What every marketing & sales person should know - The 3 stages of a relationship

How many times have you scrolled through your social media feed and come across an advert asking you to buy now, or met a salesperson who jumped straight into pitch mode, trying to sell you their product or service before you've got to know them, or before they've got to know you?

The problem is, they are jumping one or more of the three stages of a relationship. And these three stages are non-negotiable.

You simply cannot skip one and expect to attract a new client or close a sale. Watch this video and we'll walk you through the three stages of a relationship and how to integrate them into your marketing and sales messaging: Curiosity, enlightenment, and commitment.

Video Transcript:

How many times have you scrolled through your social media feed and come across an advert asking you to buy now, or met a salesperson who jumped straight into pitch mode, trying to sell you their product or service before you've got to know them, or before they've got to know you? Now the problem is, they are jumping one or more of the three stages of a relationship. And these three stages are non-negotiable. You simply cannot skip one and expect to attract a new client or close a sale. So, let's take a look at the three stages of a relationship. Curiosity, enlightenment, and commitment. When you sell directly on your social media or jump to pitch mode in a sales meeting, you're jumping straight to commitment. And a customer thinks, "Wait, we don't know each other yet, and I'm not sure if this is going to help me survive and thrive. I'm out." The customer instinctively tunes out because you've failed to build any curiosity or provide enlightenment. One way to do this is using the power of story. Storytellers have been using this approach for centuries. Nothing captivates the human brain like a story. Consider when you watch a movie. You are captivated for two to three hours. You don't pick up your phone, because the screenwriter has used a tried and tested formula. Every story starts by sparking curiosity. Will Jason Bourne discover his real identity? Will Bridget Jones find love? Will Luke Skywalker become a Jedi and defeat the evil empire? Will Katniss survive the Hunger Games? And the rest of the movie is ultimately about that one thing, will the hero overcome their problems and frustrations and get what they want? For your customers, you need to build curiosity in your brand as the resolution to their problems and frustrations. You can do this with a clear message and marketing strategy that sparks this curiosity. Next, you need to enlighten them. And you can do this by giving away your expertise, providing useful information or thought leadership, perhaps, on a topic. Only then, once you've built credibility, reciprocity, and familiarity with your product or service, do you ask for commitment. So remember, curiosity, enlightenment and commitment, those are the three stages of a relationship that every marketer, salesperson, and business owner needs to know. Get this right, and you will see your marketing start to work better your sales increase, and you'll have a fantastic year. If you need help building a marketing or sales enablement plan that takes your customers through the three stages of a relationship, helps you generate more leads, and grow your business, go to OneZebra.com/salesfunnel to access more video content like this, to help you build an effective sales funnel. Good luck!