Marketing lessons from the elections

The poets may rhyme about birds on wing. Or the blooming crocuses. Or nature's rebirth. The coming of spring in the more northerly climes turns our thoughts to things more practical: raking, painting, tuning up the lawnmower. And elections.

Charges and counter charges. The economy's improving. Taxes are too high. The pot holes need repair. Crime is up. Crime is down. The "ins" are out of touch!

Out of touch? Meaning not understanding the concerns of the electorate? Or a loss of communications and contact with the voter? Perhaps it's both.

Elections bear some similarity to sales. There's a product (the candidate or elected official). A customer (the voter). A distribution channel (typically mass media). There's even a price (casting of your vote).

The voting cycle may be as short as one year for some local officials or as long as 6 years for U.S. Senators. Thus, we can further liken the election process to the marketing of infrequently purchased products and services, such as capital equipment or even consulting.

Sometimes it might even seem like a product sale is a one time occurrence. However, the market is a dynamic one. Companies expand, remodel, relocate, build new facilities, and implement new programs. Rather than viewing the customer as a single purchase customer, it is more appropriate to view the situation as one with an extended purchase cycle. Sometimes, the purchase/repurchase cycle for many products may be just as extended as the election/reelection cycle.

Repeat sales and reelection to office often depend on maintaining customer/voter contact on a regular basis. The task is not too difficult if we have many products to offer or if the purchase cycle is relatively short. But, when we face long times between sales calls (elections), one of the challenges of repeat business is to maintain visibility and contact so that you have the opportunity to make the sale when the customer is ready to buy again.

We might take a marketing lesson from those politicians who have raised voter contact to a fine art, former Senator William Proxmire from Wisconsin, for example. Newsletters, targeted press releases, home district speeches, periodic "Golden Fleece" awards that attracted national publicity. Plus, personal voter contact: county fairs, football games, factory gates at shift change. Not just in the few months before the election, but all year long, every year he was in office.

In business to business marketing, visibility and contact work on two levels: overall market visibility and individual targeted customer contact. The two work together. One helps keep awareness high. The other establishes sales expertise, credibility, and high levels of customer service. Here are several ideas for maintaining
that necessary visibility and contact between sales elections.

Overall market visibility

• Advertising in national trade journals
• Issuance and publication of press releases
• Preparation of technical articles
• Presentation of technical papers
• Participation in national trade shows
• Direct mail: catalogs, new product announcements, product literature
• Customer newsletters
• Video presentations: applications, installation, maintenance, testing

Targeted customer contacts

• Conduct product seminars at customer facility
• Provide customer training: product installation, product maintenance, product testing
• Personally deliver or mail samples of new colors, new products
• Personally deliver or mail new product literature
• Provide copies of technical reports/articles on your products or on the market
• Provide copies of product related standards or legislation
• Personally communicate new product announcements or product enhancements
• Personally communicate new maintenance procedures
• Personally communicate information on accessory products
• Participate in local business or professional organizations
• Advertise in local newsletters
• Exhibit at local shows
• Present a program at a local meeting
• Establish your technical credibility with customers so they will call you for answers
• Build contacts with related vendors: accessory suppliers, consultants, test firms
• Read local newspapers and trade journals for news that affects customer needs for your product: expansions, mergers, new product introductions

Frequency of contact and activity is determined by individual customer circumstances. Your frequency should be high enough to build awareness and credibility, but not so frequent that you become a pest. The objective is to build and maintain a long-lasting relationship with your customers and prospects. If you wait for election time, it may be too late.

Michael T. Brandt
March 1997

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Updated:
15-Jul-2003