Outside-In...

"Daddy, your shirt's on outside-in," my five-year-old announced as I emerged from my bedroom bleary-eyed one morning.

I chuckled at his word choice: Outside-in. Technically, it's accurate -- and much more interesting than inside-out.

So I'll give PJ credit for it.

But as I see it, the key to marketing success is "Outside-In Thinking". By that I mean two things: It's more about "you" than "me" and second, it's not filled with "me too" messages.

Let me explain...

"You" first. Good salespeople connect with their customer and seek to understand her needs. Mediocre salespeople rattle off a list of benefits -- or worst, just features and hope something clicks. Good marketers view things from the customer's perspective. Mediocre marketers focus too much on themselves. I saw a trade ad this week with the slogan "Yes We Can." Sounds nice. I understand the point. But isn't it a little self-centered? Where is the customer in that? Shouldn't it be something like: "Whatever you need, we can do." or "For You, We Will."

"Me" too. Once the marketer has a customer-centered view their message needs to stand out from the rest. They need a distinctive selling message and a creative presentation. For instance, Beth loves the "Big Bow" TV commercials for Lexus. These funny ads focus on cars with oversized bows, but the car-gifting message and brand are not lost. This creative approach is very memorable and the look can't be easily confused with anyone else's ad. (I'll let you know if I find a Lexus with a Big Bow under my tree this Christmas!)

So if you are looking to turnaround your sales in 2005, start asking yourself what you can do to turn your thinking "Outside-In".

- Phil Sasso