Instant Message Marketing and 'Relationshipping'

As Jackie mentioned, this week's 'system' incorporates messaging. While Instant Messaging plays a big part in this system, keep in mind that all messaging systems allow us the opportunity to connect with and get to know people and make new friends.

I think it's important to make a distinction between 'Advertising' and 'Marketing'.

My Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary says:

advertise - 1: to make something known to: NOTIFY 2 a: to make publicly and generally known b: to announce publicly esp. by a printed notice or a broadcast.

advertising - 1: the action of calling something to the attention of the public esp. by paid announcements

market - 1a (1): a meeting together of people for the purpose of trade by private purchase and sale and usu. not by auction. (2) : the people assembled at such a meeting b(1): A public place where a market is held

marketing - 1a: the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market b: the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service 2: an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer

Notice that MARKETING is more focused on the people... getting a message to people certainly, yet it might serve you to keep in mind that advertising focuses on the thing being marketed... where good marketing focuses on the needs of the people being marketed to. (please ignore that dangling preposition... it will be safely caught when you are clear about exactly who makes up your market! ;-))

I feel it's an important distinction to be made when we're talking about a system using Instant Messaging because I can promise you that you will not be warmly embraced if you're simply grabbing people's time and attention to throw some advertising at them!

As Jackie has pointed out there are a variety of places you will find Instant Messaging tools. The important thing to remember is they are all attached in one way or another to a community... and most communities give their members a place to fill out information about themselves. That's your profile page. And it's by searching other's profile pages that you will find people to connect with and get to know.

That's a really important part of this system and the reason you want to have a clear idea of just who you are looking to meet.

So, while you're creating a profile page, sharing information about yourself and what your interests are, give some thought to the people most likely to be interested in your product or service.

Though it may at first seem counter-intuitive, the more you can narrow down the description of your 'perfect' customer... the more successful you will be in using this system to market your stuff. The reason is because when your target is very clearly defined you know exactly where to aim.

This doesn't mean you can't be flexible and approach different groups of people with the same product or service... you just want to increase the likelihood that the people you are introducing yourself to will share something with you and possibly be served by what you have to offer.

Now, for me one of the best ways to get an understanding of this is to be with someone who is actually initiating a conversation with a stranger online. So I want to share an example with you. This is an article shared by Max Steingart in the March 2008 issue of TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com
Though the feedback Max shares is being given to Network Marketers, there is much to be learned for any marketer online. Let me know what you might find valuable here!

How to use the poor economy to YOUR advantage

Walk through an online conversation with Max and a potential prospect… great stuff!

by Max Steingart

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Max Steingart's Recruiting Tip: "How to use the poor economy to YOUR advantage!"

One thing on everyone's mind at the moment is the "bad economy" and the "recession". And to be sure, things are looking pretty bad for a whole bunch of people. Although it doesn't HAVE to be bad news, and often these trying times are actually opportunities in disguise.

See, in times like this, some industries in particular are having a rough time of it... so you not only watch my special techniques grow YOUR business, but you can also give someone else who's having a hard time of things a hand-up.

Everyone wins!

So in this conversation, I share with just how easy it is to engage someone who you know ahead of time is perhaps in an industry where their primary income is likely to be under pressure right now. The famous marketer, the late Gary Halbert, once said, "You should sell to a starving crowd". And this is a great example of me doing just that. I've used "THEM" to preserve the privacy of the other person involved, but it's a genuine conversation I had, and, what's REALLY important is this so easily COULD be YOU talking to as many of "THEM" as you wanted!

Probably the best way to get the MOST from this powerful conversation is to print it out, grab a cup or glass of your favorite beverage and go sit somewhere quiet where you can follow along with the commentary and reference the lines in the conversation. I promise you, it'll really be worth that little bit of extra trouble to go over it.

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Recruiting Tip:

"How to use the poor economy to YOUR advantage!"

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1. Max: Hello from Miami Beach My name is Max I'm
waiting for someone I work with to come online
and noticed your profile. What is the condo
market like in Daytona Beach?

2. Them: Hi...I'm <>. It's a buyer's market -
a lot of good deals. People who are anxious to
sell are wheeling and dealing. Are you looking
for a condo?

3. Max: It's a buyers market here in Miami Too I'm
shopping for a good investment in an ocean front
condo how long have you been selling real
estate?

4. Them: I specialize in the condo market. Have
been doing this 6 years. What kind of condo are
you looking for? How big?

5. Max: 2 to 3 bedrooms in an upscale building on
the ocean or waterway. What prompted you to get
into real estate sales?

6. Them: The market was hot 6 years ago. My best
friend was making tons of bucks so I got my
license. When are you looking to buy something?

