BlackHat Money

There is a very common mistake that I see IT service providers making when it comes to marketing their business. It’s unfortunate for any IT company, because in doing so he or she is actually REPELLING business rather than attracting it.

I am talking about IT business owners who cannot answer the question “What Do You Do?” It sounds silly, but take a look in your local yellow page book and glance over the IT ads. You’ll find a wonderful array of vague, boring ads that list out general facts, offer all kinds of ”off topic” services, and lack any ounce of uniqueness, intrigue, or emotional response.

You see, marketing is the art of motivating people to buy your product or service. To effectively motivate someone, you have to communicate to them in terms that he or she will relate and RESPOND to.  This involves knowing WHO you are taking to and WHAT they actually care about.

Nobody cares how about boring facts about your company. What they care about is specifically what results or benefits they will get if they buy your technology product or service. Period!  To do this, you have to properly plan and craft your marketing message in specific language that will hit home with your targeted prospects.

The problem that I am seeing, and it’s wasting a countless number of marketing dollars, is that too many IT guys are in business for themselves without doing any real work researching their target market, developing a USP, and crafting their marketing message. They ‘fly by the seat of their pants,’ and when someone puts them on the hot seat and asks “what do you do?” they can’t deliver an answer that’s memorable, sparks some interest, and generates word of mouth.

Instead of having a few powerful responses handy, the average IT guy is unprepared and begins to spit out boring facts about the services they offer, how long they’ve been in business, and what certifications they have, etc, etc. The problem with this type of answer is it doesn’t answer the question “What’s in it for me?” That’s really all anyone cares about when they ask “What do you do?”

When you resort to using boring facts as the centerpiece to your marketing, you are effectively making your company appear to be no different than your competitors. When you can’t differentiate yourself from your competition, prospects will assume that since your marketing is the same your SERVICES must be the same, and they will lose interest.

This is also how you get shopped on price. If you market your company exactly like your competition, than the only thing different WILL be your price. Your services become simple commodities and you give buyers no other option but to base their buying decision off of the price.

The key to preventing this from happening to your IT consulting company is to:

1. Focus your marketing around the results that your services provide.
2. Make a list of 4 or 5 specific benefits your clients can expect to gain after you perform your service.
3. Make a list of 7 or 8 specific aspects about your company that are unique and set you a part from your competition (e.g. – 24/7 service, free support hotline, 2 hour response time, remote desktop service work, etc.)
4. Be specific in your ads and avoid using any vague or clique terminology.

As soon as you start being specific in your ads, avoiding vague/clique terminology, focusing on results, and listing out unique aspects about your company, you will notice that your clients will immediately stop focusing on price. You will also appear to be different and SUPERIOR to your competitors. You will have instant credibility and prospects will view you as competent guru in your field.

So the next time someone asks you “what do you do” make sure you have a good answer.