I’ve taken more time than usual between blog entries to develop a story idea. Are you as tired as I am with all the hoopla about this next product or that new cant-miss strategy, not to mention the dozens of cut-and-paste emails arriving in your inbox? If so, then read on …
Sylvie Fortin, in her ebook Internet Marketing Sins does an excellent job of squaring up the main problem when she writes, “I have heard what some really nasty marketers say about their customers and how some don’t give a s**t about how their customers are treated.” Only in internet marketing (and perhaps on some used car lots) can these shady characters stay in business.
Principles are always at work whether you think so or not. Like an airplane these junk peddlers may stay in the jetstream for a while but, eventually, gravity comes calling - and gravity always wins. To make things simple, let’s refer to this kind of person as Mr. Rabbit. Of course, he (or she) is fictional and any similarity to a real person is (at least kind of) coincidental. 
Mr. Rabbit is ready to sprint off the starting line at each new product launch. He doesn’t care who or what he leaves in his dust trail. Only the carrot known as “commissions” has relevance in his world. Mr. Rabbit prides hmself in his ability to hop around those who dare to question his ethics. He reasons that as a speedy rabbit he can always get more “carrots” during the next product launch, repackaged ebook, or other commission grabbing event.
Enter another marketer whom we will call Mr. Turtle. Of course, like Mr. Rabbit he, too, is an internet marketer. Insert disclaimer: he (or she) is fictional and any similarity to a real person is (at least kind of) coincidental.
But unlike Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Turtle believes he has a responsibility to his customers or clients to provide them with value. In other words, Mr. Turtle places the needs and wants of his customers above his own. He surveys the landscape before the race starts. He is willing to go slow on the course in order to build relationships with his patrons. You see, Mr. Turtle knows that ideas and long-term planning are where his fortune will be found. So as Mr. Rabbit speeds by, hurling insults about how stupid Mr. Turtle is for not doing it the rabbit way, he smiles and simply continues his slow but steady pace towards the finish line.
Fast forward … a few weeks, months or even years. We find Mr. Rabbit is busy counting the number of “carrots” he has acquired before dashing off to the next big product launch (mistakingly … known as a JV opportunity, it’s really just a list trading event). His eyes grow big and a smug little wave of confidence makes his ears and tail quiver.
Meanwhile, Mr. Turtle is still making slow and steady progress towards the finish line. He really isn’t concerned at all about the temporary stockpiling of commissions being earned by Mr. Rabbit. Unlike the other guy, Mr. Turtle knows that if all the “apple pies” are consumed before he gets to the finish line, all he has to do is put another one in the oven, so to speak. Additionally, Mr. Turtle has spent time making sure his customers are happy with his services or products.
“So what?”, you might ask. Herein lies a major difference in business/marketing philosophies! When his apple pies are done cooking, Mr. Turtle has a list of people he considers his delivery route. Because he has genuinely shown he cares about his clients needs they are eager to purchase a fresh apple pie from him. When Mr. Rabbit crosses the finish line, he realizes his apple pie has already been consumed along the way. Faced with this reality Mr. Rabbit does the only thing he knows to do — wait for it — hop, hop, hop as fast as he can to the next big commission-grabbing product launch. His whiskers hang low as he realizes he might not beat other Mr. or Mrs. Rabbits to the “carrot” patch. And when he finally gets to the next big event, he immediately starts blasting everyone on his list about how good this new batch of “carrots” is! Of course, he has only a list, and he has no concern, no genuine interest, no time to spend with clients or customers to make sure they are satisfied with the product or service.
The story goes on, as I am sure you know. If you haven’t guessed by now, you probably realize I am very glad to be a turtle. To all the rabbits out there, I wish you the best, I really do. But when your rabbit’s foot gets injured or your ears droop from exhaustion, simply find one of the many turtles you raced by and ask them to help you learn how business really works!
Stumble It!
