Are You Interested?
Thursday, March 27th, 2008I went to the bank today to address a CD that was maturing. In reviewing all of the current options, the bank advisor politely told me that if I were to let it roll over into a new term, the interest rate would drop by 75%.
Whhaaaattttt?!?!?!?!
I had to bite my tongue and mentally scream the mantra, “don’t shoot the messenger!!” to maintain my composure. Watching the tears of anger and poverty well in my eyes, he explained, “Interest rates are dropping in today’s climate, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Is this true? In today’s culture of instant … everything, is it possible to capture someone’s interest, or is this interest rate also spiraling downward; a victim of perpetual information overload?
IMHO, all is not lost. Interest rates are evolving, for sure; and successful adaptation is necessary to stay competitive. With streaming videos, social networking, podcasts, Ruby On Rails, Bluetooth®, and an array of other funny-sounding platforms and technologies, it’s easier than ever to get instant access to your audience, and vice versa. The same goes for your competition, too, so it’s more important than ever to stand out in the crowd. This is where messaging is critical (and S&T’s specialty), but we’ll save that topic for another day.
Suffice it to say, tactics can certainly grab attention, but the true rate of interest should be measured by the response to the message. The perceived value in the message is what sparks your targeted customers to take action.
And begrudgingly spurred by value, my humble monies remain in the bank’s cybervault instead of my mattress. For now.