While on vacation in Hawaii, my wife Ra El and I got to housesit. Our daughter Sarah’s colleague was away and we could stay at their lovely home for free if we took care of Murphy. Murphy Cupid Maloney was a 6-month old mastiff puppy that weighed in at around 60 pounds. I learned several marketing lessons while dog sitting.
Keep in mind that we are cat people. That means we delight in small, furry animals that relieve themselves in a box. Taking care of a gargantuan dog including new experiences like sitting on the edge of the sofa because Murphy took up all the space or picking up several large poops and then hosing the remains until they disappear from sight.
Not my jam.
But, like most situations, I took three deep breathes and realized this was a learning opportunity.
Marketing Lessons I learned from Murphy the 60 lb Mastiff Puppy
- Listening: If Murphy were someone I was trying to market too, I had to use my superhuman listening skills. If I am patient, he’d tell me what he needed, wanted or didn’t care for through his behavior. Like marketing a product or service, unless you are carefully listening or observing, you are missing the signals.
- Patterns: Surprisingly, some patterns were obvious as when he walked over to the screen door and whined – he needed to do his business. But sometimes, his behavior was confusing and the patterns were hard to read. He didn’t bark once for several days, and then he barked in the morning. And his bark is quite loud, like a truck horn in the stuck position. He barked into my ear as if he was saying, “what’s wrong with you, don’t you see I need you to pay attention to me.” He didn’t like it when I got distracted by my phone or Netflix.
- Attention: Like a customer who you want to be happy, Murphy craves attention. He needs to know he is the center of the universe. So, when you feed yourself, he gets annoyed because it isn’t all about him. Don’t get me wrong, he is a sweet and gentle dog, but he wants you to play with him like a six-year-old child on a rainy day. We played a variation of put the toy in his mouth and then try and wrestle it from him. It reminded me of arm wrestling Macho Man back in the day. Murphy may be a pup, but he is eight times stronger than me.
- Reinforcement: If I needed Murphy to go inside his cage at night, I needed to entice him with a treat. Like a promotion or a sales incentive, a small treat goes a long way. But it must reinforce the right behavior and can’t be overused or it will be ineffective. Giving him a treat reminded me of email marketing. I could send a few out with a special offer, but after a while, it loses its effectiveness.
- Kindness: In the end, Murphy only needed kindness and a strong and decisive alpha male. It means that you must be in charge but also be empathetic toward him at the same time. Again, like marketing a product or service, you need to be both friendly and firm. In my consulting work, I often must be strong-willed to give my best advice but it needs to be done in a human and considerate voice.
Upon returning home to Shazmina, our small, sweet Persian cat, I was reminded that taking care of her has its challenges too. But at 10 lbs. of fluff, I’m much more confident in my understanding of how to behave.
Thank you, Murphy, for allowing me to learn from you. When you get to be a full-grown Mastiff (150-200 lbs.), remember how much fun we had together when I walked and fed you and you licked my face. If I’m being my authentic self, you’ll recall our discussion about me cleaning up your poops. Sorry if I offended you with my comments.
Need someone to walk your dog? Call someone else. But if you need help with marketing challenges, you can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar.
Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
