Do you want to make more money? Dr. Hannibal Lector points the way to making more money in your business without wasting your marketing budget.Who doesn't remember Dr. Hannibal Lector from the Silence of The Lambs?
The Silence of the Lambs was produced in 1991.
In that movie there is a very famous scene between Dr. Lector and Clarice.
To refresh your memory here is the conversation:
Hannibal Lecter: First principles, Clarice. Simplicity. Read Marcus Aurelius. Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature? What does he do, this man you seek?
Clarice Starling: He kills women…
Hannibal Lecter: No. That is incidental. What is the first and principal thing he does? What needs does he serve by killing?
Clarice Starling: Anger, um, social acceptance, and, huh, sexual frustrations, sir…
Hannibal Lecter: No! He covets. That is his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort to answer now.
Clarice Starling: No. We just…
Hannibal Lecter: No. We begin by coveting what we see every day. Don't you feel eyes moving over your body, Clarice? And don't your eyes seek out the things you want?
WOAH!!
What in the hell is this conversation with a sociopath have to do with making more money?
This was exactly the conversation, I had with the client today.
He told me that he was having a problem identifying his ideal clients. He's not alone, putting a finger on “who” your perfect prospect often remains difficult.
One of the first questions I ask all new clients is “tell me about your ideal client.”
That question is often met with a blank stare.
Sometimes you'll get an answer of… Huh?
Other times you will hear someone say – EVERYBODY.
These are often the very same people who go out of business first.
Their marketing lacks focus.
They blow their entire marketing budget chasing shadows.
Lector gives his first clue to how you can make more money when he asks: “What is the first and principal thing he does?”
Clarice Starling said, “he kills women.” Her response was quickly rebuffed by Dr. Lector. He told her the killings were incidental and the answer was more simple than that.
Are you following this?
This is where Hannibal gives Clarice a big golden nugget when he told her that the man she seeks covets.
Did that give you an AHA! moment?
Sometimes we find answers in the simplest of places.
Often our ideal customers are hiding in plain sight.
So who are our ideal customers? They are the ones who covet what we sell.
Smart marketers take the time to build an empathy map.
Here is a short video that explains what an empathy map is.
Building and empathy profile allows you to target the customers you want. And make more money without wasting any of your hard-earned marketing budgets.
Some of the largest companies in the world create empathy maps.
Facebook has been doing it since day one.
If you like this, but it seemed like a lot of work. I'll show you a shortcut where a large part of the work has already been done for you.
Robert Sterling
[…] out how to capture your ideal clients. A couple of days ago, I shared the dark secret of Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal Lecter. Dr. Lecter revealed to agent Starling how to zero in on her target – with laser focus. […]