Marketing Wallowing

Great post on how to make sense of something.   Which is part of our job.   I run into people who are totally analytical.  By golly if there isn't a 40 page study on the topic, then it cannot be true.  There also are people who shape their understanding by one experience on the topic.  And then there are those who go to the voice of authority and whatever they say must be true.

I like to wallow in it.

The first step is to read, read, read about the topic of interest.   As you read, make sure you have a way to collect notes on the more interesting things you read.   Look at studies and what people are saying.   The time to stop reading is when everything is starting to repeat itself.

Then put it aside.

The mind is an amazing thing.  You will start to notice hints in everything you look at from that point forward.   After a while, you will start gaining insight.  Try to boil it down to three things.   Three is a magic number.   

Next try to discount those three things.  If you can.  Some will go away and be replaced by others.  Talk to other peers (comment on their blogs) about the topic.    Then pretty soon it will become self evident what is important and what is not.   Then you have understanding.

Maybe you cannot grab the whole truth and gain total insight about a matter, but chances are you will see a sliver that is relevant and make sense.  Then apply that sliver and see if it holds up. 

Now you can stop wallowing and use your new found understanding to take action.  And marketing is about action.

Comments

[Mary Schmidt]

As a fellow advocate of wallowing, I'd add:

After reviewing all the data and forming your opinion, remember, You. Could. Be. Wrong. That's why you should always keep - um - wallowing. A business plan, marketing strategy or (great) product is never really done.

[Mary Schmidt]

P.S. Some of those consultant and expert studies and reports are written by your competitors. Naming no names, but when I worked in Corporate America, a major big-name consultancy took the company profile (including how we stacked up next to the competition) that I wrote and published it without changing a word. (Do I need to mention that we spent a ton of money with them each year?) So, a soupcon (or a couple of gallons) of skepticism about those reports and experts is a good addition to any wallow pit.