Cover Story
"DATE" YOUR
PROSPECTS
the ring itself. If a Tiffany’s ring sells
for $6,000, the ring may be objectively
appraised (minus the brand value of
Tiffany & Co.) at $1,000. So what’s the
little blue box and the Tiffany’s story
worth? Precisely $5,000. The brand
story crafted by Tiffany & Company
and the reputation they’ve built,
enables them to stand out amongst a
crowd of other jewellers – and charge
top dollar for products that come
‘wrapped in a story'.
Furthermore, let’s say you’re in the
business of selling drill bits. Godin
argues that no one actually needs a
1/4” drill bit. In fact, they don’t need a
hole in their wall either. They also don’t
need the shelf that’ll be hung on the
screw anchored to the wall. When we
drill down to the underlying needs,
they need to feel that the shelf they
just hung looks good, and they need
to receive validation from loved ones.
Now, let’s apply this analogy to the
printing industry. No one actually
needs paper or ink or special cover
stock that goes into making a book. In
fact, they don’t even need the book
itself! They also don’t need the story
inside the book. When we uncover
their true needs, they need to feel the
love and care that comes from reading
a beloved picture book with their child
– for the 25th time this week!
Cat food is not marketed to cats
(Please stay with me…). If it were, it
@graphicarts
would be mouse-flavoured. Instead,
cat food is, of course, marketed to cat
owners who can afford (and have the
ability) to buy cat food. Figure out who
needs to hear the story you’re telling
and craft your message to establish
connections and communicate authen-
tically with that audience. Therefore,
don’t just sell paper and ink (neither
features, nor benefits). Instead, sell a
story. Sell a story that your prospects
can tell their boss. Sell a story that fits
their world view and can inherently be
shared with others. Understanding
what Godin calls your ‘smallest viable
market’ helps clarif y the stor y you
should tell. Determining for whom your
remarkab le p ro duc t , ser v ice or
experience is intended, helps to clarify
who’ll listen as well as the impact you’ll
make in the process.
THIRD: Go ahead, ‘date’ your
prospects
There are two ways to find someone
to marry you. First, you can hop on a
dating app and find your future husband
or wife by asking everyone to marry
you. This is a numbers game where
most people will ignore you. However,
sooner or later you’re bound to find
someone who will say ‘yes’ (although,
I’d be nervous to meet this ‘yes-man’
or ‘yes-woman’). The second way to
f ind your future husband or wife is
through dating. Meet people and spend
time with them. Invest in getting to
know them, and see where it goes
from there. In this instance, there’s a
much better chance that the relationship
will be more meaningful and longer-
lasting for the two of you.
Asking everyone on Tinder to marry
you is to mass marketing, as traditional
dating is to building meaningful business
relationships. Like most things in life,
quality counts over quantity. So why
aren’t you ‘dating’ your prospects?
Make them your friends and build
relationships by treating each person
differently. Customize their experiences
with you and in doing so, you’ll make
them feel inherently more human than
through digital spam. Godin points out
that it’s the first time in history that we
can do this. We’ve been spamming our
prospects for a long time and there
are more opportunities than ever
before to engage in real, meaningful
relationships built on humanity and trust.
Furthermore, he argues that viewing the
sales process as a funnel (which is how
most of us believe the selling framework
must exist), is really expensive. Instead,
through remarkability and framing
your remarkability in a story that’s
easily remembered and re - told,
you’re essentially handing your funnel
to your customer so they can flip the
whole process on its head – thus turning
the funnel it into a megaphone. These
people are now your brand evangelists.
By authentically sharing their remarkable
GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE | April 2019 | 19