Do you know why a lot of marketing fails?
Because it’s self-absorbed and it focuses inwardly on the business, not the customer.
If this sounds like your marketing, then I’m sorry to break this news to you, but your customers really don’t care about you at all.
I know this isn’t easy to hear, but it’s true and only if you come to the realisation that your marketing shouldn’t be about you, will you become an effective marketer.
Most good marketers I know had this “aha” moment that allowed them to step up from being mediocre to becoming excellent.
I did too. Thanks to Russell.
Let me start from the beginning.
When I started my marketing career, I started as the product guy, and I loved it.
Our department was the heart of the business that we worked at and the centre of marketing. I had a great team, and we were developing a lot of products.
We were starting to win in the market and were growing significantly. We had a lot of momentum.
I launched this one particular product which I was very excited about. I thought it was going to blow peoples’ minds because technically, it was a fantastic product.
And that’s when the “Russell Moment” happened. Russell was my boss at the time.
He said something to me that stopped me in my tracks and made me think.
He said: “You know what your problem is Kursten? Your problem is you think having the best product will allow you to win in marketing and everything else will fall into place.”
And you know what? He was right. I did think that if I tell people enough about how great the product is, they have no choice but to buy it.
To become a successful marketer, I had to evolve my thinking.
Instead of focusing on my product, I needed to focus on the customer’s pain and connect with them on their terms.
When you solve a customer’s problems, they turn into raving fans and let me tell you, word of mouth is a compelling way of marketing.
What does that mean for you?
You have to get out of your PowerPoint, out of your agency lunches and go and speak to customers and figure out what problem they have, and then figure out how exactly you are solving that problem.
Stop talking about yourself; your customers are only interested in solving their problem or their challenge.
To create effective marketing, you have to tap into the customer’s worldview, the customer’s way of thinking.
Then communicate your message in a way that resonates with your customers, and I promise you, your marketing will work.
Let me repeat the key message here:
Your customers don’t care about you at all.
If you focus on your business and not the customer, you can’t connect with the customer. If you can’t connect with the customer, you can’t help the customer and you can’t turn your customers into profit.
Thanks, Russell!
