One of my favourite shows is Suits.

If you’ve never watched it, the show is basically about the day-to-day operations of a New York law firm, how their employees go about winning cases, the internal politics and the struggle for power.

The movie is quite interesting (at least to me) and is full of really good marketing advice.

In one of the scenes, Harvey Specter (a hot-shot lawyer with a big ego) and Louis Litt (who is another great lawyer in his own right, but feels a little behind Harvey) were the last 2 in a game of poker which they were playing to impress a potential client (Steven).

Harvey wins the game after bluffing to Louis, and then the conversation goes like this:

Harvey: “Like I said, Poker isn’t about playing the odds; it’s about playing the man.”

Steven: “I must say, that was impressive.”

Harvey: “Well, Steven, I didn’t beat him to impress you. I beat him because that’s what I do.

I don’t follow orders, I don’t bend a knee … I win.

So if that’s not the kind of lawyer you want, good luck with your business. But if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got Louis’s money to take.”

There’s so much marketing wisdom just in that conversation alone.

But let me focus on the very first statement in the convo:

“Poker isn’t about playing the odds, it’s about playing the man.”

This idea directly translates to marketing.

In fact, I can say, “Marketing isn’t about playing the platform; it’s about playing the market.”

So many business owners today are trying to “play the platform” — they are looking for the perfect trick to double open rate, the secret FB ad formula, the ultimate webinar script, the almighty AI prompt- when all they need to do is “play the market”.

I.e. fully understand the market.

Inside and outside — knowing, internalising and empathising with every pain, flaw, frustration, shame, guilt, motivation, success, desire, pride, pleasure, etc … that the market has.

Nothing is going to give you the same level of depth and connection to a person as fully and thoroughly understanding them.

And once that is done, your sales, response and close rate will automatically go up … even if you don’t have the technique to back it up.

Not because you are a genius, but simply because you will connect with them on a deeper emotional level.

Even more:

The most influential and persuasive people never go in with the mindset of using a magic phrase or trick to get a sale.

They always go in to help.

Even in your personal life, the people who influence you the most usually succeed because they genuinely believe they are telling you to do the right thing.

It’s the same in business.

At the end of the day, all business is about people.

And you’ve got to treat your prospects like real, flesh and blood humans not like numbers in a spreadsheet.

You’ve got to treat them with respect and then offer them the best possible solution to their problems.

And guess what?

Sometimes, that solution won’t be your product. And that’s perfectly fine, too. That’s just how it goes.

If you’re tired of struggling with your marketing and need some help, then let’s have a chat.

The call usually lasts for about 45 minutes and most of that is dedicated to understanding the problem you are facing and figuring out if my services can help you.

For more articles like this on marketing, sales and copywriting, check out my website: https://ikonmedia.net/

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Fola