There are three types of context that you may encounter when approaching your potential market. This context is analogically translated into 'temperature':
- Cold: Public unaware of the problem.
- Morna: Public awareness of the problem.
- Hot: Public aware of the problem and its solution.
The higher the temperature of your prospect, the higher the chances of conversion.
Suppose you have been called to a meeting.
The area director and manager are present on the prospect's behalf.
The manager recognises that he has a problem that needs to be solved, has called his company for an assessment and has invited the director (his boss) to also attend the meeting and assess the opportunity to solve the problem at hand.
We are dealing here with a lukewarm audience, because both recognise that they have a problem, even if each one calibrates it differently. The director, for example, may feel that the problem is not that urgent, unlike the manager.
After the meeting, you will both be classified as a warm audience, as you will both know the solutions proposed by your company.
In a broader view, a sales department has a single mission: to find, warm up and convert cold audiences into customers.
In this sense, depending on the "temperature" of your interlocutor, you need the correct communication so as not to burn steps in the heating process.
For cold audiences the best strategy is to either amplify the problem and its damaging results or extol the benefits your company provides to those who are customers.
For lukewarm audiences it is to present the differentials of your company compared to other market options.
For hot audiences it's about making aggressive offers to close.
This communication strategy can be applied in your advertisements, presentation materials and in the conduct of your meetings.
Therefore, one of the most common misconceptions in communication is to make commercial offers to cold audiences.
In this case, the most effective is to talk about the potential problems that the market faces or even the benefits that your company can provide.
If there is adherence, focus on the differentials and at the right temperature, make the offer to close.
