I have been reviewing and planning my marketing schedule for the year. As I am doing this I went back into some of my marketing books for a refresher (I am amazed how much I forget :rolleyes:)
I came across something that is painfully obvious, but something I do again and again… Confuse response with results.
Let me start by clearing up what I feel are two different types of responses. When most of us think response we think calls, inquiries, not sales but interest. While that is a response there is another misleading response…
Unqualified response, which basically means opinion. This type of response is dangerous because it is very seductive with results. An unqualified response is that of getting someone to say “that looks great”, sing your jingle, laugh at your commercial or ad, say your website looks great on a forum of people who do not buy what you are selling.
It is like asking your buddy questions about your postcard. If he is not known to buy what you are selling he is unqualified and likely biased because he is a bro. You taking action on his opinion could be costly. He ends up wrong and you end up broke.
Do we like to hear it? Heck yeah, who wouldn’t like a pat on the back. But that pat is not something you can purchase anything with. Opinions do not line our pockets.
I have a group of customers I am very tight with. They are my prime demographic. I will email or send them samples of ideas and they tell me what they think as they are proven shoppers of my type of service.
Thinking about a YP ad?, send it to your customers and ask them what they like and don’t like. Postcard/flier, same thing. Website, abs-o-lute-ly.
Some of you may say “that is great for you, but I have not yet formed a bond with my customers”. Then I would go to get opinion from people in the know. There are wonderful marketing forums full of high paid marketers that will critique your stuff for free. It is really, really awesome. (need to know of a place to go, pm me and I will give you the websites)
But your current customers opinion trump ALL others. If you have a couple you can turn to, nothing is better. Nothing is wrong with going with an experienced answer, but they have 0 experience with [U]your[/U] prospects.
As I have said before, I have an area I can get 3%+ all the time. That same ad 2 miles away (same income type) and I get 0 out of 300… every year and they get at least 4 visits a year. IT DRIVES ME NUTS! I don’t have any customers there yet so I will need to dig to find out something. Drive the neighborhood on a nice Saturday afternoon and see who and what is going on. It very well could be an age factor. I write my ads based on families, 35-45. I will get in that area, that goes without question.
My marketing coach always is trying to get me to dig deeper into my customers opinions. It is really helping me bond with them and they NEVER feel bothered by my questions… they want to help.
Why the coach than? It is very, VERY hard to see your own business objectively. I always get shown something and think- what the heck am I doing? :rolleyes:
