You are the company you're in

This is what my mother once told me, "You are the company you're in." How absolutely true this statement is. Think about it for a second... all of the phases of your life, the chapters you've closed, and those you've opened. You've been around different types of people, personalities, neighborhoods, work places, etc. Have you ever consciously thought to yourself, "Are these people really my friends? Are they who I want to be associated with? Do they have the same goals as me?"

I have thought about that from time to time, and when I establish that it's time to change my perspective on life, direction of my future, or some other type of introspective babble, I look at those around me.

I consider myself to be a very adaptable person, and I can honestly look around and say that I'm happy with the company I'm in at this time. Over the span of my life, my friends have changed, I've matured, I've grown in various ways, and I've progressed through life with some common goals in mind. To achieve those goals, I need to ensure that I create opportunities to achieve them. In doing this, I have to modify how I live, work, or play. Likewise, in business (and marketing in particular), you have to know who your client/customer base is. What do they like? Where do they work? Where do they play? And most importantly... Who are they?

One of the biggest parts of marketing is: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE! You really have to tune yourself into the mindset of your target market. To know your customer, you have to think like your customer. To do that, you should go where they go, talk to them, understand them, and really comprehend their needs and wants. Voila. You are the company you're in.

When I started up Site2Street, I needed to know and understand my target market. I went to various online forums to see where those CMOs went to talk, play, and interact. Car forums, marketing forums, yacht forums, networking events in Vegas, etc... I needed to know what they thought and who they were. I'm not saying make "fake friends", rather understand who they are. I have developed meaningful friendships with some of these amazing people and they've been more than willing to help me whenever I need it. I'm not quite the company I'm in, but I'll get there eventually.