It’s pretty easy to get carried away when you’re excited about the possibilities of a potential relationship.
You feel the connection. They’re just your type. And they even seem mildly interested in what you have to say.
So then, of course, you pop the question. You ask them to marry you. And then they get weirded out, excuse themselves to the rest room, and flee – never to be seen again.
Why? Because you jumped the gun, of course.
In the context of dating it seems ridiculous. But in the world of marketing, it happens every day.
There’s pressure to deliver results and an urgency to do it quickly. Subscriptions, conversion rates and revenue all need to increase, and we’ve got no time to lose.
So we panic, and as soon as we perceive interest, we jump the gun and it ends up backfiring. We want instant gratification and it scares people away.
It’s rare that someone will make a giant leap with you. It’s more likely they’ll take a baby step.
Your conversion rate will be higher when you ask for a date instead of a marriage.
And you’re more likely to get married to someone you’ve been dating.
The middle ground is where you build the relationship, get to know each other, and see if there’s a fit. Then you can pop the question. And your odds will be a lot better.
[image: bradleygee]
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
This works for a “first time” encounter, but not necessarily for a long-term approach. Does this mean you never tell them how you feel? Or you keep stringing them along with dates? What if they WANT to get married?
@Tom: Fair point. But to be clear, I definitely think you should make your feelings known, just don’t go overboard with the hard sell. Just like in a relationship you want to keep it going by continually being kind and wanting to make their life better. If you do that with your customers, they’ll really start to appreciate how you just want to improve things for them (i.e. by giving them better content, better customer service, better attention to their needs, etc.) The analogy is not perfect (you typically don’t marry more than one person), but the concept is that you can’t get someone to fall in love with you all at once (and if you do, it probably won’t last – see “infatuation”) You’re better off nurturing the relationship over time by asking them what they want, and over-delivering on it and being thoughtful.
And to your last question, if they want to get married? I’d say that’s a little different. If someone comes to buy something from me, and they know that’s exactly what they want, I doubt I’ll try to talk them out of it.
Albeit in different words, I think this each time I go to a website and they have me fill out what feels like a W4.
It’s a lot easier to move forward slowly than to have to back an correct mistakes and misinterpretations. It builds a stronger foundation.
Exactly! Take BABY steps!
@Bill: Right? Why do they need your next of kin for you to download a white paper?
@Anita and Skylar: Slow and steady wins the race.