The #1 Reason Why Marketers Fail

In the marketing world failing means not being able to turn visitors into customers; it means not being able to move your visitors to take action - whether it is buying your product, or doing something else. Failing is easy - so much so, that most marketers fail. It’s true even though you don’t often hear that - who wants to brag about their failures?

Too many marketers - especially new marketers - act by the Better Mousetrap Rule , which states that if you build a better mouse trap, the world will flood through your doors. Not true. Most marketers, online and otherwise, fail to make a sale for one simple reason - they attract the wrong people.

If you want to succeed in marketing, you need to understand how the buyer’s mind works. Remember the last time you bought something (a cell phone, perhaps?). After you got the initial idea that you’d need a new phone, did you just go out and buy the first cell phone that crossed your eyes? Probably not - you went through the whole 3-stage buying process, didn’t you?

Stage 1 - Information and Meaning

You start out by trying to understand the subject. What features should your new phone have? How to know what the battery life will be? How to make sure it works with your carrier? What are people talking about phones? What’s cool? What to watch out for? What else is there to know?

You don’t care about brands, and models, and contract terms at this stage. What you care about is not making the wrong decision. You want information, and you want to make sense of it. You are trying to find meaning. When you have enough of that, you move on to the next stage.

Stage 2 - Comparison

You have enough information about phones, you understand what to look for and what to avoid. You’ve made the decision to buy. But how do you know what to buy? That is what stage 2 is for - you move away from the general into the specific.

You want to know what your choices are - brands, models, colors, options, what have you. You want to know what people think about each option. You want to see which item suits you best. You read reviews, you compare, and you evaluate. And when you have enough to not make a stupid choice, you move on to the third and final stage.

Stage 3 - Buying

You’ve already decided on what you’re going to buy. What you’re looking for now is where best to buy it. You’re not entirely sure about your decision, so you want a place that can confirm that you’ve made the right choice.

You know how, when you’re out looking for something specific, and the salespeople keep trying to sell you something else, you get annoyed? That’s because in stage 3 you’re not comparing options anymore - you’ve made your decision. By offering you something else, the salesperson implies that you’ve made the wrong choice - and who likes that?

So what?

If you want to succeed in marketing, you need to be conscious about what stage the people you target and attract are in. If you don’t, you’re going to annoy them and drive them away.

Most marketers target Stage 1 people, and treat them like Stage 2 or Stage 3 people. Big mistake - a Stage 1 person is not going to buy, no matter how good your pitch is.

Moving people from Stage 2 to Stage 3 to buying is easy; moving people from Stage 1 to Stage 2 is not. Not impossible, but it takes time and it takes effort. Sometimes you need to target Stage 1 people - when you do, you need to treat them appropriately.

I really appreciate that you keep coming back to my site, it's loyal people like you that make what I do worth it. If you have any questions feel free to email me at Tony [at] BeginWorkingOnline [dot] com. If you like what you read, and find it helpful, make sure to share it with a friend - they'll love you for it! Remember, this blog is not about me, it's about you - so participate in the discussion, let me and the other readers know what you think and how you're doing.