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August 26, 2005
Refrigerator game
Earlier this week, Jan Jantsch wrote, "Everyone knows that in order to find more clients it's a good idea to define your target market. But, to really get a feeling for who your ideal clients are you must dive into areas beyond the reach of typical demographic characteristics."
Yes, I know. I'm late.
Anyway, he goes on to propose some inoffensive but atypical questions a marketer might pose to a client in order to get a more profound handle on who his prospects really are. One of his ideas is the question, "What's on your refrigerator?"
He says that can tell you a lot about a person. I expect that's probably true.
For example, right now, my refrigerator door sports
- a list of frequently called phone numbers
- the calendar for the 2005-2006 school year
- a picture magnet of my 15-year-old daughter, taken when she was four
- business card magnets from the local library, the chinmey cleaning company, and the auto mechanic we use
- another magnet with a "Bat Rabies Alert" legend
- more magnets shaped like plastic fruit
Believe it not, there's more but this is probably enough for an astute marketer to work with. And, looking at that list, it probably does tell you an awful lot about me -- perhaps more than the standard demographic information.
Besides, it's a kind of fun game.
My salesman extraordinaire husband (who I'd hire in a heartbeat if I could afford him) constantly amazes me. I listen to him talking to prospects and have noticed that he can always manage to find something that they have in common to talk to them about.
It can be as common a small talk topic as the weather or something more personal ... his kids, his wife, his side business, the Internet, the headlines, the Boy Scouts, the states of either New York or Texas.
He says as soon as you open your mouth and tell them who you are and where you're calling from, they know what you want. So, rather than boring you both with a canned speech, why not get to know them? Find some common ground to give you a place to stand.
He gets a lot of clients that way.
Demographics can be useful but it always helps to remember that prospects are also people. For that matter, so are you.
Posted by The Journal Blogger at August 26, 2005 03:05 PM
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