On the August 15 episode of my Lykken on Lending podcast, we had the opportunity to interview Dustin Demeritt, director of Marketing Communications at Radius Financial. During our conversation, Dustin discussed how the "Interruption model" of marketing is no longer working for organizations. Essentially, this model is all about trying to get the attention of customers by interrupting them in their daily routines and giving them marketing messages when they don't want them. For example, commercials on TV have traditionally interrupted people while they're watching something else.
So, what's the alternative to the "interruption model?" Well, the new way of doing marketing has less to do with going out and seeking customers and more to do with getting them to seek you. With the rise of the Internet, this new model has manifested itself in things like social media and search engine optimization. If you build a strong enough brand for yourself, people who are interested in the services provide will find you. You won't need to interrupt them, because they will be interrupting you!
Now, this new way of engaging customers is important for organizations, but think about how it relates to you as a leader. Are you still having to "interrupt" your employees? Do you still have to go to them, or have you built your own personal brand in such a way that they are coming to you? You know you're a leader not when people do what you say but, rather, when people take the initiative to ask you what they should do. Do your employees come to you for advice? If not, what do you think you could be doing differently to open the door for them to do so?
David Lykken, a 43-year veteran of the mortgage industry, is president of Transformational Mortgage Solutions (TMS), a management consulting firm that provides transformative business strategies to owners and “C-Level” executives via consulting, executive coaching and various communications strategies. He is a frequent guest on FOX Business News and hosts his own weekly podcast called “Lykken On Lending” heard Monday’s at 1:00 p.m. ET at LykkenOnLending.com. David’s phone number is (512) 759-0999 and his e-mail is [email protected].
