As summer approaches in beautiful Perth on the West Coast of Australia, I decided to join a new gym this week. Perth IS the most isolated city in the world, but that does not mean the beaches are deserted and no one will see my not-so-fit bikini-clad body ...so action needed to be taken!
This new gym is not your average, open-to-the-public style; it specialises in training professional athletes, military personnel, and the chosen few who are brave (or maybe crazy) enough to apply to become a member.
It is not open to the public, and you must be introduced by someone on the mysterious “inside” to apply for membership. Serious about getting my late-forties body into shape, I found their website to do some research. It was fascinating and consistently portrayed the gym's “you better be bloody serious to train here” message. Quotes like these I thought were very interesting:
“You cannot buy your way into our facility – membership is earned and regularly assessed. We are selective about who we train with."
"We do not give false hope or cater to pride and ego. We assist our members to become more resilient because with resilience comes increased preparedness and a greater ability to persevere."
"Our gym is a state of mind where the emphasis is ‘to get the job done’. If you do not possess the tools for this you are better off training somewhere else”.
An interesting form of marketing to say the least. What would you call it “anti-marketing” maybe?
It is almost telling you not to come. If you are a bit of a woozy, then DEFINITELY DON’T COME!
But the funny thing is, all this just piqued my intrigue and interest in training in this enigmatic establishment.
This got me thinking about my own marketing consulting business, which has had its fair share of amazing clients and some that I wish I had never met, let alone engaged in business dealings with them. It’s like they’re poking a hot fork in my eye, each time I deal with them - you get my drift …
Anyway, I thought that this method of what I have coined ‘anti-marketing’ was a great way to attract the right clients, people that share the same goals, values and expectations as you.
Why not? Not everyone is our client, and we don’t want everyone either, particularly those that simply do not fit with you and your company ethos.
We all want to work with people we like.
We love those clients who share common interests and goals; the ones who are a pleasure to be with. So, by being clear and emphasising who we DON’T want to work with will surely save us money along with time and energy filtering out the ones that are not a good fit.
As much as it feels against the grain of ‘getting as many leads as possible’, I will be reflecting some of these ‘anti-marketing’ techniques to my website and verbal communication to attract the RIGHT clients from the outset.
In the time I save by not engaging with hot fork stabbers, you can find me sweating my butt off at my new gym in time for summer.
Kim McKee
Kee Websites & Greenskin Wine
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