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Subject: Put Your Best Foot Forward, Then Stand On It

Author:
Dennis S. Vogel

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Date Posted: 22:21:00 02/25/14 Tue

Yet, you should be careful about where you step.

An optimal marketing message is a matter of a marketer putting his/her best foot forward. Why should you - in effect - put your best foot forward? OK, grammatically & logically it should be put your better foot forward. But the common expression around where I live is "Put Your Best Foot Forward".

Maybe your best foot received a pedicure or is in a well-polished, high-style shoe or boot (this concept might work for some marketers). Most likely, your best foot is your stronger/strongest, more/most steady foot.

When you determine what your "best foot" is, you should stand on it.

Sometimes, "stand on it" means the same as put the pedal to the metal. It means press the accelerator as far as it will go to gain & maintain maximum speed.

Find your best foot & run with it. As long as it works for you, keep using it.

Not So Fast - Yet

We need to balance between jumping into a subject & preparing an audience with a bit of prefacing.

If I'd start this post with, "Threats tend to get more attention & interest than benefits." Somebody may read more of my content but yet interpret it from the wrong perspective. I don't advise threatening consumers i.e. using intimidation or inciting terror.

I'm differentiating between threats & warnings. Examples: Threat - 'Dangerous wind chills are expected tomorrow.' Warning - 'You'll need your best, warmest winter clothing for tomorrow morning.'

Based on your knowledge of your market niche, you should determine which of these would work best.

Yeah, Yeah I Know, I'm Not A Child, I'm Already 13 Years Old

A stereotypical teenager may pay more conscious attention to that wind chill threat. But that winter clothing warning may be rejected by a teenage subconscious because it seems like a mother telling a child to wear a coat, cap & gloves.

No matter how wise their mothers are, most teenagers think they're smarter than all mothers & fathers combined.

If members of your niche still have the mentality of teenagers, your warnings might not even enter their conscious realms.

If you check the basics of human physical reflexes, you'll notice this - When a hand feels extreme heat, that hand is pulled back before the hand's owner is consciously aware of the problem.

People are somewhat like that psychologically, too. Besides reacting to danger, people subconsciously react to what they think they've heard already. That kind of reaction doesn't reach their conscious minds. In effect, some things seem so unimportant & redundant; they just bounce off of subconscious minds.

What Have You Got To Worry About?

Threats don't have to be dangers. Possible discomfort is also a threat. The degree of a threat may be determined according the likelihood &/or degree of anticipated discomfort or pain. Anticipation & worrying can be more distressing than (potential) reality.

Use your best foot to help consumers stomp out threats & step away from their perceptions of what seems threatening. Help consumers put their best feet forward so they can avoid hardships plus obtain & maintain benefits.

You shouldn't assume consumers know or remember what may threaten them at any particular time. Also don't assume they know or remember how to solve problems & what to do to avoid or mitigate threats.

You should explain consequences of delaying purchasing actions & ignoring warnings. Potential problems may become real problems when people neglect prevention & solutions. Show how benefits are probable (or at least possible) as results of product use or a service result.

Do your best to guide people to solve problems, not just deal with symptoms. Easing symptoms may lead to temporary comfort, but until the problem is solved their trouble won't be over. If you only help them ease symptoms, they may distrust you when they realize they still have a problem.

Advertisers should know which facts people in a market niche want & what niche members (will) believe. Though people need certain facts, they may ignore that need especially when those facts are "boring" or unpleasant.

Too often, people believe some facts don't apply to them. People, who are addicted to something, are apt to deny the addiction &/or the harm of indulging/appeasing their addictions. Somebody, who feels healthy, may think they don't & won't have any health problems.

You won't persuade everybody, yet your realistic marketing messages may catch somebody's subconscious attention & interest. That could start the mental processes that'll lead to desire & purchasing action.

Be sure your messages deal with the main objections. Whether the standard objections are spoken or just thoughts, be prepared for these - So what?! Who cares?! No way, not me! Why are you bothering me about this? I'm still alive. I'm OK. I don't need it.

It's important to remember even if objections aren't stated as questions; people tend to raise objections to request information. This applies during conversations & advertising.

If you're a teenager, I apologize for trying to teach you what you already knew.

For the rest of you, I hope you appreciate what I've written.

Please let me know if you need something clarified or if you want other information.

Dennis S. Vogel
thrivingbusiness@email.com
Successful customer service is offering what's important
to people & supplying it as they want it.
It's easy, why do so many fail?
Please click here for free information.
http://www.lakefield.net/~thrivingbusiness/

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Replies:

Subject	Author	Date
Don't Bury Your Lead	Dennis S. Vogel	00:14:27 03/27/14 Thu