When performing IT support marketing, you may be tempted to go for the old-fashioned Jedi mind trick approach. In this post, we’ll be discussing that approach, but we’ll also be telling you why it may not be the ideal sales technique for your marketing plan.
Let’s begin.
What is the Jedi Mind Trick in marketing?
If you’re not familiar with Star Wars, this requires a brief explanation. As far back as the first movie, Obi Wan Kenobi demonstrated to audiences all around the world how easy it was to overpower people with weak minds. In a memorable scene at a tense security checkpoint, Stormtroopers demand to see identification. Obi Wan insists that they don’t need identification, and says “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for”.
Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with marketing. A lot, actually! The closest parallel to the Jedi mind trick in marketing is by applying simple sales pressure. This is done by insisting something is available only for a limited time or in a limited quantity (even when they aren’t), or that they’re coming at a massive discount (when it’s actually minor). This can also manifest in sales phone calls and emails.
To some of you, this might just sound like regular old marketing. What’s the issue?
What’s so bad about this approach?
The issue is, you’re marketing IT support. This means that you aren’t dealing with gullible consumers who can easily be tricked into doing just about anything: you’re working with serious businessmen who have likely taken a class or two in marketing and knows these tricks when they see them. Attempting to apply obvious sales pressure to someone with good business acumen or negotiating skills will not only make you look clumsy and inexperienced, it’ll also foster their distrust of you and your services. If you can’t honestly market your services without stooping to bottom-of-the-barrel tricks, why should they work with you?
Being overly aggressive and forward won’t do anything for your marketing. What will happen is that prospective marketing leads and business partners will develop a bad taste in their mouths when you come to mind, all because you messed up on your pitch. You can avoid this, of course — but how?
What should I do instead?
By doing some real marketing! Be open and honest when communicating with potential business partners: don’t try to lie or deceive them into anything. Make sure they have as much information as possible, and that you answer any questions they might have. Technology is a really dense field for the uninitiated, and you going the extra mile to demystify it for them will go a long way in getting you the partnership you want. Of course, being nice isn’t enough: you also have to offer a legitimately good plan.
When you get a meeting, familiarize yourself with everyone in attendance and what part they play in the company. Learn as much as you can about them and what they do, and take notes if you need to. Learn about the business’ needs so you can figure out how to provide them. Nobody walks into a business meeting expecting it to be short — take the time you need to gather information, listen to their needs and establish a connection.
After the meeting, wait a week or so and send a small gift to your prospects — the people who attended the meeting, and also the higher-ups who couldn’t make it. This is a great way to make an impression. If you’ve been following all the right steps and been courteous, you should be one of the first names mentioned at the meeting where they decide who they’re going to be working with. Impressions mean everything in business, and making a poor impression through high-pressure sales tactics can stop you from getting business at all.
Instead, think like a true marketer. Take in all the information you can, stay calm and act accordingly. Be attentive and respond to the needs of who you’re marketing to. Make good impressions at meetings, and have answers ready for any questions they might ask about your services, your pricing or even how the technology works. These are all key parts of a good IT marketing plan, and they aren’t something you want to forget.
Conclusion
Jedi mind trick marketing doesn’t work on good businessmen. And, honestly, do you really want business with the people who are so feeble and naive that a simple “ACT NOW” is enough to get them to work with you? Working with people like these is a headache, and they can just as easily be swayed by someone else who does the same tactic, but just a little louder.
Keep all of this in mind. You can’t ever repeat a first impression, and you don’t want to waste it on amateur IT support marketing.
About the author
Brent Whitfield is CEO of DCG Technical Solutions, Inc. providing IT Services in the Los Angeles area since 1993. He started DCG as a results-oriented IT solutions company for small businesses in 1990, and built it into a company that was recognized among the Top 10 Fastest Growing MSPs in North America by MSP mentor. Brent has been featured in Fast Company, CNBC, Network Computing, Reuters, and Yahoo Business.