Monday, May 19, 2008

The 360 Degree Marketing About-Face

I was once told that the furthest two points on a circle are right next to every other, because you must travel the entire circumference to connect them. Sound silly? Try to draw a circle without connecting two points next to every other. You can't do it. The paradox that the closest and furthest points buy Ritalin online the circumference are adjacent is an interesting metaphor for how to miss or connect with clients.

As marketers we tend to look at the market through the lens of our brand, product or service and low mortgage rate refinance whatever filters through. We define the product based on its finest qualities and spin these into potential benefits, having first made sure of competitive qualities through price, performance or appeal. It is a product-centric model: the product is at the centre, and its radius is a function of market segment and reach. clients fill in the area of the circle. Completely full is nirvana.

In a client-centric world, your product is just one point on the 360 circumference of a circle that constitutes the entire client predicament. Your marketing efforts travel inwards on a direct line to the centre. If you reach the centre it means they bought you.

So there is also a paradox between the product-centric model and the client-centric model: to the marketer the product is a 360 totality but to the client it is a 1 Maybe. How can these two disparate models be reconciled? The challenge for the marketer is to travel the remaining 359 to fully comprehend the client predicament and then apply that knowledge.

Touch Aciphex - 30 pills @ 10mg is the expression I use to envelope client values, position the product properly and develop a marketing platform that builds a relationship based on low mortgage rate refinancing values. In the 360 view of the client price may not be important, features may not be important. Convenience and simplicity might be important but you won't know until you do the 360 About Face, learn how your client really sees web conferencing world and relates to your product within everything they do. It takes some effort to wrench oneself away from the comfort of one's own perspective. Nobody wants to have their 'comfort-tree' shaken.

I am not talking about client-satisfaction. as well many marketers pat themselves on the back with positive client survey responses and remain in marketing stasis. I am talking about real-life relevance: --> how to make your marketing more relevant to client values so that they embrace not only what you are selling now, but also what you will sell in the future. If you do the 360 About Face, your next products will also support their values. You must go as far away from what you know and feel about your investment or products to learn what it means to be client-centric. Then you will have done the 360 About Face and be ready to pick up your product, brand or service and build a meaningful relationship with your clients.

In case you thought I was advocating going that distance with every single client - that would be unnecessary. clients form into segments also. The classifications won't always fit the precise definitions of your marketing textbook. Go and find out. In every case it's interesting and you'll learn something to assist you grow your investment.

From serf to self-proclaimed master of all I survey, my kingdom is MyOpia, a constant island within the Sea of Change. At the center of my realm there is a market and at the centre of that market is a client. Through my client I see everything and that near-sighted focus on the client at the centre brings loyalty, prosperity and continuity to my kingdom and all who look for clients at my shores.

Jon Sherrington, President, Hydrogen Creative Inc.
href="mailto:jons@hydrogencreative.comjons@hydrogencreative.com