Tell Me A Story.

 

 

You know the story of the ‘three little pigs’ right? No one ever wonders if the 3 little pigs really did build those houses, or if the big bad wolf really was that bad, or even if he really could huff and puff a house down!

Why not?

Because as soon as you say “once upon a time”, I enter a world in which everything you say, no matter how crazy or amazing, is true. That’s the power of a good story, i don’t evaluate it with my conscious mind – I don’t even bother with logic half the time. A Story is a marketer’s best friend.

Now how can you use that for your business?

• 1)     Pick a quality, a fact, a truth you want people to know about you.
• 2)     Pretend you’re not allowed to use the word that defines that attribute. So no saying “high quality”, “excellent service”, “most affordable” etc
• 3)     Ask – What does my market believe about how a ______ ‘your chosen attribute’___ would act/ look like, sound like etc

An example: Is yours the friendliest service in the world?

Then fill my head with stories of how friendly your staff are to customers. How Mary over at reception ended up married to one of your customers because they got a long so well. How Peter at the door has now knows over a hundred customers by name in a few short months. How the boss is not available at lunchtime because yet another customer has taken him out for lunch– 3rd time this week!

People can argue with facts, question them – but stories…unique, engaging stories that match my world view… I can never argue with.

And better than that, I remember stories, I forget facts. I feel stories, i just think facts. So tell me a story.

 

Branding Story, Show Don’t Tell!

Just because you say it, doesn’t mean I believe it. In fact sometimes, the more you say it, the less I believe it – all the more if your competitors are saying the same thing. You’re in business to make money, I expect you to say “highest quality”, “superior service”, “Most affordable”.

BUT how do I know you’re telling the truth?

Listen Bob, this is where Small Medium Enterprises (and some big companies) fail in their marketing. They assume that marketing is about saying “I’m the best” and hoping people believe it. Sure, if you’ve got massive credibility you can get a way with that sometimes, but not for long.

So what to do instead?

Show, don’t tell.

• Don’t tell me that your biscuits are of the highest quality; SHOW me a picture of the Queen of England having them for her morning tea!
• Don’t tell me your product is the strongest on the planet, throw it off a high building and show me it didn’t break!
• Don’t tell me you’re a hot babe, put on a mini skirt and a tight fitting top and walk slowly past me. Do that, and I’ll tell myself that you’re hot (or not)!

And that last line right there – that’s the real secret to massive credibility in marketing. It’s not about what you say, it about what you can get me to say to myself about you, because of what you’re saying (read that again).

And credibility? What’s that for? Credibility means I believe you. I trust you. I believe that your product/ service can do for me what you say it can, is worth the amount you say it is and is better when I buy it from you, instead of your competitor.

Credibility (not just money) is the real difference between SMEs and Big Name Companies. Small Medium Enterprises in Zimbabwe (and everywhere) are throwing away the few pennies they have trying to tell the market. Big businesses got big, because they figured out a way to show, not just tell.

Showing is about telling a story. Telling is about reciting a few facts, which may or may not be true.

By the way, I’m available for hire again as a consultant. Want someone to come in and up the credibility, influence and profitability of your marketing? Let me come do it for you. Get in touch.

 

 

Zimbabwe’s SMEs – Good in Bed?

Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Zimbabwe are having a really hard time (big businesses too). Of course in a challenged economy this is to be expected, but often the problem has nothing to do with the economy. Opportunities that could have been are missed simply because the small business owner, or his business just don’t look very sexy. No one wants to go to bed with them, and when that happens, it’s a marketing problem, a seduction problem, not an economic one.

Understand this: Marketing is not about reality, it’s about perception. You maybe the best, the fastest, cheapest, highest quality or whatever else, but it doesn’t mean a thing until the right people perceive you as such. A good product or service is far from enough.

Want to attract big deals? Then find out and how the big players decide who looks good in bed and what turns them on. What sort of claim should you be able to make (truthfully)? How should you dress, talk, present yourself? How should you carry yourself, present your idea? How do you prove that you belong at the big people’s table?

It’s details like this that SMEs so often miss out on business opportunities in Zimbabwe. When you’re perceived as credible, desirable, outstanding, special, unique, superior, just like that hot babe in the mini skirt, you get all the attention. Financing, ideas, partners, opportunities, they start chasing after you, instead of the other way around.

Problem is, sometimes it’s hard to look at your business this way, so you need outside help to show you how and make things happen. Let me know if that’s you, I’d love to talk about how I can help you.

***Want to hire me to transform your business? After being unavailable for quite a while, I’m on the prowl again for new consulting opportunities, so if interested, get in touch, I’m good in bed!***

 

5 Things You Should Know About Marketing

Actually there are more than 10 things to know about marketing, but there are a few things that if you know them, you immediately stand out.

*    If you are marketing from a fairly static annual budget, you’re viewing marketing as an expense. Good marketers realize that it is an investment.
*    People don’t buy what they need. They buy what they want.
*    Business to business marketing is just marketing to consumers who happen to have a corporation to pay for what they buy.
*    Traditional ways of interrupting consumers (TV ads, trade show booths, junk mail) are losing their cost-effectiveness.
*    Effective stories match the worldview of the people you are telling the story to.

Best Online Advertising Option In Zimbabwe?

You can waste a lot of time and energy with most free online advertising platforms in Zimbabwe. Sure, FREE classifieds come at a great price, but the results are often very poor indeed. If you’re expecting a flood of business from any online classifieds website, you’re likely to be disappointed. Do it anyway, some are better than others…just make sure you systematize the process as much as you can so that it isn’t taking up a lot of your time.

On the other hand if

Marketing To Crazy People.

Heeellllp, a long word!

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is a new kind of crazy for me. Hadn’t heard of it until just this morning. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is the irrational fear of (wait for it)…Long Words. Yes, you read right.Turns out that same feeling you get when you’re on stage to give a speech you’ve forgotten, seconds away from embarrassing yourself in front of important people, that’s what some people feel when they encounter a long word. I know, Laugh Out Loud right?

It’s a weird phobia, maybe not as weird as

Zimbabwe, We Have A Situation.

Zimbabwe: A Situation or A Disaster?

Situation is a better word than disaster, crisis or even problem. Situation is a neutral word, devoid of emotional content, or negativity. It’s not semantics either; the words you choose to describe your circumstances matter. That’s one of the first lessons that

The Generosity Economy

“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Jesus.  Luke 6:38, The Bible.

There are two places your business can operate from, the Fair trade economy or the Generosity economy. Most people are aware only of the first choice.

Fair trade is

You’re Too Boring To Lead Me

Want to be boring? Be Luke warm, agree, but also disagree, be balanced. No one wants to watch a movie that’s not too scary, or not too funny. Heck, If you’re going to be funny, be funny.

This is the problem many brands, people, products, books, pastors, articles and organizations have – they won’t take a definite stand on anything, for fear

“Boy Do I Have Something To Say”

Boy do I have something to say! Ok, not really, but sort of. I will say this though. No silly, I don’t mean I’ll say “this”, I mean I will say this (in the following paragraph)