Here’s the subject line ‘just curious’ email I got the other day. Maybe you got one too? The marketing consultant had gone to the trouble to know my name, but that’s where the personalisation ended.

“Hi Bernadette,

By any chance, are you interested in solutions for getting sales appointments and leads?
XYZ does so on multiple channels. Our package integrates phone, email and Linkedin marketing.
This results in a better chance of contacting prospects and setting up more meetings.
You get to work with dedicated lead generation experts, a vast contact database and an advanced CRM tool. All these combined expedite the lead generation process. Our Campaign Specialist can tell you more about how our solution works. If you’re open for a quick call to discuss, please send me the best day and time and your direct number.”

The ‘by any chance’ method is not a marketing strategy and it’s no way to build a sustainable business. Here’s the alternative.

5 Steps To Making Things People Want

1. Understand who they are.
2. Listen to what they say.
3. Watch what they do.
4. Understand who they want to become.
5. Make the thing that gets them from here to there.

When you’ve earned the privilege to be curious about people you care about serving, to listen to what they want, and to observe who they want to become, you don’t have to work so hard to make them pay attention to what’s on offer.

Image by Daniel Gregory.