Tweet

Surprise – powerful way to engage prospective buyers

Guest post by: Jeff Ogden

Article Overview: You want to get better results from your lead nurturing and marketing campaigns. Have you considered the power of doing the unexpected?

Surprise – powerful way to engage prospective buyers

B2B Lead Generation | Harnessing the Power of Surprise Doing the unexpected is a great way to engage the minds of prospective buyers in your B2B demand generation programs.

Let's look at an illustration from the book Made to Stick.

The television commercial for the new Enclave minivan opens in a familiar way - sitting in front of a park. A young boy with a football helmet climbs in, followed by his younger sisters. Dad's driving and Mom's in the passenger seat. It looks very comfortable - with cup-holders everywhere. "Introducing the all-new Enclave" begins a woman's voice-over.

Dad pulls away from the curb "It's a minivan to the max." They begin cruising through quiet, tree-lined streets. "With features like remote-controlled sliding doors, 150 cable channels, a sky-view roof, temperature controlled cup-holders, and a six point navigation system...it's a minivan for families on the go."

The minivan stops at an intersection and the camera zooms in on the face of the young boy - staring out the window at leafy trees. The picture of serenity. Dad pull into the intersection.

That's when it happens. A speeding car barrels into the intersection and slams into the side of the minivan. There's a terrible crash with smashing glass and buckling metal.

The screen fades to black. A message appears. "Didn't see that coming?"

The message fades and a new one appears:

"No one ever does."

With the sound of a stuck horn blaring, a final message appears on the screen. "Buckle up....always."

What's going on here? It's not an ad for a minivan. It's a public service ad to get people to wear seat belts.

There is no Enclave minivan. The ad was created by The Ad Council, a government agency founded in 1942.

This technique, of doing the unexpected, is a powerful marketing concept and a key element in getting attention. It would serve you well in B2B marketing and lead nurturing.

How can you duplicate this? How can you do something unexpected with your products and services? Find a quiet place and think.

What do you think? We love comments and people who share.

Jeff Ogden (@fearlesscomp) is the President of the B2B lead generation consultancy Find New Customers. Find New Customers helps companies dramatically improve revenue results by transforming the way they attract, engage and win new customers. Contact Find New Customers by calling (516) 495-9350 or sending an email to sales at findnewcustomers.com.

"If more companies listened to (Find New Customers) a lot more would be sold." Dan McDade, Pointclear.

Related Articles
  Using Online Marketing Designs to Improve our Practice and the Prospective Buyer Experience
  Lodging Franchise Opportunity
  Who is Going to Buy Your Business?
  How the Law of Supply and Demand Affects Home Stagers – Part 2
  The crazy, complex world of B2B marketing today
  Business and Life Strategies Taught by a 6 Year Old
  Story-telling in lead nurturing - the power to engage
  You Have to Connect to Sell
  Business Brokers - How to Deal With Them As a Buyer?
  When selling my business - The importance of choosing the right buyer for your business
  8 Ps of Hardcodre Selling
  Stepping Beyond Consultative Sales
  More Questions, Better Questions
  Top 10 Tips on How to Open Your Speech
  Home Staging Helps Real Estate Investors and Builders Maximize Profits
  Why Most Sales Training Programs Do Not Produce Results
  Business Financing: Using Business Seller Financing
  Objections The Pathway to Mega Sales
  The importance of story-telling in lead nurturing
  How to Deliver Your Sales Message

Article Tags: b2b demand generation, b2b lead generation, btob demand generation, btob lead generation, demand gen, demand generation, demand generation companies, demand generation company, find new customers, lead gen, lead generation, lead generation companies, lead generation company, sales lead generation



Related Forum Posts
Selling products on ebay - I've always wondered if it is worth the time investment for the seller - you need to create the listing and make it look good, answer emails from prospective buyers, prepare the package, go to the post office to mail it off, etc. Unless you are selling a very high ticket item or you are doing a lot of volume and can get some economies of scale, is it something that you can build a business off of?
Excited New Member - Greetings everyone! I have stumbled across this web site and am hoping I can engage in some meaningful dialogue with everyone here. I'm very interested in meeting people all over the world, to share internet success stories and engage in discussion about the 'coming' internet commerce environment. Hopefully I will be able to meet some of you through discussions, and I am looking forward to forging new relationships. All the best!
Re: Trade Shows - Are They Worth It? - Hi, Tradeshows are attracting different types of people. First, the visitor, which is the main reason of putting it on. Visitors come from all types of background: Buyers, prospective buyers, people who had a business and failed, directors, shopkeepers and even the public. Secondly there are people who just like to meet new people, that is the best place to be. Exchange of business cards, make new contacts for future use. Thirdly, the exhibitors are mixing with one another either help one another or just want to fine out the newest trend. It is also a good place to meet with competitors and learn from their strategies. Finally, there are numerous seminars with excellent speakers, covering a wide range of information. Taking these points in consideration, they are beneficial. Of course, not every exhibitor has the same success.
Ivy League vs. Affordable school - To play devils Advocate .... Prestigious school vs. Education I can afford? Does going to a prestigious school gaurantee success? I'm sure it helps - imagine the contacts made - powerful I assume. Also there is the pressure of being an alma mater of a school where everyone else is driven to succeed by thier parents. But, what if you got the "Education you can afford". It's still education. You are forced to analyze, engage in relationships, manage your school mates, and deliver on deadlines. What's the common denominator when you get out of school? Is it the ability to take action? The ability to see the big picture and then take the necessary actions to bring a project to completion? There's that action word again! what do you think?
Re: Is it worth buying a Dell computer with financing? - Depends on how powerful a computer you are getting. Most people can buy a powerful computer these days for just $500! (Of course, you no longer get software bundled in... that's what costs the money these days...)


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Ten Reasons to take Notes during Sales Meetings

How to Sell to the Price Driven Customer

The Substance Abusing Employee

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.