The levels of marketing

Have you ever had it where a potential client has sounded interested then gone silent? Ghosting you?

That's probably because you and they were on different levels of marketing.

Ultimately, your business solves a problem for someone.

But not everyone knows that they need that solution.

At level 1, the client doesn't even know they have a problem.

At level 2, the client knows they have a problem, but doesn't know what to do about it.

At level 3, the client has a pick of solutions but is unsure which to choose.

At level 4, the client has chosen their ideal solution and just needs someone to help them with it.

At level 5, the client has chosen you to help them with the solution and is just waiting to close the deal.

If you start talking to people about the process you follow, the way you work and the benefits of your approach to someone who is still at levels 1, they will nod politely and move on.

If you talk about this to someone at levels 2 or 3, they will nod excitedly, start saying things like "that is exactly what I'm looking for" and then ghost you.

It's only when they're at level 4 that they're actually interested in how you do things. At levels 2 and 3, you need to be selling the benefits of the solution over alternative solutions.  Not selling the way that you implement that solution - because they still haven’t decided if that’s the right solution for them yet.

And because of that, you're talking at cross-purposes - you need to take a step back and meet the client where they are today or you'll lose them.