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Marketing is Behavior Modification

Written by: Donald F. Pooley

Article Overview: You want prospects to stop going to competitors and start coming to you for help and guidance. That requires behavior modification, and that's achieved through marketing.

Marketing is Behavior Modification

You want prospects to stop going to competitors and start coming to you for help and guidance. That requires behavior modification, and that's achieved through marketing.
Sometimes, people don't change their behavior because of the perceived ease of doing business the way they currently do it. Think of the last time you moved, and all the businesses you used to go to. You don't patronize them anymore because they are now too "hard" to get to.
This may sound simplistic, but you need to make it easy for people to change their current behavior. And not just easy but simple, too. If the change you desire is not easy, people won't do it or they will at least resist.
Think of how many people try to lose weight. If they took a simple approach- walked a little more, and ate a little less -they might have more success. Those are simple, easy things for most people.
Most of what it takes to get people to try new things, and make changes happens between the ears, and it's not logical. Most decisions are made on a very emotional level. So, as you think of marketing as a tool you can use to change behaviors, remember that most of what you are working with is emotion.
When you market, use an emotional approach that touches your prospects in some way. For most people, the idea of a better return doesn't have a huge emotional attachment.
Also, in very turbulent times like these it's even harder to get people to make changes. They often resist any change because they fear that what they're moving toward could end up being worse than what they already have. This leads to stagnation.
You have a couple of choices. You either make your marketing more emotional or you take a very soft approach. Taking the more emotional approach can be very rewarding. The challenge is that it can also deepen the paralysis.
The softer approach is more of a long-term strategy - when your prospects' fears diminish, they probably will think of you in a positive way and be predisposed to your solutions.
The easiest way to make a change is to do it a little bit at a time. The Grand Canyon was formed over thousands of years, a little bit at a time.
Start with a behavior that's easy to change. For example, it could be a behavior that has very little resistance. Asking people to write a check has a high level of resistance. But asking them to attend a FREE seminar has much less resistance.
It takes a high level of repetition over a long period to create new behaviors. It's often said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and three times that if you want it to become a life-long habit. What will you do to get your prospects to see a new behavior that is better for them? That new behavior is working with you!
As always, have fun with marketing!
Martin R. Baird, author of "The 7 Deadly Sins of Advisor Marketing" is president of AdvisorMarketing.com , the premier Internet-based source for free marketing advice, tools, and information for self-driven, success oriented, financial advisors who demand information that helps them market their practice. Reach him at 480-991-6421

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