Showing Off My Chauvinism

Yesterday, I wrote about how my marketing chauvinism needed to be corrected. Just because I’ve been teaching marketing for over 30 years doesn’t mean everybody agrees that marketing is the best thing ever. Especially if they haven’t been in MY classroom.

And I need to remember that, with each intro to marketing class that I teach.

That no matter how many times I teach that course, the students in the seats might never have heard this material before.

And it’s also possible – somehow – that those in the room don’t think that this information is as important or exciting or even as necessary as I think it is.

And that is a huge marketing lesson in itself.

Even if we’re not talking about marketing.

Just because we love our ideas, our products, our art, or our elegant and boldly illustrated lecture on market segmentation or influencer strategy, there are others who might not feel the same way.

And many others, as my friend so clearly illustrated that evening, at that moment might genuinely not know what we’re even talking about.

Keep this in mind when developing the marketing plan, the strategy and tactics for sharing your offering, no matter what it might be:

– You need to know your audience and the needs of each member

– What problem of theirs will your ideas help solve?

– Do they even realize this?

– If not, how will you educate them?

– Will the value of your offering (the relationship between price and quality and the price you’re asking them to pay – monetary or otherwise -) be clear to them?

– How will you communicate this value?

– How can your customers acquire your offering?

Then share your knowledge, your skill, your gifts, with others. Trade value for value.

What do you think?

See you tomorrow!

#marketing #students #teaching #share