Seth Godin describes a “tribe” as a group of people that have characteristics in common that bind them in some way. Like a bunch of midlife moms, CPA’s, coaches-in-training, aspiring pilots, etcetera. Marketers typically look for tribes because tribes are niches and niches have wants and needs marketers have products or services to fill. Some complain they can’t find a niche or don’t know how to serve one. But there’s a way you can find such a tribe and ethically procure business from it easily, and in the course of doing your own thing.
Several years ago I was involved in a high-end program for such a tribe of close to a hundred participants, headed up by several “gurus” in the field. One of the perks was a lavishly decorated and branded online community promised to be filled with audio, video and special messages to help us learn. A core membership of thirty of us talked it up in the forum and discussed audios of teaching calls. The first month went by with only a brief greeting from each of the gurus.
The second month, two of the four teachers put brief “keep it up” posts in the forums – this was the only content contributed. Teachers were noticably absent when perplexed attendees asked an increasing amount of questions about the process. The final third month of this program passed without any further online content but call recordings.
When asked we were brushed off with “Oh, we’re very busy, ask people in the forum”. People began speaking under the table about their dissatisfaction. The so-called gurus didn’t keep their promises to the community. And as the experience ended, core members began to plan for closure of the online community.
Myself and two others stepped up, offered our expertise and reconstituted the community elsewhere and kept masterminding for the better part of a year. Though we did not set out to, we all got clients out of this, simply by being there when needed and being willing to jump in the gap. The three of us provided slightly different but complementary services that were the “other half” the original gurus promised to have provided but didn’t.
In such a situation, you can ethically serve a pre-existing tribe well and have the blessing of both the tribe members and the person/s who initially began service to the tribe. You’re relieving them after all, of work they clearly did not want to do. This process has been replicated many times by people I’ve observed in adopting nearly-dead networking clubs, Meetups, charities and just about any other group you can think of.
Here’s the process, outlined:
1. Notice or become involved in a tribe that you have the skills to serve. Bonus points if these folks are people you really like.
2. Notice that these people have been provided only half the service they really should have gotten with their membership.
- OR-
2.5. Notice that they have been abandoned by the original service provider who perhaps or provides clients a forum but then skips out on posting to it, or sells a product but provides no follow-up in how to “digest” that product.
3. Provide that other half of the service that they didn’t even know they wanted or needed, but love once they get. Note that you don’t need permission of the service provider who abandoned the tribe, nor do you necessarily need to inform them you’re doing it. Your unspoken contract as it were, is with the tribe, not the previous provider.
3.5 This “other half” service should speak to the tribe’s WANTS, not their needs. Why? Because Wanting something is far more emotionally charged – and therefore marketable – than something they know they need.
Contrast these two statements:
Purchase Statement #1: “I need a good business suit, my old one is worn out” and the accompanying heavy sigh at the thought of the money spent or because the person would really rather shop for clothes to go clubbing or hates crowded malls.
Purchase Statement #2: “Oh my god!I WANT that Armani suit with the Manolo pumps! I’ve just GOT to have it. Just wait’ll they see me at the office!”. It may not be disco wear, but it has if possible, even more cachet, mystery and allure.
The former statement is perfunctory, the latter a “must-do at all costs”.
Exactly.
4. Other-Half services needn’t be time-consuming or costly. A short report, a how-to audio, filling in on a forum, answering tech questions, sharing your rolodex of trusted service providers, providing a group space on your server to share uploads, donating time on your bridgeline, etc. are all low-time and cost to you, but highly valued to those you share these services with.
5.You naturally speak about your services and your offers in the course of providing the other-half service to the tribe. So do others, but the tribe, having identified you as a leader, will listen to you first in rank order of others who might provide the same service. Note: Speak of what you do naturally, in the flow of conversation, without being “sales-y”.
5.5. A larger than normal majority of the tribe you’ve taken over will be predisposed to accept your offer because they’ve had an excellent taste of your tender loving care. For those that do, contentment is a foregone conclusion as long as you continue great service to them. Done=Done
* The phrase “Abandoned Tribes” comes courtesy of Andy Wibbels (Twitterfeed: @andymatic), as we were brainstorming this idea around the other night. By golly, ya can’t beat that for a hook. Thanks, buddy. 
Breast cancer survivor Kris Hart, right, vice president of global brand management at (casino operator) Harrah’s Entertainment, was still breastfeeding when she found out she had breast cancer. In this month’s 
as after dinner one Tuesday evening from Bill Hall, a buddy of Dad’s from Rotary Club. Though Bill offered, Mom refused to let him go into the kitchen and get her usual offering of lemonade and cookies – it was important for HER to "do for" visitors as long as she was able. 
This just in from correspondent J.W.:
If you rely on an international team as I do in my business, instant messaging, or IM-ing, can be a lifesaver. 
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