Now, I know that makes everyone want to grab their yellow galoshes, but let’s not jump in quite so fast!  First you must know that there is a strategy to making the most of your time puddle jumping.

1)  You must know the area around your puddles.  Look for any potential obstacles that might cause a problem and any props that could make puddle jumping even better.

2)  You must know what is floating in the puddles.  Let’s face it, we’ve all seen the neighbor boys taking turns throwing whatever they can get their hands on into puddles or the stray dog from around the way relieving itself in a puddle.  You don’t want to be splashing through a puddle that Rover just warmed up, now do you?

3)  It’s all about the distance.  What do I mean?  Well, some of the most experienced puddle jumpers in the world can thoroughly soak all onlookers within a 4 foot radius!  Now that is some distance.

4)   The deeper the puddle, the more fun!  I mean seriously, would you rather jump in a piddly puddle that barely wets the tread of your sneaker or would you rather feel the water sinking up and over and into your socks?

Now what is all of this talk of puddles and what does it have to do with marketing?

Pretend each of your clients is a puddle.

1) Now, tell me about the immediate area around that “puddle.”  Are there any obstacles that you can see that may hinder the relationship you have with your client?  Maybe they just lost their job and they are going to have to cut back.  Will you be the service they cut back on?  What about props that may help you with the relationship?  Maybe they just had a baby and it just so happens that you have a new product out that is perfect for new parents.

2)  Now tell me what could potentially be floating in your puddle.  This is all the crap…all the baggage that may make them a bad client to have.  Maybe it is that they don’t pay their bills on time.  Maybe it is that they can never make a deadline.  Or maybe they are like Nelli from Little House on the Prairie and just plain annoying.  Whatever it is, be sure to examine your puddle carefully to make sure there aren’t any floaters.

3)  What kind of distance can you get from your puddle?  Is this client going to be a long term relationship or a one shot wonder?  We all know that it is tempting to just go for the quick sale and move on, but wouldn’t you much rather have a client that comes in for all of the accessories?  I mean seriously, how many applications can one person have on their iPhone?!  But isn’t that what you want from your customer?  You want them to not make just one purchase, but to continue to come back to you for all of the upgrades and add-ons that you could possibly dream up, just because they are available.

4)  So how deep is that puddle?  This is where we get into the psychology behind your client.  Why do they buy or not buy?  When do they feel like buying more?  What do they feel like when they buy?  This in and of itself is an entire semester’s worth of courses.  But this is where the gold is.  If you can really truly fine tune the psyche of your client then you can design your entire business around it and go to the bank all day.

Once you’ve examined all of these areas of your puddle you are ready to go puddle jumping.  But don’t forget your galoshes!