So what do you do when the marketing campaign you’ve spent so much time and effort building comes crashing down around your ears?
Some might just throw up their hands and quit.
Others might try to continue to beat the horse into the ground, not seeing that the horse is already dead.
What I do is re-evaluate the situation, develop a new campaign, and work to make this campaign a success.
One of the first things to analyze is your initial evaluation of the customer. Did you truly understand their goals? Did you understand their culture? Did you understand their long and short-term commitments?
I have recently come to realize that you can spend years developing a relationship, believing that you truly know a customer, only to find out that they’ve mislead you all along. Thus the goals you believe they have are not their goals after all. So how do you find out the truth behind the façade?
Step 1 - Questions. You must always ask questions, even when you think you know the answers. Ask the same questions in different situations and with different wording, then take the answers and compile them. Do the customer’s answers always align with their stated goals?
Step 2 - Analyze their actions. A customer may say that goal A is their top priority, but are they dedicating their resources to the “top priority” or are they making excuses as to why they can’t?
Step 3 - Feedback. Continuously provide honest feedback to the customer. If you see their actions are not in alignment with their stated goals, then provide the customer with feedback and return to step 1 and 2 until you have a better understanding of what is standing in the way.
And not to be forgotten – use the same lingo as the customer. It may just be that the customer doesn’t really understand what you are asking or wanting to do for them. Understand their lingo and use it in your communications with them.
Each and every customer is a golden opportunity. Treat them with respect and your marketing campaign will be a success.
