I compete on the print competition circuit, I absolutely love it and it's gotten rather obnoxious because there's a lot of trophies in the cabinet and and my clients love it, and they and I want to take him out because I'm like, oh, this is really obnoxious, like, I should just put the key ones out, and my staff is like, no newman, my husband, like known in my husband's like you should be putting the prints on the walls. No, I'm going to do that. They're not even babies half the time, you know, sometimes I'm not even I have, like, a picture of a tornado about to, like, annihilate a house and then that's, not very friendly. I'm not going to put that in my in my studio, but it is an award winning print, so it's like instead, we've just kind of we devoted a little case to put the little judges choice stuff and the certificates and all that and my clients literally during the session walk through and like, look at it and comment on it and say things, and I get a little embarrassed at times, but what I realize now is that is to finding my authority in my field. It like takes it up a notch they go oh well she must believe what she was doing half the time I don't but they think that I do and that's the whole point right? So authority is a really powerful thing and because so much research has been done on it I just I keep I keep all that obnoxious stuff in in the studio because I do realise now after seeing clients go through it that they really do look at it and it's a buying trigger it's helping the cell and it really helps the book so that's, why awards are listed on our website it's why our certification is always my certifications always put after my name because it elevate people cause if they're making a decision between two, it will often sway them to go with the person who has the credentials, especially if they're going to spend the same amount of money and honestly, you know, people ask me all the time does it really matter if you have master photographic craftsman next your name and I'm like no, it doesn't you know it's not a huge thing it was more journey for me than it was for anybody else, but I have discovered over time that sometimes it we'll just going to go now is it worth going out and get it just for that? Maybe not I preferred to tell photographers to do it as a personal journey more than anything in the letters and the authority that you get with their clients is just kind of icing on the cake it really is a journey for yourself and I could talk all about that but, um but for them it's funny how these little things start to become they just add up it's layer upon layer upon layer that makes the decision go in your favor okay? Social proof is a big one social proof is used constantly and I bet you've been triggered by social proof to buy something the principal social proof is connected to the principle of liking because we are social creatures we tend to buy things just because other people are whether we know them or not testimonials press coverage reviews that you go to amazon wanna buy something you read the reviews if you see a lot of good reviews you're like okay, cool we have a vacation rental on on v r b o and like my big thing is that we get no bad reviews on that vacation, ronald because so many people decide on via radio whether or not to rent a property based on the reviews it is social proof in action okay social media likes the more likes you have on something the more popular where are the more people are gonna want to buy from you you guys see it all the time you look at other photography site like my gosh she is one hundred thousand likes how it must be really popular was really good it's not even that's true it's what your brain your brain just goes there for some reason I think that's why a lot of photographers especially those in unfortunately in this day and age it's become really challenging for business owners because companies like yelp I don't like yelp at all thank god yelp isn't used a lot in my town but consumers have power and they could go in there and slam you on a review and there's not much you can do about it not much at all you can respond to it but yelp will not remove it even if it's fake and I've seen some horrible things like people do nasty businesses do nasty things to one of their like pretend to be consumers and right slam and reviews and it's just nasty and companies like you need to fix that because it does have an impact I mean and once the general public gets gets wind of it and is aware of it, things might change but you know of course facebook is totally they totally go into this whole concept of social proof their hole they're home model is based on that with reviews on your business page how many people like you that's all social proof right well then I get this whole concept of watch your competitors er you see how he likes that they're getting so they make it a game and like game if I it with um um like they say someone is watching you another page is watching you because have you ever had that I've had like well, do you get this notification that some other business in your is watching you and your likes and how pop there are and how often you post and it's like this it's creepy I know she got this like this total creepy thing like well, I was always watching me I've like had to ignore it because it really gets in your mind psychologically scarcity is used constantly in everything we do and everything we buy okay, I use it all the time I'm with photographers to get them to buy things so creative live uses it manufacture use it with this class right now like you khun by the class for one ninety nine but the minute it stops airing its two forty nine or whatever it is you know like that's concept of scarcity that that the deal is going to go away any sale is using the concept of scarcity people are highly motivated, motivated by the thought that they might lose out on something if someone tells you that you can't have it boy, do you want it right limited time offers a booking wait list oh, I'm sorry we're booked, but we could put you on the wait list then when a spot happens to open up, they'll take it because they know it's not it's scarce. They don't want to miss out seasonal offers auctions, e base whole business models built on the concepts of scarcity, okay, special events or pre orders like you, khun pre order the product at a certain price. But then the minute it's released it's at a different price, that kind of thing that's classic using the concept of scarcity. Okay, I'm saying buying triggers can trip and I'm not sure into a booking or sale now you don't im it's really easy to take some of these buying triggers and turn them into smarmy marmee sales techniques. Do you know what I mean? Like this can get really ugly quick, and I'm sure you guys have experienced this. If you buy today, you get the mattress for twenty percent off, you know it's like classic technique and marketing, so just be careful that you don't overuse the triggers. When you guys saw my