Between the Random

Making Connections

Last year the American Marketing Association came out with an updated definition of "marketing."

Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

Huh?  Funny that a marketing association couldn't find a better way to define their own activity.

At lunch today, I decided on my own definition.  "Marketing is making connections."  It's finding the products that connect with the market.  And it's finding ways to connect people to the product.  It speaks of the activity in terms of a relationship.  That seems just about right when the experience of your product is at least as important as the product itself.

Marketing is making connections.  I do marketing.  But I think I'll be able to do it better holding on to this simple expression.  It won't let me forget about the relationship.

Slap Me

Someone slap me if I get to the point where I don't care when a new customer pays attention to me. 

I was recently blown away by the work of an artist.  This guy makes remarkable seem stale.  So I sent him an  email to see if he was interested in my business.

A representative responded:

"Thank you for your email. Unfortunately Peter is too busy to answer his emails but I am sure that he will appreciate your response to his work."

Survey says?  XXX   I don't think he'd appreciate my response anymore.  And oddly enough, his art is losing its appeal.

We frame the first dollar and befriend our first customers.  I wonder at what point people become distractions.  My hunch is that for many, they were never the priority to begin with!