About 60% of all the mail I receive is junk. Now how long does it take you to pick up an item of mail, open it, decide that it’s of no interest and bin it?The usual response I get to that question at seminars is “We don’t even open most of it".

How long do you spend deciding whether an advertisement or article is of interest?When you walk past a trade show booth how long does it take to decide if it’s of interest?How long do you look at each result when you use a search engine?How long to decide if an email is junk and delete it?

The answer is "Less than 5 seconds" - often less than 2 seconds.

That is how long we have to Get Attention from a prospective buyer. And there is no reprieve – once our message is rejected or ignored, there is almost no chance that someone will return to it.

So what is it that gets our attention?

Sometimes the headline or a picture resonates with a problem we are trying to solve.Like many women there are always a few gaps in my wardrobe that I know need filling, so when I see something that looks as if it may answer a need, I stop to have a look – even if I am in a rush.

In my local city centre there are lots of cafe’s, restaurants and shops that sell food and snacks. If I am not hungry those places get next to no attention.When I am hungry they become the focus of my attention.

When my priorities change, what gets my attention changes.

I know this seems obvious – but it’s the secret to getting attention and the secret to successful marketing.

Get to know your market

If you understand a market well, you have a much better idea of what is a priority at any point in time. However it is essential that you learn to put yourself in the shoes of your customers. The products you sell are irrelevant. No matter how much you believe you are the best – your customers will only believe that after personal experience. So avoid over promoting and "selling" yourself or your product.

People buy what you or your product will do for them."What's in it for me."Our customers are totally self interested.The mistake so many businesses make is to "Find a product they like and try to sell it."

Instead I recommend that you "Find a problem or need people have, and fix it."

If you know what people want, you don’t have to sell – they will be queuing up to buy, provided you deliver a competitive offering. Research and study your market, ask your customers why they bought from you, read the same magazines and web sites they read. Get to know what your market wants and then provide it.

"You can have anything you want in life just as long as you help enough other people get what they want in life." Zig Zigler.

Copyright 2006 Richelle (Rikki) Arundel, UK