Find The Right Customers and Give Them What They Want A Lesson In Proactive Marketing
| Category: Marketing | Date: 2003-03-31 |
One of my favorite Proactive Success rules states, "You can get anything you want in life when you help enough others get what they want." Your natural talents and abilities were meant to fulfill the needs of others. When you find the right people who need what you have, you will find success and abundance.
Enjoy with me an experience I had as a cadet on the Coast Guards 3-masted square-rig sailing ship. It was our first training cruise and we were split into 3 teams, one team for each mast. Prior to getting underway, we were taught how to raise, lower, and trim the sails. Each team had a mast-captain and ours, as it turns out, was a Proactive Thinker.
After motoring out into open waters, it was time to "Set sail." Instead of barking orders, our mast-captain gathered my team together. Some of us questioned why we werent starting and he said, "Planned action is better than lots of activity."
He asked what each of us felt we were best at and he made assignments based on that. Then he made sure each of us knew who depended on us to get their job done. To an eager cadet, this planning time seemed to take forever.
Finally, he ordered, "Set the main sails" and we shot into action. I was paired up with another cadet to go aloft and untie the sails from each yardarm. We both loved climbing the rigging, so we scampered up quickly and were soon setting each sail loose in sequence. As we raced higher, our team below worked in a natural rhythm setting each sail in turn.
As I neared the top I stole a glance at the forward mast. Only one sail was set and the others were all askew. One of the climbers was moving cautiously as if he didnt like doing it. His slowness caused everything to get out of sequence for his team. Their lines were a tangled mess and there was pandemonium on the deck below.
As you might guess, we finished first even though we started later. Our sails were trimmed and our lines were coiled when the last sail on the forward mast was set. That was a lesson I will always remember and I hope you will too.
Proactive Thinkers market their products and services with planned action. The following 3 proactive tips will show you how to find the right customers and give them what they want, so you will get what you want in life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 1 - Find Out What People Want and Give It To Them
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Develop a marketing plan that focuses on what other people need, not on what you think they need. People like to be admired for their differences, especially their different problems.
Since people respond best when they feel that you understand them, write ads and sales letters using lots of empathy. Empathy creates trust and when people trust you they will openly tell you what their needs are.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 2 - Find The Right Customers For You
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As you execute your marketing plan match yourself to the right customers. Dont fall into the trap of being disappointed that everyone isnt your customer.
A winning combination is finding customers who have problems that you can provide solutions to, because they will instinctively feel that you care about them and will want to do business with you.
Use cost-saving techniques to locate high concentrations of people who are most likely to be your customers. For example, if you are selling beauty products, then you should look for opportunities to cross promote with others who sell products to businesswomen who need to look their best and who can afford it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 3 - Look For Ways To Do It Better and Cheaper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You will be more successful to the extent that you continually strive to provide better products and services at the lowest cost to you. Our world is changing rapidly and you should constantly be looking for opportunities to improve, because your competition will be doing that too.
Use your customers to help you get better. Always ask, "How am I doing?" or "In what ways might I get better?"
Additionally, always be looking out for ways to help those who are helping you to improve. Provide good feedback to them and you will get better service, which will in turn improve the value you provide to your customers.
As you recall the sailing ship lesson, remember to find out what customers want and give it to them, find the customers that are right for you, and always strive to get better at serving them. Proactive marketing will help you find this winning combination and it will bring you success and abundance.
Copyright 2002 Randy Gilbert. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Randy (Dr. Proactive) Gilbert, is a motivational speaker and author of "SUCCESS BOUND" http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?jantd/rgilbert He is also a success coach who helps people double their wealth and happiness by discovering the "Power of Proactive Thinking" http://www.DrProactive.com/proactive_thinking_secret/
rgilbert@shentel.net
http://www.DrProactive.com
Enjoy with me an experience I had as a cadet on the Coast Guards 3-masted square-rig sailing ship. It was our first training cruise and we were split into 3 teams, one team for each mast. Prior to getting underway, we were taught how to raise, lower, and trim the sails. Each team had a mast-captain and ours, as it turns out, was a Proactive Thinker.
After motoring out into open waters, it was time to "Set sail." Instead of barking orders, our mast-captain gathered my team together. Some of us questioned why we werent starting and he said, "Planned action is better than lots of activity."
He asked what each of us felt we were best at and he made assignments based on that. Then he made sure each of us knew who depended on us to get their job done. To an eager cadet, this planning time seemed to take forever.
Finally, he ordered, "Set the main sails" and we shot into action. I was paired up with another cadet to go aloft and untie the sails from each yardarm. We both loved climbing the rigging, so we scampered up quickly and were soon setting each sail loose in sequence. As we raced higher, our team below worked in a natural rhythm setting each sail in turn.
As I neared the top I stole a glance at the forward mast. Only one sail was set and the others were all askew. One of the climbers was moving cautiously as if he didnt like doing it. His slowness caused everything to get out of sequence for his team. Their lines were a tangled mess and there was pandemonium on the deck below.
As you might guess, we finished first even though we started later. Our sails were trimmed and our lines were coiled when the last sail on the forward mast was set. That was a lesson I will always remember and I hope you will too.
Proactive Thinkers market their products and services with planned action. The following 3 proactive tips will show you how to find the right customers and give them what they want, so you will get what you want in life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 1 - Find Out What People Want and Give It To Them
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Develop a marketing plan that focuses on what other people need, not on what you think they need. People like to be admired for their differences, especially their different problems.
Since people respond best when they feel that you understand them, write ads and sales letters using lots of empathy. Empathy creates trust and when people trust you they will openly tell you what their needs are.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 2 - Find The Right Customers For You
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As you execute your marketing plan match yourself to the right customers. Dont fall into the trap of being disappointed that everyone isnt your customer.
A winning combination is finding customers who have problems that you can provide solutions to, because they will instinctively feel that you care about them and will want to do business with you.
Use cost-saving techniques to locate high concentrations of people who are most likely to be your customers. For example, if you are selling beauty products, then you should look for opportunities to cross promote with others who sell products to businesswomen who need to look their best and who can afford it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 3 - Look For Ways To Do It Better and Cheaper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You will be more successful to the extent that you continually strive to provide better products and services at the lowest cost to you. Our world is changing rapidly and you should constantly be looking for opportunities to improve, because your competition will be doing that too.
Use your customers to help you get better. Always ask, "How am I doing?" or "In what ways might I get better?"
Additionally, always be looking out for ways to help those who are helping you to improve. Provide good feedback to them and you will get better service, which will in turn improve the value you provide to your customers.
As you recall the sailing ship lesson, remember to find out what customers want and give it to them, find the customers that are right for you, and always strive to get better at serving them. Proactive marketing will help you find this winning combination and it will bring you success and abundance.
Copyright 2002 Randy Gilbert. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Randy (Dr. Proactive) Gilbert, is a motivational speaker and author of "SUCCESS BOUND" http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?jantd/rgilbert He is also a success coach who helps people double their wealth and happiness by discovering the "Power of Proactive Thinking" http://www.DrProactive.com/proactive_thinking_secret/
rgilbert@shentel.net
http://www.DrProactive.com
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