By the Ocean
Mostly Clear 78 Degrees
5:17 a.m.
Not long ago I created a new client acquisition campaign for a Partner Program client that rolled out in both print and electronic form.
Responses are coming in on the print campaign, but given how people review their mail, it could take weeks to get a final tally.
The electronic version is a different story. On the first day, the new campaign generated 1000% more leads than some of their previous mailings to that source. That’s the same inputs for 10x the output on the very first day.
What’s the lesson? BIG IDEAS WIN. A big idea is an idea that connects with the demand in the marketplace.
The demand ALREADY EXISTS in the hearts and minds of your prospective buyers. You don’t need to create this. Only fools try. (Yes, I’ve tried.)
Your product or service needs to become the VEHICLE for satisfying the demand that already exists. That’s the job of positioning, marketing and selling: to make that connection OBVIOUS. (If you want my take on how to do this, here’s your chance.)
This is completely different than getting them to want your product or service. That’s what most people try to do, which is an enormous opportunity for you.
Making this connection is why BIG IDEAS WIN. The better you make this connection, the clearer it becomes to your prospective buyer that you have something they want.
Is this how your business is positioned? As an obvious vehicle for getting them what they want? Do you know what they want? Do they know that you know?
If you do it right, you know it because money appears. If it’s not right, you know it because all you experience is climbing uphill, forever.
This is why marketing is an art. Yes, there’s science involved but that only gets you so far. The art part is important because we’re dealing with humans. Humans are messy. Humans are irrational. Humans are confusing. Humans are beautiful disasters.
Luckily, humans are also predictable. So once you know the rules, you can use them to your advantage.
Here are the Rules of Human:
- Humans want what they cannot have.
- Humans are attracted to things that are hard to get.
- Humans are less attracted to what they can easily acquire.
- Humans take everything for granted…eventually. So perceived value declines over time if left alone.
- The truth for any human is what they perceive is the truth. (Don’t argue with them. Few people like to be told they are wrong.)
Never break these rules. Because humans never break them.
Use them. Think about them. Understand how to create something that is irresistible because of them.
Most trusted advisors don’t need to get better at what they do, they need to get better at how they present themselves to the world.
You can be the OBVIOUS solution or you can be invisible.