In Part I, I was talking about a supermarket that tried to drum up customers for their store a bit differently than it usually would. For three months they decided to advertise strictly by word of mouth, meaning no TV or radio, no internet, no newspaper ads, no circulars, no postcards or any other type of mailings that they would normally do. Every employee, from stock personnel to cashiers to custodial staff, to everyone in between, was sent out by turns to meet with the general public in many different places far and wide to talk with people, inviting them to dropping by and see what their store had to offer. Anything went, they were told, as long as it got the desired result, which was getting people to walk through the doors. Because after all, everybody had to spend money on groceries eventually, so speak to as many people as they could, since everyone they met was a potential customer for their store.
When we left off, I had gotten to the point where the supermarket was tabulating the results of their three month experiment to compare the numbers with the prior three months' activity...
I bet you can tell me what the results were without my having to say a word. If you guessed that sales at the store during those three months went DOWN instead of up, you would be correct. People stayed away in droves, and sales of the store's items in every category dropped. Like a stone. If you're surprised at this result, you shouldn't be. I can explain the reason for this dramatic reversal with two words:
HUMAN NATURE
That's right, human nature. Here's what I mean:
Long story short, people don't like to be sold, they like to buy. People want to do things that feel as if it were their idea. Not yours, and not mine. If you convince people to do things they're not sure they want to do (or are sure they DON'T want to do), they will resist because they feel that somehow they've been conned, they've been had, that you put one over on them, taking unfair advantage of them somehow. Even if it isn't true, and you really did give them something of value, they won't be able to fully appreciate it because somehow they'll feel violated, that they cannot trust you. And it doesn't mater if you really do have their best intentions at heart, they won't see it that way because you didn't allow them to see it for themselves.
(ALERT: I just dropped a major hint bomb on you. I hope you caught it)
Of course you realize there isn't a single supermarket that advertises in the manner I described in the three month experiment. It is sheer lunacy to even consider doing so. What do they do instead? I'll tell you what they do:
They advertise through the mail, in newspapers, online, on TV and radio...AND through word of mouth. Yes, they engage in word of mouth advertising, BUT...they let their customers do the bulk of the word of mouth advertising for them. The big mistake many marketers make, and especially network marketers, is in making word of mouth advertising the main focus of their promotion efforts. Small wonder why it can be a struggle at times. You won't get very far spending the majority of your time trying in vain to talk people into liking you, trusting you, or buying whatever you're selling, no matter how much they may need it.
By contrast, supermarkets advertise to attract people, whether it's for the daily or weekly specials, the convenience of their location or store hours, the availability of certain items their customers may want or need. Then they let customers walk through the doors and decide for themselves what they'd like to buy, and enjoy the shopping experience for themselves. They allow consumers to form their own opinions about the buying experience without putting words in their mouth. No force feeding here. The only things they may solicit from the customer is feedback, usually in the form of telephone or online surveys, but again that is left up to the customer's discretion, at a time and place of the customer's choosing.
So to sum up we can learn the following about "super" marketing:
* Position yourself in a location that is convenient and available to the people who want and need what you have to offer
* Make your potential customers an offer that will attract them to view all your other offerings
* Let your prospect decide for themselves what they want and need, WITHOUT your involvement, AND:
* Once you have done all you can do to ensure they have had a pleasant buying experience with you, allow them to spread the word about your business of their own free will; trust that they can (and will) do so without your input or undue influence.
Let me remind you once again, everybody likes to buy, nobody likes to be sold. Think long term; don't risk turning people off over the long run for the sake of having too narrow a focus on short term results.
"Networking is more about 'farming' than it is about 'hunting.' It's about cultivating relationships."
- Dr. Ivan Misner, BNI
Think about it. We're talking about human nature, which has much to do with perception. No matter how good your product or service is, if people perceive that you cannot provide what they want or need, they have no problem doing business with someone else, even if that someone is offering the same product or service that you're offering. If the other guy does a better job of delivering that product or service, you'll be left holding the bag. It's that simple.
Well, that's all for now. I trust this has been helpful, and that you'll give it some consideration the next time you have to pick up some groceries yourself, whether a little or a lot. Use the "super" market to build your network market and next thing you know, people will chase after you like they're the bears and you're the honey.
Okay, gotta run. Until next time remember people:
Keep it simple... See ya!
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