Some Marketers Just Don't Get It - Part III

Now, I certainly did not mean to give the impression that you can be a leader in your industry simply by deciding that you are (as you may have thought from the previous post). What I meant to impress upon you here is that your communication is only as good as the results it produces. Your communication will flow from your own perception of yourself.

If you believe yourself to be a leader, your communication will reflect that perception. Conversely, if you are not confident about either yourself, your abilities, your ideas or the worth of what you might offer to others, your communication will also reflect this.

What YOU think you are is precisely what others will BELIEVE you are. Again, Psychology 101.

In the physical world, communication is more than just words. Have you ever observed a person walk into a room who exudes an air of authority? All we have to do is look at this person and we know, intuitively, subconsciously, that this person commands and expects respect. The expectation of respect is evident in the way that person walks, stands or gestures. The bearing of this person tells us he or she expects to be treated in a certain manner. It is evident in the attitude of this person. We know intuitively what this person believes himself to be. When this person speaks, his words will command attention and respect from us, as we will believe he KNOWS what he might be talking about.

So what does this have to do with marketing?

In the electronic environment, others cannot see you or, in most cases, hear you. Therefore, the only way to communicate this demeanor is through the words you use in this environment. The words you use, (this includes the tone, the delivery and a host of other factors), will determine whether others will percieve you to be believable and, subsequently, whether or not you will be trusted. Ultimately this will be the factor that will determine whether a potential client will do business with you. The only way to create that all important trust, in this environment, is to use words. The words will communicate everything there is to know about you. These words always flow from your own perception of yourself.

As regards marketing, that's very important. Frankly, it is the single most important factor to be considered, for it forms the basis of all the rest.

Success in marketing always begins with being a leader in regards to ideas. If you have an idea that attracts others, those others will be drawn to you and subsequently your product or service. If you are perceived as being just 'one of the pack', you will never experience the success you seek. The singular trait that all leaders share is that they not only are 'idea leaders', but that they FREELY share those ideas with others.

Even if your product or service is mediocre, you will still experience greater success if you serve as a resource of ideas for others. This does not mean you give away all of your 'secrets'. It does mean you must freely give enough of your ideas to be truly helpful to your customers or clients.

The Internet is based upon the free sharing of ideas - more than any other factor. We respect those who have knowledge that can help us. We revere teachers. We crave information. If you can become the source of that knowledge, can convey it effectively to others and are willing to do so, your success is virtually assured.

Your failure, on the other hand, is likewise virtually assured if your potential clients perceive a hidden agenda of some kind. For instance, if you send an email out to your list every week that provides just a tidbit of good information, covered over by paragraph after paragraph of blatant sales language, you will fail - eventually.

However, when you take on the role of a respected teacher - a teacher willing to share freely with others - your potential clients will buy whatever you recommend they buy. This only happens when you are perceived to have their own best interests at heart, rather than perceiving that you are only interested in getting into their wallets.

This is another area where new marketers fail by the thousands. Some new marketers believe that the goal is to create a huge email list and then to mail a new and exciting sales pitch to that list week after week after very boring week. No indeed.

This does not lead to success - it leads quickly to a high rate of lost subscribers. It leads to disappointment on the part of your potential client or customer.

Those who experience long term, lasting success, are those who realize that the goal is to teach. Through freely teaching others, through the sharing of ideas, they establish a position of dominance in the minds of their prospective customers or clients. This must be established PRIOR TO recommending the purchase of any product or service.

The leaders of thought in the field of education become famous for their creative thinking. The leaders of thought in the field of business have, in most cases, become rich.

To be even more succinct - if you wish to experience success in marketing, become a teacher. Do not sell - teach. It appears to be a contradiction that, if you can learn to teach - to share your ideas with your customers or clients for free, - your sales will skyrocket.