Love and Marketing

by Joey St. John

Do you believe in love at first sight? Talk to any number of happy couples, and they may tell you they “knew they’d found the one” right after meeting. However, do you know anyone who has locked eyes and went straight to the altar without even the smallest of courtship? It probably does happen, but let’s narrow the pool to people who make responsible decisions, then it becomes a very foreign concept.

In our JumpBunch business, which is sports and fitness for kids, we stress that marketing must be viewed as a long term process where familiarity and trust must be developed. To some degree this applies to all industries but especially to those where children, the elderly, or pets are concerned. With that in mind, it can be a mistake to hear the word “no” and walk away feeling like you or your product have been rejected. Getting back to the love thing, what would your significant other have said if you had proposed within the first few minutes of meeting? My guess is a two letter word mentioned earlier in this paragraph accompanied by a spray of something rather unpleasant to your eyes. The real goal in that first meeting is to set the stage and put yourself in a position where you can speak again.

It all starts with understanding who your customer is and what their motivations to buy are driven by. “No” at the mall to a guy selling unbranded sunglasses at a kiosk can probably be taken as a real rejection, but “no” given by the director of a daycare after an initial cold call might be something entirely different. Before that person can even consider whether they need your services, the greater priority of protecting the trust given by parents and kids takes over. Remember familiarity and trust? So you settle for the introduction and give yourself an opportunity to speak again. By not defining your success or failure by one encounter you set the stage for far greater things to play out.

Of course I knew my wife was the “one” the first day we met, but my goal that day was simply to not be forgettable. Twenty-two years later that patience has been rewarded over and over again. Love and marketing…who knew they were so closely related?

Joey St. John
VP of Operations
JumpBunch

Learn more about JumpBunch at topfranchises.franchisebusinessreview.com.

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