Marketing Mindset Ezine

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To Build Your Business and Enjoy Your Life

Do The Right Things Every Day

Happy New Year! Every January 1 in the U.S., we are forced to reflect, if only for a few minutes on the year that ended and the possibilities for the year ahead. Nevertheless, most of us don’t change our daily routines or take action to achieve resolutions we make for a new year.

How should business owners view the change in the calendar?

When the clock strikes midnight on December 31, some things matter, mostly related to record keeping and accounting for tax purposes. But business owners should be asking the same key question every day of the year: Am I doing the right things?

Every business has a just a few critical activities. Some are essential to survival, others for growth. Do you know what drives your business? Are you dead in the water if computers go down? Then maintaining the machines and operating systems is vital. Perhaps having adequate staffing or well-trained personnel will make or break your business. If you are not attracting enough customers to generate the level of sales you need, then promoting your business must be a top priority.

What are the right things for your business?

If you aren’t clear about the critical activities for your business, get help from an accountant, business consultant or mentor. Set written goals that reflect priorities, and put a system in place to keep you (and employees) focused on these goals. This system could be as simple as reviewing your goals once a month, every day if necessary.

Do the right things. Do them well. Do them first, every day, and enjoy many productive and prosperous (new) years.

4 Marketing Resolutions To Make – And Keep

1 Stay in touch with your customers. People are busy. It’s easy for them to forget
about you. Contact your past and current customers at least once a quarter. Cultivate the relationship and remind them why they trust you. Every communication doesn’t have to be a sales pitch, but occasionally offer a special deal only for customers. Send them information, a gift, birthday wishes, holiday greetings, and acknowledge their anniversary as your customer. If you deliver on their expectations for the product or service and provide excellent customer service, then it should be easier and less expensive to sell to a past or current customer than to capture a brand new one.

2 Build your customer base. You are going to lose customers over time, for lots of different reasons. If you never attract new ones, eventually your business will die. To bring in new customers, three things must happen. First, enough people who are looking for the products or services you offer have to be aware that you exist. The number of people that need to know about you depends on how many customers you need to have a viable business. Second, you must communicate the value and benefit of what you offer. The message has to be clear, consistent and relevant, whether delivered face-to-face, in an ad, or on your web site. Finally, the target buyer must trust that you will deliver what you promise. It’s this emotional connection that turns a prospect into a new customer.

3 Spend money to make money. Before you spend a dime on brochures, a web site, advertising, or networking lunches, do the math. Calculate how much various marketing activities cost. Scrutinize the reason for every expenditure and what you expect to accomplish. There should be a measurable and realistic goal associated with every marketing investment. Evaluate every opportunity against the priorities for your business. Put your money and time into activities that get results.

4 Develop a realistic marketing plan and implement it. You don’t really expect your business to survive – let alone grow – without any planning, action or investment on your part, do you? A good marketing plan sets realistic goals for retaining customers and building your customer base. It describes exactly what you will do to keep customers coming back, attract new ones, offer value for price, and make money. Evaluate the results of every activity so you know with certainty what works and what doesn't (see resolution #3). Then keep getting better and better at doing the things that work.

May your business prosper in 2005.

Resources To Transform Your Business

Are you ready to transform your business but don’t know how to begin?
Following are some of the best resources available.

Time Mastery shows you how to effectively manage your time, an absolutely essential skill for business success.

Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business On the Internet teaches every method for making money with a web site. Written in non-technical language even novices can understand.

InfoGuru Marketing Manual guides trainers, consultants and other independent professionals step-by-step to package and promote their expertise.

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