Apparently, there is a squirrel whisperer in our neighborhood and I’m about to ask him if he works in marketing.
Early this morning on our daily walk, we took a different route.
As we rounded the corner, we saw a dozen or so squirrels on and around a picnic table several yards in front of us.
Seemed a little strange to see that many squirrels just chillin’ like that, but it’s a park in the Springtime.
To our right, a lone car pulled into the empty parking lot.
More squirrels appeared and started moving toward the picnic table.
A man stepped out of the car with a bag.
More squirrels.
Before he even set foot on the grass, literally dozens of squirrels were scurrying down trees to get to that table.
By the time he reached the table, there were squirrels moving toward him from every direction!
And if that wasn’t enough…
He pulled 2 walnuts out of the bag and began clacking them together.
Suddenly, another round of squirrels came flying down tree trunks right in front of us.
Now that he had their attention, he reached into the bag and started feeding them.
What’s really interesting here is that there are oak trees everywhere in this park.
Which means there’s no shortage of acorns for these squirrels to eat…
But they wanted walnuts.
Some ate straight from his hand.
Others hesitated, so he tossed handfuls their way.
This man knew EXACTLY what his “customers” wanted.
- He met them where they were.
- He didn’t chase them.
- He didn’t tease them with things they might want or already had available.
- He delivered exactly what they wanted and they nearly tripped over their bushy little tails to get to him.
Some squirrels knew when and where to expect their snacks.
Some recognized the man’s car when it pulled in.
Some recognized the man himself.
Others came when they heard the sound of the clacking.
And still, others showed up because they followed their friends to see what all the commotion was about.
And that’s how effortless marketing is done…
Show up consistently with the right offer, to the right customer, at the right time.
That’s really all there is to it.
