David vs Goliath
Sales Octane #9
When was the last time you walked into a bar, saloon, watering hole, biker bar, or pub? Can you remember what the place looked like before you started to consume the vendors wares? Maybe the place was filled with High Definition Televisions or wall clad mirrors. Do you remember the big dollar, neon light, highlighting the "king of beers" or the Clydesdale's pulling the beer wagon in miniature. Maybe. Maybe not.
Marketing Goliaths overpower us with all types of media choreographed by major ad agencies. These giants of the industry launch products by "smothering" the consumer with brand presence. Next these monsters of the midway drive the product into "niches" with location, tag lines, and memory phases. Next thing you know everyone is buying the next "gotta have it".
Well forget about media buying and ad agencies. If you're competing with people who have "way more" resources (money, pull, contacts, notoriety), traditional marketing will not move you to the "front row".
Now, let's get you into the game.
First look at your product, whether it is bourbon or software, it must be less expensive (cheaper or better cost per unit) or be meaningfully better (quality, value, purpose) than the competition. This is where you define your value proposition. Once this have been established you must realize that it is going to take time to change people's perceptions.
Next discover the consumers who need your product and educate them. This does not have to be a large amount of people. First you will need to educate the decision maker (when you get in the door), but the education does not stop there. You will next need to see the influencer's and give them the tag line or memory phases that they can use to present your value proposition.
I like to call this next piece "sling-shot" marketing. Basically doing the little things that the big guys think are below them. (How about interacting with your targeted consumer or relationship building person to person) Use your stones to pick off one decision maker or person of influence at a time. When you miss your shot, ask what is keeping them from using your product or service. Decision makers like to tell you what you are doing wrong. Use this as a selling point and reload.
Build on this momentum with personal touches. Handwritten notes are not just for elementary boys and girls, but the best sales people still use this dusty tool. People love humor on a postcard that is personally signed on the back. (A follow up phone call about the picture on the card is also great).
In the end, you will not be able to fool or convince anyone into buying a product or service that is not any better than the next one. This is the product of well-financed marketing and ad campaigns. A small company has to find better ways (the more dramatic the better) to show customers, decision makers, and the general public that they are better.
Remember that you only have a few stones in your pouch, but the right one, in the right place, at the right time, can bring down the biggest Goliath or get you a seat in the front row!
When was the last time you walked into a bar, saloon, watering hole, biker bar, or pub? Can you remember what the place looked like before you started to consume the vendors wares? Maybe the place was filled with High Definition Televisions or wall clad mirrors. Do you remember the big dollar, neon light, highlighting the "king of beers" or the Clydesdale's pulling the beer wagon in miniature. Maybe. Maybe not.
Marketing Goliaths overpower us with all types of media choreographed by major ad agencies. These giants of the industry launch products by "smothering" the consumer with brand presence. Next these monsters of the midway drive the product into "niches" with location, tag lines, and memory phases. Next thing you know everyone is buying the next "gotta have it".
Well forget about media buying and ad agencies. If you're competing with people who have "way more" resources (money, pull, contacts, notoriety), traditional marketing will not move you to the "front row".
Now, let's get you into the game.
First look at your product, whether it is bourbon or software, it must be less expensive (cheaper or better cost per unit) or be meaningfully better (quality, value, purpose) than the competition. This is where you define your value proposition. Once this have been established you must realize that it is going to take time to change people's perceptions.
Next discover the consumers who need your product and educate them. This does not have to be a large amount of people. First you will need to educate the decision maker (when you get in the door), but the education does not stop there. You will next need to see the influencer's and give them the tag line or memory phases that they can use to present your value proposition.
I like to call this next piece "sling-shot" marketing. Basically doing the little things that the big guys think are below them. (How about interacting with your targeted consumer or relationship building person to person) Use your stones to pick off one decision maker or person of influence at a time. When you miss your shot, ask what is keeping them from using your product or service. Decision makers like to tell you what you are doing wrong. Use this as a selling point and reload.
Build on this momentum with personal touches. Handwritten notes are not just for elementary boys and girls, but the best sales people still use this dusty tool. People love humor on a postcard that is personally signed on the back. (A follow up phone call about the picture on the card is also great).
In the end, you will not be able to fool or convince anyone into buying a product or service that is not any better than the next one. This is the product of well-financed marketing and ad campaigns. A small company has to find better ways (the more dramatic the better) to show customers, decision makers, and the general public that they are better.
Remember that you only have a few stones in your pouch, but the right one, in the right place, at the right time, can bring down the biggest Goliath or get you a seat in the front row!
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