The Commanche Marketer Mousetrap Series Part 1

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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."

Anyone Can Market

In today's message, I prove anyone can learn how to market, what you need to know and why, and then start into the series with the first tip, knowing what you're trying to say.

Don't Be Intimidated By Marketing

I'm surprised when I find people who are intimidated by marketing. No one should be intimidated. Anyone can learn marketing. After all, I did (of course, some might question this).

I started my career as an engineer. I was a very, very average engineer. So I did what every average engineer does. I moved into marketing where I could feel superior because I knew how to put together an electronic spreadsheet. Still, when I moved into marketing, I didn't know the first thing about it. I had a whole bunch of formal schooling, but the sum total of my marketing training was a couple of classes I was forced to take in grad school and generally slept through.

As an engineer, my view of marketing was summed up very well by Scott Adams in a Dilbert strip. Dilbert finds he's being assigned to marketing. He arrives at the marketing department to find everyone in togas and large banner draped over the door proclaiming "Two Drink Minimum."

Of course, there's something to be said for that. As an engineer, I got to fly in the company prop plane to factory towns like Stuttgart, Arkansas in the height of mosquito season or Marshalltown, Iowa in January (Marshalltown's not north of the Arctic Circle; it just feels that way in January). Meanwhile, the marketing department was jetting off to Orlando and Las Vegas. And people in marketing were having fun. Engineers, by contrast, tend to be grumps and cynics. When the marketing department needed someone with more analytical abilities than it takes to work a four function calculator I jumped at the opportunity.

I learned marketing the best way you can. I studied things that worked in the real world. I talked with people that had to make it happen to survive. And, of course, I studied. I read a lot. Some of it was pure marketing stuff. Most of it was the writings of successful small business marketers like Jackie Rainwater and Ron Smith. I attended training classes taught by some of the best consultants and trainers of that time. And this never ends. I still study marketing, every day.

You Do Not Need To Become a Marketing Expert to Market Effectively

As a business owner, you do not need to become David Ogilvy (the world's most renowned advertising guy in case you didn't know). You DO NOT need to write great copy, create graphic designs, or generate superlative creative. You DO need to be able to recognize good copy, good graphic, and good creative. At least, you should recognize the underlying principles of good work.

Why? It's your money. Enough said.

The focus of the Mousetrap Series is print media. This isn't because I favor print over other forms of marketing, but because it is the most common form of marketing for small businesses. Not every business uses broadcast, but everyone uses print in one form or another. For example, you might use print for.

Brochures

Direct Mail

Newspaper Ads

Help Wanted Ads

Sales Support Material

Folders

Trucks

Invoices

Stickers

Magnets

Yellow Pages Ads

Flyers

Newsletters

I could go on. You get the point. By applying the principles you will learn in this series, you will be able to improve all of the above. Over the coming weeks, I will cover roughly five tips in each issue of Comanche Marketing, depending upon the length. If you don't have time to read this series, save it. Forward copies to everyone in your company charged with the creation of printed material. Forward it to friends who create printed collateral for their businesses or organizations. I've even gone through this with people at my church.

1. Figure out what you want to say before you start spewing it all over the page.

A lot of print is aimless. There's no point to it. The creator of the piece does not start with a clear objective in mind and it shows. He or she wanders all over the place.

Start with an audience in mind. Know who you are talking with before you create your material. Talking with? Sure. At its core, marketing is nothing more than a conversation. It's a conversation between you and your customer or prospective customer. Even if it's one sided, pretend it isn't. Engage the reader like you're having a conversation.

Determine an objective before you start. You must know what you are trying to say before you start saying it. The point of the piece should be so clear that you can give it to your teenage son or daughter and they can figure it out.

Know what you want to say and who you want to say it to.

NEXT: What people care about and how to appeal to them.[/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]