How Hunting Moose Can Transform Your Company’s Marketing by Steve Miller
Does your company suffer from low closing rates? If so, there’s a good chance you—or the people on your marketing team—are not hunting moose.
That’s right, hunting moose. Let me explain.
Hunting moose is a marketing lesson I’ve carried for years. Today, it makes for the strategic marketing foundation for all my clients as I help them create and maintain long-term relationships with their customers.
So, what exactly is hunting moose? It’s target marketing—done the right way.
The reality is, many companies today struggle with effective marketing. Too often they make the mistake of thinking everyone should want or need the product or service they’re selling. They try to sell to everyone. That’s an issue because not everyone is the same. We’re all different, with different needs and interests.
Here’s why I call it hunting moose. Imagine for a moment the world is a forest. Like any other forest, it is full of different animals—bears, birds, rabbits, deer, wolves, moose, squirrels, etc. Now, your company has made the conscious decision that your product or service is best suited for moose. The moose represents your target market. You’re interested only in moose, not any of the other animals.
Determining your Market—hunting moose—is the first step in The Marketing Diamond, the foundation of the Uncopyable philosophy. I detail it in my book, Uncopyable: How to Create an Unfair Advantage Over Your Competition. Every successful marketing strategy starts with defining and understanding your moose.
The trouble is that too many companies cast their net wide—onto all of the animals in the forest in hopes their moose will be among them. But think about this: If I gave you 10 different prospects (all different types of animals including moose), how many would you close? Now, imagine all 10 of those prospects were moose. You can bet your overall close rate would significantly increase.
A moose is a prospect, but what we’re really after is a qualified lead. A qualified lead not only represents your target market, they also demonstrate a clear interest in your company’s product or service. They “get it” and agree they have a need. That person is a qualified lead. In other words, they’re a hungry moose.
The easy part for most companies is defining their prospect in terms of geographical location, industry, company size, job function, their role within the buying process, etc. However, there’s a second and very critical behavior prospects must display in order to be a qualified lead. They must show interest. What would cause a prospect to be interested? Consider the following:
There’s a specific problem you solve
You save them time or money
You present them with unique opportunities
Here’s an example. Let’s say I’m a new car salesperson and, if I were to look at you, there’s a good chance you’d fit the profile of my target. You’re my moose. I think you need to buy a new car. But do you think you need a new car? If you do, then bingo! You might be willing to test drive a few cars and may even leave with a new set of wheels. That’s the power of interest. But if you don’t think you need a new car, then my odds of selling you one are probably slim to none.
Okay, let’s say you find someone who fits the profile of your target market but, for whatever reason, they display no level of interest. What do you do? In this scenario, you may want to consider a drip campaign. A drip campaign is a communication strategy in which you send or “drip” prewritten content or messages over time (i.e., e-mail newsletters, etc.). This way you are still communicating with them and offering them value through content, but you’re not investing people time.
The bottom line: Don’t waste time trying to sell to everyone. Look for your moose, and only your moose. Then, give them opportunities to raise their hand (or hoof?) to say, “I’m interested.” Now, you have a hungry moose. Your job of closing them just got a whole lot easier.
It’s your turn. Go out into the forest, find your moose, and make them hungry. Do that, and your closing rate will skyrocket.
Happy hunting!
To learn more about the strategies and tools to make your company Uncopyable, check out the updated and expanded edition of Uncopyable: How to Create an Unfair Advantage Over Your Competition, available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Porchlight Book Company, Google Play, Apple Books, and other fine retailers. Steve Miller is an author, professional/virtual speaker, and business advisor. Since founding The Adventure LLC in 1984, Miller’s consulting clients have ranged from solo entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 mega corporations, including Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble. For your FREE copy of “108 Secrets to Grow Your Uncopyable Business” (ebook), go to 108Secrets.com.