Let me share a secret with you—something every very successful marketer uses, but they may not think of it this way. Something I learned from my pet dog. I call it pack mentality. As human beings, we are animals. As animals, there are many aspects of ourselves we don’t fully understand. Pack mentality is one of them. Let me share with you how pack mentality works and how you can use it to build and grow your business.
Pack mentality is all about trust. It’s about developing a level of trust which eventually grows into respect and eventually love. There are different levels of pack mentality. The first level means the dog trusts you enough to understand you are not an immediate threat, so she no longer barks or threatens you. The longer she knows you and the more often she sees you, the deeper you go in her pack.
Pack mentality can also be used to describe how we as human animals also react to people, companies, situations, everything.
How does pack mentality in marketing work?
Let me explain how this works with dogs. When someone walks into our house, our dog instantly decides whether they are part of her pack or not. To her, its deciding whether the person is a friend or foe. If she knows them, she instantly gets excited and happy. If they are a stranger, she is protective and wary.
I always tell newcomers to take it slow. Let her sniff you and understand you are no threat. This takes some time. After a few minutes, most are welcomed into the first level of her pack. What is surprising is that some are welcomed sooner and others later.
Companies must work their way to deep pack mentality in marketing
There also seems to be more than one level to her pack. Being accepted into the initial pack means she no longer barks, but trust comes with time. The more she sees you, the more trust is built. After a short while, you are part of her deep pack or in essence a part of the family.
Just as for all of us, there are different levels of family and friends, immediate and distant, there are also different levels of pack mentality. We use this in judging whether to trust and then to like a person, place or company.
She uses pack mentality to determine whether you are a friend or foe. Whether you are a part of her pack or not. If you are part of her pack, she jumps on your and loves you to death. If she doesn’t recognize you, she barks.
As animals we all use this same natural pack mentality
Some companies do a good job with building pack mentality. These are usually the companies we have warm and fuzzy feelings about. Companies like Apple come to mind. The vast majority of companies have no warmth or fuzziness. We may like them and their product or service, but there is not the same level of emotion. Companies like Google come to mind on this side of the argument.
Think about all the companies you know. How many fit into this warm and fuzzy box? Very few. Yet these are often the most successful companies in their space. So, this should be the goal of very company. Every marketer. To develop a warm and fuzzy relationship of trust and respect with every customer.
Develop warm and fuzzy trust, respect and pack mentality with every customer
That’s often difficult since the corporation is a non-feeling organization. This successful “feeling” is developed by certain marketers. Those with a heart. Marketers who care about the user and about improving the user experience.
Even they screw up now and then. However, when they do, the customer cuts them some slack and that is invaluable. Look at how often Apple has screwed up with iPhone antenna that didn’t work when you held the phone the wrong way, or battery-gate and so on. Yet customers still love them and cut them so slack when they do screw up.
If you cannot develop this warm and fuzzy nature, at least do everything in your power to win over the customer. To make sure they feel they are not at risk doing business with you.
Customers who don’t feel comfortable with the companies they do business with, are not typically loyal. When a better deal comes around or when the company screws up on something, they are often gone.
Get close to the customer and let them get close to you with pack mentality
So, in your marketing, get close to the customer and let them get close to you. Be warm and fuzzy. Take great care of the customer. This extra effort will help you build your business and keep every customer.
At least let the customer “feel” they can trust you. That is often enough. The last thing you want to do is create friction. This creates an animosity which is like sudden death to building a strong, long-term relationship.
So, remember the simple nature-based lessons we can learn from our own puppy dogs about pack mentality. The secrets to success can often be found in nature all around us, if we keep our eyes open and learn the lessons that surround each and every one of us. So, how in-tune are you?
