Fusion Marketing is based on the Fusion Model

The Fusion Model

The fusion model is the practice of having many voices saying the same thing, as opposed to just one. As an example, if you were to go to an event in a stadium or arena there would be the chatter and voices of many people saying many things. With everyone speaking about different things all at once it makes individual messages inaudible. Granted a very boisterous individual may get attention, but it will soon be overcome by the mass noise. At some point at these events a group of people will start to cheer the same message. They will repeat it together and their message will be heard throughout the stadium.

The Fusion Model is getting a group of people to start saying the same message so that it is heard clearly. When many businesses are all trying to get attention, messages get lost, while those who work together with a more unified message are heard clearer. By working together with a number of different businesses your message will have more power and influence, and you may reduce expenses, too.

The benefits to fusion are not just the ability to be heard but also the opportunities to increase your appeal, get more time with customers, lower your marketing costs, become an industry leader, educate more people about your vision and create a “WOW” factor.

Appeal
To have someone to want to come to your establishment is the goal of increasing your appeal. By fusing your efforts with other business, you have a bigger voice explaining to people why they should utilize your services. When one business refers customers to another, it acts as a testimonial.

Time
When like-minded businesses work together they can create more experiences for their target audience to enjoy. A group of business that send out a message that there are plenty of shops of the same industry in a specific community say that there is an opportunity to experience variety. There is a ratio of the distance a consumer will travel vs. the amount of time they will spend at their destination. Giving your target audience more to do will get them to come from greater distances and stay longer.

Costs
When you work as a group you have the opportunity to share costs. You also have the opportunity to utilize the benefits of your businesses to reduce expenditures. Contributing prizing, sharing displays and working for trade are examples of cost effective marketing ideas.

Leader
The best way to understand your audience is to do research. Businesses who communicate well with each other will share industry knowledge. When a customer realizes that you are a resource of information in your industry they will be more likely to refer your services or repeat business. A leader of their industry will know what is best for the customer even if it involves referring them to a competitor. When a customer is satisfied they will tell friends, if they are unhappy they will tell everyone.

Educate
From letting people know about your new product line, to helping causes get a stronger voice, you have an opportunity to increase the reach of your message by working with a group. Your service may be a benefit and complement another business; working together to educate your audience will result in smarter consumer.

WOW!
It is that goal we strive for when we are trying to impress. To get a “WOW” response from your target audience gets attention, and people have fun in the process. The formula to going from a good marketing campaign to a WOW campaign is passion and teamwork. When there are many people working on individual aspects of a marketing program they focus their enthusiasm.

Last year Sasha Kitch of Grounded Organic Coffee House gave all of her proceeds for one day to the Kootenay Kids Society Life after Birth Program. Sasha created a Fusion Promotion to raise money and awareness for a group that she is very close to. She worked with the business community, suppliers and the society to raise over $2,000 for the local family resource. This year she is adding more fusion partners and looking to raise even more money this year.

Stay tuned for updates on Grounded Gives to the Kids 2010.

Cold Call Myth

Throughout the years Nasty ways of motivating and negative experiences with making a business call have created “Cold Call” myths.

These myths present the “Cold Call” as a difficult process, which should only be attempted by those that are trained, experienced, have tough skin, enormous super sales powers and ability to deflect negative comments without wincing. There are many Myths about Cold Calling from “I don’t want to be like a telemarketer” to “What if they tell me to stop hassling them and leave them alone?”

What is important to remember is that a myth has purpose. A myth, according to the wikipedia.org
“A myth is often thought to be a lesson in story form which has deep explanatory or symbolic resonance for preliterate cultures, who preserve and cherish the wisdom of their elders through oral traditions by the use of skilled story tellers.”
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=X&start=1&oi=define&q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth

Anyone who has had a negative experience with making a business call will most likely pass on this information to others, specifically to people who will be making the same type of call. By passing on this negative experience there is reinforcement into the fearful aspects of making a business call.

A “Cold Call”, simply put, is a sales call. You need to generate revenue for your business so you must sell. This opens up another Myth about the “Cold Call”, that when making a call you are coming off as a stereotypical salesperson. Ask your friends what words they associate when you say “Sales”, they will usually come up with a list of “Salespeople” that they profile and present in a negative manner. “Car Sales, Telemarketers, Door to Door, In Your Face”.

There is one thing that we all can agree upon; profiling is not a good way to describe anyone. We are all individuals and we all have our own perspectives and ways of doing things.

In business we have to generate revenue to succeed. We generate revenue by conducting sales; you determine how sales will be done. The wonderful thing about myths is they are lessons.

Each myth or story you hear about making any type of business call will have a lesson buried inside.

When conducting a sale you are establishing a relationship of equal benefit to all parties involved. This seems to be an easy process but when first establishing the relationship there can be hesitation and apprehension due to unknown fears.