In 2009 we saw many groups gathering to have their voices heard, from political, financial, and special interest groups. The one item you can count on to be at every gathering is the bullhorn. It is loud and gets peoples attention, or dose it?

Have you ever been at a receiving end of a bullhorn? It is loud and annoying. Watch the people who are not part of the march or the group gathering, they tend to run to the opposite side of the street, are annoyed and don’t really care what you are saying. Can you sell to someone who is irritated with you?

I have always been interested on how do the organizers get the group together in the first place? Did they use a bullhorn to get their point across? Did the use a bullhorn to discuss their intent or passion of why gathering was important? Most likely they sat with them and began building a relationship based on common grounds and principles. The individuals marching are all of the same opinion, same passion and with the same desire and are trying to let everyone else know about it. I have found that just groups of people gathering create more interest to the passers by who wants to know what is going on, like a long line at a club, or a group gathered around a person.

In business we sometimes tend to use the bullhorn approach to market our business.  We want to let everyone know who we are and what we are selling, assuming this will drive more clients to our business.

Like a group of loyal followers who are of the same mind and desire and do not have to be convinced to be part of a march, so should our clients be. When you incorporate relational sales and provide benefits results and solutions to a specific client base, you will then get clients who want to buy not convinced to.

The goal for your business should not be to have a lot of people to yell at, but to find a lot of people who CHOOSE to listen.  A bull horn is not needed for that.

Do you know who your ideal clients are and why?

What benefit result or solution does your product provide from the client’s perspective?

Everywhere I go I hear how social media is the new wave for marketing and selling your product. Though social media provides many advantages, we must not forget that long-term sales come from having a relationship with our clients. I came across an article that proves just this point. Read what this client said about businesses constantly pushing their wares via social media. I thought what she said should be at the forefront for every business owner. She also provides great instruction on what businesses should do to attract more loyal clients. 

~from Gina Shreck, Gettin' Geeky Web Show- (http://bit.ly/6xXASv)

"The point is that anyone setting out to use Second Life, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social medium, will fail if all they are trying to do is get people to BUY BUY BUY! We are all sick and tired of people pushing their products or services in our faces (real OR virtual). Let us (the client) come to you! Show me you are an expert or your product is valuable through engaging conversations, polls or smart (and funny) videos. Let me get to know you through short conversations and updates that let me peek into your life (not too much though) and begin liking you."

-The quality, state, or capability of being affected by

something external; sensation; sensibility. [Obs.]

(1913 Websters)

My wife, Andi, found this story and I thought it was a perfect example of perception from the client's point of view. This is a great insight into what the client perceives  and is what determines their perceived value and purchasing decisions.  

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After three minutes, a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

Four minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw money in the hat without stopping.

Six minutes later:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes later:

A three-year old boy stopped but his mother who tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes later:

The musician played continuously.  Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

After one hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. In a common-place environment the questions were raised: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made...how many other things are we missing?

                                    -Article written by the Washington Post 2007

                                     Video Available on YouTube - Joshua Bell 

So often I find business that are like the violin player. They play music they think will drive the clients to buy like the Pied Piper. Yet they just end up playing music for the passers by and wonder why no one is buying. They say, "I know they need this, look at everything it does." Perception is like an optical illusion at times, you think you see one image then you see another. Take the time to understand the client's perspective and you will have a concert hall full of clients giving you a standing ovation.

Is your business like the violinist in the metro station?

Are you providing an amazing sound, but it seems no one is listening? 

What is your business missing by not understanding the client's perception?

Do you know what your client's perception is?

RP. www.sensationalyou.net- Power Networking

Words can be powerful allies if applied correctly and in the right perception. Through your journey of THE CLIENT NATION, you will have the tools and information to know when, where, how, and even why to speak the language of client fluently. (A language that clients understand and helps them feel comfortable to know, like and trust you and your product so they will buy and refer your product or service. 

"What you say to the client can just as easily  inspire what they share with others, more so than your product or service."                                                     - Rico Pena

"You Speaka the client?"

In THE CLIENT NATION there is one simple and common language everyone understands and uses.  Just like taking the time to learn common phrases and words when visiting a foreign country in order to communicate more effectively, this chapter will prepare you to understand and begin to speak the language of client.  First, what is the language of client?

The language of client is:

CLEAR, SIMPLE statements of the tangible RESULTS a client gets from using your products or services.
They are focused on OUTCOMES and stress the business VALUE of your offering. 

That is the native tongue of THE CLIENT NATION.

Sounds simple, right? As you read on, you will see what our interviews and research revealed, that it is not as simple as it looks. In fact, what we began to notice was what businesses saw as benefits, the client sees as merely features that do not inspire sales or even the understanding of what it is the business did. We found the main reason for this was that most businesses tended not to understand the client perspective as it pertained to their product or service.

If you could know exactly what the client in front of you was thinking, would that help your sales?  What you are about to read is exactly, without question, what every client has told us they were thinking at the time they were being sold or preparing to purchase.

"They are not interested in what you do; they are interested in what problem

you can solve for them or their company."

It's that's simple...what is in it for me? That is all the client is interested in.  If you cannot clearly answer that question in the client perspective that demonstrates value, the likelihood of a sale or a referral goes way down. What are you doing to speak your client's language?

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