Tweet

How To Beat The Odds And Win The Recession Marketing Challenge

Guest post by: Thomas H. Swank

Article Overview: Are you struggling to find success with your marketing campaigns? Here's how to beat the odds and win the recession marketing challenge...

How To Beat The Odds And Win The Recession Marketing Challenge

In recent articles I have introduced the issues involving both the "Magic Question" and the "Magic Answer". The question that you now need to address is... how will you create an effective solution that will literally interrupt your prospect's multi-focused thought processes long enough to laser focus their attention directly on your introductory marketing message, while comprehending precisely what it is that you "do".

The gravity of effecting a viable and meaningful solution is far more complex than you might ever have imagined it to be. Demystifying your marketing initiatives including your IMM is paramount if you are going to appropriately understand your marketing challenge.

If my calculations are correct, you would be unaware of the fact that there is a direct relationship between a Rubik's Cube, a Jigsaw Puzzle and your marketing plan. Although this might seem rather questionable at first, I assure you that it is absolutely relevant to the success of your business. If you've ever tried to solve the Rubik's Cube without having the answer up front, then you know first hand how impossible it is to solve. The Rubik's Cube has 6 sides with 9 squares each, for which the mathematical computation of all of the possible combinations of squares is over "43 Quintillion". So simple in design, yet an overwhelmingly complex solution. Without having the answer upfront, you could spend the rest of your natural life 24/7 and never solve the Rubik's Cube.

With this as a reference point, have you actually ever calculated your available options when it comes to marketing your business? The fact is that marketing your business is like "3 dimensional chess" on steroids. Seriously. Consider that there are 7 accepted methods of bringing your product or service to the marketplace (distribution portals) and 5 tried and true "sales" strategies. Additionally, there are 20 established "marketing" strategies, 11 sales "tactics" and 77 marketing tactics. The interactive calculation of these five distinct marketing components is literally off the math charts and beyond comprehension. So, what do you think your real odds are of getting your marketing equation "right"? The Rubik's Cube is mere child's play by comparison.

For ease of understanding, I want to provide you with an illustration that you will be better able to wrap your head around. I want you to get a mental picture of your run of the mill Jigsaw Puzzle which has 1,000 pieces. Clearly the Jigsaw Puzzle represents a much lesser challenge than the Rubik's Cube or your marketing options... right? How would you rank the degree of difficulty for correctly completing the puzzle assembly? How would you rank the time frame that it would take?

At this point, I want you to create a mental picture of this 1,000 piece Jigsaw Puzzle, but now I'm going to throw a variable into your thought processes -- there is no "lid" to the box that the puzzle came in. You now have 1,000 random puzzle pieces and absolutely no clue of what the "picture" for the puzzle looks like. You'll have to figure it out from scratch starting with puzzle piece number one. What just happened to your degree of difficulty in correctly fitting the puzzle together? How much longer will it now take you or your team?

Now refocus on the marketing components for your business -- do you know what all of the various distribution portals, sales strategies, marketing strategies, sales tactics and marketing tactics even are? What about identifying who your "ideal" client is? Would you actually know your ideal client if you saw them?

Here's the connection in all of this... of course you like every business and sales professional want more customers and clients. Do you want just any customer? Or do you want to acquire the best -- most loyal client possible? When you can identify and then attract more of your "ideal" clients your business will sky rocket -- because your ideal client will truly value the products and services that you provide, spend more money with your business and refer more of the people that they know to your business. These are very sound reasons to consider exactly "who" you are going to focus your important marketing decisions on.

There's also another critical piece of information that you may not know... research has determined that it actually costs 5 times more to generate a new customer, than it does to keep and nurture a customer that your business already has. Given this fact, wouldn't it be a much wiser and smarter choice to focus your marketing efforts directly on the "ideal" client who wants the products and services that your business provides? As opposed to the general universe of potential prospects that possibly need what you provide, but aren't motivated in any way to purchase them? Shouldn't you know exactly who you are marketing to before you start spending your crucial marketing dollars? It is literally the difference between using the age old shotgun approach, versus a laser guided targeting system.

Are you among of the vast majority of business owners who are quickly learning that what used to work, isn't working so well any longer -- and in many instances is no longer working at all? The experience of paying for an expensive marketing or advertising campaign and then not even getting a single telephone call is fast becoming an unwelcome business trend.

If you want to win the recession marketing challenge... you must determine exactly who your "ideal" customer is and how to attract more of them.

Copyright © 2010 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

Related Articles
  Why You Must Keep Marketing Through The Recession
  Fun Recession Activities!
  Why Starting A Business Is Recession-Proof
  In the Beat of a Heart
  Are there any businesses that are recession-proof?
  “A Strategic Action Plan For Recession Resistant Marketing”
  Advertising during recession
  Marketing Techniques During Recession
  Escape Recession with Online Marketing - An Easy Way Out
  The Best Way to Escape the Current Economic Recession
  Against All Odds
  Marketing During Recession: Push or Retract?
  Blackjack or Roulette?
  Home Based Business Fills the Gap in Canadian Recession
  How to Make Money Online in Recession
  4 (plus one) Sure-Fire Tips to Grab the Media’s Interest
  Home Based Business Affiliate Opportunity Entrepreneurs
  Home Based Business Flourishes During Recession
  Make the Recession Work for Your Brand
  Marketing Strategies To Recession Proof An Internet Based Business

Article Tags: business coaching, marketing, recession



Related Forum Posts
Re: What is your Business? - We are running a Online Marketing Firm and we have some good clients to which we are offering a complete Digital Marketing strategy like Search, Mobile Marketing, Branding and Design. I think in Online Marketing company online presence can be a wining factor for the success of the company.
Re: Let’s talk about the ways of marketing your products, servic - I agree with some of the others who responded it depends on what your selling... but to answer your questions here are some of the methods I use. Forum Marketing Yahoo Answers (I need to use more of) SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Bum Marketing or Article marketing P-P-C (Pay Per Click) Marketing Online Directories Hope this helps.
Re: Should Evan add a "Social Media Marketing" category to the f - Hi, Online Marketing would be a great title, and having sub categories would make it even better, there would plenty of categories to choose from, Social Media, SEO, Article Marketing and yes even Affiliate Marketing to name just a few, great looking site btw Jeff, take care, Carol
Kevin's Case Study #11 - A New Forum Category? - Hi Everyone, 2009 is a new year and I'd like to create a new forum category to jazz things up! In the past, there's been some interest voiced about adding a "Social Media Marketing", "Online Marketing", "Internet Marketing" or "Online Promotion" category. I'll implement [u:1g2tv6tf]ONE[/u:1g2tv6tf] of those new categories, but can someone first tell me what the difference would be between the existing "Marketing" section and one of those new options mentioned above? Thanks
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Your Local Small Business Online Marketing Funnel

Quick Tips on Buying a Business

If I Were Starting A Network Marketing Company...

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.