It’s Not Your Customer’s Job To Remember You

It's not your customer's job to remember you. It's your responsibility to ensure they don't have a chance to forget you – or worse, ignore you.

"Field of Dreams," a film about an Iowa farmer (Kevin Costner), who hears a mysterious voice in his cornfield saying, "If you build it, he will come," came out in 1989. That was 33 years ago!

Yet many people still go into business, create content, or launch products, assuming that "if they build it, they will come."

The harsh truth is that none of us are entitled to any customers. And no, the quality of your work, the superiority of your products, and your team's talent, knowledge, and experience will not sell themselves.

Customers have more options available at their fingertips than ever before. And there's always someone with better work, better products, and a better team.

So how do you get your customer to remember or even notice you?

Clarify your message

More options don't always equal better options. Instead, options equal noise, and your audience is drowning in a sea of it. Cut through that noise by making your customer the focus of your content.

• Talk about what's getting in their way
• Give voice to their frustrations, concerns, and fears
• Tell them how your product/service will make their lives better
• Tell them what actions they need to take to get to the other side

Repeat consistently

As Donald Miller says, "Marketing is an exercise in memorization." And memorization is an exercise of repetition. Branding is an exercise in creating a cohesive, consistent experience for your customer.

Together, they help create mental shortcuts in your customer's mind, increasing the chances of your customer recalling your brand during specific buying situations.

Leverage buying triggers

Speaking of buying situations, the 95-5 Rule states that 95% of your potential customers are not ready to buy. So you can spend chunks of time and money trying to get in front of them, but they're not going to take action until they're ready.

So unless you have money to burn, you need to be smarter about your marketing. One way to do that is by leveraging buying triggers.

A buying trigger is simply an event that causes a buyer to have a clear need, which usually converts into a sense of purpose and urgency in their buying process.

Make a list of the different events or scenarios related to your industry that would trigger a need for a potential customer to reach out to you.

Remember, there's a difference between "I need to solve this problem" and "I need to solve this problem NOW."

Be the guide, not the hero

It's tempting to want to be the hero who comes and saves the day. But the critical thing to remember is that you're not the hero of this story; the customer is. And their journey doesn't revolve around you.

Instead, you should consider your company as the customer's guide: giving them the tools and resources they lack, then showing them the path to victory.

Work with your sales and marketing teams to map your customer's buying journey. List the opportunities for your company to join their story. Then, focus your marketing and branding efforts on those pivotal moments.

Companies that participate in their customer's transformation are the ones that get remembered and win.

Reserve Your Seat The LiveStream Messaging & Marketing Workshop

If you want to learn how to clarify your message, leverage buying triggers, and be the guide, not the hero, I've got an amazing workshop coming up on September 19–21, 2023 that will teach you to do just that.

Business leaders who get coached by me walk away with greater clarity, an action plan, and the kind of confidence in their messaging and marketing that captivates an audience and compels them to do business with you. Reserve your seat today!