Have you ever been trapped by a salesperson who was intent on explaining every feature of his product or every detail of his company's history? Did you have the feeling that this person was talking "at" you rather than "with" you? Based on this approach, were you more likely to make a purchase or to make any excuse to flee? If you are like most people, you took the first escape route possible.

Are you guilty of "trapping" your customers with your marketing materials? Does your website focus solely on your company and your products with very little emphasis on your customers' needs? Do your proposals focus on the features of your products or services rather than the benefits? Do your marketing materials waste your customers' time with useless information rather than providing what they want and need to know?

Effective marketing is customer-centered. People want to know what's in it for them when they spend their money. Customer-centered marketing starts with a message that speaks directly to the needs of your customers. It clearly explains the pain points your products or services address, the solution you offer and why your solution is better than any other solution.

To develop an effective marketing message, begin by asking yourself these questions:

• Who are my customers? Who would benefit from owning my product or using my service? Be as specific as possible. Although your widget may be better than any other widget on the market, not everyone will benefit from owning one.
• What pain point is important to each customer group? What problem or situation is so "painful" that someone would be willing to spend money to eliminate it?
• What solution do we offer? How can we help our customers?
• Why does our product offer the best solution to our customers?

Once you have developed a customer-centered message, take it one step further by developing a specific message for each target audience. What is their particular pain point and how do you address it? What's in it for them? When you are writing marketing materials, visualize a particular customer and write for him or her. You message will be much more effective.

Include your customer-centered message in all of your marketing. Use it when you are networking and in sales proposals. Incorporate it into emails. Think like your customers, understand their pain and respond to it. Make it easy for them to say, "Yes" when you meet to close the deal.