In 2005, the Main Event of the World Series of Poker had a whopping 5,619 entrants.
But did champion, Joe Hachem devise a plan to defeat each of these opponents? Of course not.
Instead he was focused on one thing – the players at his table.
Within this group, Hachem narrowed his focus even further. He deliberately chose to play against opponents offering him the best chance of taking down the pot with the least amount of risk.
At any given moment, Hachem only had to focus on nine opponents. Eventually, he sat with all the chips and a $7.5 million purse.
Wait a minute, did he win all the chips without having to play against everyone? Exactly.
Are you trying to play with the whole field?
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone wanted what you offer? Then you’d never have to worry about trying to convince anyone to buy from you.
But truth be told, some people are just not interested. And others are not very good candidates to begin with. So why would you bother focusing on them in the first place?
Sometimes more isn’t better
Naturally, we think by reaching more people with our marketing our chances of making the sale increase. In fact, just the opposite is true when you’re speaking to the wrong people. You need to reach more people who fit your target audience. Otherwise you may be wasting a lot of effort.
Wouldn’t you rather increase your chances of playing with the right audience?
If you’re not tailoring your marketing efforts to reach your target audience then you’re definitely not connecting with the people who would gladly pay more for your product or service. And if you’re not connecting with these people, you might as well be feeding quarters into a slot machine hoping to get lucky.
You can’t afford to be splashing chips around blindly like this.
So how do you stop wasting your time and money on ineffective marketing? And how do you start speaking to those who appreciate the value of what you offer?
Stop trying to play with all 5,619 entrants!
Just like Hachem, you must narrow the field. You’ll need to choose the target most likely to give his chips to you, or need what you offer.
Once you’ve found this person, (yes person, not people) you tailor your marketing to him or her specifically. Get inside the mind of this person.
At the table you’d secretly be studying his every move. Watching how he handles his chips. Figuring out his tendencies. How can you convince him to put those yummy clay discs into the pot? By zoning in on this person, you’ll have the edge needed to get those chips pushed toward you.
The good news is you don’t need to be so secretive with your audience. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn just by asking the right questions. Then you can stop trying to guess the best way to reach your audience and meet their needs. You’ll actually know instead. Just by taking the time to speak to a current or potential customer.
But I don’t want to limit my business!
I know you’re hesitant because this concept asks you to essentially forget about most of the people you’ve been trying to reach. But remember, Hachem ended up with all the chips, didn’t he? All because he understood he didn’t need to play with everyone.
By focusing your efforts, you’ll better understand the problems faced by your audience. Instead of making blanket statements, you’ll be speaking directly to your target and offering them the solutions they need. Soon your marketing starts attracting the audience you’ve been looking for.
Won’t I alienate the others?
Absolutely…NOT! In fact, you’ll convert more of your target and also those around the bull’s eye. The only people you lose are the ones you weren’t going to get anyway. It’s like having your appendix removed. It’s a non-loss.
There’s nothing to lose
Just try it. You’re never going to know until you give it a shot. There’s better news too.
It’s simple to give it a try when writing for your own website. You don’t have to worry about digging into your pocket and printing new brochures just yet (although you’ll eventually want to.) Just try some changes to your website copy or write out a new email promotion. Test it.
See for yourself. Write for someone specific. You’ll feel the difference right away.
What have we learned?
Don’t water down your marketing by trying to reach everyone. Choose an ideal prospect and write specifically to him/her. Then you’ll be on your way to building your own massive stack.
And you may just end up with all the chips!
What about you? Have you focused on making your marketing more specific and gotten better results? Let us know in the comments below.