Seek First To Understand
By Reid M. Neubert

A former client of ours, a global branding executive, used to remind himself and his staff, at times, to "seek first to understand, then to be understood."

That sage advice is from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, and great advice it is, in our business and our personal lives. And in marketing.

Most people, it seems, talk more than listen. They want to be heard, want to make their point. But don't we all respond better to someone who listens to us? Really listens, so that we feel that we are actually understood? The difference is profound.

Important advice
Seeking first to understand is important to remember in discussions where there are different points of view. It is important in dealing with people from different departments in a company. In fact, this is where our client usually found the reminder most helpful. A company's president, for example, the CFO, head of HR, and head of marketing typically have a very different points of view about issues affecting the company.

The advice is important in negotiation. Rather than just pressing for what you want, if you first understand what is most important to the party you are negotiating with, you may well be able to come to an agreement that gives you both more of what you want.

The advice is important in personal relationships. Many arguments stem from a simple misunderstanding. Mismatched expectations or underlying assumptions are also often the problem. If we seek first to understand what the other person really expects and assumes, the conversation may not turn into an argument at all.

What's to understand in marketing?
Although the advice is extremely important in marketing, it is rarely considered. Most companies seem to forge ahead something like this: 1) We need to do some marketing/advertising to help increase our business. 2) Let's get somebody to write and design the ad/brochure/Web site.

As the person asked to produce the ad, brochure or Web site, I've seen a lot of this. The problem is that the resulting marketing piece reflects the company's point of view rather than prospective customers'. It doesn't take into account what they expect or assume about the product or service.

But we know that isn't effective. Prospective customers want to know what the product or service will do for them, not just what it will do. They want to know how what you offer meets their needs, relieves their pain, or fulfills their desires. They want to know why they should deal with your company, not just why your company thinks its offerings are worth buying.

In order to develop marketing that addresses prospects' needs and expectations, we have to first understand what they are. Here is an example:

Let's go shopping
Let's say you are shopping for tires. The salesman tells you all about the latest performance tires that look cool and really hug the curves. Unfortunately, you are interested in tires that will last the longest. Guess what? He has lost you.

If he pushes the latest "in" thing, like tires have the lowest profile, and you are interested in tires that give a comfortable ride or have the best safety rating, he has lost you.

But, if he seeks first to understand what is important to you rather than just telling you what he think is sales-worthy, he can connect with you. And probably sell you some tires.

To develop effective marketing, we must understand the prospects' needs or desires that the product or service fills. What expectations or concerns they have. How it improves their quality of life. Once we do that, we can create marketing messages that truly capture the attention and the interest of the prospect.

Are we going to fulfill everyone's needs or desires? No. Only those whose needs and desires match what our products or services will do. If a company makes long-lasting tires, we market them to people who are economy minded. If they make tires that hug the road and help the car stop faster, we market them to people looking for performance and safety.

By seeking first to understand, we can then create marketing that connects with prospects. They understand that we have the solution they have been looking for.

Understand?

Copyright 2007 by Reid M. Neubert. All rights reserved.