Business monitor JAN:Layout 1 25/01/2010 13:05 Page 21
BUSINESS MONITOR
COMMUNICATION
The heart of effective
marketing and
successful sales is
good communication.
Obvious? Not if you
read plenty of marketing
materials, or listen to
sales pitches. Too often,
these are littered with
some of the most unholy
tosh imaginable, says
marketing expert,
Paul Clapham…
The fundamentals
C
ommunication, lest we forget, is a two- both. Classically, they had pared back their connection. The problem is that what connects
way street: I tell you and you get it, first presentation to the essentials and had added in to a 40-year-old just doesn’t do it for a 30-year-
time; you tell me and I provide just what those emotive connections – the magic words old. But if you can campaign the approach
you want. Understanding is central to this, but of selling. The same applies to marketing across the age groups or have a very specific
much marketing and sales material appears to messages; the ones that work, speak to the age group to reach, it’s highly effective.
be designed to show off the genius of the heart as well as the head. You will hear people Incidentally it’s the music they were listening to
producer, rather than to create that say that in selling you have to establish need. when they were nineteen that makes that
understanding make a sale. Oh really? Every parent needs life assurance connection. Don’t be scared to segment your
Take an example of a press ad by Barclays Bank but millions have none. You won’t close that market like this. The fact that your customers
in the eighties. The image was a Parka hung sale until you’ve translated ‘need’ into ‘want’ or are aged from 9 to 90 doesn’t mean you should
over a chair-back with The Who’s logo on it. The if you focus on ‘need’ you won’t sell up your try for a message that appeals to all of them. I’d
headline was “You didn’t die before you got range where the higher profits are to be found. suggest that’s impossible or a weak message
old. You’d better start a pension”. Apart from Another example: I recently received an e-mail with little emotional connection.
contact details, there was very little body copy with the subject “We miss you and we want There is an important discipline in this: it forces
and it didn’t need it because the message was you back.” That one got straight through my you to think about what the customer wants,
crystal clear to anyone who was in their teens defences. I had to open it. Unfortunately, it was rather than what you’ve got. I regularly see
in the late sixties and early/mid seventies – the from a company I’ve never done business with, adverts and other marketing materials offering -
target audience. It’s worth adding that the demonstrating that you have to target messages all together - biggest range, expertise, bargain
whole topic of pensions is deeply unsexy. carefully (and manage your database properly) price, immediate delivery, best quality. I’m
Encapsulated in that example are two or all the emotional connection on earth is confident that the businesses doing this are
fundamentals of good communication: simplicity wasted. sincere (although I can’t see how they make a
and emotional engagement. All the good The Barclays example has a musical theme
salesmen I’ve ever met or worked with achieved which is a great way to make the emotional
continued over
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