“I need a little help with a client that thinks education is marketing,” I said. “He keeps wanting to do videos of ridiculous length to talk at people instead of working from their opinions and interest to sell his non-profit.

There is a cardinal rule of Marketing: People buy solutions, not problems. I learned the lesson that you can’t sell by educating long ago doing split testing. I know that if you offer a solution to a problem people have versus a description of the problem that the solution will win every time. Even if both A and B offer the solution, the one that leads with the solution will win.

Rick disagreed saying, “But there are certain cases where pumping enough fear into the equation can get people to go one direction or another. Politics is rife with that sort of thing. And there, sometimes, it works. True, it can lead to polarization and that ain’t pretty. But fear is a primal motivator.”

“Minds me of a story ‘bout a kid cryin’ wolf when there was no wolf,” drawled Bob. “The problem is that when you try to scare people enough times they get so accustomed to your suasion that it is like water wickin’ off a duck’s back. That’s like the whole Global Warming/Climate Change thing. Now there is a branding problem if ever there was one.”

“Branding problem?” Gail asked.

“Sho nuff,” Rob replied. There was this VP from Tennessee that told us all about it in a TED presentation and then in a movie. He talked about it as Global Warming and showed us how just looking at the gain in carbon in the air was enough to cause global catastrophes. Then a bunch of folks that didn’t agree and had vested interests to protect made him out to be the kid cryin’ wolf. As a result we don’t hear about global warming any more. Now its Climate Change.”

“And believers are still trying to back the hearse up to the door.” I said. “Every time you turn around they find some new piece of scientific evidence that supports the argument that Climate Change is happening. The problem with all those arguments is that they are arguments. What they consider proofs are so far from Joe Public’s experience that it is like trying to explain a computer to a man of the renaissance when you don’t even speak the language.”

“Worse still, Kate said, the believers don’t understand the failed communications. They are so convinced that they are right that they cannot understand any other viewpoint.

When you’re selling you have to listen. You have to establish rapport with the buyer. You have to offer a solution to their problem. If they don’t perceive a problem or are not prepared to discuss it you are wasting your time.”

Chris asked, “So are you saying you should just walk away?”

“Yes. If they aren’t buying you have no choice” said Kate.

“But that is completely the opposite of building whitepapers and videos and all sorts of things to move people down a funnel to make a purchase. Why not try that?” asked Chris.

“First you have to get their interest” said Rick. And right there is the crux of the problem. The problem has become polarized. I believe it is now seen as political. And because of that people walk away from it. They tune out.

Regardless of how novel the educational approach is they perceive it as preaching. People do not trust politicians. They don’t like people with holier than thou attitudes. So they direct their attention elsewhere.”

“There’s one more piece to this which we shouldn’t overlook,” said Gail. Nobody, so far as I know has approached the consumer audience by accepting and emulating their attitude. Nobody has recognized how they have heard this big problem exists. Nobody has acceded to the consumer viewpoint that it takes a government or a treaty organization to take care of this. Nobody has admitted that Joe and Jane Public feel stymied and don’t see a way out.”

“So what I hear you saying is to present a solution couched in the terms of the audience. Let them know we understand. Offer a solution. Keep it simple. Make it easy for them to contribute. How do we do that with no budget? What do you suggest,” I asked.

What do you suggest? Let me know down there at the bottom of the page.

Jerry And his Marketing Wranglers will be back next week with something about how a rodeo relates to Marketing.

Learn More:
Marketing Consulting, Coaching and Contact Relationship Magic www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking on Trust based Marketing, Networking & Business Development www.NetworkingNinja.com