| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
Mastering the ABCDs of Small Business Marketing & Selling
I believe that small business marketing and selling follows a certain flow. The pace of the flow may differ depending on what you're selling, but I still see the flow for virtually every small business. If you acknowledge and understand the flow for your own business then you can implement processes and systems to work within the flow. I call it Mastering the ABCD's of marketing and selling. Attention. The first step in the flow for attracting new clients is gaining attention. Your prospects need to know you exist and want to know more. This is going to be accomplished by effectively communicating your key marketing message. It comes down to what you say when someone ask what you do, or what attention grabbing headline you use in your letter or brochure, or what title you give your article or speech. Words are critical here. The key to generating attention is focus on results, not process. People want to know what they'll get from you, not necessarily what you'll do or how you'll do it. Don't talk about you, talk about them. Focus on the primary problems, issues, and challenges you want to help them solve. Building Interest, Credibility, and Trust. The next step in the flow is building up their interest in what you have to offer as well as your credibility and trust. You've gained their attention and they want to know more. You need to give them information that will provide them with ideas they can actually use. You need to provide them information to educate them to your way of thinking and what kind of results you're capable of producing. Information to build interest, credibility, and trust could take the form of an article, or a tip sheet, or an audio tape, etc. The objective at this phase of the flow is to let the prospect see you as a possible source of help, and let the ones who are ready to explore the possibilities reveal themselves to you. Conversation. If you're managing the flow correctly, by providing useful information, the prospect sees both a need and a want that you just might be able to fulfill. Now they're ready to discuss their needs. Through conversation you work to see if you can come to a conceptual agreement about how you could help the prospect. You are discussing if the services are right for them or not. You talk to the prospect and determine more in detail about their needs and then you explain more about what you do and discover how well they match. Deal. If you've reached this stage of the flow, then you have agreed in principle that working together is the right thing to do. The conceptual sale has been made and now you're ready to structure a deal. The key here is structuring a win-win agreement that ensures everyone understands the expectations, and that they will be met. This involves negotiating the deal and getting agreement to proceed with the work. Now think about your own marketing and sales flow. Where do things go wrong? I would contend that a lot of small businesses are guilty of trying to skip steps in the flow. I've seen it and I'm sure you have also. Here's what that might look like.
You need to be patient to make the process work. Skipping steps most likely leads to disappointment. Understand that effective marketing and selling is not an event that happens between projects. Mastering the ABCD's of marketing and selling is about consistently sharing valuable ideas and information to continuously pursue your passion. And through a focus on sharing solutions and information, you'll become a better marketer that knows how to consistently attract clients. (c) - Kevin P. Dervin, KPD Marketing About the Author: Kevin Dervin is focused on helping small businesses that are ready to grow, but struggle with how to consistently attract more clients. He has created http://www.proven-small-business-marketing-solutions.com to be an online resource for small business owners to share what he has learned and continues to learn. Visit his site for more great marketing information you can put to use in growing your business today. You can also find Kevin's Kansas City based KPD Marketing practice at http://www.ABCDgrowth.com and subscribe to his free ezine called ABCD Grow. Everyone who subscribes will get a copy of his free report "Five Fundamentals To Help You Boost Your Service Business And Increase Your Satisfaction!"
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Are You Playing Checkers or Chess? When you think about how to attract more clients for your professional services, are you playing checkers or chess?You're playing checkers when you.. Let It Ring Telemarketing has its place in the marketing arsenal. But telespammers - like their digital counterparts in the email marketing world - really make it tough on the legitimate follow-up telephone call from a company with which you have a relationship. Avoid These 5 Web Site Blunders! The Web is intended to help people find information quickly and easily. So why do so many sites make it difficult for users to get what they need? While neat design can add impact to your message, make sure the message itself doesn't get lost in the mix. Word of Mouth Marketing 'Word of Mouth' is still one of the most effectivemarketing techniques, online or offline.Joe arrives at your website and he likes it. Value Proposition is the Key to Success Value proposition is treated as the standards or service that the organization is planning to offer or deliver to targeted group of customers with the help of some effective strategic planning.In today's multifaceted technologically driven and extreme competitive business atmosphere, the ability to successfully run your business and to have precise and timely insight into the business performance through value proposition, is the key to success. Secret Marketing Plan Many people have asked me what was the secret to our market domination? Hello, my name is Lance Winslow and I am the founder of The Car Wash Guys. Before now I have not disclosed my secrets of grass roots market; a strategic plan we used city after city to market our franchised outlets in 23 states. Embracing The Future - Marketing Yourself, Your Business And Your IntroductionMany businesses and organisations have a perception that marketing means promotions and advertising. They think being good at marketing is producing a glossy brochure and having an ad on the local radio or television. Marketing Miracles - Do They Just Happen? A simple answer to that is: Yes, Marketing Miracles happen! But, these marketing miracles do not just happen. The process is not instant. Marketing Lessons From Apples iPod Apple Computer just announced that their earnings from the last quarter more than quadrupled mainly due to robust holiday sales of the iPod digital music player. More than 10 million iPods have been sold since it was introduced in 2001. Brainstorming Techniques as New Product Development Strategies When developing new products and strategies, coming up with unique ideas is often a struggle. It is one of the reasons why, in any industry, there is so much repetition. Modern Marketing With Postcards Postcards may be one of the best kept secrets of modern marketing. They produce even better results now than in the past. 10 Proven Ways To Accelerate Your Profits 1. Make copies of your web site in many differentlanguages. Why Most Marketing Videos Dont Work Every now and then I will meet someone who has commissioned a marketing video that did not work for their company. It is a sad state of affairs and it is avoidable. How To Be A First Class Marketer? Did you now how to follow up a new customer with less phone calls?First thing for you to know that you only have about 5 minutes for first follow up in the phone. The rest of that is a meeting arrangement. Why Do They Buy? A recent issue of Entrepreneur magazine included a marketing story with five important questions all business owners should be able to answer about themselves and their competition.Understanding these five critical areas will help you better develop and implement your marketing plan, and sell more to your customers and prospects. 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. Comprehensive Marketing Details Not Found in Beginner Books If this is the first marketing article you are reading, go find some other more basic articles that I have written and then come back. This data is for the intermediate to advanced marketers. Customers: The Key To Successful Marketing How well do you know your customers?What is the primary reason your customers or clients come to you? Or purchase your product or service? What is the Number One problem you solve for them? Do you know? Are you certain? If you don't, your marketing could be missing the mark, and you could be missing out on sales.Uncovering Your "Key Selling Point"This is the Single Marketing Message that is the central message in all of your communications about your business, product or service. What's Next? A Guide to Marketing Your New Business Coming up with an idea, seizing the opportunity, and setting up a business was the relatively easy part. Now you are ready for the challenge of finding your customers, or at least make it easy for your customers to find you. Ready, Aim, Fire...Oops...Wheres The Target? Everywhere you go on the Internet you find the words, "target market." What do they mean? What does it have to do with you? Well it has everything to do with your success in sales.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
