Tweet

What Separates the Good Marketers from the Great Ones?

Guest post by: Jeff Beals

Article Overview: What traits and behaviors separate the good from the great? Check out what sales-and-marketing traits will lead you to the top of your profession...

What Separates the Good Marketers from the Great Ones?

If you go to work every day, you might as well go all the way and shoot for the pinnacle of your profession. It's a competitive world, so set your sights high. If you're going to take the risk and invest the time, strive for greatness.

Ever since Jim Collins wrote his best-selling book, Good to Great, in 2001, business people worldwide have been fixated on greatness. Why do some companies do so well when a similar competitor languishes? Why do some companies transition from being merely successful to being truly great? What traits and behaviors separate the good from the great?

Of course, good-versus-great questions apply not only to companies; they can be asked of people who want to be great salespersons or marketers.

And remember, everyone is in sales and marketing regardless of their title.

Whether you're selling medical equipment, working in business development or brokering international business transactions, it's frankly easy to fail. Salespersons, marketers and dealmakers in every profession commonly fail. Some succeed, but only a tiny percentage achieves greatness.

The question then is what sales-and-marketing traits will lead you to the top of your profession?

Character - Great professionals are ethical and honest. They don't tell a client or colleague what he or she wants to hear, it's what they need to hear. Leaders with character tend to hire employees who are also upstanding citizens. Together, they attract clients of character. Everybody wins.

Be competitive - "Second don't mean nothin'," said Hall of Fame football coach Barry Switzer who led the Oklahoma Sooners to three national championships and the Dallas Cowboys to the Superbowl. Play to win. Be persistent. Don't let anything fall through the cracks. Keep track of your competition and do what it takes to run at least a couple steps ahead of them. Be bold for the world has no room for shrinking violets.

Interpersonal skills - It sure helps if you possess some charisma, but rule number one is to listen. Great professionals listen and truly HEAR. When you are engaged in conversation, remember it's not about you; it's about your client.

Strategic Thinking - Have a plan that takes into account the big picture. What's your philosophy? Strong organizations have developed mission and vision statements. Great individuals need them too.

Focus - Whether you are looking at this from an organizational perspective or a personal one, determine your competencies and spend the majority of your time, energy and resources working on those. If you feel like you're spinning your wheels, ask yourself, "Am I doing what is truly important?"

Have a good product - Contrary to the popular saying, nobody can really sell ice to Eskimos. If your product or service doesn't stand on its own merit, trying to sell it is no different than beating your head against the wall.

Others first - Real estate agents, accountants and trustees are said to have "fiduciary" responsibilities to their clients. In other words, they are legally required to put the client's interest before their own. No matter what you do, pretend you have a fiduciary duty to the customers you serve. If you do this, you will build rapport, which leads to a relationship, which leads to the holy grail of sales and marketing: trust.

Ability to handle stress - "There are many guys who can paint an incredibly cogent picture of why a company should be investing in China or why a football team should run a certain offense," says Joe Moglia, who serves as both chairman of TD Ameritrade and a head coach in the United Football League. "The reality is, when things are not going well, when you're losing money in China, and your guys keep fumbling the ball, how do you handle yourself?"

Keep prospecting - No matter how busy you are as you put the finishing touches a big deal, remember to think about future deals. Always take time to fill your hopper, so you always have a steady supply of business. Don't get emotionally attached to a certain piece of business, because you give up your power. Always go where the business is, where your best prospects live. It makes no sense to fish for business in a deserted lake.

Wrap it up - Ultimately, the purpose of marketing is to get somebody to say "yes." Know what you hope to achieve from a prospect before you meet him or her and then keep steering the conversation toward closure.

Related Articles
  Daily Method of Operation of Internet Marketers
  3 Tools Every Serious Online Marketers Needs
  Making Money On The Internet With Attraction Marketing
  Ask Yourself
  A Marketer's Best Kept Secret: Twitter
  The marine iguana
  Social Media Gains Momentum for B2B Marketers
  Graphic designing vs. Web designing
  Intuitive Leadership
  Network Marketing Leaders - Follow Them to Achieve Success
  New Years Resolutions
  Why Internet Marketers Should Have Asset Protection
  How to Truly Succeed in Network Marketing
  Working From Home: Haven or House Arrest?
  Internet Marketing Forums – Key To Your Success in Online Home Business
  Social Media for Retail Marketers
  Tips To Receive Free Network Marketing Leads
  Are you a Winner in your Sales? Find out how to be.
  Home Business Ideas: Make Money Using Your Writing Skills
  How can you find the best of the best in sales?

Article Tags: behaviors, competitor, Interpersonal skills, Marketers, salespersons, Strategic Thinking, stress, traits



Related Forum Posts
Re: Moderators on vacation - Great to have you back GT! Good luck with your projects!
Re: How do you monitor what people say about you in the web? - Great question! I use Google news alerts for my name and website name. I also monitor in Twitter whenever my name or website is mentioned. I just got back from SES Toronto and multiple people said to check out SocialMention.com - it never seems to work for me but you can try it out. Good luck!
Re: How can I start home-based business? - Great suggestions everyone. Firstly you must document what skills, experience and interests you have. Then you can find opportunities for applying them to a business, You can work from home, or virtually anywhere these days with a internet connection. I would recommend taking everyone up on their offers of information, really studying it and then trying something. Good luck J
Re: Ridiculous Ideas That Made Millions - [quote="terrycan":3q02xsln]Dear GT Bulmer, Great post and a super article. Good advice on investing especially "Stick to your strengths" Invest in a business you understand. For example a lumber jack would see a good tree cutting tool. He wouldn't understand the next fashion trend in women's high heel shoes. For our inventors invent in a business you understand. If you see a need. You may see an invention.[/quote:3q02xsln] Great advice here Terrycan. I agree that it is more likely that you will see a need in a business you know and understand than in something that is totally foreign to you. It is when you are working in certain areas or certain types of businesses that your imagination is going to find inventions for ways to do things better. MichelleJ
Favourite Business Books - The November PROFIT magazine looks at the favourite business books of Canada's most successful entrepreneurs. The top 4 are: 1) Good to Great by Jim Collins 2) The E-Myth by Michael Gerber 3) Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne 4) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie


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

Getting The Media Attention You Deserve

Avoid Burnout: Do the Limbo Regularly

Counselling - Who Needs It?

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.