Planting flags, good marketing and your neighbour's car

Hey, do you remember me?
Of course. You were in my marketing class.

Yes. After listening to your presentation, I got to thinking.
That's good. It's usually the first step.

How do you tell the difference between good marketing and bad marketing?
That's easy, good marketing works.

How do you know which one will work?
The one that provides the greatest impact.

You're going in circles. I want to start marketing to my target audience and I don't know where to begin. I want to do good marketing, umm, marketing that works, but I don't know where to start.
Ok. You have to start with yourself.

Not sure I understand. I want to create awareness for my brand.
Are you sure? The last time I checked, awareness doesn't pay the bills.

Right, but the more people who are aware of my products pulls the law of percentages in my favour.
You're partially right. The law of percentages will drive some customer traffic to your location, whether online or offline. But it doesn't mean they buy. And if for some reason, they do buy, it really doesn't mean the customer buys AGAIN.

So you're saying awareness is a bad thing.
No not all. I'm just saying it's only one piece of the puzzle. Have you lived in your house for a long time?

Uh, what?
Have you lived in your house for more than 5 years?

Yes, I've been there for 7.
Ok. Do you know all your neighbours?

The ones immediately next door and across the road.
Ok, How about the neighbours 5 houses down? Do you know them?

No, not at all. I've seen them outside from time to time but I don't know their names.
Good. You've lived in your neighbourhood for 7 years. You don't know your neighbours 5 houses down. How many times have you driven by your unknown neighbours house?

Not sure where you're going with this, but I'd say I go by it at least twice a day.
I'm almost finished. You've driven by your neighbour's house at least 700 times in the past year?

Yeah, that's about right.
Do they have a garage or are the cars parked out front?

They're out front.
Perfect. Can you tell me the make and model of the cars they drive?

Ah. I think they drive a Volkswagen.
No. I want to know for sure.

I'm not 100% sure.
What do you mean? Assuming the cars are not always there when you drive by, you've probably been exposed to the car at least 500 times, and you can't remember the type of car your unknown neighbour drives?

Well, it's frankly not that important to me.
Exactly. That's the problem with awareness.

Huh. I know what his next door neighbour drives.
Do you know them?

Nope. He drives a silver Mercedes S-class.
I'm willing to bet you either own a Mercedes or you'd like to own one.

I love Mercedes. It's the car I wish I could own... So you're saying that awareness only works on those who are already interested in your product.
Now you're getting warmer.

Ok, so how do I create interest in my product?
You've asked the right question. But before I answer, I need to ask a few more questions.

I'm getting the sense you ask a lot of questions and go in circles.
Yes, a bit. Only because I know that if I give you the answer, you won't believe me. But if YOU give me the answer, you'll base all of your future strategies on it.

So I have the answer inside of me?
Yes. But I'm going to pull it out, so you can see if for yourself.

Alright. Bring on the questions.
What do you believe in as it relates to your business?

Well, I believe in honesty, integrity, good customer service, taking care of people...
Those are all good things to believe in. Do you think your competitors believe in the same things?

Some do. But most don't.
But do all of them say they believe in those things?

Well, it's good business to believe in those things, isn't it?
Of course. But here's the problem. None of your competitors would ever say they don't believe in honesty. You can never plant a flag on those type of "Values" because every one of your competitors have already planted their flags on those territories.

So I shouldn't plant a flag on honesty?
As a word, no. As a premise, of course you can.

What's the difference?
The word is cliche. Everyone believes they are honest. Yet honesty is a perception. What I believe is honesty can be dishonest to someone else.

I think a person is either honest or they are not.
Now you're getting somewhere. That tells me more about you than you believing in honesty.

I don't like dancing around. I call it as I see it. I don't want to hurt people's feelings but if I have to tell  'em something, I'll just say it. But at the same time, I won't try to sell them something I don't think they need. I've actually told customers that if they buy it and later feel they didn't need it, they can call me and I'll give them a credit over the phone. And they can keep the product, regardless.
There it is.

What?
You won't sell anything you don't think the customer needs.

Yeah. So how is this good marketing?
It's deeper than the average marketing message. Its a promise that customers won't be sold something they won't need. In essence, it tells the receiver of your message that their needs come before yours.

Yeah, that's right.
Imagine, using a message like, "We believe in not selling things you don't need."

I don't believe in upselling.

Do you competitors upsell?
All the time, it's the main beef I hear from my regular customer. They switched their business to me because there were too many high pressure sales and sales attempts on marginal products.

And you don't upsell at all?
Only if I think they need the product to solve a problem.

Don't you see what I see?
Umm, no. It's just good business to give customers what they want. They don't want upselling, so that's what I do.

This is a strong belief that can be used to find more customers.
Is it that simple?

Yes, it is. Marketing that works has to use messaging your target audience cares about. The message isn't about you. It's about them. Start talking to them about things they care about and they will remember you.

This is amazing. You've given me a lot to think about.
Just remember the Mercedes. You pay attention to things that matter to you. Your potential customer is no different.

Awesome, talk to you later.
Have a great day.