This weeks Article....
Michael, Farrah, Ed and
Your Sales
How polarizing
makes sales
The
passing of Michael Jackson seem to
overshadow everything and several days
later the buzz is still
going.
How can this event overshadow so many
others?
I caught an early morning
news program covering both Jackson and
Fawcett and their passing. The
interesting thing I noted was the amount
of coverage for Jackson versus
Fawcett. While
both were famous stars and both had
provided a great deal to the
entertainment business, it was a 5:1
ratio in favor of Jackson!
While Farrah was ill and
her death not unexpected, Jackson's was
sudden and unexpected. But is that enough
to cause the massive frenzy over
Jackson? By the
way, Ed Macman had passed only a couple
of days before and had one day with a few
news spots. Was Ed not as huge a figure
in the media as both Michael and
Farrah?
I have a theory as to why
the skewed ratio and it can make a huge
difference in your sales and influence
efforts. ….
Farrah was a good actor,
very attractive and driven. She had a
great career and created a great
following. The
controversy around Farrah occurred on
occasion, but was short lived. Her cancer
battle probably brought more attention to
more people than any other time in her
life. Ask
someone about Farrah and you generally
received very positive
comments.
Ed was a great straight
man for Johnny Carson and did plenty of
advertising pitches as well. Many
charitable activities carried his name
and he probably gave far more than he
received. Ask what people thought of Ed
Macman and you revised a great many
positive comments.
Now for Michael, a
fantastic talent from an early age; a
fantastic contribution of music (some I
even like) for generations to
enjoy. Now ask
about Michael Jackson and you'll get very
opposite comments! These comments range
from "he is the best" to "weirdo"! In
other words a very polarized response! It
seems you either love him or hate
him.
Now here is the
interesting point. Whether you loved him
or hated him, you still knew who he was
and had an opinion about him. You talked
about him and listened to the news about
him, if for no other reason to see what
the "weirdo" was up to. The media loved
him either way!
So either way, love or
hate, Michael Jackson could influence you
and get you talking about him!
Great Harlan, but I do not
want to have people talking about me in a
negative way. I certainly do not want
comments I've heard about Michael Jackson
being said about me!
Yes, that is a common
response and is true for most
people. But, we
also do not want to miss the point and
the power of polarizing.
Here is the reality we
live in. At any given time there is 20%
of the market open to what you are
offering and ready to do something about
it. The rest are not in the position for
a variety of reasons, and will not be
taking any action despite your best
efforts. They may be ready to take action
later as their situation
changes.
The paradigm of marketing
in the past has been stated as "It's who
you known that counts." and there is a
great deal of truth to the paradigm. The
newer view is "It's who knows you that
counts." This means you may not know this
potential customer today, but because
they know of you, when they are ready to
take action, they call you!
Polarizing can create that
following or awareness of who you are and
what you stand for.
Another reality, not
everyone is going to buy from you or
agree with you, no matter what! Everyone
knows about Pepsi and Coca Cola brands,
yet there are many that will only drink
their brand and not buy the other, even
if there is no other choice. They are
polarized and become fanatical fans if
you will. They have bought into the
values and message of either Pepsi or
Coca Cola. What if you had these types of
customers?
If you read the letters to the
editor section of the paper you will find
some you agree with totally, others you
are luke warm on and others you are
totally in disagreement with. In other
words, you are polarized!
The thing is, you talk
about both, the one you totally agree
with and the one you disagree with! You
advertise for both of them! You are aware
of both of them! The luke
warm one gets no discussion.
So does this mean you and
I do crazy things like Michael Jackson?
No, it does not.
What it really means is
knowing and understanding your values and
beliefs and be willing to express them to
others. Note, I
said express them, not push them on to
others.
Those that agree with you
values and views will join and follow
you; those that disagree will still
remember you and talk about
you.
An interesting note: Many
of those that disagree with you may still
buy from you, because they appreciate
that person who takes a stand. It builds
trust in their mind even though they
disagree.
To help clarify, here are
some possible polarizing
examples.
Republican or
Democrat
Younger or older
Cutting edge or It still
works
Fast Change or Slow
Change
Instant Gratification or Delayed
Gratification
High Leverage or No
Leverage
The real power comes when
a person buys into a strong position or
belief. This creates a passion and they
now become your salesperson!
When you discover a person
being polarized on an issue, it can
become extremely powerful if your product
aligns with their thinking. But, avoid
compromising your values and beliefs,
they will see through it.
A quick
summary:
1.
Only a small portion of
your market is going to buy today; the
rest some other day,
maybe.
2.
Not everyone will agree
with you or buy from you, accept it, get
over it.
3.
Focus on those that align
with you and provide them reasons to
become fanatical about
you.
4.
Do those things that get
your name, values and positions out to
the public, it's better than paid
advertising.
5.
Discover others beliefs
and values, then help them see how
you/product/service align or oppose that
view.
Ed and Farrah had great
careers and are well known, but Michael
Jackson will be idolized for decades
because he polarized people.
Success is your choice, To
your success!
Harlan Goerger
© Harlan Goerger
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