Have you heard about Seth Godin? Until last fall I hadn’t, but someone put one of his books in my hand – and I finished it in one go. After reading it, I wanted to become a “sneezer” – like him.
Maybe you wonder what a sneezer is, that is someone who spreads the good stuff they just stumbled on!
Seth Godin is passionate about marketing. Though, not the kind of experience many of us associate with that word; pushiness, threats of missing out, exaggerations, lies and overstepped boundaries . No, his version of marketing is the complete opposite. I finished reading his latest book a little while ago and it was brilliant!
This is marketing, you can’t be seen
until you learn to see.
ISBN:9780241370148 published at PORTFOLIO PENGUIN
I would say this book is as interesting for the person who wants to promote a product or spread a message, as for the average consumer. We get a perspective of the modern consumption patterns, as well as the psychology behind different marketing strategies. Seth Godin has given this a lot of thought, and what he shares is an interesting painting of modern society, in the midst of an enormous shift.
The book made me sigh of relief, for two reasons:
The first one – Oh, I am not alone! I am not the only one feeling trapped in a nightmare, where the “enemy” is chasing me everywhere! I am not (necessarily) paranoid!
Sometimes I have wondered if there is something wrong with me for actually feeling fearful before answering the phone, if I do not recognize the number: – Oh, no! Must I be rude again!?!
…or worried when opening my inbox: – Wonder how many emails trying to trick me into shopping or scams have managed to sneak past the filters this time?
… or feeling resistance to take a walk down the main street in my tiny city: – To reach next level you must get past the “villains”. (My personal record is fending off twelve aggressive sales persons while walking the distance of four blocks).
I know these people are just trying to make a living, they have a script to follow and they have a manager breathing down their neck. They are measured, scrutinized and probably feel very unhappy for the reaction they meet, as soon as they try to do their job. Still I have not allowed them to call me on a Friday night at 9 pm, trying to convince me to change broadband supplier.
The second sigh of relief – It is our intuition that warns us, now when I know more about the strategies behind the sales tactics. When we have that unpleasant feeling of insecurity, but cannot really put the finger on it, we most likely are being manipulated. With all the different strategies in marketing, the intention behind it inevitably seeps through. We need to trust the information we get from all our senses, trust our instincts.
“The only free cheese in life, is the one in the mouse-trap”.
That is a proverb I heard from a dear friend of mine, that summons it up rather well, I think. And still we find that free cheese is so alluring. Seth Godin knows why.
For those of you, who want to promote something, this book shares a lot of knowledge about different kinds of costumer patterns and useful information about how to market your “thing”. It is written with a lot of humour, and for me it has been a great source of epiphanies.
I got so inspired to study the world, pay attention to my responses to different brands, sales persons and trademarks out there, so it is like being an explorer on an unknown territory. I feel inspired to create something that I am proud of, and to market it with integrity and respect for the potential clients and costumers. We’ll see how that goes 🙂
If you would like to become a sneezer too, make a dive into Seth Godin’s production of marketing literature – he’ll teach you!
Bless you! Want a Kleenex?
Carin
