Perpetual Marketing: What Message Are You Sending?
May 12th, 2008 | Michael Q. Pink
Here’s the next in a series of messages I’ve asked David Johnson of Epiphany Marketing to write for you. I hope you enjoy the thoughts on strategic marketing as much as I do…
Did you ever stop to think about the fact that “marketing” is happening all the time in your business — whether you want it to be or not? Here’s an example to illustrate what I mean…
Picture yourself walking into a restaurant for dinner with your spouse. It’s a reasonably nice restaurant with an energetic atmosphere. There’s plenty of activity… you might even say it’s “alive” with excitement. You’re looking forward to a nice meal. After a friendly greeting and a brief wait, you are shown to your table where you sit down to look over the menus. “At any moment,” you think to yourself, “someone will come by to take our drink order and tell us about the specials.” But you wait…
You chat with your spouse and even comment on how unusual it is for you to wait this long. 10 minutes go by. A large group at a nearby table is served their piping hot meals. Everything smells good. People are talking and laughing and having a good time. Your stomach growls. You and your spouse exchange small talk and odd looks as you wonder aloud about the service. You consider going to find someone to ask about your server, but you don’t want to ruin the evening for your spouse…
Ever had this happen to you? Isn’t it frustrating? At that moment when you’ve waited for 15 minutes and even tried to get someone’s attention, what message has that restaurant sent to you?
“You’re not important.”
“We don’t care.”
The business owners reading this are probably getting antsy. Despite our best efforts, sometimes we inadvertently treat customers poorly and send them the wrong message. We don’t intend to do it, but it happens sometimes.
This is one example of how we are always marketing in business. In hundreds, perhaps even thousands of small (and big) ways, our business is constantly sending a message — to our customers, future customers, referral sources, and even partners. My point — and one that my clients and students will tell you is one that I harp on — is that if you don’t intentionally design this message and execute a strategy for communicating it, then your chances of sending an undesirable one go way, way up.
What message is your business sending?
Registration begins today for the conference calls that David and I will be conducting this week. I’ll send you a link a little later so you can sign up, but for now, check these time slots in your calendar (times shown in US Eastern Daylight Time — click for your time zone):
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May 12th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Okay, so I am CD (computer delayed) and I am not sure IF I signed up or not. I clicked on the link, got the time zone, chose Arizona, no DST. Now what? Do you send us an email with the number? My husband teases me ALL the time, I sometimes get LIFE backwards. Yesterday it was only my bicycle helmet and he had to untangle my headset to get it off my head! Now ya know, I am technologically challenged.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Anyone ever been out in public, and seen someone wearing a T-Shirt with the statement on it: “I see dumb people”. . . . ???
I’ve seen that T-shirt out there, and the truth is, well, yes, we can look around and see people who look dumb by doing dumb things. (We all do it sometimes).
But, when I see the messages from Selling Among Wolves, this is what I see — “I see godly men with clarity and wisdom”. Keep it up David Johnson and Michael Pink.
Thank You for dispensing good things to us — from what is inside you. Nobody can give what they don’t have, so BRAVO to you both that you HAVE IT, and YOU GIVE IT. Trained and brave astronauts have “The Right Stuff”. Trained and kind/generous businessmen also have “The Right Stuff”.
Glory to God that he gives mere men talents, abilities, and gifts, to bless other people around them. Glory to God that we can do our best to be a blessing to others. Anyone who has lived long enough to know how crummy it feels when you have hurt someone — you also know how good it feels to be a blessing to others — to know that you have brought joy to someone’s heart (not pain).
Here is a startling FACT: There are times when I have been treated more respectfully by good businesses and good businessmen than I have been treated by clergy or by congregants in the church. RESPECT is not always present in the places we EXPECT to find it.
It is a joy to “tune in” to a group of successful people who know that HONOR is the foundation of prosperity. Honor is critical to success. Honor the customers, honor your word to them, don’t break your word to someone (A Man’s Word is His Bond), deliver what you promise. If you “dis” someone with poor treatment or poor comments to them, and if you don’t honor your word to them, most likely they won’t be back.
Jesus is honorable, and he honors people. By the way He treats people, it says to them: “You are important”, “I do care”. We should too.
These things which Mr. Pink and Mr Johnson are teaching are gospel principles, rolled-up into the business environment.
God Bless. Sincerely, V
When David Johnson said the words below