The 56, 40 And 3 Rule
Let Me Explain
You’ve heard it said that list building is the key to success in any business. This is true but I’ll bet you’re spending most of your time on the wrong part of the journey.
56% of your audience is never going to buy what you have to offer – ever. This is your first group. It doesn’t matter if you offer free shipping or reduce the price so low you think they can’t pass it up. If they don’t believe they need it or want it, they’re simply are not going to bite. ie. If I’m not married, I’m not going to buy a gift for my wife.
The second group includes about 40% of your total audience. This group of people may want what you have but maybe not right now. People move on average every 7 years, cars 3 to 5 years. A pair of socks might last 6 months to a year. This group of people is really the most important to ensure your business longevity, but it is also most often the group you pay the least attention to. This group of people needs to be harnessed into a prospect list which most people think is too hard to do.
Group 3 consists only 3 %of your total audience. They need or want what what you have to offer and are actively looking for it in the marketplace. It is the smallest group so it really isn’t the most profitable in the long run
You might notice the numbers don’t total 100..that’s because there is another 1 % of your audience that is always changing from one to the other.
The Fix
Most businesses only focus on the 3% audience because it’s pretty gratifying every time a new sale comes in.
Wouldn’t it be even more gratifying to be able to get sales forever?
If you’re only going after the immediate sale, you’re losing out on the the largest part of your audience, the 40% who will buy tomorrow, next week, next month? …. sometime in the future.
You need to find a way to stay in touch with that larger 40% audience so when they are ready to buy, they will buy from you.
Does that make sense so far?