“Times A Million” Doesn’t Work
If you can't interest a prospective donor in one needy child in Africa, what do you do?
If you answer: multiply that child by one million to underscore the gravity of the situation … you're wrong!
If you can't interest a donor in saving $400 or $800 or $1000 a year, while polluting less, by driving a more fuel efficient car, what do you do?
If you answer: show them the billions of gallons of gas saved if all Americans drove the more efficient car … you're wrong again!
So says primo marketer Seth Godin in this post.
His point is that consumers and prospects get lost, lose interest when gaps in space and time appear. They only respond to the here and now.
As he puts it: “All marketers who whine about the distant do is annoy people. At least the people who don't care about the distant. They don't get “times a million” math, and repeating it with frequency isn't going to help much.”
So, he advises: “The closer an issue is to the purchaser, the easier it is to use it with impact … The way to sell the distant is to make it immediate.”
We agree 99% with Godin's advice. Just one addendum.
Yes, “here and now” problem+solution+personal impact is the best approach to prospects. But when the scale of the problem is indeed huge, as the prospect well knows, many donors will be additionally motivated by feeling a sense of solidarity and community with others.
We'd say, lead strongly with here and now, but don't neglect most donors' desire to belong to something bigger.
Roger & Tom
Behavioral Science Q & A
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