Marketing includes every contact and aspect of the public
experiences such as, the way you answer their calls; how
you "make good" when something goes wrong; how well you
help them solve their most pressing problems and your
employees' attitudes, dress and demeanor.
It is about building sincere and profitable long-term
relationships with prospects and customers (as well as,
employees, suppliers and even competitors). Entrepreneurs
who focus on advertising, lead generation and sales often
overlook this and therefore, lose their credibility and
it's not long before people take their business elsewhere.
Remember, no amount of advertising – no matter how slick –
will make up for such things as shoddy workmanship, rude
employees or hucksterism. It's like building a house of
cards… it may hold up for a while, but will eventually come
tumbling down.
Want to get in on a really big secret? A hush-hush tactic
guaranteed to substantially increase your revenues and
dramatically decrease your advertising expenses?
An underground tip that will help catapult you into a very
small but elite group of like-minded – and extremely
successful – businesspeople?
Even better, what if you knew it wouldn't cost you a thing?
Well, you're in luck because I'm about to let the cat out
of the bag…
Drum roll please!
Ready?
Sure?
Okay, okay… enough fun.
The secret is…
Do what you say you're going to do when you say you're
going to do it.
I repeat…
Do what you say you're going to do when you say you're
going to do it.
Huh? Is that all? I must be kidding, right? Wrong.
Reflect back on your own experiences as a consumer and try
to remember what occurred right before you exclaimed, "I
will never do business with that company again, let alone
recommend them to anyone else!"
Was it the roofer who showed up three weeks late?
Or was it the real estate agent who has yet to return your
calls or emails?
Or was it the attorney who left you waiting for over an
hour?
Or was it the electrician who dropped out of your life
after promising to fix your ceiling fan?
Or was it online supplier who failed to mail your "next day
air" package?
Or was it the consignment store retailer who "forgot" to
pay commissions?
Or the thousands of others who have disappointed you?
Unfortunately, we've all been there. And sadly, these
behaviors have become the more the norm, than the exception.
So, when people or companies actually deliver what they've
promised, we are pleased and happy to spread the word to
our friends, family members, co-workers, and even complete
strangers! This type of positive word-of-mouth advertising
is one of the most effective and affordable (it's free!)
ways to end up with more business than you know what to do
with!
But remember, the reverse is also true… when you let people
down, they'll tell four people who will tell four more who
will tell four more…and pretty soon you're reputation – and
business – will be shot.
As the noted American author and motivational speaker, Jim
Rohn, said, "Time will either promote you or expose you."
I hope you choose the former.
----------------------------------------------------
Ms. Scarborough is the co-author of two books, ("The
Procrastinator's Guide to Marketing" and "Mastering Online
Marketing"), former mktg. executive, award-winner speaker,
and certified Guerrilla Marketing coach. She holds aBA in
English from the Univ. of MD and a MS in marketing from
Johns Hopkins University. Log onto her website:
http://www.StrategicMarketingAdvisors.com for free
articles, templates, tips, tools and more.
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