The antidote has a similarly simple formula ? more about that in a moment.



Each of these three elements is deeply intertwined with the other, and there is in fact one root cause, as you'll soon discover.

1.Overload

You already know ?information overload? is a chronic symptom of the information age. Go figure! That's the whole point. We're making more information, and we're making it a lot faster.

What you may not know is the extent to which this is the case or how it affects you as a marketer.

In 2003 Consumer Reports reported that the average American was exposed to 247 advertising messages per day.

Today, the Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the number has jumped up to 3,000+ marketing messages per day.

No big deal?

Well, you can see how this is affecting the consumer quite easily by observing your own personal behavior. How many of the marketing messages you see each day (as you walk on the street, drive in your car, surf the net) do you actually respond to?

What you need is a method for turning your message into a beacon that shines out amidst the dense fog of the messages of your competitors.

More about that in a minute ?

2.Intelligence

Another symptom of the Information Age is that people are getting smarter.

The average person today has a surprisingly deep understanding of marketing and human psychology. Is it any wonder? After years of watching shows like The Apprentice and Dragon's Den, the average Joe knows way more about the manipulative tactics of marketing than at any point in history.

So, if you keep talking to your audience like they are a herd of uneducated rubes, they will see right through your game and laugh off your attempts at marketing.

What to do?

Well, if that's the way you've been marketing (don't worry, it's not uncommon), the good news is it's easy to change (read on).

3.Impatience

People are becoming more acutely aware of the value of their own time.

One of the most popular bits on Seinfeld featured Jerry regularly harassing inbound telemarketers. Not only is this now socially acceptable, society lauds those who are skilled at doing so.

Other forms of marketing that fail to respect the time or intelligence of the reader will be met with a similarly impatient, if not overtly hostile, response.

What's the solution?

It's really simple. It comes down to what I call ?the core imperative of business.?

The core imperative is simply this: make an offer.

Business school doesn't teach you this, but if you think about it, it's easy to see that it is indeed the central binding idea that makes business what it is.

If your offer is one that provides a clear value to the customer in exchange for his hard earned money, you can simply trumpet this right up front.

Rather than tricking people into engaging in an elaborate sales process designed to convince them to buy something they don't need, you simply tell them right up front what you're offering.

This make your message cut right through the din of marketing noise. Customers to whom your message is relevant will notice it. Those who don't aren't your customers anyway.

The added benefit is that it saves your time as well. If you are up front about your offerings, the prospects that contact you will be pre-sold and ready to buy.

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