I was dared I couldn’t work GI Joe into a blog…

In thinking back over my past blog topics, it seems like I don’t do much writing about what people really seem to be on the lookout for… marketing tips and how-to’s. If I had to pinpoint the reason, it probably relates to one of our internal philosophies: “Creativity is our only asset. Our concepts and ideas are our 'marketable product,' so as a general rule we don’t do spec work for clients.”

That would be a little like going to the doctor and agreeing to pay only after the check up and testing is completed. The patient’s point might be that he needs to experience the doctor’s skill and bedside manners before deciding if he wants to become an actual patient of the good doctor. But from the doctor’s perspective, whether or not the patient liked the service, he still received it… all the work has been done, diagnosis determined and treatment provided.

While marketing and advertising might not be totally like health care, it’s still a similar story. Oftentimes we are approached by businesses who want us to design a logo, pitch an ad campaign or develop a sales strategy before having to decide if they want to buy. I might be able to see that working if our revenue was generated like old school agencies that live off of media placement commissions, but we’re different. We charge for the ideas themselves (and as a side note we forgo all media commissions and pass them along as a discounts to clients).

But really this situation applies to any business in the service industry. And it’s perfectly understandable that prospects are hesitant to buy into something practically sight unseen. There could be a lot of risk involved in the form of financial, time or opportunity losses. There are ways, though, to help lessen a prospect’s purchase anxiety.

A chef might advertise food critic reviews and Zagat ratings. A financial professional might share the amount of money he’s been entrusted with or recent performance figures. A salon might display pictures of recent masterpieces. At Emogen, we walk prospects through other client experiences and results, offer a thorough portfolio review and provide ample contacts for client references.

Here are a few things your business might consider doing to reduce any perceived risk of your services:

- Offer a complementary initial consultation
- Provide a free trial period
- Offer a special or reduced rate for a basic service
- Give a warranty or service guarantee
- Offer some sort of compensation in the event of service failure
- Encourage and reward client referrals
- Tout certifications, awards and other recognition
- Communicate and promote your brand

That last one is a pretty big one. Communication helps establish expectations; and the more realistic and defined a prospect or customer’s expectations are, the more likely you will be able to satisfy them.

I don’t think I can really ever say enough about the importance of communication, which can take many forms. For the prospect communication begins with your advertising and promotion, but continues on through the sales process, customer service, employee demeanor, office or store ambiance, etc. Every aspect of your business communicates something about the quality and value of what you’re offering. And it shouldn’t stop once you’ve acquired the customer. In fact, you should always communicate more with current customers than with prospects.

So it’s true that if you have a service business you can’t give out samples with the ease that a product business can. You can’t mail everyone a cute, miniature version of your tax return, hair cut or oil change, but you can craft a few promotional efforts to allow clients a reduced-risk trial of your service. And you can—no, make that should—communicate, communicate, communicate so that prospects and customers alike know what to expect. Because, as one GI Joe would put it, knowing is half the battle.

~Sarah, Emogen marketer