A few days ago a friend and I were discussing a rather expensive and elaborate marketing effort being undertaken and delivered to high profile decision makers at targeted companies. Because if the nature of the high tech gadget it will certainly get the attention of the recipients that will receive this item. That, coupled with the quality and timeliness of the video message is going to make an impression.
My immediate reaction was, “I can’t wait to get this in the hands of some top prospects”. Then my friend said, “It’s really nice, but no one is going to do business just because they received this promotional item.” A slight contrast in views.
Later I considered this through my own eyes and thought about how I made buying decisions. In a way, I saw my friends point of view. I would normally not make a decision based on one criteria, or maybe not two points, but after you begin stacking up three or more advantages or contributing factors, the pendulum begins to swing in favor of making a decision.
I believe that is true in business and marketing efforts. One message or piece of information given to a prospect or client may not by itself influence to the point of making a purchase. But consistency, repetition, reliability, reputation, eventually will begin to add up. Little things, when piled up on each other, can help sway a prospect that needs what were are offering.
If you have social proof of how your offering can impact someone, then that one thing may help, but normally it will take more than one thing to cause change. You also have to have a solid business case that you are able to present, you must also clearly understand how your product/service will affect the recipient in the long run. The more ammunition, the better your chances.
Finally, our business reputation is build one business relationship at a time and everything we do must be of quality. So for me, a high quality promotional item adds to what I am endeavoring to build - A High quality list of clients that I can take care of. If our aim is to portray excellence in everything we do, then those quality things we do will add up little by little.
Light your Passion
