MULTIPLY: PLAYING HARD TO GET

Morning!

Full transparency here, the time is currently 23:38 Saturday night. I've been at a wedding all weekend. Sleep is lacking, my bed is looming. Me writing this is a great example of discipline overcoming motivation. Because let me tell you, motivation is lacking right now.

Nonetheless, my tired self is bringing you a gem of a marketing tactic that you've probably never thought of before.

Let's get into it!

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Breaking Down The Strategy

Recently, I've been really honing in on how positioning affects your marketing and more specifically, the effect it has on client relationships (in terms of the dynamic).

I've always been conscious of its importance, I mean we literally spent hours upon hours upon hours mapping out how we would position our agency when we first launched.

But after a couple of iterations of that positioning, I quickly realised that maybe I needed to do a little bit more research into this positioning malarky and figure out what great positioning actually looks like.

So I did what any great marketer would do, I had a good ole stalk of every great marketing agency I could think of. - I checked out their website- Scroller their socials- Found their personal brands A real good stalk covering all the bases.

But honestly, out of all the great agencies that people talk about, I was unimpressed with 90% of them.

However, there was one that stood out like a sore thumb and positioned themselves beautifully...

And that was Multiply.

You see, with all of the other agencies' positioning, two things were clear and obvious:1. They wanted to be seen as the best 2. They wanted clients

But with Multiply, a completely different vibe (great marketing term) was given off from their positioning. Unlike the other agencies, the way they position themselves is:

1. We are the best

2. We don't need your business

It's such a crazy, but yet majestic feel. A business that doesn't need my business? It's like the classic relationship saga where you only want someone when they're no longer interested in you.

The fact, they don't want me makes me want them.

Let me explain how they give you this "We don't need you" feel...1. Their Website

When I began having a stalk of Multiply, my first aim was to get to their website. I went on to their LinkedIn - seemed in good stead - so I then headed to the link in bio and well, it brought me to this...

What you're looking at is literally a Google Form.

Let me repeat that, their website is literally a Google Form.

(Go see for yourself -> CLICK HERE)

I couldn't believe it at first, I thought maybe they were just a sham of an agency with a big following. But then I began to read the copy... and it was beautiful.

✅ Clear proof up-frontThe first half of the copy is solely there to establish credibility by showcasing their level of clients + their level of results. ✅ Social proof right below itThey follow this up with a great testimonial from the great Harry Dry (one of my favourite marketers).✅ Implied demand + implied scarcity(This is where it gets good) They then go on to "We have a backlog of people wanting to work with us. Clearly expressing the fact that no matter if I want to work with them or not, I need to get in line. It's a simple line, but holds so much weight.✅ Flips the switch My favourite part of this is how they ask you to apply to work with them. It gives them all the power in the relationship right from the start. I literally have to donate 5 minutes of my day just to get the chance to possibly work with them.

A very underestimated tactic in my books.

2. Their (non-existent) marketing

After scrolling through their LinkedIn employees I found that their CEO/Founder was George Mack. A man I've followed on Twitter forever.

I was honestly more shocked about this than the website. How in the world could I not know he ran Multiply?

Well, the answer is that he doesn't promote it - AT ALL.

For reference, George has 115k followers on Twitter. Yet his Twitter profile doesn't mention one single thing about the agency, just look:

He doesn't even use the link to push the form, instead he pushes an old podact he went on where he talks mental models.

But by not pushing the agency at all he gives the exact same impression that the website does:

• We're the best

• We don't need your business

He seems so uninterested and so not in need of leads that I want to work with him. Reverse psychology? Complete fluke? Great positioning? Who knows. All I know is:

When people know they can have you, they aren't that interested in getting you.

But when we want something we can't have... we'd die to get it in our grasp.

And it's a genius way to position yourself!

Granted, Multiply are probably maxed out and they might not have even put any thought into the angle I've just talked about. But imagine if they aren't? Imagine if it was all a positioning strategy.

Arguably the best (and cheapest) positioning strategy ever?

I'll leave that up to you to decide.

And I'm off to bed! I Hope my sleep deprivation wasn't as obvious as it felt.

Have an awesome day!— Nial

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This has been a breakdown of Multiply's marketing strategy. I hope you have learned something and can implement a similar strategy in your business!

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