Today I’m busting one of the biggest marketing myths that ever duped a business owner or torpedoed a bottom line.
Following the path this myth leads down has sunk millions of businesses. And caused millions more to struggle instead prosper. Earn less instead of more. And work harder and longer with less to show for it than would be the case with stronger, more effective marketing.
As you read on, think about your business or professional practice. Read carefully and decide IF and HOW the seductive idea the myth imparts has infected your business and to what extent you are sacrificing profit-not-made on business-not-done if it has.
Ok, here we go.
This age-old myth popularized in the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams is, build it and they will come. Like the sirens urging Odysseus to steer his ship into the rocky shallows, this myth is seductive.
The core message absolves you of all the thought, responsibility, and hard work it takes to attract good prospects to your business or professional practice and develop messages that get them to WANT to do business with you.
No need to identify good prospects.
No need to develop systems and procedures to attract those prospects and build a pipeline of people interested in what you do.
No need to develop messaging that distinguishes you from competitors.
No need to develop a sales process that gets good prospects to reach out to you, instead of you chasing them.
Build-it-and-they-will-come implies all it takes to be successful is to just show up. It implies nothing matters except what the owner wants, which is for people to show up just because the business is there. It fails to mention who ‘they’ (customers or clients) are, why they would want to show up or choose you over competitors if they do show up.
Build-it-and-they-will-come implies it is your prospect’s responsibility to find you, not you’re responsibility to reach out to them. And it implies that if a prospect does find you, they should choose you above others, just because you’re there.
Of course this is absurd. Fail to advertise, fail to market your business, and you either struggle to survive or simply go out of business. At face value, no rational business owner would buy into the flawed philosophy.
Given this, the question becomes…
How do you tell if you have unknowingly accepted this flawed marketing philosophy? How would it show up in your marketing, advertising, web presence, emails, and so on?
The answer may surprise you.
The build-it-and-they-will-come mentality leads to marketing that amounts to little more than announcing you are in business. And telling people to contact you because you’re in business. And because you have a logo. A cute saying. A building. And employees who care.
Marketing influenced by the build-it-and-they-will-come mentality FOCUSES ENTIRELY ON THE COMPANY. And gives a customer no reason to do business.
That kind of marketing distinguishes you from no one. That kind of ‘we’re here, we care, do business with us, we win awards’ marketing could be used interchangeably by any competitor selling a similar product or service.
If you market that way and stay in business, you succeed in spite of your marketing. Not because of it. Build it and they will come is the myth.
The truth is; the better you understand your customers and speak directly to their problems, wants and needs, the more likely you are to capture their attention in a meaningful way and have them reaching out to you, instead of you chasing them.
The bottom line…
If you want marketing so powerful your prospects reach out to you essentially ready to do business, make your marketing about THEM, not you. Develop messages that answer important questions, engage your prospects on an emotional and logical level, offer hope, demonstrate you understand what they want, and demonstrate how you’ve helped others with the same concerns many times.
For keen insight and detailed specifics on how to do this for your business or professional practice, read my special report SELL MORE START NOW.
If you have questions or care to discuss this post email me at Russell@ConquestCopywriter.com Or text or phone 281-460-0181 and be sure and LEAVE A MESSAGE.
Now… go forth and multiply your marketing!
Russell Martino