Odd Thoughts on a Friday

Posted On: 2014-04-04

Some Fridays I like to pause for a few moments and look back over the week that's just about gone and I would definitely recommend that you try it because it can help you get a clearer idea on where and how your business is going. And we all need that.

For me this past week has been a blur of packing and work. We're packing because we're moving house ... not a planned move but something of a rushed move because the owner has to sell the house rather quickly.

That totally caught us off-guard and even though he gave us plenty of warning it has still been a huge headache and the business has taken something of a hit because of it. It seems that no matter how much time you budget in your week to allow for all the things you have to do just to get ready to move, it's never enough.

So if you have a move on your horizon the time to start preparing is right now and even if you're not thinking of moving I would suggest that now is the time to start going through all the junk you've accumulated over the years and ruthlessly getting rid of everything you don't need.

You would be surprised at how much useless "stuff" you accumulate and how much time it takes to pack it all up or dump it when you have to move.

Is there a selling point in here somewhere?
In one of my spare moments this week I read a rather interesting piece written by an author who describes herself as a "people watcher". She was talking about the sexual fantasies that each and every one of us have and how we always want to turn those fantasies into reality.

As someone who has worked in the sex industry I have to say that while some people have some strange fantasies most of us have fantasies that really aren't so far out on the fringe. So it's not that hard to turn our fantasies into reality ... but should we.

She suggested that if you really want to then one-night stands are a great way to live out some of those fantasies but she also raised another interesting point ... one that I can relate to. Because of my occupation back then I've been able to live out most of my sexual fantasies and I have to say that I had fun ... but not everyone has the same experience.

For many people the fantasies are great ... they're exciting and pleasurable ... but the reality is not always the same as the fantasy. What might seem to be exciting and pleasurable when you think about it can turn out to be nasty and far from fun when it becomes reality because there are always consequences that never appear in our fantasies.

So somewhere in there is something that you might be able to use as a selling point. Perhaps you could encourage your surfers to really get into their fantasies with whatever product you're selling because the fantasy is more pleasurable than the reality.

And maybe there's more than just a selling point in there for you too.

Selling is about telling a story
From time to time I'm reminded that so many would-be marketers don't realise that selling something isn't about presenting the facts and asking people to buy.

Selling a product is about combining a number of elements to tell a story ... a story that will encourage people to buy the product by helping them to see that they just can't live without it.

So what are you doing to sell your products? Are you presenting the facts along with a bit of eye candy or are you weaving that eye candy into a carefully crafted story that will encourage your surfers to reach for their wallets?

If you're main marketing tool is gallery building then you may think that you have no chance of telling a story within the limits imposed on you by the TGP rules but while that might be difficult I don't believe that it's impossible.

Look at the shorter TV ads and look beyond the words and beyond the product image. Look at what is going on at a more subconscious level ... the setting ... the activities ... the facial expressions ... and the attitudes of the people in the ad.

Those things all work towards telling a story so what can you learn and use from what is happening in the background? How can you weave a story into your marketing that will encourage people to buy what you're selling?