One of the unwritten, unadvertised “benefits” to tooling around Asia, like I just did for 7 weeks, is subjecting yourself to the most relentless marketing effort you’ve ever received.
Thank the cunning entrepreneurs some call “tuk tuk drivers.”
Of the many merchants/fuckers I ran into, these are my favorite. Because they’re all about effort.
It doesn’t matter if he’s seen you turn down the previous 4 drivers sitting in front of him, he’s still going to insist you take a ride. To where? No one knows. It’s kind of a shotgun approach: shoot into a big enough crowd and you don’t need to aim.
After a few days of incessantly rejecting such offers, I began wondering if anyone was using a better approach than simply repeating “Tuk tuk?” to every single passerby.
That’s gotta get boring.
On one particularly sunny day in Bangkok I found my man…
Staring at a map while walking down the street, my Argentine friend and I were trying to find the elusive Grand Palace (worth a visit, FTR). As I was about to declare our “lost as hell” status, we walked by a small monument and, pointing to the map, she quipped, “There! Here this is on the map and up right ahead should be the tourist information booth.”
At the mention of this, the tuk tuk driver to our side perked up and insisted, “Information booth? I take you very quick. Very fast. Low price.”
It was about 50 yards to that booth.
But I swear to God I almost took him. Finally, an offer that fits into the context of my life! And not to mention the exceptionally precarious position of a 50 yard walk!
Using his astute observation of our conversation, he fit his offer into my present needs. Had it been further, I would have been compelled to buy.
(Plus, he differentiated himself as well:by pitching a useful destination, not just a ride.)
So…
In what context do your customer avatars exist and what is their major 50 yard problem RIGHT NOW?
How can your next email offer fit into that context and rock their world?
Not sure? Here’s a decent starting point: Kenneth’s USA Today method.
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