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• GET TOUGH GET GOING GET MARKETING

GET TOUGH GET GOING GET MARKETING

written on March 10, 2009 by Jeanne Bluffstone

Ok.  Times are tough.  We know that.  But, we have choices and opportunities: We can buy into the gloom and  doom or we can do something today to make things better.  Get marketing!  There are plenty of companies doing well and we just have to take the time to find them.  That's called targeting your market.

The first step to marketing is mindset.  You have to believe you have something to offer that your customers need.  Remember that, because if you don't believe you have something of value to sell, it's all over.

Focus on what's in it for the customer.  That message may be different for each of your customers, or it may be the same.   When you target a market the customer may not think they need what you have to offer, but if you truly can help them, you need to tell them that in a way they will appreciate.  If you can't help them, you have the wrong customer - no matter what you are selling.

I'm a marketer, and believe me, the first thing people THINK they can cut in the budget is marketing, and how foolish.  That's the last thing to be cut, because as they say, "If it doesn't come in the front door it doesn't go out the back door," and that's what marketing does, it helps business come in the front door so the goods and services can go out the back door in the form of a sale.

So, how do you, as a home business owner, do that in your field?

• Decide who is your BEST customer and don't waste time with those who don't meet your criteria.  I always look for a certain size and type of company and I like to work with the key decision maker.  I have my target market so clearly defined that I can tell you the size, type and corporate structure I'm looking for - with my eyes closed, as they say.
• Ask yourself, "What do I offer that they REALLY need?" Everyone has something another company or person needs, but sometimes it takes effort to look outside of yourself to figure out what that "something" is.
• Take a multi-level approach:
• Get your name out there,
• Get your face out there,
• Tell them in print, on the Internet, at meetings and through presentations so they will understand the benefits of working with you,
• Follow up with calls, emails and meetings when appropriate
• Be confident, be sincere and be persistent (without being abrasive or a nuisance)

Remember, they aren't customers until they buy, and they can't buy from you if they don't know who you are so get going and get marketing.

Jeanne Bluffstone, Bluffstone Public Relations