Prime Your Marketing Engines
Prime Your Marketing Engines
Chances are you may be making these costly mistakes in your business ...
Mistake #1 - Many business owners believe that if they have a great product or service, business will automatically come to them.
Well, you probably do offer the best product and you probably do offer great service. You have the best-trained employees, the longest warranties and the most awards. But, that alone hasn't brought you all the prospects you can handle...has it? If you don't promote and market your business, it will eventually dry up and blow away - no matter how good your product or service is.
Mistake #2 - You believe that your business is so different from all other industries.
Essentially your industry is no different from others - be it manufacturing, service, wholesale, distribution or retail. The product or service you provide may be different. But like all other industries, you are in the business of marketing your product or service. Hence, marketing should be a high priority for your business.
Mistake #3 - You do not differentiate your business from your competitors.
If you cannot say to your potential customer anything other than "Our pricing is competitive," "Our quality is good" and "Our services are reliable," you are in fact just another 'me too' business. Your competitor will be telling the market the same thing. Today, more than ever, you must differentiate your business. There are simply far too many choices for consumers. To command a strong position, you don't have to be the best; you must be unique to your market.
Mistake #4 - You believe that marketing is a costly expense.
Marketing is usually the first item that gets cut when business is slow. However, marketing is the engine that drives your business. You should instead invest more on marketing even when your competitors are cutting back in bad times. Marketing doesn't necessarily entail big money. There are many low-cost or even no-cost marketing strategies that your business can use.
Mistake #5 - You neglect to market to your current customers.
It's an established fact that acquiring a new customer costs a business at least six times more than selling to their existing customers. And yet, many businesses choose to ignore their current customers. You may focus too much on that first sale when the real goldmine lies in repeat business, as well as things that are supplementary or complimentary to the products or services your customer has purchased.
Mistake #6 - You fail to capture your customers' contact information.
You've spent so much money on acquiring your customers and yet you don't know who they are, where they are located, or how to contact them. Since they have purchased from you, there is a high probability that they'll come back if you stay in touch and communicate with them. However, you can't do that without their contact information.
Do these mistakes sound familiar?
You can avoid making these costly mistakes in business by changing your perspective on business. If you continue to run your business purely from the distribution perspective, i.e. by having the best product or service and expecting the world will beat the path to your door, you'll be in for a big disappointment. On the other hand, when you expand your focus to include marketing system strategies, you'll begin to experience a sustainable long-term growth in your business.
Start building a solid foundation of marketing knowledge. Lay your hands on a good marketing resource book such as 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Reis and Jack Trout. A solid marketing engine will go a long way in helping you to run your business in a fun and profitable way.
Prime Your Marketing Engines - To learn more about this author, visit David Carter's Website.
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Are you struggling to attract more new customers to your business? Do you have a great product or service, but aren't sure how to let prospects know about you? Do you see your competitors growing and wonder what they are doing to be so successful (even though you know their product or service isn't nearly as good as yours)?
Chances are you may be making these costly mistakes in your business ...
Mistake #1 - Many business owners believe that if they have a great product or service, business will automatically come to them.
Well, you probably do offer the best product and you probably do offer great service. You have the best-trained employees, the longest warranties and the most awards. But, that alone hasn't brought you all the prospects you can handle...has it? If you don't promote and market your business, it will eventually dry up and blow away - no matter how good your product or service is.
Mistake #2 - You believe that your business is so different from all other industries.
Essentially your industry is no different from others - be it manufacturing, service, wholesale, distribution or retail. The product or service you provide may be different. But like all other industries, you are in the business of marketing your product or service. Hence, marketing should be a high priority for your business.
Mistake #3 - You do not differentiate your business from your competitors.
If you cannot say to your potential customer anything other than "Our pricing is competitive," "Our quality is good" and "Our services are reliable," you are in fact just another 'me too' business. Your competitor will be telling the market the same thing. Today, more than ever, you must differentiate your business. There are simply far too many choices for consumers. To command a strong position, you don't have to be the best; you must be unique to your market.
Mistake #4 - You believe that marketing is a costly expense.
Marketing is usually the first item that gets cut when business is slow. However, marketing is the engine that drives your business. You should instead invest more on marketing even when your competitors are cutting back in bad times. Marketing doesn't necessarily entail big money. There are many low-cost or even no-cost marketing strategies that your business can use.
Mistake #5 - You neglect to market to your current customers.
It's an established fact that acquiring a new customer costs a business at least six times more than selling to their existing customers. And yet, many businesses choose to ignore their current customers. You may focus too much on that first sale when the real goldmine lies in repeat business, as well as things that are supplementary or complimentary to the products or services your customer has purchased.
Mistake #6 - You fail to capture your customers' contact information.
You've spent so much money on acquiring your customers and yet you don't know who they are, where they are located, or how to contact them. Since they have purchased from you, there is a high probability that they'll come back if you stay in touch and communicate with them. However, you can't do that without their contact information.
Do these mistakes sound familiar?
You can avoid making these costly mistakes in business by changing your perspective on business. If you continue to run your business purely from the distribution perspective, i.e. by having the best product or service and expecting the world will beat the path to your door, you'll be in for a big disappointment. On the other hand, when you expand your focus to include marketing system strategies, you'll begin to experience a sustainable long-term growth in your business.
Start building a solid foundation of marketing knowledge. Lay your hands on a good marketing resource book such as 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Reis and Jack Trout. A solid marketing engine will go a long way in helping you to run your business in a fun and profitable way.
Prime Your Marketing Engines - To learn more about this author, visit David Carter's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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