My recent speaking engagement aboard a cruise ship afforded me the opportunity to watch well-thought-out marketing in action.
The cruise shopping expert who we’ll refer to as Joe, had the ability to create multiple shopping frenzies – thus motivating cruise passengers to SHOP – SHOP – SHOP, and then purchase items simply because they are told that they are amazing bargains.
Two days prior to the end of the cruise, Joe announced “a once-in-a-lifetime” sale on designer watches. In reality, the watches being sold “looked” like designer watches, but were no different than watches you’d find for sale on Canal Street in Chinatown in Manhattan (probably worth about $2.00 each). I watched people grabbing 5 or 6 watches without even first taking a look at them. It was truly a sight to behold.
Throughout the entire week long cruise, passengers were being educated and then sold – such that they felt that they were making value-based purchases. Like everything in life, all purchases are based on perceived-value. In other words, what you would consider a value-based purchase and what I would consider a value-based purchase – are probably very different.
The cruise expert, Joe, spent a week educating the passengers on his mindset with regard to what was and was not valuable in terms of jewelry in the Caribbean. Joe conducted numerous presentations, which were repeatedly rebroadcast on the ship’s shopping channel. Presentation topics covered “the best” shopping in each port, what to look for in terms of quality (i.e. The 4 C’s of Diamond Buying), and how to use your official “VIP Card” to obtain the best deals.
At each port, people spent countless sums of money on what Joe told them was a smart purchase: From “unique and collectible” watches to all kinds of “precious gem stones.”
The process was EDUCATE
first – and then SELL
There are many professions (industries) that struggle for their survival. Many of these professions focus on selling with little to no education. Their argument is that “Our customers, clients, or patients want ______ – not education!” They base this assertion on two things:
1). Pure Ignorance (and Sheer Stupidity)
2). Poor Educational Methods
The fact is that most professions and industries don’t know what their customers, clients, and patients want. The “marketing professionals” working within these professions only want to hear what they’re doing right, not what they’re doing wrong. Because “they don’t know what they don’t know,” they come up with stupid assertions such as, “Our patients just want to get rid of their pain!” or “Our customers just want the lowest price!” Just because that’s what the patient says, does not mean that’s the only option open to consideration.
The second point of importance is that most “experts” don’t know how to educate. Even attendees at my PREsuasion Seminars only have a small understanding of what it takes to properly educate their prospective customers, clients, and patients. When you suggest that world-class MBA’s and marketing experts actually know enough to get lucky some of the time, but not enough to be consistently smart ALL OF THE TIME, what you get is a defensive reaction that shuts down any willingness to consider a different approach.
Whether you’re selling airplanes to an airline, or like Joe – selling jewelry to a cruise ship full of passengers in the Caribbean, education must be a primary consideration. If your relationship with your customers, clients, and patients is all about “the sale” – then life will always be a struggle. It is what it is.
Have A GREAT Day!
…Dr. Marc