What are you selling – the SAUSAGE or the SIZZLE…?

Hi Team, Steve Salvia here from blackwing.com.au and today I want to talk to you about selling sausages – and how that relates to your financial planning business.

Dude, stay with me – I’m actually going somewhere with here… ☺.

Close your eyes and picture this…

You’re in the sausage business…

And so is the butcher across the road…!

Your sausage recipes are virtually the same (even though his are a bit more expensive).

Thing is, he has a heap of people taking those little numbered paper tags – lining up to get served;

But you’re lucky to get rid of your stock before it goes out of date.

What’s the difference?

Well, your competitor’s sausages are marketed as ‘coming from contented free range pigs’ happily playing together in the glorious mud on a prime rural lot on the outskirts of town.

There are signs up around his shop showing kids happily playing around in gumboots, feeding those fortunate pigs, and talking about how the kids’ dad – (the farmer) – has been farming this land for generations.

There are complimentary recipe sheets on offer that turn the modest ‘snag’ into a gourmet family meal on a budget…

And the butchers all wear those traditional old school butcher’s stripy aprons.

The sausages are weighed – they’re wrapped in old-style paper in and placed in a recyclable paper bag – just like the good old days……….
(and normally an extra sausage or two thrown in….).

YOUR sausages are basic ‘pork sausages’!

Pre-wrapped in plastic trays and gladwrap.

Stacked in a fridge out the back.

There’s a ‘specials’ section at the front with a hand written price because they’re nearly out of date…

So why does one brand of sausages sell – even though it’s more expensive – and one doesn’t???

Because the ‘free range’ sausages take the customer on a JOURNEY that gives them an Emotional Connection between their desires and the brand.

The customer (the prospect) – is made to feel they’re not just buying sausages…, they’re buying good, wholesome food from a local farmer to feed their local families.

The moral of the story is this…

Good marketing tells a story.

Or as the cliché goes:

It ‘sells the sizzle – not the sausage’.

So what does this mean to you as a financial planner?

Well, it means that in a market where consumers have a choice and options to receive their financial advice…

And one product or policy or platform is not that different to another…

and where people are more informed and educated than ever before…

You need to find a way to Stand Out.

Build a Relationship…

And talk what I call ‘Through them’! Don’t talk to them – talk thru them so your story really hits home and resonates with the outcomes they want from working with you…!

Sells the sizzle – NOT the sausage.

If you can do that, you’ll find that your message stands out from the rest of the noisy crowd.

You won’t need to ‘shout louder’ to get noticed…

You’ll actually be able to ‘Whisper Quieter’ because your message will take your potential client on a journey and endear them to you…

Hey, if this is something that you’d like to get better at and you need to get better at articulating the benefits of working with you…

I’ve got a really cool Worksheet (and I’ll even give you the communication template that goes with it if you like…).

It’s a simple little ‘fill in the box’ worksheet that helps you craft a really powerful conversation that sells your businesses ‘sizzle’.

Just reach out to me with the word ‘SIZZLE PLEASE’ and I’ll get my crew to send it out to you with my compliments.

So what’s your sizzle? What story could you create that would make people want to be around you and follow you.

It’s an interesting question.

Chat us some ideas in the comments section in here.

I’d love to see if we can get a bit of a list going that we can all share.

Anyway, that’s it for this weeks Boost Your Business tip.

Find your sizzle this week and get it out to your marketplace.

Take good care and remember to stay awesome and go out and do an amazing job for your clients.

Steve Salvia – OUT!
Stay awesome
Steve