My hope is they become entrepreneurs. But I don’t think it’s likely.
One is into dance and theater. The other, volleyball and science.
I try to talk to them regularly about the benefits of having their own business. But we shall see.
If they’re ever ready, here’s what I’ll teach them about marketing…
1. Start With People
Don’t think about the next whiz-bang product.
Start by being a student of people. Of markets.
Look for groups of people excited about an idea, a topic, or a product type.
And find out as much as possible about their motivations, desires, fears, needs, wants, and beliefs.
Find your market first and let them tell you what product to offer.
Product development is the easy part. You can create something, license something, partner with an inventor, outsource the creation, etc.
Understanding people is where the money is made.
2. It’s All About The Pay-Off
People want to know the pay-off.
“How is my life going to be better, different, more exciting,” is the question every prospect has.
Become a machine at finding every last nugget of benefit which comes with your product or service.
Dig. Dig deep.
What are the superficial benefits? The deeper emotional benefits? The ancillary benefits? Find ’em all.
And focus on showing your prospects every last one of them. Paint a picture for them of what their life will look like with your product… in all its glorious detail.
3. Grab ‘Em By The Throat
People are busy, inundated, and overwhelmed.
If you’re going to get their attention, you need to whack them on the side of the head.
So, you need to develop new, unique, and arresting ideas to build your marketing around.
Bring something new to the market. Have a different story to tell. A different angle. A different hook.
And make it big and bold!
4. Make It Irrefutable
Don’t just “pitch” your product.
Convince your prospects emotionally and intellectually why your product is the perfect solution for them.
Present a rock-solid, airtight emotional and logical argument proving it.
You’re not a salesman. You’re a marketer. And marketing is about assembling a message which sets-up the desire for your product.
To do that, you need to present your “case”. Like a prosecutor.
Cover every base, every reason, every possible objection or concern. And lead your prospects to no other possible conclusion other than — your product is exactly what they need and want right now.
5. The “Why Wouldn’t I Do This” Test
Then, present them with an absolute superior, irresistible, no-brainer offer to enjoy life with your product.
Make it an incredible deal. An over-the-top value proposition.
Be bold with the offer.
Eliminate as much risk as possible.
Make it more complete than anything else out there.
Make it so good your prospects think, “Why in the world wouldn’t I take advantage of this offer. Only an idiot would pass-up on this.”
It has to be that good.
6. Buy Customers
Growing big and fast is all about “buying” customers.
You need to think like an investor. You’re investing in the acquisition of assets.
Those assets are your customers. They have a value today, and a greater value tomorrow, next week, next month, next year.
Think of them like a stock you know is only going to go up in value.
Determine what a customer is worth today, and what they’ll be worth next month, then invest in generating new customers accordingly.
If a stock is worth $50 today, and you know it will be worth $200 in a month, how much would you spend to get one share of that stock today?
That’s the same way you need to think about “buying” customers.
7. Run Fast
Once you have a single marketing campaign bringing you new customers at the correct cost, business and life becomes fantastic very quickly.
Cause now it’s all about scale — pumping more and more new customers into your business. And keeping those customers buying long-term (a much easier task then getting new ones… assuming you’re delivering the goods with every transaction).
Don’t use an arbitrary marketing budget. As long as you’re acquiring customers at your allowable cost, scale, scale, scale.
It only takes one marketing campaign, done correctly, to be a complete game-changer for your business.
Once you’ve got it, run. Fast.
.
.
And there you have it…
Everything else I’d teach Sami and Gab, would be secondary.
Yes, there are nuances. And, yes, there are other skills needed to grow a business. But, if they get these… really get these… man, will they have a leg-up on 99% of entrepreneurs.
So this is what I’d teach them first.
Note:
This, and everything else, is what I teach my apprentices.
I approach the whole Apprenticeship Experience as if you were one my kids. And what is it you need to know and do to become a wildly successful, wealthy entrepreneur. Click here to learn more.