Operation Marketing Freedom
Todays guest author is John Durfee. John finds many of the principles he learned in the military are ones that he uses in the business world.
Marketing Artillery A Soldiers Perspective
The freedom aspect of Operation Iraqi Freedom officially started after the US invasion of Iraq and we found out there werent any Weapons of Mass Destruction. The mission turned from a matter of finding WMDs to rebuilding a broken society and infrastructure. We turned from a fighting force to one that suddenly had be reflective of how we appeared, how we acted, and to get the message across that our actions were for the benefit of the local Iraqi people. In a way, we had to market ourselves to the Iraqis and succeed, if a goal of long term sustainable peace and development we started would take root. The lessons I learned in trying to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis is directly applicable to the modern day marketing, where youre winning the hearts and minds of your customer populous.
Gaining Their Trust
Its hard to gain the trust of a population when you and your tanks and Humvees have been airlifted from halfway across the world and an unseen enemy is always around you. But we had to gain their trust. We started by offering small things at first, acts of kindness or helping repair or build old wells, bridges and roads, without asking anything in return. In very much the same way you have to entice and bring in new customers by promoting heavily without expecting much in return. Have a sale, have freebies, give free shipping. This is part of a campaign in a starting business where investment is heavy, but short term returns can be low. You need to think of the long term because if youve successfully implemented your plan, youve caught your customers attention, and can move onto more meaningful interactions.
Im Your Partner
In any interaction you show that youre working with your customer, that you understand them. On duty, we didnt start building and repairing and implementing infrastructure based on how we thought it should be, all of our actions were localized and based on the information gathered from tribal leaders, from the source. In that same vein, never assume what you think is best, send out a survey, get a focus group. A small amount of real consumer data is worth more than a ton of marketing theory Our long term interests might have been different. In Iraq it was long term national US security, for the Iraqis it was a chance to improve their living conditions and government. In a retail setting we want profits, while the customer wants a good deal and a smooth transaction. Just as long as you show youre willing to meet their needs, you create that bridge. The way to a lasting relationship is repeating that cycle of trust building and following through. As a marketer, you do this through offers, interactions, customized email notifications. You need to make them feel that you are a friend, not only a salesman.
About John Durfee John Durfee is an Operation Freedom War veteran and a manager for Airsplat, the nations largest retailer of Airsoft Guns including Spring Airsoft Rifles.
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