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Mind Capture

By Tony Rubleski
President & Author,
Mind Capture Group
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Questions are powerful when used effectively. They engage the mind. They get us to think differently. A great question can change our entire destiny and view of the world and those around us. In this column I’ll focus on a question that I ask many of my top clients to think about when establishing marketing initiatives to guide their business to even greater success and positive breakthroughs.

In today’s competitive economy, the challenge plaguing far too many people and organizations is that many of them continue to ask the wrong questions when it comes to the marketing of their product or services. Oftentimes the questions are based on a reactionary and fear based perspective in relation to what their competition think are acceptable and long-held industry norms or ways of doing business.

I still remember as if it were just yesterday the first time I went to a private boot camp many years ago in Cleveland with direct marketing legend Dan Kennedy, and he asked us the following question: “How many industry norms can you violate or turn upside down when it comes to marketing?” Provocative? You bet your life. Shocking to many in the room? Yes, and here’s why: To be a contrarian is often uncomfortable and risky in the eyes of many. Most people have been conditioned to play it safe and blindly follow in lock step with what everyone else does within their industry to market and promote.

Now, I’m not advocating breaking the law by any means, what I’m driving at is pushing the envelope in your marketing to distance yourself and clearly stand out from what fellow marketing consultant Glenn Dietzel describes as the ‘sea of greater sameness’ which is a bad place to be in relation to your marketing.

Let me go back and remind you of the definition of Mind Capture and several key characteristics related to the customer of today before I reveal the BIG marketing question you should ask in regards to marketing for your business in 2011.

Mind Capture: The ability to stand out, get attention and win new business in a world with too many choices and demands placed on people’s time.

The entire foundation of my books, writing, consulting and training is that if you cannot quickly establish Mind Capture within the eyes of key prospects you will have a very challenging time growing your business for the long haul. The marketplace the last few years has severely punished mediocrity and businesses that frankly are taking up space. In addition, in the age of instant online search and impatient customers, the ability to impress and quickly win over jaded prospects is of massive importance.

Here is what I describe as Six Key Characteristics of the 21st Century Customer that most people still fail to address or quickly skip over when it comes to increasing the odds of having their marketing register within the crowded battlefield of commerce.

#1. The customer of today is extremely cynical. People are burned out with heavy-handed sales pitches.

#2. They are empowered and smarter than ever. In the age of search, Google is either your friend or your digital enemy.

#3. They are bombarded with 3000+ marketing messages per day. It’s a noisy freeway to capture fleeting attention when messages are everywhere you turn.

#4. They are smarter than ever. A world of information and reviews pertaining to any product or service is easily accessible via a click of the keyboard or from any wireless mobile phone.

#5. They are excellent at tuning out marketing messages. With all the daily noise of messages, it’s even more imperative that smart marketer’s refine down and focus on the best prospects possible for what they provide. “Spray and pray” style marketing is foolish and expensive.

#6. They are time starved. People are experiencing what I call “digital sensory overload” as the game of commerce continues to speed up. Multi-tasking is cool, but presents a huge challenge for keeping people’s ever-fleeting attention for long periods of time.

The big marketing question to ask yourself

What will you do new this coming year in your marketing to stay relevant and build Mind Capture? If you’re planning on doing the same old same old because you had a good year, I urge you to resist getting comfortable or complacent. If you had a challenging year, this question should serve as a powerful wakeup call that you must do many things differently within your marketing to rebound and have any shot at growing in the coming year.

The question above isn’t designed to scare you, but actually do the opposite: inspire you. For example, in our business there is a particular segment for my speaking services that we’ll be employing a new direct mailing and video campaign to target, which will easily get attention, new opportunities and bottom line, more business. Now that I’m off the road and making final plans for our 2011 marketing plan, we can map out the promotion, timeline and steps to begin deployment. It will be fun to watch the results and reaction we get within this industry as we intend to “crash the party” with a loud boom and set people on notice that we’re here and can solve major problems this industry faces.

Where to apply The Big Marketing Question?

The three best areas to apply The Big Marketing Question are listed below, along with why each of these areas is important to apply within your business.

#1. In the new customer acquisition process. I’ve often said that predictability in your marketing equals death. If I were to create a seventh characteristic of the 21st century customer to be aware of, here it is: they are bored easily! Yes, keep your steady horses in the new customer acquisition process working, but for sure add in and test at least one or two new ways to generate leads within your business. The danger is to become too reliant on one form of lead generation to keep your business humming. Always employ multiple lead doors to keep new customers coming into your sales funnel.

#2. In follow-up communications with customers and prospects. One of my biggest pet peeves is when businesses do little if any follow up with their customers. This is a HUGE problem for a variety of reasons including the fact that if you aren’t regularly in touch with customers and prospects you are missing out on new and repeat business. In addition, if an aggressive competitor shows up more often than you, then the temptation in the eyes of your customer or prospect is to take them up on a promotion or trial-offer. If this happens and they outperform, but more importantly out-market you, you risk losing them as a customer at some point in the future.

#3. In follow up communications with key referral partners. The old adage “out of sight, out of mind” is a dangerous spot to be in these days. Why more business and non-profit groups don’t have a retention schedule for staying in touch with key advocates and referral partners is baffling. If your biggest fans and advocates don’t hear from you often, they don’t think of you, and bottom line, they don’t refer you as many people they could or should be. The choice is yours.

I advocate that a retention plan employs both electronic and direct mail follow up. In addition, special updates and announcements should be layered in throughout the year for top of mind awareness (TOMA) to combat message overload and to register that your business is doing relevant and exciting things. MSS

Bestselling author Tony Rubleski is the president of Mind Capture Group based in Spring Lake. His third book titled, MIND CAPTURE: How to Awaken Your Entrepreneurial Genius in a Time of Great Economic Change was released via Amazon.com in January 2011. For feedback and/or column ideas he can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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