It’s getting colder and darker, the pressure is on to close sales and get contracts signed, and your customers are getting flaky. It must be the holiday season!

Your challenge: convince stressed, overworked and distracted people to buy your stuff. While they are struggling to balance family and work obligations, and being bombarded with advertising. Easy, right? Here is how you do it.

1. Connect

You know your customers – you work with them every day. You’ve assessed their needs. Perhaps you chitchatted with them today about their latest project or commiserated a bit about a problem they’re facing. Use this.

Many of our clients seek to book more expenses by year-end to reduce taxes, and want to start next year right with a clear action plan. Potential clients tell us they want to be proud of their financials next December. Just about everyone wants to break through the clutter to close more business, now. Hmm, I wonder what we chose for this email’s message?

If you want your customers to listen to you, show them that you understand the problems they need to solve right now.

2. Keep It Simple

The avalanche of holiday advertising can be overwhelming. I received 53 marketing emails yesterday alone. To make your message pop, communicate one thing only, and make it snappy. Another doom and gloom message about the fiscal cliff is not what any of us wants to hear.

Lighten up. A positive message goes a long way. Keep it short and sweet. Solve a problem – fast. Imagine this: your customer, glancing at your ad or your email, takes a second look and then picks up the phone to call you. A well-crafted message can make this happen. Need tips? Try the blog at copyblogger (a good one is how to start off with a bang).

3. Make It Easy

We solve enough problems at work. Don’t make your customer struggle to decide which product or service to buy! Dan Ariely makes a great point in this short, funny clip.

You know your customers best. Some like one option; others prefer two or three. It’s your job to make the decision about what to buy simple and easy.

An Invitation

Need someone to help brainstorm how to break through the clutter? Join me at a networking event to spend a few minutes discussing ideas. I’ll even supply the pen, napkin, and a little holiday cheer.

November 29, 2012