Thinking of What Can Be

Micron just announced plans to lay off another 2,000 workers by August - yet another item in a long series of bad economic news. Wow, it can make you feel down if you think about it too much.

All of this turbulence and change is bringing the focus on an important issue:

Most people think in terms of what was. Some people think in terms of what is. And a few think in terms of what can be.

In stable and bouyant times, it is often good enough to simply do what worked before. This is thinking in terms of what was. You can usually get by with that, but not in these unstable times. The people who survive and even thrive will be the ones who spot and seize new opportunities. Because the same forces that are shaking and hindering the old institutions and old ways are also opening up new cracks and fissures of opportunity.

Here is the key: Keep moving, scanning the situation in front of you, and pounce on any new openings and possibilities that arise.

This is a marketing blog, and marketing is a key part of seizing opportunities. You have to spot them (call it market analysis). You have to sell your service or product or idea. This requires a clear, distinct, relevant message and a sense of who your audience (i.e. target market) is. Then you have to communicate it. Yes, marketing plays a role.

But most important is to acknowledge the evolving situation and think in terms of what can be. When this storm passes, the people who will be in actually a better position than before are the ones with this mindset. For them, this is all opportunity.

The Opportunity We Have Right Now

The previous post was about how to market in an economic downturn, and it emphasized keeping a keen eye out for new opportunities. Well, I think I see a window of opportunity for those of you in sales and marketing – something you can seize upon right now.

You have undoubtedly noticed how the wheels of commerce have slowed way down recently. Companies are cutting budgets or just not spending. Investments are deferred. The world seems to be taking a "wait and see" approach in this tumultuous economic environment, like a temporary paralysis.

So what are people doing while they wait and see? After following up with some prospects yesterday, I realized the answer is not much, or certainly less than they were six months ago. People aren't as busy, so they have time to chat and respond. If you are in sales, you know how important it is to make connections and build rapport. It's part of the sales process. What better time to do it than when people aren't busy and have time on their hands.

Even if you don't make the sale today, when things pick up again, which they eventually will, guess who will be top of mind?

P.S. Don't hesitate to forward these posts to your friends and colleagues. The more readers, the merrier!

P.P.S. The next Apropos Marketing Foundation Workshop is scheduled for February 17, 2009. Sign up here!

How to Market in a Downturn – The Story of Chester Bowles

I started reading The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam, a historical account of the Vietnam era. One of the many political personalities who emerges in the story is Chester Bowles, a state governor and congressman from Connecticut who played a minor role in the Kennedy administration and, incidentally, was opposed early on to involvement in that conflict.

Chester Bowles came from an established New England family, studied at Yale and founded an advertising agency called Benton & Bowles with his partner Bill Benton. While they started the venture with meager resources, it was quite successful and Bowles became a self-made millionaire, back when a million dollars meant even more than it does today. To me, the most interesting aspect of the story is the date when they founded the agency. It was July 1929. Three months later the great stock market crash of October 1929, known as Black Tuesday, occurred. This was part of a chain of events that led to the Great Depression and a nearly decade-long economic downturn. It was the worst our country has experienced.

Yet it was in this environment that Bowles achieved his entrepreneurial success. The book does not say much about how he did it, except that large companies "were ready for a change, any change, in the early days of the Depression."

Which brings me to the topic of this post – how to market in a downturn. The glib answer is you market in a downturn the same way you market in an upturn, except with one key distinction: Keep a keen eye out for new opportunities. Dark clouds have silver linings, and tumult and chaos open doors that otherwise would not crack. So find and seize your opportunity and, like Chester Bowles, you may encounter a great fortune in the worst of times!

P.S. If you want to kick-start your sales by developing the two most important marketing elements for your business – in a mere three hours – then I have good news. The next Apropos Marketing Foundation Workshop is scheduled for February 17, 2009. "The practical info was great. It was helpful to actually work on the statements and ideas in class," said a recent attendee. Check out the details and sign up here.

Distinguish Between Feature and Benefit

It's important to distinguish between features and benefits, because customers care much more about benefits. In fact, benefits are really what sell a product.

A feature is a charactesristic of a product or service, and a benefit is the need or desire it satisfies for a customer.

To illustrate, let me ask you a question. What is the last thing you purchased and why? Your reason why may point to a feature or benefit. But ask yourself why once more, and you will surely be stating a benefit.

