“As marketers, we know the old stuff isn’t working. We’re too busy to pay attention to advertising, but we’re desperate to find good stuff that solves our problems.”
Purple Cow– by Seth Godin, page 4
This week’s quotes come from Seth Godin’s Purple Cow. The concept of this book is that in order to capture the attention of your prospects, you must appear to be different from the competition. You must become “purple.” We all know what cows look like: some are black and white, others are brown or tan. Either way, we don’t have a reason to stop and take a photo. But if the cow along the side of the road was purple, that would create a little curiosity and perhaps an impromptu photo shoot.
I must say that this is one of my favorite books.
The truth is that advertising to the masses doesn’t work anymore. The reason for this is the abundance of information made available via the Internet at a push of a button. Sometimes, you don’t even have to exert any effort. All you have to do is “ask Siri.”
Given so many options today, consumers have little time to pay attention to anything but their primary interest. Marketing has become more like a game of darts than a numbers game.
Although we may not find the time to listen to unsolicited product information, we still find ourselves in need of solutions.
I believe the best way to establish an arena where communication can take place is to “flip” the strategy. Instead of barging into your prospect’s mind, manage to have them contact you. That way you place yourself in total control of the developing relationship.
I refer to this as a Two-Step Marketing Plan:
(1) You offer the prospect something of value and when they ask for it, you
(2) give it to them coupled with a thorough follow-up program.
Ideally, the offer is designed to help them solve a key issue that is important to them. This may require a little research but will pay dividends in the end.
Mike presents a business-building webinar on the third Thursday of every month sponsored by AmaWaterways. To receive monthly invitations send Mike an email with the words “business training” in the Subject Box. You will also receive a link to the recorded version.
For information on Mike’s Fourth Annual Training Cruise, email Mike at mike@mikemarchev.com with the word “cruise” in the subject box.
