How Loud Are You Shouting?

Marketing done well is an exercise in humility...

Years ago, a major airline canceled a fully booked flight from Denver to Atlanta at the last minute.

There was only one gate agent, and she was busy sorting out all the displaced passengers while continually apologizing for the inconvenience.

Suddenly, one angry man pushed his way to the front of the line, screaming that he was flying first-class and demanding that she immediately get him on a flight to Atlanta.

The agent politely explained the situation and asked that everyone take their place in the line…

In response, the angry man bellowed at her, "Do you know who I am?"

Without missing a beat, the gate agent picked up the microphone for the PA system and announced to the airport, “This is gate 65; we have a gentleman here who does not know who he is. If anyone can come identify him, please do.”

How loud are you shouting?

That's what most people seem to be interested in. How many followers, how much market share, how big is our brand? What is our advertising budget? Too many marketers in agriculture spend their time and effort running a hype show, trying to argue the rest of the market into submission. The thing is, it's not working. 

We assume the market is uninformed, that if they knew what we know, they would think and act just like us, and that if we could just get them to do things our way, the world really might finally regain that garden of paradise from which we fell. We tell ourselves that we know best, and our customers are the people who “just don’t get it yet.” 

So, in place of service, we offer spam. Instead of evangelizing the truth, we condition the minds of our victims. While the great marketer propagates the values he holds, the cheap amateur resorts to propaganda.

Then we wonder why a majority of our messages are ignored…

Marketing done well is an exercise in humility.

We see a different path, a unique way for a specific group of people to overcome a challenge they face. We design a story that helps that group break a false belief that has been holding them back. And we show up to serve them with that story every single day.

It’s not just for anyone on the market, it’s not a lens that works for everyone in the world. It is the radical generosity of telling most people, “this is not for you,” so that we are able to say to those we seek to serve, “I made this for you.”

The effective marketer doesn’t shout, coerce, or hustle. The effective marketer serves by helping their audience solve a problem.

Too much of what we have come to call marketing in agriculture today is actually short-term, profit-maximizing swindling. It’s saying whatever you need to say to get the sale. It’s time to change that.

It’s time to start understanding our customers again. To walk a mile in their shoes, to fully experience their worldview and fully comprehend their desires. It’s seeking to truly connect with them, not just fulfill a contract.

It’s time to stop convincing our customers that the value we deliver is sufficient. It’s time to start bringing more value than people expect us to. It’s time to stop chasing target markets and start creating trust. It’s time to start doing true marketing instead of practicing manipulation. It’s time to do work that we are proud of.

Make something different. Make people care. Make fans, not followers.