Speak to the Felt Need
For the 2011 Super Bowl, Old Spice started a series of fantastic ads that got a lot of media attention.
Here is what was so amusing to me about their ads:
You have no idea what Isaiah Mustafa smells like in that commercial!
I was kind of surprised that this didn’t jump out at me sooner. Old Spice did an excellent job of triggering one sense (your sense of smell)…without even using scent! It only used visual and aural senses to sell a smell.
Whoa! That’s some powerful engagement there! And I’ve seen that ad countless times, without realizing what was happening! (It also helps that I know what Old Spice body wash smells like!)
From the ad: “If he stopped using lady-scented body wash, and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me.”
Go back and read that again.
Watch the video if you want; I’ll wait.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE[/youtube]
Now, what’s the point, and why would I want to make it here?
The point is that you don’t have to use all five senses to engage fully your prospect’s five senses.
Did you know the body needs “just” 100 million sensory receptors to experience the physical universe around you?
By contrast, your mental and emotional universe is so complex that your brain requires 10,000 billion synapses to experience the world inside your head! (You don’t have to take my word for it. Learn about the twelve languages of the mind.)
We are much more prepared to experience the world of imagination and dream than we are the physical world.
Words, sounds, images, and more are what transport us into those worlds. And you can use that same transport to take your customer there.
The Caller Experience a customer has when phoning your business sets that caller up for how he or she is going to experience your product or service. Are you providing a great experience?
Here are some complaints that businesses have gotten that have caused them to talk to us lately:
- “The voice just wasn’t warm and fuzzy.”
- “Your receptionist hung up on me in the middle of my saying goodbye!”
- “I hear our receptionist saying: ‘I don’t know…that’s not my job,’ rather than “I can find out and get back with you.”
How your phone is answered gives people a glimpse inside your company. And just like Isaiah and Old Spice, they don’t have to see with their physical eyes to imagine with their mind’s eye!
Thinking about the possibilities? Think about this.
What does it sound like when you push that little red “Hold” button on your phone? Do your callers get dumped into a black cavern of silence, wandering around looking for daylight, sometimes for long periods of time?
Do they hear the same generic music your competitors have, with constant reminders to “Please stay on the line….please! We’re begging you!”?
Or do you transport them to a magical place, where you engage their senses in a way that is interesting, fun, and still relevant to your business?
Just like what was done here, for Southern States? They wanted to highlight their chicken feed, and what better way than to…well, I’ll let the chickens speak for themselves:
You can engage your customers’ minds and draw them into your business, or you can leave them in silence to contemplate the myriad other thoughts they’re faced with each day. Your choice…what does your phone sound like?
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