Sometimes You Can’t Scream Over The Competition
When you sell a product or service, one of your key battles is jockeying for your clients' attention. We are in the midst of a busy, busy attention economy and sometimes we don't have loud enough voices to simply scream over the competition.
 
That's why I tell the folks that I coach that there are other ways to win the war for your clients' attention. There are ways to cut through all the noise, like being edgy, doing the unexpected, and finding creative paths into your potential clients’ consciousness.

The Problem: Too Much Inventory
I faced a daunting situation many years ago when I had my own retail men's clothing store.

So was the case one early Autumn: I had the right merchandise but way too much of it. See, fall isn't exactly "sale" season; in fact, it's more-often-than-not "full price" season.  And I was getting nervous. With inventory high, I was heading toward overstocked at way too fast a clip.

I needed to "bring 'em in," get customers through the door, and give them a reason to do it now.  Simply put, I needed a Washington Birthday's Sale in September.

The Solution: Martha Washington
I did some research about the time of year and discovered a detail I nearly overlooked. Martha Washington's Birthday was right around the corner.  Aside from "revolutionary" good pricing, I added a band in my emptied storefront window and had them play songs like Yankee Doodle Dandy in addition to favorites by Paul Revere and the Raiders...anything to get people through the door.

The store stayed open until midnight. My brother, dressed like Uncle Sam, handed out gifts and favors all night long. For one night, it was more than a men's retail store: it was a party, a happening, a next-day-water-cooler story in the making.

And it was all thanks to Martha.

The volume was brisk. The margin: better than anticipated. The attention, the newcomers, the happy and enthusiastic customers: it was all a thrill and a rush.

What’s Your Martha Washington’s Birthday Sale? Get Creative!
I share the story with you simply to demonstrate that sometimes you need to be edgy when preparing your arsenal in this war for attention. Sometimes our ideas stick, sometimes they don't. But the important thing is to think strategically about ways to cut through the clutter and to try something new.  

Otherwise, just lay down your sword, wave the white flag, and get used to the fact that the British are coming. Because in this economy, behind every great man, there's a great woman's birthday ready to be unearthed and celebrated.

I always tell my clients, "sometimes you gotta get in the door; get noticed; then you can sell yourself or your product."

Opportunity Knocks
My Dad was so ahead of his time with regard to this mantra. He owned and operated a full-service, truly-customer-care store in a small town in Western Pa, sort of a  Mom and Pop store, carrying work clothes, dry goods, hunting gear, some men's and women's wear, and Boy Scout uniforms and equipment. 

One November, in the early 1950's he was the first merchant in the area to become aware of, and have in stock, something revolutionary...cutting edge, practical, desirable, the golden ticket of merchandise: men's thermal underwear. 

So, what to do with it? Display it in his window? Run an ad in the local paper? Give it prominent floor space? Yeah, eventually, but not at once...not my Dad.

Getting Attention The Old Fashioned Way
The first thing he did was rent a freezer from a local appliance store, remove its lid, put it on the sidewalk right in front of his store. He hired a high school student, fit him up with some thermals, put him in the freezer, filled the freezer with ice, and placed a large sign next to the kid: I AM WEARING THE NEWEST THERMAL UNDERWEAR. I AM NOT COLD....AND WE'RE THE ONLY STORE THAT HAS IT! 

Here's a "pop"quiz for you: How long did it take for my Dad's stock of long johns to sell out? His next two orders went faster than his first!


Tried and True Is Just Plain Tired
Now, here's what I coach my clients to do when writing cover letters, follow up thank-you letters, answering the standard interview questions: it's ok to be edgy...a little out there. 

I implore sales people, fundraisers, professionals, and anyone with donors, customers, patients or their own, clients, even congregants: tried and true is just tired. Be edgy with style and class. Capture and keep their attention.   Once you have, then, it's your time to fulfill your purpose and achieve your goal.