The last thing I purchased was a "sunrise muffin" at Big City Coffee while driving home after picking up my 15-month-old daughter at daycare. The muffin has raisins, coconut and sunflower seeds and appears to be made of whole wheat. It is moderately sweet. Those are all features. So why did I buy it? Because I was hungry and the muffin tastes good and is reasonably healthy. I also fed some to my daughter so she would be happy and not fussy while riding in the back seat. So the benefits are (1) satisfy hunger, (2) enjoy taste, (3) be healthy, (4) make baby happy and (4) enjoy peace and quiet in the car. All for $1.95!

The features focus on the muffin, while the benefits focus on me.

The best marketing is about the customer, not necessarily the product, not ultimately. It’s about them. Because the goal of marketing is to influence people to buy a product or service. And why do people buy? To satisfy a felt need or desire. This desire drives the purchase. The product is a means to satisfy it. So the purpose of marketing is to make a connection between the customer’s desire, whatever it may be, and your product. This is why it is so important to emphasize benefits - they are your customers' needs and desires.

P.S. The next Apropos Marketing Foundation Workshop is Feb 17, 2009. See the top 10 reasons why you don't want to miss this workshop!

Reasons to Believe

Let's say you have a product or service you want to sell. And you have figured out the main reason why a potential customer would want to buy it. In other words, you understand its essential benefit. Now you want to get the message out!

The challenge we face at this point is overcoming the Credibility Gap. People are naturally skeptical and won't necessarily believe when someone says, "My product is great and offers this wonderful benefit!" They have to be convinced, because people want to feel they are spending their money well and making a good decision.

The way to overcome this natural resistance is to provide reasons to believe. I'll give an example:

Let’s say someone walked up to you and said, "I have a new restaurant that offers the best Italian food in Boise." Would you believe him?

What if he added, “The chef previously worked for a 4-star restaurant in San Francisco.”

And furthermore, “All of our pastas and sauces are hand-made on site.”

And what if you mentioned this new restaurant to a friend and she said, “Oh, I’ve been there. It is the best!”

At what point would you believe?

The claim was to have the best Italian food, and what followed were reasons to believe. The last one is an example of a testimonial. Testimonials can come from people you know (these are especially effective) as well as from satisfied customers, the media or recognized experts.

In fact, there are five different ways to provide reasons to believe and all of them work. If you are interested in learning more about them and would like a chance to write a couple "reasons to believe" of your own, then join me at the Apropos Marketing Foundation Workshop. It will be held on two dates this fall, Oct 29 and Nov 5. Be sure to register online.

Happy messaging!

Everyone Has a Message - Is Yours Sharp?

I just visited the websites for the two major presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. They both have a message for you, the American electorate. I won't repeat it here because you will hear it again and again over the next couple months. Their messages are different, and both clearly hope you receive theirs and vote accordingly.

The stakes are high indeed. The effectiveness of their message, and how well they deliver it, will determine who assumes the most powerful executive position in the world, and who goes back to the Senate. It will determine who gets to directly shape America and the broader world, and who has to retire to the sidelines. Knowing this, I am sure both candidates have thought long and hard about their respective MESSAGE.

Obama and McCain aren't the only ones with a message. In fact, everyone has a message. Whether we are selling a product, advocating a cause or proposing an idea, we all have a message to deliver and hope we can do it in a way that other people understand and receive. An effective message is like an arrow with a sharp tip that flies true and sticks in the target. On the other hand, a less-effective message is like a soft Nerf arrow with a rounded tip that often bounces off or misses the target. So, is your message sharp?

If you're not sure, or if you would like to hone your message, then I have a solution for you: The Apropos Marketing Foundation Workshop, which will held on two dates this fall, Oct 29 and Nov 5, at George Fox University (Boise site). This is a 3-hour, roll-up-your-sleeves workshop where I will lead you through a process for creating an effective message, as well as selecting a target audience who is likely to respond. Who should attend? Business owners, managers, sales and marketing professionals - anyone who wants to accelerate their sales and marketing towards business growth. And hit a bull's-eye!

To make sure this event remains dynamic and interactive, the number of attendees is limited to 20 per workshop. So if you would like to attend, please register soon. Click here for more details and to sign up online.

Happy messaging!

Be Green, Save Some Green, Don't Feel Green

It is officially hip to be green. You have probably noticed how advertising is peppered with environmentally-conscious claims, from organic foods to energy-efficient buildings to fuel-efficient vehicles to recycling and composting to renewable energy sources to land conservation to buying carbon credits that offset our consumption. Being green appears to be good business.

