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>Here's another post I posted in Inc.com; the article >is "Fire & Motion". The URL is - >www.inc.com/magazine/20080401/how-hard-could-it-be-fire >-and-motion.html > >Marketing Isn’t A Fire Fight, It’s A Hostage Rescue > >Joel, > >You didn’t complete the military analogy. Fire & >motion may get to the location where >hostages—consumers—are. But it doesn’t have a >follow-through plan for extraction. >Shooting terrorists—competitors—can be hard when they >hide behind hostages. (If they weren’t cowards, they >wouldn’t have hostages anyway.) > >The thought of target markets is flawed: Targets are >terrorists—competitors. The market is people who may >buy from you, not the ones you should be shooting. > >This is a simplistic metaphor since hostage rescue is >far more complicated. My example doesn’t start with a >hostage release negotiation via bullhorn. In my >example, the rescue team goes into a foreign country & >uses total surprise. Even the hostages are surprised; >besides what else they feel. > >Hostages—consumers—have problems. They’re apt to be >scared & confused. They don’t feel safe. They’re in a >situation they don’t control & they don’t know how to >get out of it. They’re so stressed, they may have >convinced themselves the terrorists are good & aren’t >a threat. They may run into the line of fire instead >of away & run toward the terrorists. >When you come in shooting, you seem to be their enemy. >It’s hard to build trust that way. > >To build trust you need to look like somebody they >want to trust & do things to earn their trust, in >addition to shooting terrorists. > >You have to earn their trust by speaking their >language & looking at least somewhat like them or like >rescuers they expect--Uniforms with insignia. You also >have to act like somebody who can rescue them—have a >clear plan & confidence. If you look worried, they’ll >feel worse. If you don’t know what to do next, they >won’t want to your “help”. > >As a rescuer, your job isn’t finished just because the >terrorists are neutralized. You & the hostages won’t >be safe until you extract them. You can’t extract them >unless they cooperate with you. > >To get them to cooperate with you, you need to offer >them something they perceive to be better than their >current situation. It may seem like a no-brainer to >you, but not to them. > >Whatever somebody gets used to is a comfort zone, no >matter how dangerous it really is. >Too often what people know seems a lot better than an >unknown result—situation. As long as they’re alive & >don’t feel immediate danger, your “solution” seems >more dangerous because they don’t know what it is. > >You need to have a goal & know a few plans (Plan A, B >& C) how to reach it. Then help prospects—almost >rescued hostages—visualize the situation they’ll face >if they don’t take action. Then, if they still won’t >move, visualize the situation they’ll have when >they’re free. > >Assume the sale & lead them out. > >NOTE: If they haven't bought/aren't buying a competing >solution, you're competing with nonconsumption as >Clayton Christensen wrote about in his books for >innovators. > >They still need solutions. > >Dennis S. Vogel >thrivingbusiness@email.com >Are you waiting for results from your marketing >investment? Why? Your target market isn't waiting for >you, they're getting benefits from somebody else. You >should at least be learning while you wait. Here's >free information to help you get results sooner. >http://www.lakefield.net/~thrivingbusiness/ >http://www.voy.com/31049/

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