Perceived urgency. It’s what can make a deal close quickly or delay it indefinitely.
For marketers and sales executives, the challenge is conveying that sense of urgency. How do you get prospects to think that what you’re selling is something they need now—not in a few months or years?
As we all know, providing a long list of compelling features, benefits and cost savings usually isn’t enough to close a deal. It takes more. It takes a prospect believing that now is the right time to make the investment. And in many cases, that belief doesn’t come from within. It comes from outside influences.
So the question becomes: How do we get decision-makers and their influencers to view what we’re selling as a priority?
Influencing the Influencers
Think of this. When we evaluate what’s important, we are heavily impacted by what’s being discussed in the news—both the trade and business news.
For example, we know that blockchain, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are important—whether we deal with them in our workplace or not—because we read about them in the press. There are plenty of other trends and important technologies we don’t hear about, and they may not be any less important or timely. But our attention is drawn to what the media is focused on.
So how do you make sure that your product or service is something the media proclaims is important right now? Because if the media is regularly writing about the category of service or product you offer and people’s attention are being drawn to it, it’s far more likely your prospects will think it’s something they need as soon as possible.
The Secret Weapon
Big companies hire lobbyists to influence regulators. But when you’re seeking to influence the influencers and the media, you hire a publicist.
I’m not talking about your average publicist, whose primary mission is to promote your press releases and follow a limited script in an attempt to get your company publicity. I’m speaking of great publicists, the ones who know the mortgage space as well as the most seasoned industry veterans, and who can have in-depth conversations with reporters and inspire them to write about what you want them to write about.
They’re the ones who can help create a sense of urgency by finding a way to weave the type of service or product you provide into any conversation with a reporter, no matter how the conversation began—and they can make the reporter understand why this is a topic they must cover regularly in the press.
Do you want the press to write about how most established marketing automation platforms are a waste of money? Or that the loan origination system as we know it is on a path to extinction, and that they need to be on the lookout for new technologies? Or would you like the media to inspire loan officers to work at a company just like yours?
Get key reporters on your bandwagon, and before you know it, whatever you’re selling will be hot on people’s minds—and the jobs of your company’s salespeople and marketing professionals will become far easier.
So, the next time a prospect is not responding as favorably as you’d like, think about whether your company is influencing the narrative managed by the press and creating a perception of urgency. Because as much as reporters control the narrative, a great publicist can heavily sway it in your favor.
If you’d like to find out why my agency’s publicists run circles around the competition, reach out to me at Rosalie.Berg@StrategicVantage.com so we can schedule a call.
By Rosalie Berg, President, Strategic Vantage
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