One of Our Best Customers
March 4, 2009
I got a message a while ago from someone named “Dave” who wanted to talk to me about “an important marketing opportunity.” Not having any information, but being interested in marketing, I called the number he had left for me.
When the phone was answered, and I explained why I was calling, there was a brief pause while the person on the phone had to go off and find out exactly who Dave was. A few minutes later (at this point, they had piqued my curiosity) Dave finally arrived on the call.
He had called me about a marketing conference – a “boot camp” type event featuring three well known marketing people, including Adam Ginsberg, who teaches people how to make money using eBay. Always curious as to how people select and target their mailing lists, I asked how they got my name in the first place.
At first, he didn’t know, and then, after further digging, he said triumphantly, “Oh, here it is: Adam Gisnberg says you’re one of his best students.”
Wow – what an honor! Except for one simple fact: I’m not one of his best students. In fact, I’m not one of his worst students: I’m not even a student of his at all. I’ve never bought so much as a book from him. The closest I’ve ever come to any involvement with Adam Ginsberg is the time he spoke at one of the major marketing conferences I attend each year.
Turns out, I had reached a call center where people were working fervently to fill seats at an upcoming event. There were many ways they could have gotten my name, any of which would have made me a likely candidate. But the minute they couldn’t explain how they selected me – and got their only attempt at it dead wrong – I lost all interest in attending the conference…and in continuing the conversation.
Affinity is important: teachers selling to other teachers; stay-at-home moms selling to other stay-at-home moms; entrepreneurs selling to other entrepreneurs all have better results because of the common background, language, and experience they share with each other.
But you have to get it right. You can’t send a letter to a list of vegetarians that starts out: “Just like you, nothing brings a smile to my face like a big, juicy sirloin steak…” And that’s essentially what they did.
It doesn’t take much effort to select qualified lead sources, segment your own “house list,” and customize the message you send to specific market segments. Best of all, the effort you put into this process will almost always lead to improved response and increased revenue.
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