| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
The Key to Success
Good business is about communication... not just what you say but... Early Monday morning the phone rang in my office; it was very early for a business call. I answered "Good morning,? Nancy Fraser" there was a short pause on the line and then a voice asked, "Is this Gloria?". When I said no, she hung up. Good communication is also about listening. Unfortunately this kind of interaction happens thousands and thousands of times a day and not always in situations like this where there is nothing to be lost. In fact, it's a wonder business happens at all when you consider that we each speak using terms and jargon that may be common in our industry and unintelligible to our customers. Couple that with the poor listening skills we all have and it's a recipe for disaster. Do you ever wonder how much your customer really hears and what they think, how much they understand or care about? When you are in business for yourself, you are in sales whether you like it or not. If you are not selling directly, you are selling through your marketing and advertising. As a business owner/salesperson do you listen to your customer or do you follow your own agenda? Does it sometimes seem that you and the customer are not participating in the same conversation? Do you ever blame them for not understanding what you are saying? What's wrong with this picture? How can we change it to our benefit? 1. We are all responsible for our communication. Express what you want to say clearly and succinctly, no jargon or buzz words. 2. Ask for the listener's opinion, expertise or help. 3. Focus on what is being said to you, without thinking about what you will say next. 4. Match your body language and expression with what you are saying. 5. Speak at a similar speed and intensity as the person you are conversing with. 6. Relax, stay detached. 7. Ask for clarification if you don't understand. 8. Don't compete for talking time. 9. You may have a different viewpoint but show through your ability to listen and ask "on topic" questions that you are interested in understanding their point of view. 10. Don't assume the other party has the same belief system that you do. They may draw different conclusions than you based on their previous experience. Marketing is about being able to identify the wants and needs of your target market and provide solutions that your customer perceives are better than your competitors. Find out what motivates them to act and you will be able to form a relationship that works for you and your customer. Your ability to listen and understand what is being said is your key to success. Best Buy is a great example of how well listening works with the success of the customer centric sales model they have implimented. "Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly." --Plutarch Greek biographer & moralist (46 AD - 120 AD) Nancy Fraser is the president of Nota Bene Consulting, a marketing and advertising communication firm specializing in building brands through the expression of a companies personality from logo to web to advertising and marketing materials. http://www.notable-marketing.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How Toyota Captured the #1 Market Share . . . Through Solid Decision-Making! How Toyota Captured the #1 Market Share . . Why Surveying Matters What is the single most important thing you can do as a business owner? That is a question that this week I think I have found an answer to. The answer? Keep your ear to the marketplace by listening to your customers. How to Start a Big Mail Service A BIG MAIL SHOULD CONTAIN:At least three to four Mail order Magazines Circulars containingoffers or interest to new mail order dealers. Circulars which theBig Mail Dealer has been to mail. 10 Elements Every Direct Mail Piece Should Have Don't want your direct mail to end up in the trash with the rest of the unread mail? Studies show an effective direct mail campaign should draw a .5 to 1 percent response. 50 Benefits Of Joint Venture Marketing What Is A Joint Venture?A joint venture is an agreement in which two or morebusinesses work on a project for a set period of time.Joint ventures can be long-term, like promoting aproduct together, or some can be short-term, likebartering (trading) products and services. Discount Promotional Items - How to Save Money It takes money to make money is an adage we hear everyday in the business world. So, when it comes to getting promotional items, you've got to budget for it. Marketing to a Critical Mass In "Developing a Marketing Plan", we covered the first steps to developing a marketing plan and tracking where your customers are coming from.The thing that I noticed when I did this for my own business was that the majority of new clients could be attributed to more than one source. URL Everywhere? Offline Marketing For Online Success Your URL (www) should be everywhere and more.I know many of you are going to think this is common sense, but how many of these are you using? Your web address should be on every piece of anything your business does, period. 2 Great, Free Techniques to Get Customers to Come to You, Not the Other Way Around Here is a powerful tip on how to substantially increase the traffic to your business weather it's online or bricks & mortar. The best news is that it's totally free! You will get more targeted traffic to your website and more customers through your front door. The Top 10 Ways to Market your Business or Professional Practice Without Networking While focused, strategic networking is usually the most efficient way to build your professional practice, there are many other ways to market your business. Personal networking may not be appropriate in some areas, or for certain types of services, and some people simply don't like to do it. The Beginners Mail Order Business Guide No claim is made that the steps outlined would be successful for someone else. Each individual should obtain whatever professional advice may benecessary for his particular operation. No One Gives A Damn About Your Business. Unless You Give em A Reason To The good news is that there are thousands of people looking for what you offer. The bad news is that those people are extremely tough to attract not to mention that your very livelihood depends on it. Sell Your Name, Not Your Product Do you know what the majority of people sell? I could not tell you what Michael Green sells, but if he does sell something, then I would probably buy it. His name is popular among the "Marketers". How to Turn Your Marketing Into a Money-Making Machine - Setting The Stage For Successful Marketing Powerful Marketing has become elusive to many companies seeking strong sales results and overall growth. The sad truth is that Marketing comes across as a rather frustrating process. The 30 Incredible Ways To Sell Your Products Now and Sell More How to sell more and sell quickly online for your products and service? Here is the long list for your reference. 1. The Path To Your Prospects Wallet Begins At His Heart You want your prospect to make the decision to buy your product or service. So you show him what you have to offer in your sales letter, web page, ad or commercial. 10 Important Steps to Mail Order Success There are a number of difficulties a beginning entrepreneur may encounter that can "torpedo" his business almost before he knows it. But the wise mail order dealer can sidestep some of the pitfalls of operating his own business by recognizing and avoiding the following common mistakes. Motivate Your Market Force IntroWant me to tell you something on how you can motivate your market force in 2005. I will do so today. What is a Marketing Plan Anyway? Building a business that grows steadily in size and profits is like building your dream house. First, you identify what kind of home you want, then you and your architect plan and create blueprints for your house, then you'd build it, move in and enjoy it. Networking, iNetworking, What Is The First Rule? Networking on the Internet is the same as networking inperson, or is it? Let's take a conversational tour togetheron this topic.At an in-person networking event you wouldn't just attendnot to network.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