pricing a couple weeks ago when we talked about create collection and how I offer these incentives, if you buy the large files, you get the extra things people don't want to miss out on that it's kind of employing that concept of scarcity in a different way without being like you'll lose everything and a lot of photographers do use this concept they'll be like well if you don't order today we're going to leave your files that's like the extreme that's like an extreme concept of scarcity which so just be careful on how you apply you don't want to be sure marmee marmee sales person okay, okay people buy in specific pattern but there's also a really strong psychology is so say there with it sometimes you just think clients are absolutely looney tune right cry cry my son says often mommy you cray cray I know honey I know just wait till you're a teenager they will spend you know you want to know why on earth we talked about this with the porsche cayenne lady why would they spend thousands of dollars on a luxury car or an air maid's purse but then scamp on pictures and we because we're we have different moral values, we think they're absolutely godsend nuts, right? Well, this is because they just value different things then they're a different type of consumer I like to call them morons, but what it really comes down to is what kind of consumer they are right? Okay, marketers grossly misunderstand what we think of as a crazy consumer okay, I'm gonna tell you about the two kinds of consumers I touched on this a little a few weeks ago. We're going to really study it today, okay? There are generally two types of people who buy things there are traditional people okay and traditional consumers are driven by prices, features and status they love a good deal. They will also spend money on products that offer some kind of status. Donald trump is your classic traditional even though he's rich he's driven by price he will on ly by real estate if it's a good deal but he will buy cristal champagne if he's at a party and wants to impress a bunch of people that offer status okay so it doesn't matter how much money you have as a chairman which type of consumer you are? It depends on what you value so these consumers spend wildly in a good economy and they reign in tight when the economic growth stalls and they will only spend if they see a good deal and their mindset is very slow to change finally starting teo since the two thousand eight crash just now are we getting traditional sze to start spending wildly economy's back to growing the neo the neo is driven by quality design experience and authenticity they are highly individual and they look for things with personal meaning they look for products that are outside the mainstream unique they spend pretty conservatively all the time, but was spent lots on products they deem worthy. If they see a product as a commodity meaning something they can get anywhere, they will act exactly like a traditional and demand the lowest price. And this is the problem that photography face all the time and why they grossly underestimate their market when someone is you're losing someone to the competitors er because they're cheaper it's, because this consumer does not see you as worthy enough, you are not selling on quality, design, experience and authenticity. Your work looks like everybody else. So does your brand and your foundation of your business is not strong. So if you're losing people to the other person across town because they're cheaper, you need to turn around and look at your business very closely and figure out what it's wrong with your model and how you can make it more authentic, more unique an individual out of the mainstream. Okay, so let's, take those two consumers, particularly the one we're going to target, which is neos, because as single business is doing a high end brand, we need to now, uh, hyah! Low price, high volume model might go for the traditional, then you're gonna want to add features, low price. Okay, that's, what's going to get you into that market set, but what's interesting is those consumers? Apple right now is one of those cos that's toeing the line with both types of consumers because in the beginning, if you think about it, when apple came out, they I mean, they were mac attics like people who were mac, we're a different breed. They were artists and graphic designers and painters, and they knew it, and they were kind of on a pedestal with themselves, and they were like all about mac, right? Remember that era like, twenty years ago? So now, with the iphone, invention and all this technology that apple is putting out, apple is much more mainstream it's not so much out of the mainstream, but it's still maintaining its individual. It has incredible design, and the experience of using an apple product is much, much different than pc. It also offers incredible status to have a mac, so you're pulling the traditional over who will spend more money on a mac because it offer status. So once you get your brand fuse, first, start off targeting neos, and then get your brand to the point that it offers status, then you're going to start pulling in the traditional zzzz well, does that make sense? You follow him, okay, so if, say, for example, you're targeting the neo, I want to take you through the buying psychology and how the client mindset evolves through the sales process. Okay? So at the pre consultation, what you're doing is planting the seed of the sale, right? At this point, the client is not educated, they need guidance, they're still wary. They have not developed a deep relationship with you, and you need to build that trust and help to guide them in the direction that they want to go and where you want the sale to go. So the buying triggers that you're going to be employing with this our authority, that you're an expert, that they like you and trying to get them to softly commit to the product because, you know, they will want to stay consistent in their nature right now. If you're having a sale or something going on at the time, the concept of scarcity might apply here. You could apply reciprocity if you wanted to, but I'm just going to take you through the basics of what? What happens here, okay, at the session you're basically water, you planted the seed of the sale, now you're watering it and giving it light, right, so the client is excited to start it's starting to get excited. Okay, they're starting to see it in their mind the client has considered what the product may look like in their home but they're still not fully committed to it at this point the session itself helps them visualize it because they're going to see you shooting they're going to find out they're going to start to visualize how it may look correct you must help encourage them with enthusiasm about their goals and this is where you can again apply authority liking reciprocity and scarcity if you feel like it okay you're doing something nice for them they're going to feel like they need to do something nice for