The “Rule of 7” comes to mind whenever I talk about “persistence.” The Rule of 7 states: To make an impact in a stranger’s mind, you must contact them a minimum of seven times in each 18-month period. Most people quit or give up after the first attempt. A majority of those remaining quit after attempt #2. Remaining in the game long enough to make a minimum of seven contacts is the secret.
There is nothing magical about the number seven. You must be careful not to come across as a pest and become a nuisance. By distancing your contacts over time you eliminate much of the chance of “bugging” people, i.e. the 18-month time frame.
As long as you contact them with information they consider useful, you have little fear of overdoing your welcome. The secret is to “keep on keeping on.” Preferably with good, solid, meaningful information that is relevant.
A popular way of keeping your name in front of your targeted audience is by clipping a meaningful article from a newspaper or magazine and stapling it to your business card. Period. (Oh yeah, and then sending it to somebody.)
You can send a simple, one-page letter that contains a column or two of easy-to-read “news.” This is affectionately known as a “newsletter.” Mine is different from your graphically correct, four-color beauties. Mine consists of a letter with some news in it. (How clever am I?)
Whatever approach you decide to take, it is important that you don’t adopt the practices of a hit-and-run artist. This is what becomes of most would-be marketers. They start strong and fade fast. You need to develop a process (or a system) and stay with it week after week, month after month, year after year. That is where we get the reputation for PERSISTENCE.
Note: Persistence for persistence sake is not a healthy practice. When you decide that your approach is not working it may be time to take a hard look at your “strategy” and make the appropriate adjustments. No matter how many times you drive down a one-way street, it will always be a one-way street. Tweak your plan when it is time to tweak your plan.
Mike Marchev freely shares his experiences, strategies and observations with travel professionals in an effort to keep them on top of their game. For a complimentary copy of his 12-Word Marketing Plan send him an email at mike@mikemarchev.com.
Mike’s daily column is made possible by AmaWaterways.
