“Will you marry me?” What my bride taught me about sales and marketing.
Most traditional marketers use broadcast messages to get people to listen, often these messages are designed to make the company look smart, they think their “cause” can create an affect that stimulates the buyer to react to their messages. Sales takes those generic messages to the street, they are the talkers, they meet customers on their terms and they engage in conversations that tie “corporate speak” to their client’s needs. Good sales people ask questions that draw out their wants and needs. In other words they engage in conversations to create relationships.
There is nothing new here; people have been entering relationships for ions yet we have lost our way. Lets look at marriage, the legal union between two people, the ultimate relationship. Human relationships are built on courting, certainty and commitment and trust.
Courting: the fist date.
A good relationship is a two way street. When I met Jane, my wife, we spent getting time to know each other. Our discussions revolved around our wants, our needs, our dreams and our fears. We talked about our successes and failures. We had a two- way discussion about our beliefs.
Certainty: The engagement.
It was part of a process to understand that Jane was the one for me; we talked and talked and talked, we interacted with friends and family. It took time for us to discover the others dreams, wants and needs. When I knew Jane was the one for me- I popped the question, she said yes.
Commitment: The marriage ceremony.
Growing up Irish-Catholic, marriage was considered sacred. That said, Jane was just plain fun! She was smart and she was pretty. She knew my idiosyncrasies, my strengths and weaknesses. She accepted them. On May 30, 1986 we got married.
Bliss: Trust.
In early 2007, as my 3rd child was entering college, Jane and I had a discussion, I told her that I wanted to start a company. The risks were huge, 3 kids in college, my youngest still in high school. The economy had early indications of issues. I add this to talk about trust. Jane trusted me, she trusted my work ethic, and Jane trusted my abilities. There was no hesitation. She kissed me and said go!
Everybody knows this process, it’s natural, it’s simple. Don’t make it more difficult then it really is.
What did getting married teach you about sales, marketing and PR. Leave a comment below. The best answer will win a autographed copy of David Meerman Scott’s “New Rules of Marketing and PR”.
July 27th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Here is an amusing guide to show you the difference types of promotion.
You’re a man and you see a gorgeous woman at a party, you go up to her and say, “I’m fantastic in bed,”
That’s (Direct Marketing)
You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous woman. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says,”He’s fantastic in bed,”
That’s (Advertising)
You see a gorgeous woman at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say, “Hi, I’m fantastic in bed,”
(That’s Telemarketing)
You’re at a party and see a gorgeous woman. You get up and straighten your tie. You walk up to her and pour her a drink and then say, “By the way, I’m fantastic in bed,”
That’s (Public Relations)
You’re at a party and see a gorgeous woman. She walks up to you and says, “I hear you’re fantastic in bed,”
That’s (Brand Recognition)
You’re at a party and see a gorgeous woman. You talk her into going home with your friend -
That’s a (Sales Rep)
Your friend can’t satisfy her so he calls you - That’s (Tech Support)
You’re on your way to a party when you realize that there could be gorgeous women in all these houses you’re passing. So you climb onto the roof of one situated toward the center and shout at the top of your lungs, “I’m fantastic in bed!”
That’s (Junk Mail)
http://www.infoquestcrm.co.uk
July 29th, 2009 at 2:23 am
Sean,
Here’s another one to add to the list: Getting married taught me about priorities.
Unless you are independently wealthy, most weddings require the couple to prioritzie what is most important to them. For my husband and me, we prioritized FUN and spent money on great food and a band. On the other hand, decorations weren’t important to us, so we didn’t have lavish centerpieces, chair covers and the like. In B2B marketing, you need to decide what’s important to you and then direct your limited budget to those projects. (And marriage is the same, except now the constaining factor is often time, not money.)
Great post!
Michele
September 9th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Thanks to both of you, John, very, very funny and Michele gets the book, the priorities comment got me in the first sentence.