Introduction
Before you begin the marketing process and sell yourself, it can be helpful to have a clear understanding of the three marketing strategy concepts Reach, Message and Frequency, and how these translate into job search startups. Like any marketing department in a business, you will want to determine how to reach, communicate, impress and influence potential customers (employers).
Reaching out to as many contacts as possible, communicating a strategic message to each of your contacts, and repeating that message often is not easy; all of these efforts that you control are leading to interviews and job offers.
The principle of Reach
The first principle, Reach, directs the company or sales/marketing department to reach as many buyers (or those who influence the purchase) as possible through a variety of means. One of your primary marketing goals is to reach as many buyers (employers) interested in your product as possible. So the first challenge you are presented with is to identify between 8 and 14 new contacts per day. Sounds like a lot? In the chapter on networking, we will give you suggestions on how to generate a large number of contacts and keep them. When reviewing their efforts, many successful job seekers make a direct link between the number of contacts they get and the number of interviews they get.
The principle of the Message
Companies spend millions of dollars just to write and communicate the right message to ensure that customers will call back, respond favorably and buy their products.
Your message, delivered continuously to contacts and hiring managers, can be divided into two parts:
- a statement of your functional identity (I am a corporate trainer…), followed by the various marketable core competencies you are “selling” (…including significant experience in leadership development, performance management and team building)
- a clear statement that allows a contact to understand what you are asking for: “I am looking for names of people who work in the field of organizational training” or “I am hoping to meet with you briefly to get your thoughts on key financial services companies in the …. area” or “I am looking for names of recruiters who specialize in manufacturing techniques…”
Your messages will be delivered in three different ways:
- verbal communication (by phone);
- written communication (networking application letters, cover letters, resumes, direct approach letters, emails)
- face-to-face communication
The principle of the Frequency
This concept indicates that people need to have things repeated several times if they are to remember them. The best sales representative stays in constant contact with customers and prospects. In fact, it has been estimated that only 20% of sales representatives make six sales visits to the same customer; however, 80% of sales are made on or after the sixth visit. Essentially, the most successful sales representatives are persistent. They know that people remember things over and over again.
Notoriety of the first mentioned
Your goal is to ensure that people remember you and your message. You want to build brand awareness. This phrase is used in marketing to describe the following objective: you want customers of a particular product to remember the company’s brand name first when faced with a purchase decision. For example, when you think of toy batteries, what manufacturer brand comes to mind? Eveready? Duracell? How about tires? Michelin? Goodyear?
The bottom line is that you want and need to be recognized now and in the future, and you need to build the first name recognition that links your name to your career. For example, job seeker Pierre Dexter wants his network to remember three things:
Pierre Dexter———Product Manager———Medical Devices
If you are effective in establishing your reputation from the first mentioned, then your contacts will remember you and pass on winning prospects during your job search and possibly in the years to come.
REACH + MESSAGE + FREQUENCY = AWARENESS OF THE FIRST MENTIONED