As a Strategic Marketing Consultant, I believe marketing should be about marketing with people and not to them.

Earning your prospect’s attention is much more effective than interrupting them. This is ultimately what I try to help my clients with.

If you are able to earn the attention of someone because what you do is valuable enough to them, you now have the potential of a long term loyal customer.

ATTENTION doesn’t scale.

We only have a limited amount of it each day, and we are protective of it now more than ever. We are selective about who gets it, how much of it, and for how long.

Earning Attention

Earned attention takes time. You don’t get attention unless you’re trusted, and you don’t get trusted unless you get attention.

There’s an underlying philosophy that you need to wrap your head around if you want to control the attention of your people.

It’s how you build trust and attention from the ground up.

Think of this as the foundation layer on which to stack everything else.

Like Lego.

It turns out that if we work hard to show people that we care, THEY CARE BACK.

Gary Vaynerchuk is a little more direct in how he states this. He says—and I quote—“It’s about giving a f*ck.”

Go figure, eh?

Research conducted into how people are persuaded proves that the way we are treated (and the way that treatment makes us feel) affects our opinions and our behaviour.

Reread that again.

What if marketing was less about promotion and coercion and more about reaching out to people and helping them to solve problems?

What if marketing was where we began our journey towards understanding what people need and want?

As a business, what if we start seeing the world through the eyes of our prospects and customers?

Treat your leads, prospects, and clients well, with care and empathy…

Basically, show that you “give a f*ck”, and you’ll be rewarded with their trust and attention.

earning attention takes time and effort. It’s a slow game, like the tale of the hare and turtle. Who wins there hmm?

You are developing a relationship with your audience, and that connection will turn to trust and loyalty.

In Simon Sinek’s latest book, The Infinite Game (if you haven’t read it I highly recommend it), he talks about two mindsets in business — the finite mindset and the infinite mindset (both are a choice/ you get to pick).

The Finite Mindset

The finite mindset is about winners and losers. The winners are the businesses that are acquiring leads at scale at the cheapest price.

Quantity over quality.

They’re hunters- looking to make as much as possible as quickly as possible. No matter the cost. Because this is how you “win” in business after all right? (think of Wolf of Wall Street).

And like in the movie, Wolf of Wall Street, companies that adopt the finite mindset come and go. Here one day, gone the next…

Customers are measured by how much they have left in their wallet. They’re a number instead of a name.

The Infinite Mindset

The infinite mindset people see the world, and by extension, the work they do, very differently. Their goal is not to win but keep playing.

When you want your business to be here 50 years from today, you are no longer looking for quick wins.

You are looking for long lasting results.

Customers and connections that will stay with you for the long haul.

You start wanting to earn people’s attention — not steal it (think of interrupting ads while you are trying to listen or watch something).

You earn people’s attention by providing them with valuable content they want to see. Don’t just sell your products or services. Give prospects a reason to think of you by being there for them.

Solve your prospect’s problems and talk to them like a friend. Get to know their names and what they are looking for in a product like yours.

People will want to hear more from you because you are that helpful to them, and they will buy your products because they believe in what you say.

Be more helpful, earn more trust and attention.

Giver’s gain.

This is modern marketing, companies who give a crap about the people they seek to serve.

When our marketing is led with generosity and empathy before a transaction ever takes place, we win because our prospects win first.

This is the new reality; you can either accept it or keep playing by the old rules.

Reality won’t change — but, based on your mindset and behaviour, your outcome will.