This quick marketing tip, will help you communicate with more people in your marketplace than ever before.
If you have studied marketing, you will know how important it is to be able to communicate your message effectively. That makes sense. It’s no good having something great to say, if you can’t get your point across.
However, a less talked about element of marketing communications, is the importance of being able to understand what your marketplace is saying to you. This has never been more important, now that marketing communications are all about “the conversation” and forming a 2-way dialogue with the marketplace.
The challenge many of us face is that as we become adults, we tend to get set in our ways. We consume the radio, TV, newspapers and websites, which are most aligned to how WE think. This is understandable, but it dramatically limits the richness of our experience. In other words, it narrows our view of the world and what millions of other people are saying and thinking.
Communications tip
If you want to be able to communicate effectively, with a larger percentage of your marketplace, I suggest you try this.
Each day, either listen to, read or watch information that you would normally ignore. Just invest 20 or 30 minutes a day. For example, listen to radio stations, which are directed at people in a different age group to you or read some sites / blogs, written for people with different views to your own. Listen to what they are saying and how they say it. It’s a fascinating experience.
This simple (and enjoyable) exercise also enables you to understand what’s important to other people; their hopes and their fears. I promise you that over time, this simple activity will allow you to communicate more effectively, with more people, from more backgrounds than ever before.
Do you think small businesses are typically good at listening to their marketplace? What has your experience been? Please take a moment to share your feedback!
Photo: Hryck
Hi Jim, Ruts & engrained habits are bad generally for business growth! Not only will the exercise you suggest enable people to communicate more effectively with others – it will also increase their own creativity!
I believe many small business owners only hear what they want to, probably because really listening takes time & effort.
Thanks for a thought-provoking post (as usual!).
LouiseBJ´s last blog ..How to make sure you never forget to follow up
Glad you found it useful Louise. Thanks for stopping by the blog.
Hi Jim – this rings very true. I recently made time to read some different types of books and it’s definitely increased my creativity, enthusiasm and more importantly understanding from another perspective.
Hi Jane. I remember when I was a kid, wondering what happened to adults – to make them keep listening to music from their youth and ignore all the great music of the current time.
Great to hear this approach is already working for you.
Thanks for the comment!!
I like your advice about listening to different radio, and reading different blogs outside of your mindset. It really is an interesting experience. I know there is a whole world of marketing and promo blogs, but who knew all the other worlds out there in the blogging world. Communities all dedicated to this and that… So interesting to step out and see it!
Hi Jim,
Reading this post on my iPhone when I was in London yesterday got me thinking. I reckon it would seriously do me good to immerse myself in different books, TV programmes, films, music from time to time.
The other thing your post did, however, was make me aware of the possibilities that exist in my life already to “listen” that I perhaps don’t take as much advantage of as I could. Sitting in Starbucks, Paternoster Square, but people watching, instead of being wrapped up in my own work and thoughts, I began to feel like a Banker instead of a coach. It was kind of cool! I guessed that was the kind of thing you were talking about?
Thanks again for the prompt!
This is a great tip and practice! I have been trying to do it with people who I don’t see eye to eye with and it really lets you see life from another persons perspective instead of shutting them off right away.
I agree, Thomas.
It’s always easier to ‘get on’ with a wider spread of people, if you have a more diverse stream of inputs.
Thanks for the comment sir!
Kudos, Jim! This is precisely the type of thinking that leads to innovation. Unfortunately, people and organizations are prone to accepting the status quo and failing to try to deviate from it, causing stagnation and lost revenues.
It’s just way too easy to get stuck in a mode of thinking, unless we open up new channels of input.
What I never mentioned in the post, is that it’s also a superb way of gaining great new ideas.
Thanks for the feedback Ari.