A Lesson in Birds

We decided to get a bird feeder so we could attract birds to our backyard. We did this after coming back from a trip to Maryland where my wife’s sister had a beautiful backyard always filled with colorful birds. My wife had to have the same. We even managed to bring seed back. Her sister guaranteed the seed would attract the same variety of birds she had.

We set the feeder up, filled it with this magical mixture and excitedly waited for our first feathered friend to drop in. Within days, we had a few birds. Well - we had feathered creatures but not exactly the variety that my sister-in-law had. We had crows, a few scruffy pigeons, and sparrows.

You see where this is going – don’t you? You probably know where we went wrong. We did change the seed and that solved the problem somewhat. The ugly birds stopped coming. In fact, we didn’t get any colorful birds. We got crows. Crows eat anything and because we were desperate, we put out anything - under the thinking that anything is better then nothing.

A check with our local authority on birds revealed the problem. We were using the wrong seed for this area. We didn’t think it mattered, but as it turns out, the right seed for the area and the season is more important than the quantity or the color. It only took us a year. Had we bothered to check our assumptions with a professional we could have saved a lot of time, frustration, and money.

This same issue occurs in marketing:

Stage 1
Many businesses that market are using the wrong seed. Many are also using the wrong feeder. They are setting out massive quantities but getting mundane results. The conclusion they eventually come to is: Direct marketing does not work

Stage 2
Now, in quiet desperation - they resort to passive ads, relying on the advice of a inexperienced salesperson who lives on commissions, shoving ads spots in every nook and cranny that the salesperson directs them to. Passive marketing is easier, but costly. (The law of large numbers.) It’s true that the owners do not have to deal with the rejections, but they also get very little feedback. When passive marketing doesn’t work, the conclusion is – no marketing works. We will stick to word of mouth marketing.

Final stage
“The economy is at fault.” “I was given bad advice.” “My people are not selling, I need new people.” I can’t get enough supplies, the competition is heavy, that new ‘Wall’s are U’ is killing me with their slick ads and low prices – I can’t compete.” Later that night – “Maybe it’s not such a good business after all. Maybe I should just close the doors.” Bill say's I can work with him.

If you find yourself lost in your marketing – you’re frustrated, or if your marketing has reached a stalemate, call me. My numbers on my website at http://www.write4me.biz/
Am I good at what I do?
I think so. I got you this far, and if this letter did it’s job - I have you thinking. The next step is a non-committal conversation. You tell me what you want to accomplish, then we will discuss how to get there.

By the way, today my backyard overflows with a wonderful variety of birds. With a slight change in seed and an eye on the seasonal changes, I attract a wide variety of birds. I am never bored. I never run out of birds and seed is cheap in comparison to the rewards I receive. Think about it.
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Copyright 2008 - Gary A. ClarkGary Clark is a Freelance Commercial Writer and Web Content writer who for 25 years has been both a Consultant and instructor of Small Business Entrepreneurship. He can be reached by e-mail at GAClark@Write4me.net, or by phone at 719-536-0505- Mon thru Fri / 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (MST)