Copyright 2008 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
This blog post was transferred from another service.
Here's another post I posted in Inc.com; the article is "Fire & Motion". The URL is -
www.inc.com/magazine/20080401/how-hard-could-it-be-fire-and-motion.html
Marketing Isn't A Fire Fight, It's A Hostage Rescue
Joel,
You didn't complete the military analogy. Fire & motion may get to the location where hostages - consumers - are. But it doesn't have a follow-through plan for extraction.
Shooting terrorists - competitors - can be hard when they hide behind hostages.
The thought of target markets is flawed: Targets are terrorists - competitors. The market is people who may buy from you, not the ones you should be shooting.
This is a simplistic metaphor since hostage rescue is far more complicated. My example doesn't start with a hostage release negotiation via bullhorn. In my example, the rescue team goes into a foreign country & uses total surprise. Even the hostages are surprised; besides what else they feel.
Hostages - consumers - have problems. They're apt to be scared & confused. They don't feel safe. They're in a situation they don't control & they don't know how to get out of it. They're so stressed, they may have convinced themselves the terrorists are good & aren't a threat. They may run into the line of fire instead of away & run toward the terrorists.
When you come in shooting, you seem to be their enemy. It's hard to build trust that way.
To build trust you need to look like somebody they want to trust & do things to earn their trust, in addition to shooting terrorists.
You have to earn their trust by speaking their language & looking at least somewhat like them or like rescuers they expect--Uniforms with insignia. You also have to act like somebody who can rescue them - have a clear plan & confidence. If you look worried, they'll feel worse. If you don't know what to do next, they won't want to your "help".
As a rescuer, your job isn't finished just because the terrorists are neutralized. You & the hostages won't be safe until you extract them. You can't extract them unless they cooperate with you.
To get them to cooperate with you, you need to offer them something they perceive to be better than their current situation. It may seem like a no-brainer to you, but not to them.
Whatever somebody gets used to is a comfort zone, no matter how dangerous it really is.
Too often what people know seems a lot better than an unknown result - situation. As long as they're alive & don't feel immediate danger, your "solution" seems more dangerous because they don't know what it is.
You need to have a goal & know a few plans (Plan A, B & C) how to reach it. Then help prospects - almost rescued hostages - visualize the situation they'll face if they don't take action. Then, if they still won't move, visualize the situation they'll have when they're free.
Assume the sale & lead them out.
NOTE: If they haven't bought/aren't buying a competing solution, you're competing with nonconsumption as Clayton M. Christensen wrote about in his books for innovators.
They still need solutions.
Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.
Copyright 2008 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here-
https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/
http://www.voy.com/31049/
No comments:
Post a Comment