The Death of Personal Marketing ?

In the future you envision if a salesperson/company markets a unique value proposition are you saying it will fall on deaf ears for no other reason than it is viewed as 'marketing'?

I'd argue that the USP as originally intended is already dead. Still a useful side tool to help people remember you, but as a marketing tool--dead as doornail.

Certainly, there was a time when the USP was a powerful tool. Taken from the marketing guys on Madison Avenue and applied to sales, it worked extremely well for two or three decades. Then it begain its growth in popularity to the point today that everyone has their own USP.

The problem is just how many ways can a Realtor, insurance agent, attorney, networking salesperson, telephony salesperson, or anyone else describe the results of what they do? A few dozen? A couple hundred? There's no longer anything unique about a USP. They are accepted as just another way someone describes themselves. Although when adopted from marketing it had great impact, today it is useful primarily to help a prospect remember you--if they don't get it mixed up all the other same sounding USP's they've heard.

Does this mean it isn't still being preached as part of the gospel of sales by many? Certainly it is. And I don't disagree that it's a somewhat useful tool. But it isn't going to get anyone to stop and say, "Wow! How do you do that!" anymore. Today, the typical response is "Oh, you sell insurance, huh?"

In the future you envision what type of personal marketing will still be in use by the "experts" and how will it be different from what we see today?

Many of the same things as used today: referrals and networking will be prominent. highly targeted direct mail, targeted advertising, highly specific email, event sponsorships, and newsletters will be heavily used. The difference is they will promoting the salesperson's reputation and image, not their "sales" aspect. They draw people to themselves because of their status and reputation, not because they sell.

The very things they use to build their reputation is also their marketing--the articles they publish, the speeches they give, the white papers they publish, the interviews they give, the quotes in news articles is more effective marketing then marketing is. Marketing is used to give information on how to get hold of them, not to sell. The educational stuff they do does the selling, the marketing simply makes the available.

Originally Posted by pmccord Many of the same things as used today: referrals and networking will be prominent. highly targeted direct mail, targeted advertising, highly specific email, event sponsorships, and newsletters will be heavily used. The difference is they will promoting the salesperson's reputation and image, not their "sales" aspect. They draw people to themselves because of their status and reputation, not because they sell.

The experts will use many of the same personal marketing channels however their message will shift from a "sales" aspect to promoting their reputation and image. Is that right? Could you please give an example of promoting reputation and image through highly targeted direct mail?

Originally Posted by pmccord The very things they use to build their reputation is also their marketing--the articles they publish, the speeches they give, the white papers they publish, the interviews they give, the quotes in news articles is more effective marketing then marketing is.

How will these 'experts' reach the market that doesn't read the articles they publish or listen to the speaches they give, etc.?

1) Highly targeted: local investors with an estimated portfolio of over one million. Promoting reputation: instead of the typical direct mail piece, the piece could promote a local news interview scheduled, an upcoming newspaper or magazine article, an upcoming educational seminar sponsored by the chamber or other organization.

2) Same as above.

Originally Posted by pmccord 1) Highly targeted: local investors with an estimated portfolio of over one million. Promoting reputation: instead of the typical direct mail piece, the piece could promote a local news interview scheduled, an upcoming newspaper or magazine article, an upcoming educational seminar sponsored by the chamber or other organization.

I'm struggling with this.

If people hate marketing as you say, how is it that the 'experts' unsolicited marketing receives any better reception than any other unsolicited marketing?

One is selling--a biased activity from another salesperson just trying to make some bucks.

One is offering an opportunity to learn something from an expert on the subject.

You don't see a difference between someone trying to sell you something and someone offering to educate you?

Originally Posted by pmccord One is selling--a biased activity from another salesperson just trying to make some bucks. One is offering an opportunity to learn something from an expert on the subject. You don't see a difference between someone trying to sell you something and someone offering to educate you?

I get plenty of phone calls, emails, and direct mail pieces inviting me to this, that or the other each offering free information/education from some well known 'expert' or 'guru'. This is still SPAM. Unsolicited marketing is unsolicited marketing.

I guess personal marketing doesn't work and is dead then, hun? Thank you for proving my point.