Sometimes we get so excite
d about our products and services that we think that everyone else will be just as excited about them as we are.
To quote Charlie Brown, Sigh!
And to quote the name of a song from the show, Porgy and Bess, It Ain’t Necessarily So.
The realistic fact of life (and marketing) is that the vast majority of people have absolutely no need for the product or service we offer (unless we happen to be selling fresh air).
Even more discouraging is that even a majority of the people who need what we offer are unlikely to want it at this particular time.
The throwing mud against the wall to see what sticks method of marketing has proven to be a gargantuan waste of time, money, and effort.
So what is a person to do to successfully promote oneself and one’s business?
Perhaps a good place to start would be to ask yourself the following key questions and to use the answers as a basis for planning your marketing strategy:
- What important product or service do I offer?
- Who are the specific people who need my product or service?
- What are the benefits that they are seeking to enjoy?
- Among these people, who is likely to be kept awake at night worrying about their pain or problem?
- Among these people, who is likely to be yearning for what I can offer, right this very minute?
- Where are these people most likely to be found?
- What language can I use that resonates with these people so they know that I understand their struggles?
- How can I come from a place of sharing and service, rather than from a place of selling?
Coming from a place of sharing and service is a much more comfortable place to be than coming from a place where you feel pushy and salesy.
Once you ascertain the answers to the above questions, they can help you to develop a strategy where you can focus your time, effort, and resources in the right direction; and no longer invest in the useless practice of metaphorically trying to sell ice to Inuits in winter.
