Deliberately Displease People For Better Results

For someone who reads alot, I'm a complete idiot when it comes to putting it into action at times.

I've read, and re-read business books. And I really do get the concept of grouping your clients into distinct niches.

But even then, we try to please everyone within that niche.

The big problem I believe is stereo-typing. I work in business-to-business. That means I may perhaps talk to accountants differently to lawyers in a marketing message.

But it's easy to forget that people take off their suit or overalls when they go home. And by and large, they are all people.

My point?

Think of people as people. If you try to please every accountant with what you say, you won't.

They are people too. With individual character traits. Some are cheery. Some are grumpy. Some are sarcastic. Some are straight-laced.

And because people are different, if you try and please everyone with your marketing message and how you package your product or service, you may just fail.

Why aim for indifference with 100% of your audience? Would it be better to have 50% of people loving what you do and the other half hating you?

I've had some amazing criticism for our new web-site. I've even had people bitterly complaining. Even casual visitors who are not even a client.

Why? Because we do some things that people think are "unprofessional". Like being videoed getting pelted with custard pies because we didn't get 100% perfection on a customer satisfaction survey.

I personally can't see what's wrong with a bit of fun. Or self-deprecation. Or being truthful about who we are as people.

Let's face it, the people who don't like it, I probably wouldn't get on with in a private or professional capacity.

I spent too many years building a business on a foundation of trying to be all things to all people.

It failed.

One way to stand out is to be yourself. That way you'll attract clients you like. Repel clients you won't get on with.

Take music. Throw a representative sample of the population in the room.

Play them the current number 1. Play them some classical. Some jazz. Some heavy metal. Punk.

And ask each of them to tick "Love", "Hate", or "Take it or leave it" for each sample you play.

What sort of a spread of answers will you get? Some accountants will love punk. Some students will love jazz.

Me? I'd rather have a third of the market, and every single one of them was an avid fan. I couldn't care less about the people who hate us.

Lately, we've recruited some clients we get on with like a house on fire. They read the web-site in detail. And rejoiced in our self-deprecation, tackiness, and occasional silliness.

Does it mean we do a bad job? To the contrary, we do a better job. But doing a better job isn't good enough if you dilute yourself by trying to appeal to everyone.

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