Cats and dogs are different from each other. Those who think they are the same have probably owned neither. I have owned both – or I should say, I have owned dogs and the cat allowed me to live in the house with her. Some people are like dogs and some are like cats. Anyone who thinks that everyone is the same has probably not dealt with a lot of people. Marketing to people is a lot like managing cats and dogs: you have to know who you’re dealing with.

My dogs are pretty friendly beings. They greet me when I come home, love to be near me when I sit down, want my attention and a little affection. They are fairly easy to please – scratch them on the head, feed them, let them out and play fetch now and then. They do have their moments of impetuousness. If a rabbit happens to run outside or they sense another animal has left a mark in our yard, they can’t help but give chase, growl and bark. They like their space to be absent of traces of any other animals. However, for the most part, they live a pretty simple and happy life.

The cat, on the other hand, acts as if I don’t exist. Even though she is totally dependent upon me to feed, house, clean out her litter box, etc., the cat expects it all to happen because she truly thinks she is running the show. The dogs come running to eat the moment I put food out. The cat will eat on her own timetable. The dogs will go lie down when I tell them to, the cat will find her place when she is good and ready.

Are your customers cat people or dog people? Some people are rather easy to please. You determine what they need, supply it to them and they are grateful. Those are the people you want to market to. Other people are a bit more difficult to deal with. They want everyone to know the show runs through them and their opinion is much more important than yours. They may show disinterest in your brand. In marketing, it is important that you know your customers very well. You have to know enough about them to understand how they think. Why is that important? Because marketing is built to draw people to a sale and if you don’t know who you are dealing with, you will likely fail at this very important task.

You want to find the dog people in marketing. They are the ones who will buy what you are selling. Likely you are dealing with a mixture of cat and dog people, and given a specific role, they could be one or the other. Let me explain. There are key people in every targeted customer group that carry influence. If you sell a product that can be defined by a demographic marker (age, gender, marital status, geography, annual income, etc.), you should find out how those key people think. For instance, my wife does the majority of the shopping for household items in our family. Most women do (despite advances in women’s rights, this still holds true in marketing). My wife is much more likely to respond to your marketing for a sale on potatoes; I would be aloof if you tried to do the same for me. She would be like our dogs and I would be like our cat in that situation. On the other hand, I keep a close eye on the investment markets and she does not. If you were selling securities, you would get much closer to a sale if you marketed to me than her. It is not that she is disinterested in investing wisely – she cares a great deal - just not enough to check a stock ticker throughout the day.

Successful marketing takes into account who you are targeting. You are looking for the dog people – those who will easily buy into your brand. You need to stay clear of cat people with your marketing. Dogs and cats are different beings. So are people. Apply that to your marketing strategies.