April 28, 2010
I am a great believer in the merits of technology to reach people. In fact, one of our businesses, www.rapidmaterials.com, is an online store where people “who know what they want” can purchase construction materials from a website.
This is a very efficient use of technology. They do not have to wait for a salesman to be contacted by the “home office” and then to call them back, only to find out they need to call a dealer, contractor or distributor to actually get a price or to place an order.
Before we made our “pitch” to several of the manufacturers on Rapid Materials, we conducted the following experiment for their benefit.
We went to their website and searched for a phone number to call (by the way, many times the phone number was hard to find). Then we called and asked for pricing for a simple order. In most cases it took days for a salesman to call us back and then they would need to refer us to a dealer for pricing. Meanwhile, we demonstrated to the manufacturers how the same simple order could actually be placed in about 90 seconds on Rapid Materials.
The central point is that when a customer already knows what he wants, technology can make their life easier, and the manufacturer can get more orders more easily.
However, many times a customer has a very special need that a website cannot begin to address adequately. There may be nuances of detailing that can only developed in a face-to-face meeting with paper and pencil sketching out various possibilities.
These examples draw me back to the title of this Blog, Is Your Marketing a Mile Wide or a Mile Deep?
Technology is very good at spreading your message a Mile Wide. The number of contacts with which you can connect on the internet is virtually unlimited. However, it is very difficult to convey information that is nuanced on a website and it is nearly impossible to develop a personal bond through a website.
Personal visits, personal phone calls, letters and handwritten notes can allow you to develop relationships that are a Mile Deep. When you meet personally with someone, break bread with them, and get to know their families, you are developing a relationship that cannot be duplicated via technology.
Which way should you direct your marketing? You had to see this answer coming … it depends.
If your customers know what they want and technology can make it more readily available, you would be wise to develop technology that helps your customers get what they want in the most expedient fashion possible. However, if your product or service is not well known or well understood, you need to develop personal relationships and that is both time consuming and expensive.
Technology is usually very good for relatively small dollar purchases because people are willing to “take a chance” on a relatively small dollar purchase. However, when the amount of the purchase is relatively large, you want to see the eyes of someone to help size up the offering while you size them up personally. This works out well for both sides because the cost and time needed to make a personal relationship cannot be easily justified for a small dollar purchase normally associated with an internet purchase.
Therefore, you should make your product and service sale align with the Marketing Plan. A Mile Wide may be right (technology aided Marketing) or a Mile Deep may be what you need (personal relationship Marketing). Choose wisely. Your company is dependent upon your choice and implementation of an effective Marketing decision.
Tool of the Week – Let me recommend the book, What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis. Google is without a doubt the best marketer over the last decade. This book outlines not only Google thinking but sets the stage for how you can make Google like decisions for your own company. If you want to know where to get the book, just Google the title.
That is it for this week. Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.
Thanks,
Ted S. Miller