What I Learned About Marketing from a Homeless Veteran

Homeless Vet Needs Help:
What I Learned About Marketing from a Homeless Veteran

"Know your message."

"Keep showing up."

"Repeat what works."

"Gratitude drives repeat business."

                         --Jim
                          Capital Avenue &
                          Landess Blvd., San Jose 

========================================
Four Marketing Lessons from a Homeless Veteran
========================================
Near my parent's home in San Jose, California there is a
major intersection near a private college where I used to
work as Dean.

I've driven through this intersection hundreds of times
and have sometimes interacted with the homeless man who
works it.

We've all experienced the scenario: A homeless person is
stationed at an intersection on the island near the left
turn lane holding a sign.

The sign is made a of cardboard, and displays a message
that either requests food, money, or another form of help.

Most of us have given in to these simple requests from time
to time and handed over cash, fast food, or our own lunch
for the day.

At other times, we've avoided making eye contact, perhaps
offering up a prayer of provision for the lonely soul instead.

Today, however, I was immediately struck by several themes
as I passed by the man working this particular intersection.

It happened instantaneously and I was so overpowered by
the incident that I pulled over soon after to jot them
down. They form the basis of this article.

What I realized was that this man (I'll call him Jim)
worked harder at his "job" than I sometimes do at my business.

He's mastered some basic marketing skills that a lot of us
solo business owners need to be reminded of on occasion.

The Four Marketing Lessons I Learned From a Homeless Veteran
--------------------------------
Lesson 1: Know Your Message.
--------------------------------
Jim's message is simple and straightforward.
And it leaves little doubt about his expectation for
audience response.

"Homeless Vet Needs Help."

It demonstrates the simplicity of a marketing meme.

A marketing meme (pronounced: meem), is what we all strive
for in our core marketing message.

It short, simple, and to the point.
It aids our target market in remembering who we are,
what we do, and how we do it.

Jim's meme appeals to the emotion of his audience.
He understands the power of the emotional headline,
"Homeless Vet Needs Help."

I wonder if he realizes the impact of the words
he chose? Or did he just get lucky?

-----------------------------
Lesson 2: Keep Showing Up.
-----------------------------
Jim is at this intersection every day.
He's a known entity.

I've come to associate this intersection with
his presence.

One day I drove through and didn't see him.
It was then that I realized that I was looking for him.
I wondered what time he left, where he lived, slept, etc.

Jim's lesson to us here is that no matter what, we need
to keep reminding our audience that we're here.

They forget about us.
Believe it or not, they don't wake up thinking about us.

"Unbelievable!," says my ego and yours. But it's true.

And though some members of our target market will state
otherwise (and do so my unsubscribing to our newsletter),
they really do want to hear from us.

Yes, they are barraged each day by hundreds of emails,
countless offers in the mail, and occasional door-to-door
vacuum cleaner salespeople, but...

They still need a reminder that we alone can solve the
problems that they experience in their business or in
their life.

I wonder if Jim understands the power is his
consistency? That because of it, he's become a brand?

Does he know that I, and perhaps hundreds of others,
now look for him every time we drive through this
intersection?

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--------------------------------
Lesson 3: Repeat What Works.
--------------------------------
Jim does the same thing a hundred times a day.
He waits until the left turn lane is about six cars
deep and then begins walking the island.

He holds his sign, looks a bit downcast, making only
momentary eye contact with each driver.

When a window slides down or a driver sounds her horn,
he is quick to appear and accept her generosity with
gratitude and a smile that allows her to see his blue eyes.

Now that she's seen his eyes, he's no longer just a
homeless person. He's simply a person.

That's his thing and he does it over and over.

My thing is simple: I remain open to marketing lessons
that I encounter in books, online content, and life
experiences (like meeting Jim), and think about how they
impact the solo professional or freelancer.

Then I write about it and send it to all of you.
I do this each week.

So do you.
You focus on what you do best, and keep doing it...
right?

I wonder if Jim considers the simplicity of
his method? I wonder if he evaluates his progress
on a mental spreadsheet?

---------------------------------------------
Lesson 4: Gratitude Drives Repeat Business.
---------------------------------------------
Jim is genuinely grateful for the donations
of his customers. He doesn't fail to say,
"Thank you so much! God bless you, Sir."

Jim's gratitude makes me want to donate to him.
Sometimes, I give to him because I want my nine
year-old to know that compassion is an action and not
just a feeling.

But at other times, I feel like perhaps Jim is taking
advantage of me. I wonder why he isn't working.

Then I remind myself that he 'is' working.
And that Jim, at times, is better at marketing his
business than I am.

---------------
Final Thoughts
---------------
Jim is a really nice guy. I've spoken with him and I know
that his "job" isn't one of his choosing.

I'm not sure of his entire story, but one thing I
do know. Whether Jim realizes it or not, he taught me
some valuable lessons.

For that, I'm grateful.

Regardless of what you feel about homelessness, vagrancy,
and the audacity v. embarrassment factor of begging for
your sustenance, I think we can all agree that some of
the most visible practitioners of this trade do a better
job of marketing than we do.

Thanks for reading,



P.S. As always, you can shoot me a response, a criticism,
even a compliment ;-) here: Barry@BarryMorris.com