If you only had 20 seconds to persuade someone to buy your products and services, what would you say or do to convince them to do so?

Some people would focus on a low price. If you bid lower than the person was expecting, the potential customer would see your offerings as a bargain. They would be foolish not to bite on your offer. Others might focus on the high quality of your products and services, figuring that if you could outshine the competition, the prospect would see a clear distinction and declare that you had the best product on the market. Another person may try to get consumers to buy by limiting your products and services and creating a scarcity that would cause them to clamor for your brand. Buy now or lose out! A fourth option might be to convince the person that your products were trendy and everyone was buying your brand. To do so would keep them on the inside of the cool circle; to not do so would be to find themselves on the outside looking in.

What works best if you have to convince someone to buy from you in such a short time? In answering that, I want to tell you a story about my garden. Something was in my garden tearing up the plants earlier this season. I was not sure what it was, but it was destroying some of my best vegetables. Shortly after the plants started growing, they would wither and die. I was not sure what was doing it. We have rabbits in our neighborhood. For a while, I blamed the rabbits. We also have deer come into our yard now and then. I blamed the deer as well. Then I noticed very small holes in the garden. They were round and very close to the plants that were withering. Something was digging in the roots. What was it? A mouse? A chipmunk? I set a trap and baited it for a mouse with cheese. No luck. I put an acorn on my trap for a chipmunk. I still didn’t catch anything. Finally, I read about vols. They are kind of like moles and kind of like mice. They burrow under plants to eat the roots. They eat tender shoots as they first start to grow. They also like seeds. Guess what happened when I baited the trap with sesame seed? I got my vol and my garden was free from the varmint destroying my plants.

What does this have to do with marketing? In order to effectively market your brand, particularly in a short amount of time, you first have to know what you are trying to catch. Define the market. Next, you have to use the right bait. People are fickle. This is a lesson many corporations have learned the hard way when they have taken a hard stand socially and have lost their customer base. There are certain lines you dare not cross with your target market. Do you know those lines? If not, figure it out! Engage your customers in conversation. Study their habits. Finally, you have to know what time it is. Is your target market ready to buy? Every market has times when they are more inclined to buy. Timing is very important in marketing. Try to catch a vol in the winter and you will have trouble because they hibernate. The best time to catch a vol is when you are in the growing season and they are active. The same is true of your customers. When are they most active? You will have a much better time turning a sale with your marketing in such times.

Could you make a new customer in 20 seconds? Your marketing could work if you have defined your target market, approached them in a way they find acceptable but appealing, and you get to them when they are in the mood to buy.