Brands need to seduce

by Tony Fannin, President, BE Branded

Customers don’t want to be sold to. They want to be seduced. When sales people only talk about the product, how great it is, what all it can do, etc., etc., we all zone out. But, when sales people really ask insightful questions and listen to you as if you’re the only person that exists and hang on every emotional clue you give them, then you’re being seduced and would gladly give them your business. We all would rather be seduced than be sold to.

Brands need to operate the same way. Brands shouldn’t just talk about specs, features, and “how great our product is”. Instead, brands need to seduce their customers by listening to them and then acting upon it. Market and advertise the possibilities on how your customers can incorporate your brand into their daily lives and how they can adapt and change the purpose of your brand to fit their needs and their desires.

Selling is easy and quick, but it doesn’t build any emotional bond with your brand. You end up commoditizing yourself. The art of seduction is not easy nor is it quick. It is hard. It takes purposeful effort. Seducing your customers takes real work and must be done with sincerity. It won’t happen by accident nor will it be easy to emotionally connect with them, but there’s really no other way to win their loyalty. Seduction takes time. It’s not a quick “lustful” feeling that is fleeting (out of sight, out of mind). Who wants their customers to think of them that way? It takes time for your brand to win them over. Brand building is for the long haul, not the quick sale. Too many companies rely on the quick sale and soon disappear because they haven’t built any deep brand connection that lasts over the years. Like lust, you’re easily replaced. Brand seduction takes patience.

For seduction to be real, there must be genuine interest on the brand’s part to make the lives of their customers better, not just sell them something. There must be an honest feeling that a brand wants to contribute something of value to their lives. Brands must be motivated by this idea. If brands are only interested in just the sale, customers feel used.

Lastly, in order for brands to seduce, they must give something first. Brands must be the ones to take the first step to reaching out and give something of value before they get loyalty in return from their customers. Seduction means your customers must feel special and that you genuinely care about them, not what they can buy from you.

So, brands, find your softer side and learn to seduce your customers. They’ll love you for it.

http://www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

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