Are your prospects paying attention?   Consider these two realities:

1)  It has been said that people are exposed to over 3000 messages a day and probably more with the explosion of social media.

2) As you can see from this picture we are getting to be society of multi-taskers which makes it even harder to make an impression on your audience.

 

So the truth is, your prospects may not be paying attention. But this lack of attention is not really new.  Read the following list and then the date it was written, it may surprise you.

 

 

1.  The first time a man looks at an advertisement, he does not see it.

2.  The second time, he does not notice it.

3.  The third time, he is conscious of its existence.

4.  The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it before.

5.  The fifth time, he reads it.

6.  The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.

7.  The seventh time, he reads it through and says, “Oh brother!”

8.  The eighth time, he says, “Here’s that confounded thing again!”

9.  The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.

10.  The tenth time, he asks his neighbor if he has tried it.

11.  The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes it pay.

12.  The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.

13.  The thirteenth time, he thinks perhaps it might be worth something.

14.  The fourteenth time, he remembers wanting such a thing a long time.

15.  The fifteenth time, he is tantalized because he cannot afford to buy it.

16.  The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it some day.

17.  The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum to buy it.

18.  The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty.

19.  The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.

20.  The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys what it is offering.

 

The list you’ve just read was written by Thomas Smith of London in l885.

What does this mean for you as an online entrepreneur?

Yes, is it may be hard getting people’s attention, but savvy business owners have been overcoming these challenges since well before 1885. 

You must be focused, strategic, consistent, interesting and patient with your marketing and business development efforts over time.

If you do you will significantly increase your chances of standing out in a cluttered and distracted marketplace.

What specific actions can you take can you improve these areas this week?

 

 

 

Adapted from the Guerrilla Marketing Coach Certification Program