Don't Be Boring: 3 Tips to Trying New Marketing Techniques

In tenth grade, my English teacher gave the class an interesting proposition: We had the choice to substitute the regular final exam with something different.

Something really different.

Specifically, we had to do something we’d never done before. Something challenging. Something scary. Something we could show and tell.


Why?

I remember vividly the way our teacher told us about all of the things in life we’d have to do something for the first time, and that we should get used to the fear or uncertainty that comes with trying something new.

I did an original oil painting of our family dog, a little poodle named Pierre.

It was literally one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. I have no talent when it comes to painting or drawing. Nor do I really have any interest. None. And, the experience didn’t improve either -- I had no more talent or interest when I finished than when I started.

That wasn’t the point. The point was that I did something that I had never done before -- something I had never thought about doing before. And, you know what? It wasn’t half bad. I got an A (I’m sure it was mostly an “A for Effort” sort of thing, but I took the grade anyway). It helped me make the honor roll that semester.

So, what’s my point here?

It’s so easy for any of us to get stuck in a rut. It’s so easy for us to keep using tried-and-true methods. It’s so easy for us to keep doing what we are already good at.

But, I’ve learned in the years after high school that good marketing is like my tenth grade English class: it isn’t static. Rather, it’s a dynamic mix of great ideas that attract your audience continually, over and over again. Good marketing can’t stay the same because then it wouldn’t work anymore. By nature, good marketing is experimental and dynamic, changing as our targets’ lives change and the nature of the marketplace changes.

It’s our job as marketers to keep up with that change, which means we’re forever doing things we’ve never done before. Here are a few tips to help you branch out in your own marketing strategy:

1. Talk to your customers.

Good marketing begins and ends with your customers, and most marketers don’t talk to them enough. The customers’ lives and their needs are always changing, and you need to keep up. If you have too many to talk to individually, then hold focus groups and do surveys. How you react to that information will force you into new marketing techniques to keep your customers coming back.

2. Try new forms of media.

There are always new ways to reach customers, and many of them are unfamiliar at first. The only way to really get to know these new techniques is to do a little research and then jump in. Study up to see if a particularly new media form will actually help you accomplish your goals before fully committing -- dip your toe in the water before jumping into the deep end.

3. Create new types of content.

Your social media channels need to be fed constantly to keep your community engaged. It’s an exhausting job that demands new and different kinds of content on a regular basis. Experiment with new forms like short-form video or animated gifs to see if they’ll spark more engagement. If they don’t, then try something new again.

I’m sure you can think of dozens of other ways to keep your marketing platform fresh without my help, but keep yourself inspired and motivated to come up with something new every day.

How do I stay motivated to keep experimenting? I kept that oil painting of my family dog, and it hangs in my office as a constant reminder.

Here's 3 Reasons Why the Customer Isn't Pulling the Trigger

Everyone in sales knows the frustration of not closing deals down. There are many possible reasons why someone isn’t buying from you. It may seem like there is no reason they haven’t purchased yet but, really, you just haven’t figured out the reason. There is an objection or some issue that you haven’t handled.



To get the sale, you will have to find what it is that’s causing them not to buy. Here are three possibilities to consider:

1. Change of guard.

This has happened to me a hundred times. It’s one of the biggest disappointments in sales and the thing I hate about business the most. I had the lead, I was at the top of their list, they were close to making a decision, then sure enough the big company moved our contact to another part of the world. If you’re in business and sales and nurture leads over time you’ll deal with changing of the guards.

To handle the change in guard, keep your pipeline full and nurture your leads. When your contact moves, follow up with them at their new company. Stay in front of their minds. But you’ll be starting over with this new client who is taking over your old contact’s place. It’s the real world and you’ll have to deal with it. Just be prepared to start all over again.

2. Buy/Sell agreement.

You’re all hot to get a deal and everyone is saying yes. it’s go go go, but it’s not going. There’s a buy-sell agreement going on in this company. That’s cost me several deals. There was a buy-sell going on while this client of yours was conducting business as normal. The only people who know the sell is going on is the major decision maker. Maybe the CFO is in on it.

The mid-level managers were looking at your product. You don’t know why they aren’t buying. You’ve discounted the product, everybody loves it, everybody says green light but it’s not happening. Welcome to planet Earth. Just hang in there. Whether it sells or doesn’t, be there for them on the other side.

3. Not the decision maker.

I recently jumped into my sales team’s office and said, “Heath, how long have you called this person back?”

He answered, “Every day for the last three weeks.” I asked if they were sold on the product, if they need the product and if they have the money to buy. He said yes. I told him, “You don’t have the decision maker.”

He insisted he had the decision maker but, no, he didn’t. The fact that someone says they are the decision maker doesn’t mean they are. There are two levels to this.

It could be, first, that he said he’s a decision maker, but he’s not. He lied to you. He may have a title but he can’t actually sign. He can’t tell you that he isn’t the actual decision maker because his title says otherwise. Ask, “Are you the decision maker?” When they say they are, then ask, “Would there by anybody else involved in the decision other than you?” or “I know a lot of decision makers like to bring other people in on stuff like this, so who else would be involved in making this decision?”

The second possibility is that he’s a decision maker who can’t make a decision. He could write the check, but he can’t make a decision.

Remember that not having the right decision maker causes you to follow-up unnecessarily. There’s a phone call that we do in my office where I tell the client, “Sir, there are only two reasons why you won’t buy this product right now. Can I share them with you? You either are not the decision maker, or you’re scared your people won’t use our product. Which one is it?” You’ll find out if they are the decision maker or not.