Learning from Daffodils

Have you noticed the daffodils are only just starting to bloom at the roadsides? Last year they were so much earlier because of the milder winter. This year they waited until the worst of the frosts had passed before emerging from the ground.

Finding the right time to deliver your marketing message to a new contact can mean the difference between being frozen out or warmly received too!

Over-confident new networkers simply can't wait to let everyone know what they do, almost as soon as they enter a room (or social networking site). Timid networkers get trampled in the crush because they wait too long.

Email marketers exhibit similar behaviour. Just because I've exchanged business cards with you, or clicked to follow/friend/connect/subscribe online, doesn't give you free rein to immediately start sending me promotion after promotion.

How about testing the temperature first? Send some useful information, get to know if your product or service is at least appropriate (that's a whole other post!), before trying to sell.

Daffodils know how to do this, they're prepared to wait until the time is right. Enjoy the spring blooms!

Comments

[LouiseBJ]

Hi Reeta, thank you very much for commenting. I totally agree with you about how annoying it is to find yourself on someone's mailing list without agreeing to it. Sometimes with face-to-face networking there's an 'implied' authorisation when you give out your business card, so that can be a bit tricky.

Your other point about being asked to recommend someone you've never met defies belief - although you have to give them 10/10 for cheek!

[Reeta Luthra]

This is a useful message that applies to so many other areas - even something as mundane as going shopping on an empty stomach.

A couple of days ago, a company I've never heard of found me through google and emailed to ask me to recommend their magazine and website on my blog.

Today, I find they've added me to their newsletter list! I didn't ask for it, didn't want it, and it's not exactly endeared me to their magazine or website.

For one thing, how I could I recommend a company that is simply going to go and spam all my readers - which is the impression they've created of themselves.