By what magnetic power can the same car be a dream come true to one customer and a rolling piece of scrap to the next? It’s called angle of approach; how you come at something. It’s how you add magnetic appeal to your marketing.
Our point of view is one angle of approach. How you present something is another. Understanding angle of approach lets you transform an every-day offer into a compelling must-have.
Pitching with magnetic intrigue
A used car salesman in Springfield, Vermont taught me this principle. Looking at a green AMC Gremlin on Jim’s lot, I wondered out loud who would buy such an eyesore. He flashed his used car salesman smile saying, “There’s a butt for every seat.”
But, how could angle of approach make an ugly duckling Gremlin appealing? First, let go of what you see and look through the customer’s eyes. I saw the geekiest ride ever inflicted on America’s highways. But, to a customer looking for a car to ferry family and cargo for a less than the cost of a truck, that green Gremlin was a beautiful sight.
A product or service isn’t good or bad, right or wrong; it is what it is. What separates a runaway success from so-so performance is often an intriguing angle of approach. Do it well and you can give any product magnetic appeal.
Sell better with angle of approach
Let’s say you’re Vivitar. You have a supply of outdated point-and-shoot film cameras. They use this stuff called film. You expose it, spool it back into a canister, take it to the drug store and wait a couple hours to see your pictures.
Who wants those?
How about seniors easily frustrated by technology. What you and I see as a throw-back, a senior will see as a familiar technology they can operate. No confusing software. No tangle of cables. Best of all, you can use it again and again.
“Here’s a camera that works just like the ones you’ve used for years. Point, shoot, get prints to share. Best of all, it’s only $10—0r, two for $5.”
You think I’m kidding? Watch angle of approach at work in this ad found on Engadget:
See their way, sell that way in three steps
Getting angle of approach right means seeing it from your customer’s point of view. Maybe that’s how Vivitar saw obsolete cameras as an appealing solution for seniors. You have to look at a problem from other angles; inside-out, from behind, in reverse.
Get the answers to these questions to identify an angle of approach that will move the sales needle:
- What do your customers love about what they buy?
- How does it improve their daily life?
- How would they defend their purchase choice if challenged?
A word of warning about the answers you’ll get: 1) They may not make sense to you. No big. You’re not the customer. And, 2) These answers are only the stepping off point for shaping your presentation, they’re not your marketing destination.
Shaping your marketing with an effective angle of approach magnetizes your message. You’ll know it’s working when you stop saying what’s important to you and begin speaking to the heart of what your customer truly wants.
