When introducing an idea to someone (like a prospect), it’s important to know roughly what they already know (or don’t) about the subject.
Rushing in with a solution to a problem that they didn’t know they had won’t work.
Nor will starting back in the Age of Enlightenment if they’re looking to make a simple choice.
Success lies in understanding their stage of awareness.
Marketer and copywriter Gene Schwartz gave us a nice way to think about this. He called it the 5 stages of buyer awareness.
It’s perfect for Tactical Tuesday:
- Problem Unaware – They aren’t aware they have a problem (yet). They’re affected by it but don’t realize it’s not a given.
- Problem Aware – They know they have a problem, but they don’t know what to do about it. No one has told them it’s solvable (yet).
- Solution Aware – They know their problem is solvable, but they don’t know about your solution (yet).
- Product Aware – They’re actively evaluating solutions. They know about yours but don’t have any affinity toward it (yet).
- Most Aware – They’re sure your solution is for them but haven’t acted (yet). They just need a little nudge. (Enter scarcity/urgency.)
Stages come in fives,
James
P.S. All the links to Schwartz were too direct marketing-y for me. Lots of “Legendary!!” and “Titans” talk. Not my jam.
P.P.S. My friend Ash Roy posted about the 5 Stages this week. If you want a visual and some further insight, check it out here.
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