A chemistry professor once told me in university: like attracts like. That’s why soap cleans dirty hands better than water alone.
Without delving into the chemical composition of soap, since here we talk about boats and marketing, it’s enough to know that the molecules making up soap have two ‘faces.’ One side has an affinity for fats and clings to grease and the dirt caused by oils.
The other side is hydrophilic (a bit like us boat enthusiasts 😃), meaning it has an affinity for water. So, when water binds to the hydrophilic side and washes it away, the hydrophobic part that has latched onto the grease takes the dirt with it.
From soap to military service. Those who were called to serve, like me, know it well: in the first days at the barracks, right after being thrown from the comforts of home to the rigors of the army, the first people you connected with were those who ‘spoke the same language.’
Romans with Romans, Venetians with Venetians, Neapolitans with Neapolitans, Tuscans with Tuscans, and the ones from Molise didn’t join anyone because, as we all know, Molise doesn’t exist (I might come back to the topic of ‘the inexistence of reality’ sometime, because many players in the nautical scene fall into this trap).
Then, broadening the discussion: skiers hang out with skiers, not snowboarders; ice skaters don’t mix with skateboarders; surfers don’t hang out with windsurfers; and Harley riders don’t talk to sportbike owners.
And we come to boats. Or rather, we come to your boat or your nautical product: who have you made it similar to? I mean: who sees it and feels so attracted to it as grease does to the hydrophobic side of a soap molecule?
Have you studied who you want to sell your product to? Have you realized that if you want to sell your boat, you need to speak to those who want that boat, to those who see it as an extension of their own life? Have you realized that, in general, people don’t care about your features?
And beware, the world, even that of boat owners, isn’t made up only of the ‘fancy folks’ with their 40-foot walkaround copied from the one next to them, who have an ape(ritivo), spend weekends at Santa (Margherita Ligure), or ski in Courma(yeur).
No, there are also those who, beyond using words in full, seek different boats: gozzo boats, trawlers, fishermen, flybridges, or RIBs. Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of people with walkarounds who don’t fit into the abbreviated-word category I mentioned, but they generally look for unique walkarounds rather than the most popular ones.
So, if you didn’t have the foresight to study your customer beforehand, at least now try to communicate so that your boat or product speaks to those who are somehow similar or aligned with it.
How to do it? Start from who you are, or rather, from what your product is, and try to understand who might like it: don’t worry, it can’t appeal to everyone—I couldn’t even manage that myself after years of thinking it was my life’s goal to please everyone.
Once you’ve established this, figure out how they speak, how they act, and what they’re looking for (and especially what they DON’T want, how they DON’T speak, and how they DON’T act), and adapt accordingly. Imitate, make yourself recognizable, transmit familiarity and similarity. This doesn’t mean ‘mocking,’ but simply making yourself more appealing to those who might benefit from what you’re about to sell.
Because in the end, the best success comes when the person buying from you is happier than you are for having sold them something, and this is one of the greatest satisfactions you can receive.
If you think it’s worth reflecting on this topic and on how to refine your communication to avoid shooting in the dark (and missing the mark entirely because you have no target to aim for), send an email to info@lliquida.com and book a free one-hour consultation. It might change the course of your work and help you achieve the results you desire.
