According to BusinessWeek Magazine, if you count TV, print, billboards, product placements, and other sources, the average American encounters 3,000 marketing messages a day. That’s 125 per hour, or two per minute. You would think with all of that messaging that some of it would get through. Unfortunately, the more there is, the less gets through.
So at the risk of offending some, stop the marketing madness! Ignore the marketing and advertising companies. Ignore the traditional marketing methods such as direct mail and telemarketing. Separate yourself from the 3,000 per day and counting competitors.
To be different in the mind of the customer and to separate yourself from the masses, try something different. Focus solely on research and one-to-one connections. Research your existing customers and figure out who the best ones are. Determine the 20 percent of your customer base that delivers 80 percent of your revenues. See what characteristics, needs, or desires they have in common. Then identify potential customers that fit the same or similar profiles.
Google is a great place to start, and will get you virtually anything you want. You are looking for a core group of prospects that would be most receptive to the message you have to share. Consider the help of a market research firm. You can define specific goals, and hire them on an hourly basis to just identify potential core prospects.
Then invest the time and the effort to go to where those core customers and prospects congregate. Think in terms of industry conferences. Enroll in online industry sites. Join industry associations. You need to be where the customers are because you need to connect with them on a personal level.
The personal connection is not selling. It is building a relationship. n
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Ken Cook is managing director of Peer to Peer Advisors, an organization that facilitates business leaders helping each other. You can reach him at kcook@peertopeeradvisors.com.