you that concept of scarcity this moment this time when I talked to newborn mommy's I'm always saying about how you know that in two weeks they won't fit in your arms like that anymore I'm applying the concept of scarcity when I say that to them adding value to the overall product which in turn makes them like me and make me an authority on the topic the client goes home from the session at this point the leaves their budding once the session is over the client now has an idea of what their images will be like excitement is almost at its peak, the family discusses their budget or what they're going to do if you've done your job right and at this point money may begin to become secondary as the client assesses and visualize is the value in the session again scarcity liking commitment and social proof are all occurring right here at the I p s appointment there are blossoms there's flowers coming this is when excitement is truly at its peak and if you show the images before this session you are ruining this psychology in this process the images will build this excitement even higher when they see them for the first time okay you see where I'm going could you be in your client's shoes right now you feel it decisions at this point are now more likely in favor of upping the budget than ever before in the process this is the point where we go from finding a solution to our need to purchasing the triggers can be applied and you know the triggers have softly been going along the whole process but this is where the triggers can really be applied to get the sale and you could use one trigger or all five it doesn't matter so guide your client through the sale with ideas that may be bigger than the original plan but respect the budget should be tight that's kind of my rule of thumb but authorities scarcity commitment, liking and social proof can all be applied here and we'll be kind of naturally so what I'm saying is that this point sometimes the best thing to do is to walk away from your client what? Yes they need space to make those critical decisions so at the time in the sales appointment when I am feeling like they're about to make a decision the buying triggers have been applied if I stay there I might ruin it so I get up and walk out and walk upstairs some someplace don't need the space I'm going to just make a decision right away it's no big deal but some clients need that little time toe like regroup and it actually has more impact to do that and works more in your favour by giving them some space then it does to like sit there and wait for a decision because if they sit there in their pressure to make a decision they're going to go with the safer option if you walk away and give them just two to five minutes of space go upstairs took on an e mail whatever I'll be right back I'm expecting an important phone call to make sure it's not here and I want to give you guys some space to talk about this they usually like yes yes yes please give us some space now one always go in your favor no of course not but usually it does because they'll think about what I just told them they'll think about the buying triggers that I just applied and they will almost always go in favor of the larger sale okay not always but it happens so now it's time to pick the flowers when you return chances are your client will have made some crucial buying decisions and it's time to close to close out the deal with a well done pre consultation and using specific buying triggers you will not have major issues in the sales room okay it's simply a matter of taking an order and when I basically sayings of a sale goes south it's probably your fault you dropped the ball somewhere and this includes booking your new enquiring clients okay I just talked basically about the sales session when there are already a client but when they your marketing to them and they're deciding whether or not to purchase from you and actually book it's the same concept okay you want to make sure you know the buying triggers and what's funny is once you learn these and like understand how they work you'll feel yourself saying something anybody you know someone so your your friend we just had a session with them it was so wonderful was such a good baby out iata I mean that is social proof right there okay so learn these triggers and really these air just the nuances of marketing and sales guys very subtle nuances but you are all in business okay, you may just be starting out but technically you're a pro because you're in business you're being paid for your work okay and I really want you to understand it's time for you to start getting down to it. It's time for you start learning to be a really intense business person who knows every facet of what it takes to run a business and sometimes it's a small as applying a tiny little social trigger to get your client to book that's all it can take some times and when you see that magic happen the first time you will be like oh, I need to learn more about this stuff and you'll want to know the nuances that layer upon layer upon layer to get results and that's often what it is I like it to be a creating a painting a painting starts with a base you tone your canvas you block in the colors and the light in the shadows and you apply layer upon layer upon layer and then these little tiny details start to go in to make the whole piece beautiful and then the light is added with these soft bright tones and it's layered upward to make it come forward in the shadows to recede okay, business is the same way you start with the tone canvas and a brand you block in the shadows you blocking the light and you start out in the color and then you learn things and you learn how small nuances are the jewelry that makes outfit okay, it was ok without it I mean, the off it's. Okay, without the earrings, and it looks good with him. Right. So this lesson here, maybe a minor lesson in this game of things. But as you get further and further the business and more and more advanced than what you do, thies, small little tiny pieces of jewelry are going to make your business that much more effective. And what it's trying to d'oh. Okay, do I have any questions? Questions, comments, concerns, issues? No. Okay, this is a short lesson today, but here are your buying trigger homework. Okay, I want you to based on the marketing tactics and strategies you listed under your day twenty four homework. Remember, we talked about that. So we talked about marketing systems. We discussed how you guys were going to come up with three to five marketing tactics. I want you to find key areas in those marketing tactics where you can employ the buying triggers to help make that marketing message that much more effective and add those buying triggers to your marking plan. Make a timeline. So, basically, we're building on from day twenty force homework. That makes sense. And when you do that, you're gonna have a nice, solid, ill actionable plan with specific techniques for getting clients in your door, okay?