When you are talking to prospective customers, you have only seconds to get and hold their attention. Once their minds begin to wander, you have lost your best chance of introducing them to your product.

With this Secret, you'll have a new tool that can make big changes in your small business--in only a few minutes. Simply follow the below.

Whether you've been in business a while and have some customers or you’re just starting out, you must know who would be the perfect customer for your business.

What characteristics would your ideal customer have?

Examples:

• Gender. Whether the customer is male or female might make a difference.
• Age. A person’s age might be significant, such as in “in the 30s” or “45 to 55.”
• Location. Perhaps your ideal customer is within a specific radius of you.
• Disposable income. Your ideal customer may need to have a certain amount of take-home income before doing business with you.

One owner of an oil change business realized the ideal customer was a busy professional with children. Frequently, a woman drove the car in for service—sometimes with children in the back seat.

Write the characteristics in this box:

Now identify the “triggers” that prompt them to buy from you. These are the primary reasons for buying, and they may not be what the customer says. We call them "Hot Buttons."

Example:
Here are some Hot Buttons for customers who changed their oil regularly:

• Safety: Concerned about breaking down while driving
• High repair costs
• Low resale value

Think about your ideal customer. What are some overriding concerns? Write your ideas in this box:

Customers buy solutions for their issues. Now that you have identified your ideal customer’s Hot Buttons, how would you describe the solution? Think of the particular ways the customer is helped by what you offer.

This can be an opening line to grab their attention. To do this, use a statement of the solution.

Example:
Here’s what the oil-change owner came up with:

Great! Now you have a new "hook" that will catch more prospective customers to your business.

Practice this statement so it flows smoothly and naturally from your lips to their ears.

You've done it!

Now find out how you can build your business
with all 8 Secrets.