What My Search for a Bissell Sweeper Taught Me about Marketing

This is really a story about targeted persistence.

I wanted to replace my small hand-run Bissell sweeper that I keep handy for light sweeping between major vacuuming.  So I went on line to Amazon and looked around. I put a couple of models in my cart but did not make a purchase.

For Amazon that could have been the end of the story because I ultimately found what I wanted locally.  But Amazon doesn’t give up; it kept sending me options – sweepers on sale or sweepers like the ones I was interested in.

That is so brilliant and so basic.  Our products and services must fill the needs and wants of our target community.

Perhaps we need to help our target community understand what our product or service can do for them.  We can help them see how they will benefit from using it and what it will help them accomplish. We can talk about the change they will experience.  I’d never heard of a lightweight electric Bissell.  How long did it run between charging?  How good was its suction?  I read the promotional material and I made a decision that was different than the one I started out with.

When I found what I wanted in a local store I had two choices with a little different price range.  What made one better or more appropriate for my use than the other? What makes you unique? What about your work is different from others and won’t be duplicated anyplace else.  We need to let them know about that. Our personal uniqueness and how we express it will ultimately provide the final attraction.  They will identify more with us than with someone else.

I trust Amazon.  They have earned it over time.  I trust the Bissell brand because it’s been around for years.  What are you doing in your business to help people trust you, to know that you will over deliver and the quality will be outstanding?

Since I bought my sweeper elsewhere there will be a point where I don’t want Amazon to send me any more suggestions on sweepers and I bet you they know when to quit.  But what if I still wanted a sweeper?  What if I hadn’t found what I wanted?  What if I felt better about spending the money on it a few weeks later?  There are many factors that influence a purchase.  Time and the degree of desire are primary.  A little persistence can go a long way. But know when to quit.

Look for and understand the needs of your community. You can find that in the comments on your blog, the questions from your clients, the ideas expressed in the blogs you follow.  Then you need to adjust your approach to include what you find.

I’m a business coach and everyone who has joined my community knows it.  However, in a recent newsletter when I wrote a gentle observation on what I can do for others in my coaching capacity it inspired several people to step forward to work with me.  They had been considering it and were finally ready.  My nudge was low-key and gentle.  And I had been consistently showing up in the form of my emagazine.

I don’t remember the statistics and they may have changed but at one point I was told that a contact has to be made nine times before a sale is made.  That’s a lot of gentle persistence.  What are you doing to continue to deepen your relationship with your target community?