You listen to rubbish music!

Sorry to be so blunt and disagreeable, but unless you are an opera aficionado or a connoisseur of classical music, you do not appreciate the best that melody and harmony has to offer. You see, regardless of taste, no one could reasonably deny that the most technically talented and chordically gifted singers are those who excel in the operatic genre. And when it comes to the complexities and intricacies of song composition, the scores that Handel, Beethoven and Mozart crafted are infinitely more accomplished and skilful than those of today’s multi-millionaire superstars.

The fact is that Luciano Pavarotti was a better singer than Bruno Mars is, and Maria Callas better than Adele.

The sound of taste & opinion matter...

Of course, none of that actually matters, because taste and personal preference is always the most important thing – especially when it comes to marketing your services. It is the same reason that every week football fans of Premier League teams right down to the Conference will be singing that their team, “is the greatest team the world has ever seen”. No one really believes it (OK, some might) but for those who choose to nail their colours to any particular mast, the reality is far less important than the belief.

If you are in business, particularly in marketing or sales, then you would do well to put this truth at the centre of everything that you do each day. People do not always want the best, they want the things that matter to them: And that always means different things to each person!

You need to listen so you can learn…

As a copywriter, I am always interested in what businesses write on their websites. Each page typically starts with a declaration along the lines of what ‘we’ do. This is followed by statements that profess why ‘we’ are the best at what ‘we’ do, and how ‘we’ give great customer service.

There are two major problems with this approach. Firstly, there is no social proof, engagement, or genuine evidence on offer to prove to the reader that these ‘claims’ are any truer than the ‘claims’ made by their competitors. Words are cheap! Secondly, they show that there has been no thought applied to the audience’s preferences and what they might actually want to hear… Maybe it is a different sound altogether!

This can be like trying to persuade a teenage Taylor Swift fan to give up their adulation and listen to Katherine Jenkins instead. The debate over who is technically better would be a fruitless, probably even a pointless one…

Who do your customers listen to?

Here is my point: I support Reading FC (possibly the greatest team the world has ever seen), and no one could ever persuade me otherwise. Whenever I hear mention of my team, or I meet someone else who supports or appreciates them, I am instantly engaged. And even a supporter of any other team only needs to show that they have a little bit of knowledge or insight into our proud history, potential or players and I’m sold… Do you see what I’m getting at?

You do not need to sell to your customers. Just show them that you have an understanding of, or an interest in what matters to them. Get to know your customers and learn the sounds that will win their ear. Become the voice among the mass of people screaming for their attention that simply says their name. Just like the rest of us, they will hear that one word, however gently spoken, above the din of all the we, we, we crowd… 

You don’t have to be the best, you just have to play the music they like the best.