Do you market your business like a coyote?

The other morning I awoke to a frozen lake outside my front window. And in the small section of the remaining melted water were crowded hundreds of geese. Then out on the ice sat a lone coyote, his stillness required a double take. He sat like a statue, waiting for an unsuspecting goose to leave the water so he could pounce.

The rest of his pack circled the water, and then walked away from the lake, trying to convince the geese that they were leaving and all was safe. But the geese didn’t budge. They could sense the danger of the lone coyote waiting for breakfast.

Do you act like a coyote in your marketing and sales tactics? Do you have such anticipation and eagerness to greet your customer that you become overwhelming and “pounce” on them? Are you so eager that you frighten them away? Do you try to trick or manipulate them into buying?

What to do?

Well, the coyote retreated. They left the lake to return another day. Can you retreat in your business? Probably not.

So, what to do?

Well, I wanted to stir things up and go throw a rock in the lake. Don’t worry, I refrained. I still think it would be interesting to see the change in dynamic to make the geese fly out of the water, thereby giving the coyotes a chance. (The coyote looked like they needed some help.)

The idea behind this applies in your business: How can you stir things up so that you are not looking so desperately ready to pounce?

How can you shift from predator to friend?

Perhaps you can give them geese some bread crumbs! Go back to your marketing strategy and your customers needs, then give them something that satisfies them. That will get them out of the water and onto your turf. And it gives you a starting point to build a relationship based not on consumption but on mutual gain.

How might you move out of coyote (predator) mode and into friendly mode with your marketing strategy?