If you are on Facebook, maybe you're seeing people post political statements. If you live in swing state, as I've witnessed with some of my traveling lately, you are getting bombarded with TV ads, Radio ads and billboards.

Maybe you are one of these politically passionate people... maybe not.

... If you are politically passionate, I hope you are as passionate about your business.

... If you are NOT politically passionate, I hope all your passion is wrapped up in your family, friends and business.

Here is quick tip for using the politically chaos to get a marketing leg up on your competition...

The key to great marketing is to... understand how your target market thinks, acts, behaves, talks, words they use and conversations they have inside their own head.

The hard part about this is as humans, we wired to be ego-centric. It's a protective mechanism. It's for survival. We focus on ourself and our ideas.

Conversations don't actually involve one person talking and the other person listening.

Conversations are one person talking while the other person waits impatiently for their turn to talk.

To work at getting better at listening, to sharpen those marketing skillz, start listening... no matter how uncomfortable... listen to the opposing ideas right now.

You a right-wing conservative, watching Fox News and listening to Glenn Beck all day?

Spend some time watching MSNBC and reading the New York Times. Find out their perspective. The words they use. Who is advertising to them and how?

You a bleeding-heart liberal, and consider Chris Matthews a rational man?

Watch Fox. Read the Wall Street Journal.

Discover their thought process. The fears and concerns of guests and people interviewed. Who is advertising on Fox News vs your normal MSNBC channel?

Think this is crazy... mayhaps.

But I feel one of the greatest skillsets you can develop is not just the ability to shutup and listen... but to listen and to truly understand.

Once you understand, you can influence.

And marketing and sales is all about influence.

 

Stay Productive | Keep Focused | Be Consistent -- Darin Persinger