In conducting workshops, speaking and working with clients
there is a great deal of confusion about marketing vs.
selling. Many business owners mistake marketing with the
process of going to the market to sell your service or
product. As a result very few small business owners have a
written marketing plan. In the competitive and crowed
market place many of us operate in the lack of a plan is a
recipe for FAILURE!
So what is a marketing plan? It is a well thought out
written document that is a roadmap to drive your activities
that result in securing new clients. Without a pinpoint
understanding of exactly what is your market, what they
want and how you differentiate your company from the
competition your business will get lost in the shuffle.
This results in a weak prospect pipeline and inability to
reach your goals.
If you want to develop a more comprehensive marketing plan
here are a few of the many questions to ask yourself:
What need in the market place are we fulfilling?
What need or desire is not being met by our competitors?
How can we position ourselves to meet this need?
Do we have a clear concise plain language message?
What specific niche or target market are we going to serve?
How do I identify and communicate our unique difference?
How do I package my business?
Do I really have a 'system" for lead generation?
The answers to these questions and many others can change
the entire face of your business. One example is in
networking. The most frequent complaint is " I go to all
these events and meet a lot of people but it rarely brings
me any business." What can we expect, if we have not
answered the questions above and have not identified our
market then how can we expect potential prospects or
networking partners to do that?
One other significant issue is that most small businesses
do not have a diversified marketing action plan to build
their brand. Most of their marketing is what I call "me
too" marketing which is simply copying what everyone else
is doing and is not working. A solid and successful action
plan can only be built after answering the key questions
above. While this process can be time consuming the return
on investment will be extraordinary.
In summary, if you want to make a significant leap forward
in your business then begin by developing a written
marketing plan.
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David Eissman founder of Guaranteed Growth Systems and the
creator of the Growth Accelerator System - "The fuel to get
you there faster "teaches business owners and independent
professionals how to create a step by step lead generation
and sales conversion system resulting in increased revenue
and profits. For FREE content rich information on how to
accelerate the growth of your business visit,
http://www.GuaranteedGS.com
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