Frequently I feel like a bit of a party pooper. My clients are often incredibly excited as we begin brainstorming and planning for a new communications campaign. With ideas bubbling and top of their agenda: The question most business owners want to address. "What do I want my potential customer to know about my business?"
New product launches, new staff recruitment, relocation into a new office, company anniversary, and so on…
It’s here that the party pooper feeling begins. My job as a consultant is to steer the process in the right direction and this often means putting on the brakes and firmly encouraging a new approach be considered.
"Let’s shift the focus", I say. I ask my clients to think about what their potential customer wants to believe about herself/himself and where the business potentially fits into their story.
It’s tempting to get carried away and want to broadcast—to be immediately noticed and understood.
The irony is that broadcasting achieves the very opposite of that. In today’s advertising and media saturated environment people tune out, and certainly don’t want to be shouted at. To succeed we need a softer, quieter approach. Step one: Concentrate on understanding and seeing the person on the other side of the interaction.
Do you think you’re really talking with your customers? Let’s find out. Give me a call for a coffee and a chat. 07855 409970.
