How Sophisticated Are You and Your Clients? (Part 3)

When I first started out in online marketing, it never occurred to me to even remotely think or care about my client’s sophistication level when it came to my courses or services.

There were way too many other things that sucked up my time – like – how to get new clients and start making money!

Besides, how in the world does knowing WHAT my dream client’s sophistication level is, have anything to do with selling them something?

I thought sophistication levels were only important when ordering wine, managing money, buying real estate, or dealing with technology. 😉

So if it never occurred to you to look at your dream client/customer’s sophistication level when it comes to marketing your courses, products, or services until now, not to worry. You’re in good company!

Here’s what’s really cool – When you know WHAT your client’s market sophistication level is, will greatly help you create your headlines and core messaging to create higher conversions for your products, courses, or services.

It will give you a deeper understanding of what they know and don’t know when it comes to you and your competitors.

This is the 3rd Principle from Breakthrough Advertising – Level of Sophistication.

Let’s walk through the 5 Stages of Market Sophistication together:

1. STAGE 1 – No Competition – You are first to market – Introduce your big benefit. Since you’re first to market and there’s no exposure to any products and claims yet, advertising and selling your product will be incredibly easy to do. If you’re selling a brand new supplement that no one has ever heard of before, you only need to tell them some simple benefits—no need to amplify your benefits.
   
   An example is when Peloton first came out. It wasn’t just an exercise bike – it connected you to live classes and a network of hundreds of like-minded people. Plus, the bike was decked out to do more than a ride – you could put weights and other upgraded additional features.
   
   
2. STAGE 2 – Some Competition – You are second to market – You need to amplify your benefits – Now you have a handful of competition, and they’re using your benefits too. So you need to take your benefits to more extremes so you stand out from your competition.
   
   If you’re selling a weight loss supplement, it’s not that it helps you lose weight. It helps you lose 30 pounds or more. Or with Peloton, it’s about the hundreds of teachers you can learn from in real-time and all the thousands of other riders and the results they’re getting from riding.
   
   
3. STAGE 3 – More Competition – Switch to Your Unique Mechanism – Your prospects have heard all the benefits and claims and don’t believe them anymore – so you need to introduce a unique mechanism for your course, product, or service. So instead of making specific benefits claims/promises as you would do in stages 1 – 2, you have to go more in-depth about how your course, product, or service works. What’s your “secret sauce,” how your dream client/customer could use it, and why will it work so well for them?
   
   
4. STAGE 4 – It’s Getting Really Crowded – Amplify Your Unique Mechanism – The market is extremely competitive and saturated. You’re going to go take the most successful unique mechanism and then take it to its absolute limit with even bigger claims. An example would be if you’re selling supplements, they are not your average supplement. These supplements are pharmaceutical grade, and the ingredients are grown in a small country that’s hard to access.
   
   
5. STAGE 5 – Overkill Crowded – Where they don’t believe anything (Think timeshares & weight loss markets) – Switch to Market Identification – Your unique mechanisms won’t work anymore and are considered gimmicks, and the market is so crowded that your radical benefits fall upon deaf ears.
   
   This is where you switch the focus of your message to your dream. Client’s identity, experience, and the emotions that go along with it. It’s all about your dream client/customer. You’re not focusing on benefits or a unique mechanism. An example would be something like – “Are you sick and tired of going on different diets, fads, taking pills, exercising, and not losing any weight?”

Remember, when walking through these stages, we’re focusing on your headline and how you will draw people into your copy. You would still mention your unique mechanism, benefits, claims, etc. It’s just not WHAT you lead with.

One question that I had when walking through this was, what exactly is a Unique Mechanism?

It’s something that differentiates you from your competitors. It could be a unique formula, secret ingredients, or something that’s unique to you and your brand.

Some examples:

• I have a 7-Step Marketing & Launch Formula, which is a unique mechanism. It’s in a specific order, and I use it to create 7-figure launches for my clients.
• Jeff Walker has a similar one he calls – Product Launch Formula
• Gillette sells lots of razors with their cutting-edge (no pun intended – honest!) labs that created unique mechanisms for closer shaves, fewer red bumps, etc.

When you look at incredibly successful companies that are in a hugely crowded competitive market – they’re in stage 5 – like weight loss, they all have a unique mechanism, and they focus more on the client’s identity by getting a spoke person like Weight Watchers did with Oprah.

A couple of questions to ask yourself that will help with this:
1. Do I have a unique mechanism?
2. Are the promises I’m making about my course, product, or services been made before by others in this market? If yes, how can you make your promise new, better, or different?

The goal is that you want to make yourself and your business stand out from the crowd. You want to be fresh, different, unique, and maybe even something your dream client/customer hasn’t ever heard before.

Yeah, that might sound like a tall order.

AND – I know you got this.

My wish for you is to really dig deep into how you’re different and stand out from the rest of the folks in your market.

You have to do a deep dive into your unique benefits and mechanism(s), so your copy and core messaging will help you create much more success in your business. You don’t want to sound like your competition. You need different copy and focus.

There’s a lot packed into this blog post. If you have questions or need more insights into using any of these 3 Levels from Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz, I’m happy to gift you a 60-minute call.

On our call, I promise you will walk away with at least 3 things that will help you grow your business, get you clients, sales, and more. Simply email me and put in the subject “free call please,” and we will get you on the calendar.

NOTE: Looking for the first and second of Eugene Schwartz’s Copywriting principles from his book Breakthrough Advertising? Click the links below.

1st Principle Knowing Your Dream Client/Customers Mass Desire

2nd Principle – Your Dream Client/Customers Level of Awareness