One of the very hardest things for a marketer of any kind to accept is that not everyone will buy their product, no matter how great they think it is. And even if someone else believes it’s fabulous too, that doesn’t mean they’ll buy.
I play tennis not golf. So no matter how stunning the new clubs are that Tiger himself uses, I won’t buy. I don’t do golf. So you’re better off to save your energy and find someone who DOES love golf. As obvious as this sounds, it’s almost impossible for marketers to do.
Ford Motor for example, just figured this out a few months ago. I posted on 1.23.06, the day they put out through the Wall Street Journal their five point plan to “restore profitability” to the company, and to “change their mindset.” Here’s #5:
“Quit trying to sell Fords to people who won’t buy them; focus instead on likely prospective customers.”
Think of all the advertising noise this will eliminate. No more screaming at the wrong ones. What if every marketer were to adopt this strategy?
Say you’re selling an insurance type of program. Who is a...