average

What is the "Average User"?

As a marketer, I'm fascinated by television commercials. One commercial I saw recently talked about how no one grows up wanting to be "average." That really shoved the right side of my brain into overdrive.

Pull Average Joe to the side (the next time you see him at the pub or wherever Joe haunts these days) and float the phrase "Network Neutrality" by him; if for nothing else, to watch the blankness wash over him. He has little use for the phrase, though it has the potential to affect him greatly.

Google's beta release of their desktop search tool was their shot across the bow of the USS Microsoft Search. Following hard of the heels of promising technology releases from Blinkx and Copernic, Google is staking their claim to the desktop search space. And Microsoft seems to have been caught flat footed, as they continue to push back the deadline for the release of Longhorn, which will integrate desktop search with the operating system. Many seem to think a search related announcement out of Redmond is imminent.

What do you think of this opening with a prospect? "I'm ______ from _____. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. I appreciate your time since I know this is your busy season. On the phone you mentioned you are looking to modify your X system. What I'd like to do today is talk about what we can do to help you meet your objectives."