I have to admit, these two blog posts made me chuckle and cringe at the same time: First Leslie Burns posted Dating No. 1 on why marketing is like dating.  Problem number one – the focus was on what people smell like.  So, John Harrington posted Marketing is NOTHING like Dating.

What’s funny is that both missed the most common analogy between marketing/sales and dating.  They’re both right, by the way, but both missed the main point.

So, what’s the purpose of marketing?

The purpose of every marketing piece should be to set up the sale.  Not everyone is ready to buy right now, so marketing takes on different forms.

• Educational Marketing – some prospects don’t even know they need your product/service.  So, in this case your marketing has to educate them on what they’re missing, what their problem is, etc.
• Nurture Marketing – a huge part of marketing is all about creating and developing a relationship.  Just as in any relationship, it needs to be nurtured.  A good follow-up campaign that continues to add value for the prospect will do wonders in any business.
• Desire Marketing – to get people to actually act and buy, marketing MUST create and capitalize on desire.  If not, your marketing is in vain.

Marketing must happen in that order.  Your prospects will be found along a continuum between the need for education and a state of desire.  Its a relationship continuum.  That’s why marketing and sales are often compared to dating.  If you try and take someone who is in need of education and SELL them on the spot, they’ll be turned off (this is the equivalent of asking for marriage on the first date).  But, once they’ve moved along the continuum, they’ve been nurtured and the desire is there, the sale is naturally the next step (the same way that marriage is the natural next step after an appropriate dating period – its expected).

Look at your marketing closely.  Does it take people along the continuum of education -> nurturing -> creating desire?  If so, your return on your marketing investment will be much better.  AND, don’t forget to ask for the business once someone has reached the end of that continuum.  Capitalize on the desire that you’ve created.

Photo Credit: Daniel E Bruce