By Katrina Olson
This article originally appeared on tedmag.com on April 22, 2016.
At last year’s NAED AdVenture marketing conference, a whopping 60 percent of attendees were female, and approximately 43 percent were under age 36.
Contrast that with the demographics of electrical contractors.
The average age of the electrical contractor is 56.2, according to Electrical Contractor magazine’s 2014 Profile of the Electrical Contractor. And you probably won’t be surprised to learn that women hold only one percent of all electrician jobs, according to 2009 Census data.
“How do I market to people who are very different from me?”
A good marketer gets to know their customers, inside and out—who they are, what keeps them up at night, and how they make decisions. By understanding customers’ concerns, buying habits, attitudes, preferences and behaviors, you’ll get a feel for what kinds of media and messages they’ll respond to. Along the way, you’ll also learn about trends in their businesses and industry.
“How do I learn more about my customers?”
Following are seven ways you can find out what makes your customers tick. Some are pretty easy; others are more involved. But all should yield valuable insights..
1. Read your customers’ trade publications.
Most industries have trade association and publications. Health Facilities Management, Facilities Manger, Facility Management Decisions, Electrical Contractor, and Buildings and Electrical Contractor are just a few.
2. Join online groups.
Is there a LinkedIn group or social media platform where your customers and prospects hang out? Observe without participating or commenting to learn what’s important to them.
3. Ask your salespeople.
If you can’t talk directly to customers, talk to those who do. Counter staff, inside sales, outside sales, and customer service representatives can give you insight into what your customers care about.
4. Attend company events.
Get out from behind your desk or computer and attend counter days, workshops, training sessions, and other opportunities to get to know your customers. Try to uncover your customers’ hot buttons and pain points.
5. Contact customers directly.
Call or email some of your key customers and ask specific questions—like how they want to learn about new products and services. Or take them out to lunch. Explain that you want to better understand their business so you can better serve them.
6. Conduct a short survey.
Curious about what media your customers are consuming? Want to know what social media platforms they’re using? Wondering how much they use their smartphones? Ask them!
7. Host a focus group or customer advisory council.
To get honest feedback about what your customers think, conduct a focus group or establish a customer advisory council that meets every year. Rotate members out every few years to get fresh perspectives. (To make sure you get candid comments, hire an outside facilitator and leave the room.)
How can I apply this knowledge to be a better marketer?
Here’s an example. The electrical contractor’s role is evolving as they become more heavily involved in design and specification. Also, building systems are becoming more integrated and interdependent, using data hubs that communicate with each other. All systems are tied together; so all the products must be compatible with each other.
As a result, electrical contractors may look to you for comprehensive solutions, not just individual products. Electrical contractors will also rely more heavily on the electrical distributor’s expertise to help them choose the right products for both new and existing systems.
This knowledge should change the way you position and brand your company, and the way your salespeople are trained, too. Instead of just selling and marketing products, you’re marketing your staff’s expertise and product knowledge.
The trick is putting yourself in your customer’s and prospect’s shoes. That means not just understanding their wants and needs—but speaking their language. That takes a little more practice. But the more research you do, the easier it gets.
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Olson is a marketing and public relations consultant, and principal of Katrina Olson Strategic Communications. She has written for tED magazine’s print edition since 2005, judged tED magazine’s Best of the Best Competition since 2006, and emceed the Best of the Best Awards ceremony for a total of seven years. She can be reached at Katrina@katrinaolson.com or via her website at katrinaolson.com
I read a Ragan.com article last week that said, “less than 50% of employees in the U.S. report enjoying their jobs.” I love Ragan.com and have even written for them in the past.
But this article made me sad.
The author wrote about toxic workplaces citing difficult people, unrewarding activities and stress. He suggested that hating your job was normal so you should suck it up, be thankful for what you have, and try to make the fulfilling parts of your job more frequent
As I was folding laundry later that night, I thought about this. Last August I left my position as a college professor to pursue a full-time career in consulting, content development and training—because I quit loving my job.
I loved the students, being in the classroom, and sharing my knowledge and experience with these bright young people. I loved getting to pick up my kids from school and spend time with them every afternoon. But that meant I was up until 2 or 3 a.m. most nights grading tests, editing writing assignments and responding to emails
And although I had my students work with real clients, I wasn’t doing what I truly enjoyed: working directly with clients; solving their problems; and tackling those big, ugly, hairy projects that nobody else wants to touch.
Then, during my “laundry moment,” I thought about you.
Are you working at your highest and best potential? Are you doing what you do best? Are you spending most of your time doing what you enjoy?
Or are you bogged down doing work you don’t like—work someone else could do?
Especially if you’re a marketing supervisor, manager, director, or vice president, you have options. You can delegate, outsource or otherwise relinquish those hard, time-consuming and unrewarding activities that don’t fully utilize your abilities.
So here’s my challenge to you.
Figure out what your good at—what you enjoy—and find a way to spend most of your time doing it!
Simple, right?
Simple, but not easy.
Because it means getting comfortable delegating, outsourcing, hiring, trusting, training and above all…relinquishing a little (gasp) control.
No truly capable person likes to be micromanaged. So let go of those activities that you weren’t hired to do—and give responsibility for them to someone else.
They will probably do it differently than you would. And initially, it may take them more time. It might even cost you a little more.
Or will it?
Imagine spending 80-90% of your time managing, directing, or planning—you know, those things you enjoy and are supposed to do, but never have time for?
How much more or faster would your business, your sales, or your company grow if it could truly benefit from your expertise?
The author described four categories of work experience: hate, endure, like and love. Maybe, as the author suggested, it’s “normal” to not love your job.
But do you really want to be “normal”?
I want to love my job. And I’ll bet you do, too.
Life’s too short to not love what you do.
If I can help you move into the “love” category, I’d enjoy the challenge. If you need help with anything marketing—digital or old-school—reach out to me. If I can’t help you, I’ll refer you to someone who can.
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Katrina Olson is a marketing and public relations consultant, freelance writer, content developer, trainer/coach, former college professor, and principal of Katrina Olson Strategic Communications. She can be reached at katrina@katrinaolson.com or via her website at katrinaolson.com.