Why Behavioral Advertising is Absurd

OK, so there are a huge amount of digital ad companies out there coming up with the new cutting edge method to control the consumers buying habits and get them to buy their clients product or service. So, in the chase for the best method, they've developed tools that track sites you visit and then attempt to predict what ads you should see over and over so you buy that product.

Sounds pretty good in theory. I mean, that makes sense right? If I go to a site, then it would serve to logic that I am interested in that product or service and therefore I should see ads related to it that should cause me to buy. Except, I'm not interested in them and here's why. I was doing some research for one of my clients related to other similar companies pricing scales etc which caused me to go to a few sites that I wouldn't normally go to. I then proceeded to see ads all over the place for these companies. I then was looking into possible ideas for the weekly bonuses for my sales team and while looking came across sites like Disney and then again proceeded to see ads all over the place. This caused me to start looking at all the ads and I realized that I had no interest in many of them. I then started thinking about how many ads these behavioral strategies are making me miss. In other words, the ads I should be seeing, I'm not.

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So, the question is, how do the ads actually get to the right person at the right time? I'm not in the digital ad business but we do know the answer to this question, however, I don't want to make this blog a pitch for our services so I leave you with that thought.

- Robert Cornish
CEO, Richter10.2 Media Group

Don't Get Too Serious

As we grow a little older and become more involved in business which includes the ups and downs that sometimes occur, it's easy to get a little too serious about it all. We tend to become a little edgier with people. A little less polite at times. A little less friendly. All the while working toward being successful but the irony is that being serious is very counter-productive to success.

Richard Branson is someone I admire in business. If you know a little about him, then you know that he’s not remotely serious about his work and yet his success is enormous both financially and in general. One could argue that he has a lot to be happy for and that would be true but he’s been this way all along. If you inspect the points in your life that worked out the best. The times when everything seemed to go your way - I'm willing to bet that it was the time when you were having the most fun and were playful in spirit.

Monitor your level of "seriousness" and focus on making yourself act and be less serious and you’ll see greater success. You can always be determined and professional and focused on what you're doing but keep a light heart and have fun with it - because if your not having fun, you may as well get out now.

- Robert Cornish
CEO, Richter10.2 Media Group

There's a Combination to Sales

When you're selling a prospect you need to understand that it's similar to a lock combination. There are several digits that you need to get right in order to open the lock. The lock combinations are considerations or objections from the prospect. More consideration really. So, you need to know that. If the prospect tells you they are sold but they still are not buying right then and there (the contract isn't signed and money isn't collected) then you haven't actually nailed all of the combinations and for all intents and purposes - the lock is still locked.

So continue selling all the way through. Keep thinking about why the prospect is even talking with you. What do they need? What problem are they trying to handle? Once you have answered these questions, keep selling them on this until you have handled every consideration and nailed the combo to open the lock and close the deal. See, you may have handled 7 out of 8 considerations the prospect may have but the deal won't close because there is still one left. You need to continue to sell until you handle that remaining point that completes the deal, opens the lock and concludes the sale.

Do not buy the prospects reason for why they haven't bought (budget, timing, delays, other reasons etc) it's none of them. You need to handle the real considerations and once you do, the deal is done. You'll know it when you get there. It's as clear as seeing a lock click and the vault door open.

- Robert Cornish
CEO, Richter10.2 Media Group