There was a time, when I was in 8th grade, when I was totally frustrated. I really liked a girl in my class and didn’t know what to do to “get her to like me.”
In seeking guidance, I wrote a letter to an advice columnist. (This is long before the Web existed).
The advice I received in my written reply (long before email) was this:
“You really can’t make anyone like you. However, patience and understanding, as well as acceptance, will go further in letting someone know you care for them than anything else.”
Funny thing about this problem … I’ve spent my career wrasslin’ with this same issue. Oh, not about whether or not cute girls like me … (Who am I kidding? I’ll always hope for that.) But, helping companies know what to do to get potential customers to like them.
The same advice I was given to attract the smart, pretty, popular girl is the same we can apply to attract smart, pretty, popular customers:
- Be patient. You can’t rush or force yourself on your customer.
- Be understanding. Make sure you understand their needs, what she is looking for. Then meet those needs … Better yet—exceed them!
- Be accepting. If you’re getting the signal that she’s not interested, accept it, and move on.
So, no, you can’t make your customers fall in love … You just have to do the best you can, and follow this advice.
Tags: customers, Marketing, Strategy and Tactics
I agree with you, being patient, understanding, and accepting are important when it comes to customers. But I would add one more thing. Do something for them. Depending on what you are selling or what service you are offering certain customers are looking for that. What are you doing for them that will entice them to even look? For a lot of bloggers, we put up articles, are we writing something that our customers would like to read, or it is just something that will increase our SEO rankings. We need to remember that the overall goal is to increase customers and to do that we must be patient, understanding, accepting, and make it worth their while to buy from you.
I think you cannot make girls fall in love with you. But you can make yourself lovable.
The same principle applies to your customers
Great Post Paul.
I totally agree with these tips guys. As customers/Marketers we get turned off from companies that try to “push” themselves on us to make us like them. In reality; we are not going to buy what we don’t need. So these companies are rated as pushy. A business must first know the specified Market they are catering to before wasting time marketing to consumers that are not in need of their product. This way “If we build it; they will come”.
Blogs are particularly important, since they provide a sea of information for potential consumers and customers. Understanding the customers need, helps the business blog the correct information for the customers to flock to. Give; give; give!! Continue to give valuable information to customers and they will be more inclined to purchase your product compared to a business that always have their hand out beging for someone to purchase what they are selling.
Thanks