Are You A Pelican Marketer?

by Willie Crawford

Watching the pelicans catch fish near my house reminded me of how some online marketers behave. These pelicans fly high over the water where the unknowing fish don't notice them. The pelicans spot a big fish and dive at high speed into the water. A few seconds later the pelican surfaces and gulps down the fish.

There's only one problem with the way this particular species of pelican fishes. Their method eventually leads to their demise. You see, as the pelican dives into the water at high speed, intensely focusing on the target fish, he is damaging his eyes. Eventually, these pelicans go blind, then they starve to death.

There are other water bird that slowly swim along, and when then spot a fish, they dive for it and seem to have just as much success as the pelicans at getting a meal. Their tried and true method provides them with a nice meal too. Swimming along looking for fish rather than flying above the water has other hazards, but they don't blind themselves in the process of getting a meal!

Many online marketers, are "pelican marketers." They fly high above the market place looking for an unaware victim or prospect. Then they swoop down forcefully and offer them a product or service that the marketer really doesn't even believe in. He eats that day, he makes a profit. However, in the process he often destroys all possibilities of repeat sales. He burns the bridge to future business, in effect "putting out his own eyes."

The non-pelican marketer knows that to enjoy a steady lifetime of fish, he needs to do 2 things:

1) He needs to make sure he offers his customers and prospects things that will really improve their lives. He needs to serve the customer rather than using him.

2) He needs to develop a marketing system, or plan that isn't centered around one-shot sales. Instead, he needs to develop a line of products that provide him with a steady stream of orders from the same customers. How do you do this? You develop a stream of products that all solve your target market's problems.

Using pelican marketing - not developing long-term relationships with your customers, means that you must constantly search for new customers. For long-term business success, it's much more profitable to focus most of your energy on serving existing customers. Then instead of seeking new customer full-time, you spend a small portion of your time prospecting. The majority of your customers will come from repeat business and referrals from your happy existing customers.

Examine your marketing efforts today. Ask yourself if you're a pelican marketer. If you are, open your eyes to the fact that this will likely lead to your ultimate demise. This is a fact of life for the pelican marketer. This is a fact of life for the pelican. The only really old pelicans I ever see are those that hang around fishing piers receiving handouts from sympathetic fishermen.