Turn Negatives into Positives
Everybody seems to be excited (if not a little worn out) by the ongoing drama of the U.S. presidential election these days, especially the historic campaign of Barack Obama. What can the political maneuvers of politicians teach the small business owner trying to find effective marketing strategies?
Well, to state the obvious, political campaigns, especially in America, are mammoth marketing exercises in and of themselves. But what interests me, especially about Obama, is how skillfully he can manipulate negative perceptions about himself and turn them into positives.
Take one example. In Obama’s memoirs, he candidly admits to being a bit of a wayward youth, even experimenting with drugs. One of the chief (and rather depressing) tactics of political strategists is to dredge up all sorts of negative information about an opponent’s past and use it against him. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had to deal with allegations of drug use in their younger days, and both took a bit of a hit for it, at least in the press. By admitting and explaining this potentially toxic dirt from his past, Obama neutralized it and removed its power over him. He also appeared, by being honest about something negative, to be willing to tell the truth. For voters, that’s a rare commodity!
Your customers can be just as cynical as voters. If your website is full of nothing but glowing commentary, visitors might be suspicious of your integrity. Why not come clean and admit a flaw-and then "spin" it into something positive. Your prices are higher than a competitor? Make that an actual selling point by explaining that the price is higher because the quality of the product is higher. The lesson is: don’t shy away from real or perceived flaws-make them work for you!
