by Robert Middleton

When relatives get together, they inevitably start telling stories from the past. While at my sister's wedding last week, a sister told one on me about my behavior at Halloween. (For those not in the U.S. or Canada, this is a rather strange holiday on October 31 where kids dress up in costume and collect vast quantities of candy from neighbors.)

Apparently I was the consummate trick-or-treater. I would work very hard to get all the candy I could (collected in a large pillowcase) and then went home to catalog all my booty into various categories: 20 suckers, 15 tootsie rolls, 32 candy bars, etc.

What I realized was that I still have this tendency to be very organized, and it's helped me be a better marketer. I have very clear goals, I keep good statistics and track results almost obsessively.

The ah-ha that I had was that if people were more aware of various childhood talents, they could probably tell what kind of marketing they would do best at, enabling them to capitalize on their strengths.

I don't make any claims for scientific categorizations, but I'm willing to bet you'll see yourself in here somewhere. And these categories don't mean that you'll automatically be good at this type of marketing, just that you have talents in that direction.

Relationship Marketer
When you were young, you put a lot of importance on your friendships. It was important for you to play with your friends, get along, and be popular. You didn't do so well on your own.

As a marketer, you'll do the best with networking. You have a natural talent for meeting people and striking up friendships and keeping in touch.

You feel it's who you know, rather than what you know that helps you be more successful.

The pitfall for a Relationship Marketer is that you can make networking an end unto itself. That is, you'll join various groups, become an officer of organizations and spend huge amounts of time while forgetting that the purpose of networking is to connect with potential clients.

Aesthetic Marketer
As a child did you find yourself interested in the arts? You enjoyed craft projects, painting and sculpting things out of clay. Colors, shapes and balance all came naturally to you.

As a marketer, you're able to use visuals to attract and persuade. Your business card, brochure and web site are all elegant and attention-getting. Every marketing piece you put out draws people into your world.

The pitfall for the Aesthetic Marketer is that you can get too caught up in form over substance. You need to make sure your marketing materials contain relevant, persuasive information as well as look attractive.

Project Marketer
You were the kid who could always be counted on to get things done. You were into science projects and building stuff. You owned a set of Leggos or Lincoln Logs and always had one or more projects going.

As a marketer, you are well organized and on purpose. You know what you want and you are very focused on getting it. You have a talent for bringing together ideas, resources and people to make something happen.

The pitfall for the Project Marketer is that you can get so involved in the project that you forget that the purpose is to persuade prospects to take action. A project can't be an end unto itself, but a means to an end.

Team Marketer
You enjoyed sports in school and especially enjoyed being on a team and working towards a common goal. You took coaching well and knew how to be a valued member of the team. Winning was important to you.

As a marketer, you'll do better as a member of a group. Going it alone is not for you. You like clear division of labor and spreading around the responsibility. You can see the big picture, you just don't want to do it all.

The pitfall for a Team Marketer is that if you are an Independent professional, you may feel isolated and overwhelmed. You need to work at building a virtual team of competent vendors and experts.

Academic Marketer
In school you liked books and math. You actually enjoyed your homework and loved learning new things. You always felt a bit like an outsider but felt happiest when you were learning something new.

As a marketer, you are talented at using the written word to persuade. You enjoy models that explain your approach or process. You go to great lengths to present ideas that demonstrate what you can do and how you can do it.

The pitfall of the Academic Marketer is just the opposite of the Aesthetic Marketer. Your marketing can come across as cold or dull. You take too long to get to the point. You need to work at packaging your message more attractively.

Presentation Marketer
You were the class clown and could always get others to laugh. You were a ham that preferred to be on the stage instead of in the audience. Drama class was your favorite. You thrived on attention and accolades.

As a marketer, you're most comfortable giving talks and presentations. You know you can win over prospects if you can give them a demonstration or motivate them to take action. You love being a star and inspiring people to be the best they can be.

The pitfall for the Presentation Marketer is that you can get caught up in looking good. You can become more of a performer than a marketer and put on presentations that entertain but don't really persuade.

Those are six marketing types that I'm familiar with. I'm sure there are more. (Please share them with me.)

If you become aware of your particular marketing strength or talent, work to develop it to its fullest. But at the same time, realize that each type has it's limitations. The best marketer is someone who develops several of these talents (we all have more than one) to become truly effective at attracting new clients.

Copyright ©2005 by Robert Middleton and Action Plan Marketing. All rights reserved. Robert can be reached at http://www.actionplan.com

How do you more fully develop the talent of your marketing type? Just because you have the talent, doesn't mean you have mastered this area of marketing.

• First, identify those areas where you seem to have real abilities or talents. Notice what you enjoy, what comes easily to you and what you have fun doing.
• Get more information on this area, whether it be design, public speaking or networking. There are endless books, tapes and courses that will help you develop your talent.
• Next, work on another complimentary area. For instance, if you are good at presentations, you'll probably do even better if you improve your one-on-one communicating through networking.
• Those areas where you are the weakest are often not worth struggling with. If writing is your weak link, get someone to write articles for you.
• If design is your weak link, find a talented designer to work with.
• Realize that if you work on developing just two or three marketing talents, that's all you're going to need to be a very effective marketer. In other words, keep developing your strengths and delegating your weaknesses.

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