“… so Share it Maybe?”

Melisa and Joshua have been going crazy over this Cookie Monster song lately, and now I can’t get it out of my head (if you’re a Cookie Monster fan you gotta watch it):

Quick — if you wanted to attract Cookie Monster to your party, what would you use? That’s right. COOKIES. To get him running, we would use his favorite: Chocolate Chip Cookies.

*OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM*

That was easy. How about this: If you wanted to attract your ideal clients to your business, what would you offer them?

Hah! Not so easy?

The reason we can instantly answer “cookie” is because we know Cookie Monster well. We know that he loves cookies.

It’s no different for your ideal clients. You just need to research and discover what their “Chocolate Chip Cookie” is.

At certain points in time or phases in their life, your ideal clients will become very likely to buy something from you. However, when someone becomes interested in something, they often have questions, doubts, fears and concerns…

… It’s intimidating, especially if it’s something new to them, or because they have to start a relationship with a stranger. They want to be sure they’re making the best choice.

So before they decide to buy anything, they might do any number of things. E.g., search Google, research online, ask friends on Facebook, read reviews, watch videos on YouTube, or buy something related from another business.

Whether they are looking specifically for what you offer, or some other product or service, there will always be some activity before the purchase. Our life is continuous flow of actions and events, and we don’t make each purchase in a vacuum.

Further, where someone starts from is usually very far from where they need to be to commit to buying from you. Cookie Monster isn’t ready to come to your house for your party if: he doesn’t know you, he’s not sure what’s in it for him, or if it’s a good idea.

So how can you encourage someone to take the next step? Simple. By giving them what they want.

Give them their favorite cookie.

Just make sure that the Cookie is only delicious to who you want to attract, or you’ll have the wrong people stealing your cookies (like the crows that stole Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs, leaving them lost in the wilderness).

Next, carefully place the Cookie where they are most likely to be.

A Cookie can be anything valuable to your prospects. E.g., something that: satisfies a craving, answers a pressing question in their head, provides entertainment, or scratches an itch they currently have. But in general, what most people look for before committing to buy something is information.

Examples of a Cookie are: a free sample, a free trial/demo or a free report with timely information that answers the questions your prospects have.

Their journey to you requires multiple steps; many questions need answers, and there may be many paths to get to you. Use delicious cookies— irresistible offers —at each step of each path to lead them to you, until their decision to buy from you (or not to buy from you) becomes a no-brainer.

Build simple "Cookie-to-Action" trails: for each step, leave one cookie, followed by exactly ONE clear call-to-action leading to the next cookie. How many steps you need depends on what you sell.

Specifically, each step must have:

  • a powerful promise
  • a compelling offer (cookie!)
  • precise instructions
  • a reason to act immediately

But remember, the majority of people who are interested do not buy right away. It’s not that they will never buy; they might just not be ready yet. So when anyone accepts a cookie, it is imperative to capture a way to stay in touch with them, or you will be losing the majority of your prospects.

As you may eventually discover, you aren’t really in the business of selling your product or service. Your primary business should be designing the interactions leading to the final sale around cookies, selling cookies, then having a system to follow up with and guide people the rest of the way.

It’s all about the Cookie.