However you might personally feel about global warming* or recycling or organic vegetables, the Green Era is here and will have a major impact on society. And major trends usually play out in this way: First there is a buildup that accelerates to a peak of buzz and excitement, followed by a trough of disillusionment that eventually moderates into what you might call "long-term, realistic expectations."

If you ask me, we are somewhere around the peak. So what comes next is the trough of disillusionment when people become a bit jaded and cynical from hearing so much about being green.

This means we should be careful with our advertising and make sure green claims will stand up even during the period of disillusionment. To do this, I recommend tying green claims directly to how it will help people save money or improve their health and lifestyle. For instance, a fuel-efficient vehicle saves commuters upmteen dollars per week or organic milk avoids exposure to hormones and antibiotics. People will always care about their wallet and their health, so you really can't go wrong here.

The bottom line is: Be green (environmentally conscious) by helping people save some green (money) or avoid feeling green (sick), and you have a marketing message with a green (color) light to go!

---
* As Stephen Colbert put it, "I believe global warming is real because Al Gore's film made money."

Make 1,000 Mistakes - Part 2

"I have not failed, I've just just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
- Thomas Edison, inventor of the electric light bulb and phonograph

In part 1 of this post, I suggested an alternative formula for success: If you want to achieve anything new and great, you must make 1,000 mistakes.

I say this based on my own experience, though I am certainly not the only one to observe this pattern. Thomas Edison believed it, as you can see from the quote above. And be glad he did, because everyone reading this post is probably sitting in a room illuminated by a light courtesy of his discovery.

I am also talking to myself as I write, but you are welcome to listen to the conversation.

If there is something you have never done before, or even better if no one has done it before, the process to achieve it is unknown. There will be discoveries you must make and skills you must learn along the way. Forces and events beyond control will play a role and, as a wise person once noted, time and chance happen to us all.

There is one thing we do know: Along the journey and especially before making discoveries and acquiring skills, we will make many mistakes. Maybe 10 or 100 or 1,000 or 10,000. This is just part of the process. Sometimes we can't know what to do until making the error and seeing the problem. Because real life is not as simple or deterministic as the magical success formulas imply.

This is why we must make 1,000 mistakes to achieve anything new or great. What matters is identifying mistakes, correcting them and moving on. The faster, the better. This is where a little humility and a lot of perseverance make all the difference.

They don't teach you this in school or in many business environments and social circles where mistakes are frowned upon. Consider the grade system. If you make zero or almost no mistakes, then you are wonderful and get an A. If you make just a few mistakes, you are pretty good and get a B. If you make several mistakes, you are so-so and get a C. If you make many mistakes, you are suspect and get a D. If you make too many mistakes, you fail and get an F. The focus is on minimizing mistakes. By this measure, Mr. Edison must have been a big failure!

But entrepreneurs, artists and visionaries know that mistakes are the pathway to learning and achievement!

So if you are trying to do something new and great - whether marketing a product or growing a business or building a life - and find yourself making many mistakes... Good for you! Smile and keep going and know you are in good company.

Make 1,000 Mistakes - Part 1

The front cover of the latest issue of Fortune Magazine states, "Retire Rich, 50 Great Stocks and Funds." On it is a picture of an older man with gray hair holding hands with a beautiful, young woman of about 30, standing on a sailboat in an exotic, warm location like the Caribbean.

The implied message is: Invest in these sure-fire stocks, and you too can have a 50-foot sailboat, a great tan, free time and a trophy wife half your age.

I don't know why, but the standard way to educate people or dispense advice now is by promising magical, guaranteed formulas for astronomical success. This Fortune cover is just one example. Walk down the business, self-help or magazine aisle at Barnes & Noble and you will see many more. Follow these 4 steps or buy these 50 stocks or do these 8 things and - like a genie popping out of a bottle - your wildest dreams will materialize. While there is insight and good advice in many of these materials, the packaging leads people to believe they are sure-fire, trouble-free programs, like a magical elixir or fountain of youth. They promise too much, on one hand, and oversimplify on the other.

So I would like to offer an alternative formula for success, whether in marketing, business or life: If you want to achieve anything new and great, you must make 1,000 mistakes. The faster you can make those 1,000 mistakes (and correct them), the faster and more likely your vision will materialize.

In part 2 of this post, I'll explain what I mean...

P.S. Tip of the hat to Brian Fretwell at Defining Victory for a conversation that inspired this post.