| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
Earning the Right To Sell With Stats - 10 Steps to Greatness
We could learn a thing or two from pro sports. Baseball players use stats to tell the story of their season and their career. Scorekeepers keep track of every at bat, every hit, every strike out, every run scored and every base stolen. Those stats are cited by commentators during the game, sports reporters after the game and they are featured on the backs of baseball cards to they tell the story of the player's career. Those of us in business could learn a thing or two from baseball players about using stats to size-up our careers and experience. Give your prospects a reason to listen to what you have to say. I was attending a conference last month and the topic of using business stats to "earn the right" among prospects was brought up. "Earning the right" was explained as giving your audience a reason to listen to what you have to say. Before you can sell anything you must establish credibility. Before you can sell anyone anything, you must first convince them you or your product or service are worthy. And one way to do that is with stats. At the conference, we were tasked with compiling a list of our own stats (what we've achieved in our business or career, or what qualifies us to be doing what we're doing) and I was amazed at how few of my own I could recall on a moment's notice. Can you easily list all your "stats" - I couldn't! It was easy to come up with the obvious - I've been helping clients successfully market for 20 years. And I could also recall two recent marketing successes: gaining free exposure for my business to 100,000+ of my ideal customers and tripling my web site traffic in a three-month period. But beyond that I was stumped. My 20 years of marketing experience and seven years of entrepreneurial experience were boiled down to three stats that did not do a very good job of representing my career or my expertise. I came home from the conference determined to compile my list of stats and to start using them. And, to inspire you, my readers and clients, to do the same. Use my 10 questions to create your own list of "stats" To make it easy, I've compiled a list of 10 questions you can ask yourself to come up with your own list of stats. This list is just a jumping off point. Feel free to brainstorm further to come up with your own list of compelling stats that you believe will help you "earn the right" to be seen as an expert in your field by your prospects. I call this list your "10 Steps to Greatness" Why? Because when you are able to list stats in 10 different areas, you will be able to convince your prospects you are great at what you do AND that your product or service can help them. I've included my own stats as examples, NOT to brag about them, but for several reasons: First, to show you I DID come home from that conference and compile my own stats; Second, to give you examples to follow; and Third, to inspire you (if I can do it, you can, too!). Not all of my stats are earth-shattering. But by having a full list to choose from, you can be sure to have a handful of compelling stats available at any time. 10 Steps to Greatness (1) How many years have you been in your current line of business (or a related field)? For example, I've been in the marketing field for over 20 years. (2) How many clients or students or customers have your served (in your current business or your total years in this industry)? For example, I've taught over 600 small business owners how to create and implement their own marketing plans using the 10stepmarketing System. (3) What results have you generated with your business, products or services? For example, I increased my subscriber base by 590% in four months and I tripled my web site traffic in three months. (4) What results have your clients or customers gotten with the help of your products or services? For example, when I worked with the American Council on Exercise, I helped them generate over 340.8 million media impressions in three years, through public relations and public service ads. I have also secured nearly $1 million in free media exposure for my clients. (5) How many awards or recognitions have you or your business, products or services received? For example, I've earned three national and two local marketing awards, plus a small business top achievement award. (6) Have you spoken, taught or done presentations? For example, I have spoken on marketing at conferences across the United States and in Canada, and I've taught hundreds of small business owners via teleseminar. (7) Have your articles been published or have you been quoted or interviewed or written up in the media? For example, my marketing advice is featured in Entrepreneur Magazine's Start-Up Series publication "How To Start A Personal Training Business." Additionally I am an Expert Author on EzineArticles.com and my marketing how-to articles are featured on numerous web sites. (8) How can you quantify your business (e.g. how many business deals or transactions have you made, or how many articles have you written)? For example, I've written and published 40 articles in the past six months. (9) How many products have you sold? For example, I made 20 sales my first two weeks in business. (10) What experts in your industry have you studied or learned from? For example, I have taken courses from such marketing and business experts as T. Harv Eker, Jay Abraham, Brian Tracy, Robert Allen and Mark Victor Hansen. I challenge you to spend some time this week, compiling your own list of stats. Start with these 10 questions and see what you can come up with. Draw on your personal or professional experience. What makes you great at what you do? What experience and knowledge to you have to offer? What are you passionate about and how can you translate that passion into credibility? Why should others pay attention when you talk? Be creative. Brainstorm. Then select a few of the strongest, most compelling stats and start using them in your marketing. Remember, you are not using these stats to brag about your accomplishments. You're using them to get your prospects to pay attention to you and to establish credibility. (C) Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa 20-year marketing veteran Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to help small business owners successfully market their business, themselves without spending a fortune on marketing. To learn more about this simple, step-by-step program and to sign up for her FREE audio class and FREE weekly ezine featuring how-to articles, tips and advice, visit http://www.10stepmarketing.