As a Ted Talk viewer (and somewhat participant in its forums) it’s usual to hear speakers talk about an ample number of issues, discoveries, ideas, etc. But this one really stuck with me http://www.ted.com/talks/william_ury.html and although Ury’s take on negotiation skills are directed to political conflicts, as a compulsive marketer, my mind automatically traveled to direct marketing.
Perhaps this kind of marketing is the toughest one out there. Who likes people knocking on their door, calling them at 7am on a Saturday morning or spamming away their inbox? I personally hate that. But taking the other side of that door, call or computer screen, that direct marketer is an unappreciated artist.
After all those No’s, they still get a response (even as low as it might come out to be). That person is a true negotiator. He or she is the one to add the 18th camel to solve the 17 camel problem.
Perhaps direct marketing is something that is slowly evolving into something else. A much more interesting alternative: interactive marketing. It’s no longer about a person coming to you. It’s about you looking everywhere in the web for something you want; be it entertainment, work, travel, you name it.
In a tricky way, although marketing is now about the customer, it’s actually the customer who chooses whom to listen to. Thus, the consumer seeks. Actively getting involved. Direct Marketing reversed? Perhaps…