|
Author: Charlie Cook Article source: http://www.businessevolved.com/. Used with author's permission.
Last week I got a call from Jose, who was looking for help improving his ads. He'd been running the same ad in four local papers for two months and only gotten one response. He was understandably frustrated. With more than a dozen very satisfied clients, he knows that the residential property management services he and his brother provide should interest more people, but he wasn't having any success getting attention or generating leads.
Jose knew that to grow his business he'd need to do some marketing. He had a web site and was doing all the networking he could in addition to running his ads. Isn't this what he should be doing to attract more clients? Aren't advertising, web sites, mailings and networking what marketing is all about?
Webster's dictionary thinks so; it defines marketing as an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer. In other words, marketing is a collection of activities. Is this how you think of it? Has approaching marketing with this mindset helped you increase your sales and pr0fits?
Think about it. You started your business to provide products or services that help people. You work long and hard for your clients to ensure they get what they want. You know that the more helpful you are to your clients, the more likely they'll be to hire you again and the more often they'll recommend you.
Your products and services are focused around your prospects' wants and needs. Focus your marketing on these wants and needs and that will guide your marketing activities.
Marketing is Helping Your Prospects Get What They Want.
Marketing is not about you. It is not building your brand name, (unless you're a Fortune 500 company and have the advertising budget to match). It is not convincing people to buy your products and services. It is not a group of activities that move goods and services. It is about your customers and what they want.
Working with Jose, I had shown him how to refocus his marketing on what his prospects were looking for. A few days ago Jose called me back to tell me about his experience with trying out this helping model of marketing. During a recent visit to Home Depot, he struck up a conversation with a prospect, Bob, who asked what Jose did. Instead of going through the litany of services his company provides, Jose said, 'We help landlords manage their properties more efficiently and make more money.'
That got Bob's attention; he wanted to know how Jose helped landlords. Jose briefly explained his company's services from the landlord's point of view. Bob asked for Jose's business card, so they could have a conversation about Jose managing Bob's 56 rental properties.
Whether you are crafting your advertising copy, elevator speech, or the copy for your web or print brochure, it should focus on what your prospects want. When your prospects see you as helping them instead of just trying to sell them, they'll be more likely to respond.
Want to help your prospects get what they want so you can increase your sales and profits? Focus your marketing on helping by doing the following three things.
* Regularly ask your prospects what they want, what their goals are and how you can help them.
* Use this information to shape your marketing copy.
* Describe in brief and in detail your clients concerns and how you help them on everything from your business card to your sales letters to your ads and to your web site.
When you focus your marketing on helping your prospects get what they want, you'll get what you want; more leads, more prospects and more clients.
2005 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Strategy eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com
The Holy Grail that Online Advertisers, Merchants, Publishers, and Shoppers have been Looking for!
Online Publishers can use these RSS/XML products feeds to enhance their site content. Latest products information from top online stores delivered via RSS/XML t...
Automatic Internet Marketing and Business Success On A $25.00 Budget
There are plenty of free tools online for marketing. And many will get you sign ups and sales. This report is not a commentary on the quality of all free market...
Still Mourning That Business Failure!
No one wants to fail. But when in business you ought to make decisions. While they are aimed at bringing out success your decisions may also prove to be a failu...
Best Debt Reduction Service
Article Tells You How to Choose the Best Debt Reduction Service.
The Beauty of Nature Photography
Nature photography is a rewarding experience for the photographer and also for the people who get to view the results
Achieve Media Attention for Your Business
Do you want to be quoted by the national press on a daily basis? (How much would that be worth to your business?) In the past six months, I've been quoted in T...
How To Take Advantage Of Your Competition
When people market their business, they pay little attention to their competition. However, they can learn a lot from them. Your competition plays a large role ...
Designing Your Kid’s Room is Child’s Play!
Would your child's room benefit from some fresh design ideas and reorganization? Most could, but it can be hard to know where to begin and what concepts to use....
Finding Network Marketing Leads
Getting a network marketing lead is not an easy process and involves a lot of work. However you can achieve network marketing success by ...
Poker Cruises
Card Player Magazine runs poker cruises: lessons, poker rooms, and tournaments for the recreational player. The World Poker Tour holds some of their major tele...
Destressing Your Life!
Do you have stress in your life?... I know you answered yes, we all have stress in our lives. What is stress? It is a reaction to a physical, mental, or emotion...
Worried About Debts?
Having trouble paying your bills? Getting dunning notices from creditors? Are your accounts being turned over to debt collectors? Are you worried about losing y...
Are You At The Mercy Of Computer Geeks?
Many business owners are sabotaging their business without even realizing it. They are completely out of the loop when it comes to all technology aspects of th...
What a Five-year-old Taught Me About Decorating
A five-year-old's view of what a well-decorated room should include.
Herbal Supplement
So what is an herbal supplement? The herbal supplement is a supplement that provides you body with various nutrients necessary for your health and which is base...
Home For The Holidays: Start That Conversation
Annie waited too long to have that talk with her parents. It was too late to have it now as they were both beyond comprehending the seriousness of their situati...
Local Search on Cell Phones will Derail Yellow Page Directory Usage
Google Local Mobile Search lets callers find everything from restaurants to retail outlets using their mobile phone. People on the go (and who isn't, anymore?) ...
Are Public Schools A Menace To Your Kids? -- 11 Danger Signals
Public schools can be a real menace to your child's mind, love of learning, and future. Author Joel Turtel gives some of the danger signals...
Credit Basics: Choosing and Using Credit Cards
Credit cards are among the most powerful financial tools available today. They offer endless possibilities when used wisely. But how do you choose the best car...
Freebies
Freebees--Freebees--Freebees WHY PAY, WHEN "YOU CAN HAVE IT FOR FREE?" There are all sorts of things that we would like to have but we cannot always afford them...
How To Choose A Professional Dog Trainer
Choosing a good dog trainer is an important decision. Here's 9 things you must do to make the right choice.
Boost Your Productivity with 10 Minutes at the End of Your Day
Apply these 6 strategies at the end of your day and you will definitely boost your productivity.
Picture This (Part Two)
Part Two on a two part series to explore the realm of the creator and why he/she created the physical universe. A "white room," experiment is created so that yo...
After the Big Project: Recovering From Success
What happens after you land the job, deliver the baby, launch the global initiative, publish the book, or finish the house renovations? The truth is, very litt...
|
Print this page