Try the Side Door if the Front Door is Closed

Let nothing stop your marketing opportunities Have you read about Wal-Mart’s attempt to open a bank in the U.S.? I heard about it a few years ago and recently learned the outcome in Fortune’s February 4th issue.

According to the update, the retail giant ended its bid to start a U.S.-based bank, but that didn’t stop them from opening banks elsewhere. They scored a win in Mexico.

“In November, Wal-Mart de Mexico opened its first consumer bank, Banco Wal-Mart, in Toloca; the company plans to launch 80 more by the end of the year.”

One of their plans is to make it more convenient for Mexicans working in the U.S. to send money to relatives living in Mexico. The article estimates this remittance market at $23 billion.

Wal-Mart was determined to provide banking services somewhere on the planet, and since U.S. banks blocked them, they took this service elsewhere. Would you do the same if denied access to a particular niche?

I’m facing a similar dilemma as I try to secure a speaking engagement in Texas. The situation isn’t exactly the same, but it does illustrate that the road isn’t always straight when moving forward to the goal line.

I’ve done everything possible to get a meeting planner’s attention, and there’s another wrinkle. The planner is newly hired, so she may not be the right person to contact. Simply put, I’ve hit a wall.

This week, I’ll try another approach. I’m working with two other planners who may know how best to get this group’s attention so that I can speak in their facility this summer. In most industries it’s too late to book an assignment, but not in this one, which is why I’m still pursuing it. I should know by week’s end if I’m successful or not.

Wal-Mart is a huge corporation, but their example of going outside of your first preference to get what you want is a wise lesson for us. You don’t end your mission if someone erects a wall. You:

Scale it

Walk, jog, or run around it

Tunnel through it

Dig under it

There’s a way to overcome marketing challenges. Make sure you have plenty of alternative plans ready to successfully complete the project.

Follow Up: Visibility Magazine, mentioned in one of last week’s posts, is not a free magazine. My apology for not checking on this before including it with the other publications.

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