The Art of Persuasion


Some have called sales the art of persuasion. The truth in this statement finds its echo in marketing and advertising. In fact one may argue that much of human communication has to do with informing or persuading another; marketing again finds its echo in that reality.

Different products and services have their own unique sales and marketing cycles. Some products and services have very limited audiences. In housing, for example, there are those million or multi-million dollar properties. The marketing messages tied to that sort of product may not ring the phone every day.

Other marketing messages are designed to help keep a firm 'top of mind' vs. competitors in the same field. The idea is, when the time comes, you want to get the call from the prospect for that given message.

But when a product or service is designed for the masses and for routine consumption, then one should expect routine leads from your marketing efforts for it. So in such a case an ad that does not get a routine response, is a signal that the ad ought to be changed.

We know when we drive down a street often, the signs on that street become familiar to us. Sign(s) which at first attracted our attention, may over time become part of the background. Some sign makers have addressed this problem with electric signs that can be changed routinely. The latest promotion and a new, updated graphic grabs attention because the message changes. The analogy in advertising is that messages need to be kept fresh. When the response starts to wane, it is time to change it.

Some firms have 'seasonal' messages. Every month, there is a new theme to promote. Why don't more manufactured housing firms do the same? Valentine's Day, St Patrick's, Easter, Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th…all of these and more can be causes for a fresh promotion that keeps your message to your target audience appealing and top of mind.

The bottom lines are these. In your marketing effort, if your ad needs refreshing, if your message has become background to viewers, change it! Update it!

Monitor and track your results. Sometimes, you may learn that a series of messages works better than a single message, and rotating through that series helps keep you in a steady flow of prospects.

These may be 'basic' principles, but they are the basics for a reason! Do the basic well and routinely and watch your results grow. ##

post by
L. A. "Tony" Kovach
http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach