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Marketing efforts run on customer data and loyal customers. In an ideal world, you have a low-risk, high-reward product or service that you can sell directly to an easily identifiable customer base. It's an inexpensive product or service, and everyone has a need for it. You are able to drive effective marketing efforts based on an ongoing influx of data that comes from your customers, and drive a steady profit from your efforts.

Marketing for major life purchases (MLPs), by contrast, is notoriously difficult. From insurance to homeownership to transportation, these markets pose a specific challenge for effective marketing. Limited data points, high-value products, and a fickle customer base can make for marketing efforts that come off as fragmented at best and pestersome at worst. But, even though it may seem impossible to narrow down effective marketing efforts, there's hope. A shift in mentality is crucial for businesses that deal in MLPs — going from lead gen to customer gen.