Marketing Your Ideas
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Free Download - Competitive Analysis - The Secret To Creating A USP That Sets You Apart From The Competition By Stacy Karacostas |
So, you’ve got an amazing idea, or you’ve found a way to build a better mousetrap. And you feel confident there are people out there practically dying to get their hands on this very thing.
That means the next step is to start your business or begin manufacturing products, right?
Wrong!
Sure, on the surface it sounds like you’ve got the makings of a successful business. But there are a lot of steps that go into determining the viability of a business. And unless you like taking unnecessary risks or simply playing the odds, many of them need to happen long before you actually create or sell a single thing.
One of the most important steps is deciding how easy (or hard) it’s likely to be to market and sell your product or service. Then determining how best to bring your product, service, or idea into the world.
Unfortunately, far too many new and aspiring entrepreneurs suffer from what I call Field of Dreams Syndrome. They believe that simply because they have something wonderful, useful or helpful to sell, people will magically start beating down their door to buy it.
But in the real world “if you build it, they will come” rarely works like it does in the movies. That’s where marketing and advertising comes in.
Because people have to know about what you are selling, and have a compelling reason to buy it, or they won’t. And unless you have a way to get customers in the door and start generating revenue, your business is going to go nowhere fast.
So before you jump into a new business venture, you should be able to answer these three marketing questions:
• Who is most likely to want what I’ve got and would be willing and able to pay for it?
• How can I best (IE affordably and effectively) contact those prospects and get their attention?
• What do I need to do, say or offer to convince them to buy from me?
The simplest way to answer these is by doing a little market research.
First, find out if anyone else is out there selling something similar. If no one is, this is a red flag that there may not be a market for your products or services.
If you do have competition, that’s a good sign. But it’s important to know what makes your business, product or service different or better than theirs. Otherwise there is no reason to buy from you instead of the other guy.
Next, look at your potential target markets. Decide who is most likely to buy what you are selling, why they would want it, what would stop them from buying it, and how you might be able reach them cost effectively.
If your market isn’t large enough, doesn’t have the money to spend, or is going to be too difficult or expensive to reach, you need to rethink your business.
Remember, every entrepreneur must do sales and marketing whether they like it or not. Because that’s what brings in customers. And without customers, you don’t have a business—you just have an expensive and time consuming hobby.
So before you invest your time and energy in any business idea, make sure you have a way to market it, and people to sell it to. If all this sounds too complicated or overwhelming, don’t despair.
Grab a few books on the subject or hire an experienced small business marketing consultant. Whatever you do, don’t ignore your marketing. It’s one of the most important things you can do to create a successful business.
copywrite 2002-2007 SuccessStream. All Rights Reserved.
Marketing Your Ideas - To learn more about this author, visit Stacy Karacostas'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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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is a best-selling author, top-rated speaker and thought leader on sales development. He 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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Kalena JordanKalena Jordan is the search industry’s first agony aunt, here to answer your tricky questions about search engines. Kalena is Co-Founder and Director of Studies at Search Engine College, an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects. She’s been marketing websites online since 1996 and blogging about search since 2002. For her full bio, view Kalena’s Linked In Profile. When not working, Kalena likes to go geocaching, hiking or fishing. She also plays a mean darabuka. - Visit Kalena Jordan'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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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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