7. Max: I'm not in a hurry I think the market will
go much lower than it is today. What did you do
before real estate?

8. Them: I was in pharmaceutical sales. I sold to
doctors and hospitals. My first year selling
condos I doubled my income. Things are slow so
you know you can get a great deal. Sellers are
serious.

9. Max: I'm sure they are. I expect they'll be even
more serious next year. Some of my friends in
real estate have taken on second jobs to make
ends meet. How are sales going for you
personally?

10. Them: The market is tough. It's like that
everywhere. I've also taken on a second job for
extra income. What do you do?

11. Max: I have an internet business I work from
home. That gives me the time to travel and do fun
things and I teach other people how to do the
same thing.

12. Them: I'd like to have an internet business
myself. What do you sell? Could you teach me?
I've been thinking of selling things on eBay.

13. Max: Perhaps I could. My business is in the
health field. Are you open to learning new
things?

14. Them: Yes I am, very much so. I'm a fast learner
and want to know all about it. I really need to
secure another income until the market comes
back. But I have an appointment to show a condo
now. It's not on the water or I'd tell you about
it. A very motivated seller. Can we connect later?

15. Max: Of course. I'll be online later after 9.
How about you?

16. Them: If not tonight, tomorrow in the day for
sure

17. Max: until later bye for now

18. Them: bye

Commentary:
In Line 1, I do as I always do and kick off the conversation in an interesting and non-threatening way. In this case, because I know the real estate market in Daytona is pretty tough, I also know she is going to be interested in talking to me if she thinks I might be a buyer. See how this is exactly the REVERSE of a "normal" MLMer's approach?

And in Line 2 I get the kind of response I expect. Reading between the lines, so to speak, she's DESPERATE for business!

In Line 3, I acknowledge her statement by saying it's bad in Miami, too, and then neatly segue the conversation into HER business. As I said last week, people LOVE to talk about themselves. But notice how this isn't just idle chatter to pass the time of day. I have a definite REASON for asking her about how long she's been in real estate -- I don't just want her talking about herself... I want her talking about her BUSINESS.

In Lines 4 through 6, she shows me even MORE evidence of how bad her business is and so gives me a darned good idea how receptive she'll be to my business. But here's something you MUST get into your head: even if your prospect is "desperate", you still cannot jump down their throat and give yourself too easily. Human nature being what it is doesn't value anything free (because if it's free, what's it worth? NOTHING!). If you, yourself seem too eager to give your opportunity away, there's no incentive for your prospect to take advantage of it. Desperate or not, your prospects are human beings with self-respect and dignity and you should treat them that way. Odd though it seems, if they have to "work" to "qualify" for your opportunity, they'll value it a lot more.

In Line 7 I get her back on track the way I want her to go, and in Line 8, it pays off, the "floodgates" open and she's telling me EXACTLY how bad things are right now.

So in Line 9 I subtly show her how it's NOT just a temporary "blip" and how her whole industry is in trouble -- I do this in case she's burying her head in the sand and thinking it's all just going to "blow over" in the next month or two. Note also how I sow the seed, by suggesting my friends have taken on a second stream of income... and then asking her how SHE's doing, personally -- I can make a darned good guess, of course, although it's much more powerful if she tells me herself.

And, indeed, in Line 10 she tells me exactly what I want to hear: things are bad enough for HER, too, that she also has had to take a second job. Plus she asks me that magic question we always want to hear: "what do you do?"

Accordingly, in Line 11, I tell her. But look at HOW I tell her. I don't really talk in terms of a "business". I talk about the BENEFITS I get from it: spare time, and fun... and also throw her a lifeline by mentioning the fact I teach others to do the same.

And in Line 12, MORE magic words from her: "I'd like to have an internet business myself", and "could you teach me?" How much easier can this be, Jake? But see in Line 13 how I'm still being cool about the whole thing. I gently "qualify" her by implying she'll have to learn new things.

After all, it's better to find out NOW if she's a lazybones than later when I've invested even more time in her, right?

In Line 14 she's practically begging me for more information about my opportunity. She's got to go and can't chat any more, but I know she's interested. At this point, even when she's asking for more, most MLMers would start to panic and pressurize her to get a phone number or some kind of "commitment". This is absolutely the WORST thing you could do, though. It's like reeling in a fish: jerk the line too hard... and you'll snap the line and let it swim away!

So in Lines 15 to 18 I simply gently "let go" and loosely arrange to speak to her sometime later. No panic, no fuss... and you know why? Because... I KNOW I've done my job properly using the exact same skills and "softly, softly" techniques I teach my students... and that means I also KNOW... she'll be BACK!

If you'd love to use these tips but find you don't have enough people to talk to, I can help you with that. Simply go to my website and download your free copy of my Endless Free Leads eBook.

Max Steingart,
The Master of Internet Prospecting
www.maxsteingart.com