The One Marketing Tactic You Need to Master

And the winner is….NO ONE!! OMG All of that and I still didn’t kick Jason’s ass!! GRRR! And while I’m in the Google Play Store, I’m not in the App Store yet. The rules clearly state “in both stores on the 11th”. So the App Battle Royale ends in…a stalemate. AUGH!! A month of pushing, a month of negotiations, a month of frustration comes to a VERY unsatisfying head. And we can’t leave things this way. So, JASON…I CHALLENGE YOU TO A MARKETING BATTLE!

Once we’re both finally in the stores, I say we have month to get as many downloads as possible to decide the true winner of this battle. What say you, man?? You up for another challenge? You want to take me down? You can’t. You can try. But you WILL fail. (Said in true WWE style BAHAHAHA!) OMG…I digress…how unprofessional :D .

Of All the Lessons Learned

So, while we wait to hear from Camp Jason with his response, let’s recap the lessons of this App Battle Royale.

1. Decide if you NEED an app. Can you become an essential part of your customers everyday lives by being an active part of their phone? (Think Instagram and Facebook) 2. Decide on your budget (then double it). 3. Decide who should build that app: An agency, a contractor, or yourself. The former being the most expensive and the latter being the least (if you don’t take time into consideration - which would be a mistake). 4. Draw up your app and include all the bells and whistles you want it to have (log in, social shares, log out, etc). 5. Get your app developer licenses for Google Play Store and the App Store. 6. Tweak and play with your app until it’s just the way you want it. 7. Submit and wait. Google Play is very fast, but Apple takes 5-10 days for approval.

Is that all? Well, no. This is a simplified version. There are 900 decisions you have to make. Do you want to monetize your app? Do you want to use a theme or have custom graphics done? Will you need access to a server or will your app stand alone?

Out of all these lessons I learned creating this app, the one that hurts the most is: Go with your gut.

I didn’t. And honestly, I’m sorry I didn’t.

I had grand ideas for my app. And I’m almost positive that if Jason can pull off the app he’s building (which, by the way, you’ll want to buy) for the price tag he’s paid for it, then there’s no way I couldn’t have had mine for the same amount. But because my developer spent time educating me on apps and how they work, I went with him.

A Classic Marketing Tactic You Need to Master

It’s a classic marketing tactic and it worked like a charm: Invest in your prospects and they’ll invest in you.

Because of the time he invested in my education, I didn’t walk away and go to a cheaper developer (as much as I wanted to). And because I didn’t listen to my gut, I ended up with an app that I’m not in love with. And I HATE doing shit I’m not in love with.

Are you making yourself invaluable to your prospects? Are you taking the time to educate them? To help them with their struggles? If not, you should be.

Cialdini wrote about it in “The Psychology of Influence”. If you haven’t read it, read it. He even confesses how tactics he’s acutely aware of work on him. So, I guess I shouldn’t feel so bad because I fell for it. Still. That’s not the point.

How to Become Invaluable

Ask your prospects what they struggle with. Offer solutions. Easy. And not. Because the key to becoming invaluable isn’t just the solutions you offer, it’s the ability to offer them without expectation of reciprocation.

How do you do that? Be sincere. You want to help. You look for problems to solve because you love to solve problems. Your focus isn’t on helping to get something in return. Your focus is on helping because you love to help.

Now, I said my developer spent time educating me…and he did. But, he didn’t make me feel like I was being pushed. He was genuine and sincere. And it showed.

So the next time you want to prospect for work, do it from a place of sincerity. They’ll reward you greatly for it.

Have you ever given into something you weren't fully on board with because you felt like you had to? How did reciprocity play out in that? 

Kick ass this week!