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Identifying, Creating and Using Your USP? What's your USP? Don't know, or worse still, you'venever heard of it.USP is an acronym for Unique Selling Proposition. Boost Your Direct Mail Response Rates with Mapping Technology On Superbowl Sunday, Domino's Pizza delivered more than 900,000 pizzas-and mapping technology helped. How do 60,000 pizza outlets serving 3 billion pizzas per year compete in an industry where reputations and dollars are dependent on "fast, hot and delivered to the door?" Global Positioning System (GPS) technology!Here's how you can use this great invention to increase your direct mail results--even if you've only got one store with local customers. Cause-Related Marketing Altruism. Corporate responsibility. Promotions That Build Profit Promotions are everything you do to let your customers know you exist. Good marketing techniques can help eliminate the "I didn't knows" from your clients and would-be clients. There's More to Marketing ROI (return on investment) Than Meets the Eye All too often people look at marketing ROI in terms of response rate: in other words, "I sent out 10,000 pieces of direct mail and only got 39 responses which is terrible." This is wrong think. A Complaint? It's a Compliment! - 7 Tips for Dealing with Complaints at Trade Shows A Complaint? It's a Compliment!What made you mad last week?In the past week, how many times were you upset by something? What action did you take? Complain to the neighbors, make a snide remark to a co-worker, post it on a list or email a group? Did you just gossip or did you try to make it into a positive experience? They say we complain to ten people for every one compliment about a product or service.Did you call the manager of the company, write the company president, email a suggestion for improvement? Probably not. Are You a Marketing Octopus, or a Marketing Worm? One of the greatest challenges to effectively marketing a business is determining which marketing method is best for your business.Most people look at what their competitors are doing to market their businesses and then simply imitate that, whether good or bad. Educating Your Customers One of the biggest marketing mistakes businesses make today is failing to educate their prospects and customers about the unique advantages that are being offered to them. The cornerstone of any marketing plan should be to educate your customers. Why Instant Gratification Marketing Condemns Businesses To Losing 90% Of Their Potential Customers Most businesses target only people "ready-to-buy". These hot prospects are "Now Buyers" because they've been inching closer to a decision for some period of time. Identify The Ideal Target Audience With These 5 Tips Narrowing your focus to one primary group of people is often difficult for small business owners. They want to help everyone - and very often their product or service CAN help a variety of people. Dramatically Improve Your Marketing Results With These 6 Simple Steps What if there were things you could start doing now that could help you to market more successfully in the future? Even if you didn't have your marketing act together over the past year. Well, there are. Know Thy Competition BREAK FROM HO-HUM MARKETING ? IT'S TOO BORING!Once you break from ho-hum marketing, and learn to put your deeper beliefs and values into your promotion, a remarkable thing will happen: You will beat your competitors at every turn, attract precisely those clients who really need and appreciate the products or services your company provides, and have a really good time in your business. In other words ? once you know what your clients really value, and how you are different from your competitors then it's an incredibly simple process to promote your company's products or services. Marry Your Marketing Plan Make a vow to keep up your marketing schedule in good times and not so good times.I have said it time and time again that marketing, no matter what type you choose, is a building process. Principles of Marketing 101 Marketing results should be measured in only one way - increased sales. Marketing should not be considered an art form. Resistances To Marketing a Practice-Part 1 If you are a therapist, counselor, or an alternative or complementary health practitioner (naturopath, homeopathetic doctor, massage therapist, body worker, etc.), in all likelihood, you are not only uninformed about effective marketing methods, but you are also likely to have some negative feelings about self promotion and marketing. Coupons that Work Turn a coupon into a business card (or vice versa).Coupons are seen everywhere; you clip them from the newspaper to save on groceries, you get them in the mail to save on brand name items, you even get packages in the form of booklets delivered to your door. How to Write Fundraising Letters That Motivate Donors To Make Donations to Your Non-Profit Motivating strangers to give their money away is one of the hardest jobs around. It's difficult to do face to face. Marketing Planning - Preparation and Accountability We all know the saying, "Failing to plan (prepare) is planning (preparing) to fail." I truly believe in this statement and I hope you do as well. Marketing Strategies: What Choices Do You Have? Most business people want to see improvements in sales and profits. But how do you get there? What choices do you have?To build your business there are four strategic options that must be considered:1) Sell existing products to existing customers. The Marketing Recipe: Money, Marketing and Me - 3 Keys For Success You have a great product or service? Now, how should you market it?You have to make others know about what you have to offer. There is no good in having a great idea if you don't know how to sell it, right?Your motivation is financial independence (MONEY); you establish a quality product (your service), and you go out into the harsh competitive world and sell it (MARKETING) while you also sell yourself (ME)!Here are a few tips and a real example which you should keep in mind in order to prospect.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
