The Comanche Marketer Mousetrap Series Pts. 3 & 4

[hausdok]

by Matt Michel

PROLOGUE

They were a tribe of warriors. They were masters of the horse and masters of war. Through their tactical brilliance, they overcame the inferiority of their numbers to drive the Apache out of Texas and beat back the Spanish. The Utes called them "one who fights me all the time." The Utes called them Comanches. The Comanche warrior was one who fought all of the time.

The Comanche marketer is one who markets as fiercely, as brilliantly, and as relentlessly as the Comanche fought. The Comanche marketer is "one who markets all of the time."

The Mousetrap Series - Parts 3 & 4

In today's message, we talk about one of the great pitfalls of marketing, followed by a superficial analysis of customers by comparing them to the most superficial type of person known to man (well, known to parents).

3. It Doesn't Matter What You Think

On the Monday following one of the more memorable Super Bowls, I had a meeting at an ad agency. It wasn't a memorable Super Bowl for the game (ho hum, yawn, blow out). It was memorable for the advertising. It was before the dot com bust when Internet companies, flush with more money than sense, sponsored "smart," "clever," "cool," humorous ads that did very little to stimulate brand awareness or recognition, but were masterful expressions of ad agency creativity. Not surprisingly, the agency guys I was meeting with loved them. I'm sure the sponsors probably loved them as well. Television can be a big ego trip.

The agency guys hated one spot. It was totally silent, with a test pattern on the screen. Rolling across the screen was text saying something to the effect of, "We spend a ton of money on a really great commercial for this expensive Super Bowl spot, but it didn't arrive in time because we didn't use Fed Ex."

Yep, the ad guys hated that spot. No productive value (i.e., it didn't cost much). Little creativity (i.e., it wouldn't win a CLIO). BUT, it was one of the most memorable spot according to the morning after recall tests. At least, it was the most memorable for the brand name.

So what's the point? The point is that a lot of people spent a whole lot of money on ads that they liked, but that didn't do a thing to move product or create brand recognition. Unfortunately, lots of marketing is similar. The owners like it. The agencies like it. The prospects are bored by it.

It doesn't matter what you think. You are not the buyer. You are too close to your products, services, and company to think like the buyer. The only thing that matters is what works.

You may like an ad or marketing method or you may hate it. It doesn't matter what you think. Remove yourself from the equation. You do not matter. What matters is what works.

4. Pretend the Customer is a Teen

If you do not have a teen of your very own, this will be difficult to relate to. However, I might be persuaded to rent you a teen for a very reasonable rate so that you can fully appreciate the point. Those who have teens of their very own will understand.

Teens hear selectively. They never hear words like "clean" when used with the word "up." Yet, they can hear a whisper from upstairs when it deals with a phone call for them. Teens hear selectively. So do your customers.

Telling a teen once is rarely enough, even if they acknowledge hearing you. Teens must be told again and again and again for something to have a prayer of sinking in (e.g., repeat "Clean your room" 30 or 40 times and it might sink in. provided there is an adequate risk/reward ratio). You must use repetition with teens. It's the same with your customers.

Teens think you are dense and out of touch. It doesn't matter how "hip" you might actually be, they think you don't "get it." And if their friends think you're "cool," they are completely embarrassed and humiliated. If you really "got it," their friends would think you didn't "get it." It doesn't have to make sense. It's teen-think. They think you're dense and out of touch. So do your customers.

Teens also think you do not understand them. In this, they are probably on the mark. How can any sane person understand a teenager (at least, their own teenager)? It's not possible. No matter how hard you try, you cannot understand their view of things, though you can approximate, especially when it comes to setting the proper risk/reward ratios. The same is true for your customers.

Teens act for reasons known only to them. They do not act for your benefit. That never crosses their mind. The same is true for your customers.

With teens, it's "all about me." Next to infants, they are the most narcissistic creatures on the planet. The same is true with your customers. They only care about themselves.

Imagine your customers are like teens. That's your marketing communication challenge. Hey, no one said it would be too easy!

NEXT: Headlines[/size]

Since it helps to "see" examples, you might want to download a copy of the "Build a More Profitable Service Business" notes by clicking on the link below.

http://www.serviceroundtable.com/Freebi ... p?PCID=295

Source: Comanche Marketing. Reprinted by permission.

Free subscriptions are available at:

www.serviceroundtable.com -- click on the Comanche Marketing tab

Copyright © 2004 Matt Michel[/size=1]