The Science of Marketing

Have you ever started talking to someone who wasn’t yet tuned in, only to learn that they missed the first half of what you said?  At a cocktail party this is no big deal- you can see the puzzled look on their face, so you rewind and start over.  But out in the market, it is nearly impossible to see that puzzled look, and you often don’t get a second chance to make your point.  This is why market conditioning, that subtle tap on the shoulder we use to get our audience’s attention before we begin our pitch, is so important.

Market conditioning is more important in some markets than others.  If the problem your company solves is well known and extremely painful, there is less conditioning to do.  However, when a problem is lurking beneath the surface or not well understood, this marketing technique is critical.  Imagine a new enterprise software company that can gauge the efficiency of server, storage or network infrastructure utilization.  Nine out of ten IT professionals might say "So what, efficiency isn’t a big deal for me these days."  Instead, let’s say the company first commissions and publicizes a study that finds that inefficient infrastructure utilization causes 40 hours of application downtime for the average enterprise each year.  With this tap on the shoulder, the same audience might be compelled to listen to the same story or even seek out this company’s solution.   

Market conditioning is equally important when there are significant pre-existing objections to a certain technology or architecture.  For example, a telecommunications equipment vendor touting a new short range optical switch might encounter an audience bias against DWDM switching in the access network.  If this objection is prevalent, launching directly into this market could doom a marketing effort before it even begins.  However, by having a well known independent lab validate and publicize the benefits of this approach before the launch, the market is more likely to be receptive to it.

You may have a killer value proposition, but if your audience has its back to you, it’s not yet time to tell them all about it.  Before you start talking, try giving them a little tap on the shoulder.  It’s one way to be sure that they’re ready to listen to what you have to say.  Do I have your attention?

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