The Death of Personal Marketing ?

It's funny how anything can be taken to prove this or that when nothing is ever proved from one or a small sample of anything other than it's funny what people do to prove - in their mind truthfully or sarcastically - this or that.

It's also funny what people consider spam or not spam - when something is emailed it might be called spam by someone who wants to judge it a certain way - when it's the same thing in the mail or on TV, the internet ads, the radio - whatever form - it's called something else entirely.

I do personal marketing and what I do works meaning through what I do sales are made.

Everything does begin to sound the same and melt into the same running colors of blobs and blurs in people's minds mostly fixed on fleeting images and dominated by emotional and instinctive urges and drives, needs and fears.

Still, some want and others don't want what I offer and whether I use the radio to advertise/promote/market or classified ads or phone calling - if what I do is called direct marketing [that's what I call it] it works for me.

BUT again, I'm not in conventional sales like I believe most are who post here - I've found the discussion on real estate one of the most instructive so far.

Good luck everyone - well, make it a great day!

MitchM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmccord

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

People see what they want to see Paul.

... which is exactly why well targeted messages make it through people's selective perception and why personal marketing is not dead or dying.

Mikey,

Neither one of us is going to change the other's mind. Unfortunately, we won't really know for some time to come just what the radical changes in the selling environment will bring. I, of course, think it imperative for salespeople to begin thinking in much broader terms than they are today. You are very satisfied that there won't be much change.

If I'm right, there are a ton of salespeople who will be in serious trouble if they don't change their thinking. If I'm wrong but some have implemented new, powerful marketing strategies, they simply make more money.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmccord

You are very satisfied that there won't be much change.

I'm sure there will be change.

I'm not sure that in the future if you're not an 'expert' you'll be out in the cold or that contacting the right person at the right time with the right message (personal marketing) is dead or dying.

I would agree with Paul. I have tried 2 approaches with my business. The first was local sales coaching for businesses in my area. The second was targeting myself to those selling high end luxury goods.

The local sales coaching was a bust. As soon as I started marketing myself to a very specific niche, I started getting coaching clients. It's because people in that niche see me as a credible expert and are willing to pay my fee for training.

I think if you have a message targeted at a specific niche that will see you as an expert, you're likely to be in demand with that market.

Susan

Quote:

Originally Posted by susana

I think if you have a message targeted at a specific niche that will see you as an expert, you're likely to be in demand with that market.

If you have a message targeted at a specific niche that does not yet perceive you as an expert would you be out in the cold?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey

If you have a message targeted at a specific niche that does not yet perceive you as an expert would you be out in the cold?

Hard to say. If you have good credentials and can communicate well (phone and print), I don't see why you'd have a problem setting yourself up as an expert. You also have to gain exposure with the right group of people. This can be done throug advertising, speaking and networking.

Susan

Quote:

Originally Posted by susana

Hard to say. If you have good credentials and can communicate well (phone and print), I don't see why you'd have a problem setting yourself up as an expert.

What would 'good credentials' be for someone who sells used cars, insurance, real estate, etc.?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey

What would 'good credentials' be for someone who sells used cars, insurance, real estate, etc.?

I'm sure everyone has their own benchmark, but for me it would be someone who has been succesful in that particular field. And, can clearly communicate ideas and principals that helped them be succesful.

Susan

The answer is: a lot of satisfied customers and very few unsatisfied customers. Also, the person I buy something from can be brand new in sales and not an expert at anything other than being attentive and assisting me in getting what I want.

For the past eight years I've done hundreds of trainings face-to-face and in conference calls and my experience leads me to believe that most people aren't attentive to simple things which make all the difference in the world. Also, attention time or focus for anyone beginning something is generally three days - three weeks is long, and three months is exceptional.

The reason is people continually distract themselves from the essentials of what they have to know about their business and what they have to know about people when it comes to making a sale.

Lack of focus, lack of paying attention, and letting the imagination over run and fog up the mind and hence communication is what's commonplace.

AND that often comes from the inability or unwillingness of someone to be trainable and teachable. Letting go of bad habits and replacing them with good habits produces lots of problems as everyone knows usually from looking at the motes in everyone else's behavioral eyes yet totally missing the big chunks of rock in their own.

I speak from experience having experience both big chunks and little motes and lots of observation.

The best of the best to everyone.

MitchM

The Death of Personal Marketing ?

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