There was an interesting – and yet somewhat disturbing – report on 60 Minutes this Sunday about facial recognition software. Leslie Stahl reported that at some retail stores and restaurants cameras take your picture as you enter, and within 3 seconds identify who you are and scan your Internet profiles (Facebook, LinkedIn, credit card histories, etc.) to text you an appropriate coupon or offer for the store you’ve just entered.
Cool. I love a coupon.
Geez. Leave me alone already.
Ewwww. Creepy.
I think these facial recognition programs have the right concept: they are communicating directly with their prospects about products they have purchased in the past or expressed an interest in by “liking” on Facebook. And they are lucky enough to know when their prospects have entered the store!
In the B2B economy, we aren’t always lucky enough to know when a customer has “entered the store” – especially if we’re selling a state-of-the-art technology, original products, or novel techniques that our prospects haven’t yet seen. So it’s up to us to go out and find our prospects and introduce them to our “store.”
You may encounter the same reactions:
Cool. I love learning about something new.
Geez. I’m not interested in learning anything new or entertaining any more vendors.
Ewwww. How did you get my name?
Read more about how to get prospects into your store.
