Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg, the authors behind Call to Action, deliver another insightful read with their latest book Waiting for Your Cat to Bark: Persuading Customers When They Ignore Marketing.
Their previous work, Call to Action, talked mostly about online conversions and optimizations. The Eisenberg brothers’ latest book, Waiting for Your Cat to Bark, takes a broader look at marketing in general and how you can specifically increase your conversion rates across media channels.
The Eisenbergs start by describing the current marketing environment through several examples that did or didn’t turn out like the vendor wanted. These stories are told from the customer perspective, which you should always be seeking.
Where Call to Action mentions a few persuasion techniques, Waiting for Your Cat to Bark outlines the full “Persuasion Architecture system. Their system is composed of six phases:
- Uncovery – “The goals of uncovery are to identify the value of the business and articulate it in a way that matters to the customer.
- Wireframing – “Defines the “what of the creative process, providing the structure that will deliver the persuasive experience.
- Storyboarding – “iteratively creates the mock-ups in which you flesh out the structure of the wireframe
- Prototyping – “”¦ the prototype is virtually indistinguishable from the final product.
- Development – “produce everything that was specified in the prototype
- Optimization – “Testing and measuring in order to optimize is “¦ the only way you can determine how closely you are meeting your objectives and how you can improve results.
Cross Channel Unity
Your customers view your company as a single entity. They don’t know or care that you have five divisions and that your website department doesn’t talk to your retail locations. Customers need a unified experience from beginning to end. As you define your “persuasion architecture, you’ll need to follow the customer from first contact through the buying process all the way to post-sales support. If the customer gets lost as they move from one media channel to another, even within your same company, they may be lost forever.
Measure Results
You must measure your system once it is in place. In order to do this you’ll need to have metrics and reports that provide the pulse of what is happening. These measurements should allow you to tweak your system and react to customer needs quickly. A truly efficient system will allow adjustments that continually improve results.
Understanding Customers
You’ll make the sale when your message directly speaks to the customers’ needs. You can tailor your copy writing and marketing by creating “personas for the different types of customers you have.
My favorite part of this book was the chapter titled “The Human Operating System which dives into the details of four customer temperaments. The Eisenbergs teach you how to sell to each of these types of people by understanding their individual triggers. I thought the book was worth it just for this chapter.
Joe’s Recommendation
Buy a Copy – This book contains solid principles that will reform your marketing efforts. Waiting for Your Cat to Bark will make a great first-time read and a ready reference on your shelf as you continue to optimize and improve your business processes.
Buy Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?: Persuading Customers When They Ignore Marketing from Amazon.com
Have you read Waiting for Your Cat to Bark? Tell us what you thought in the comments below.