| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Ten Easy Marketing Tasks You Can Do NOW
Who says scientists can't market? Here are 10 easy marketing ideas that a group of folks at the National Institute of Standards and Technology came up with today during our monthly Marketing Action Group: 1. Listen to (and write down!) the questions your clients ask. They're clues to the problems you can help them solve. They're also topics for your next article, talk and e-newsletter. Don't invent this stuff - just listen! 2. Plan and write out your next sales conversation. Got a meeting next week with a hot prospect? Write down the words you will use to find out who the decision makers are, what the budget is, the scope of their problem, and how you'll ask them to take next steps. If you have no idea how to do this, send me an email and I'll help you think through it. 3. Read a marketing article. Most non-marketers don't go out of their way to read about marketing. A painless way to stay motivated, though, is to read one new article every week. Start here: http://www.turningpointemarketing.com/Free_Resources/Articles.html 4. Pay attention to the marketing messages all around you. See if you can pick out the WIIFM (What's In It For Me?) and call-to-action (what they want you to do). Practice thinking like a marketer. 5. If you manage others who perform your client work, visit a client with your employee to show interest. This keeps you fresh and demonstrates your commitment to the client. It also shows the client that there's more to your organization than their sole point of contact. 6. Give a copy of this article to your staff and ask them to come to the next staff meeting prepared to talk about the ideas that this generates. Ask people to commit to one new task. Have them give a progress report at the next meeting. Rinse, repeat. 7. Draft a 3 or 4-question survey to do short, conversational telephone interviews with your target audience to find out what they struggle with...what's on their wish list...what they want from you. Do NOT ask them if they want to buy anything from you. This is a relationship-building task, NOT a sales call. That comes much later. Ask others you work with to pick two clients or prospects and call them. Compare notes and discuss your findings. 8. Think of small solutions that you can offer to important problems. Or small solutions to little problems. The key is to think small. It's less intimidating for your customer to "sample" you and makes it easy for them to take a first step. 9. Practice saying your Positioning Statement out loud. To the mirror. In the car. In the elevator. If you don't know what your Positioning Statement is, that's a problem. Email me and I'll give you a hand. 10. Visualize doing any one of these things successfully. Really - it's what professional athletes, speakers, performers, and successful people do all the time. Visualize it, and it will be so. The next time a scientist tells me they can't market, I'll know better. These ideas clearly prove that theory wrong! (c) TurningPointe Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Marketing educator, Kelly O'Brien, is creator of the Create a TurningPointe! Marketing BootCamp and Advanced Marketing Clinic. To learn more about these step-by-step programs, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and marketing reports, visit http://www.TurningPointeMarketing.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Successfully Promote your Business to an International Audience Breaking into the international marketplace can catapult a company into increased profitability and growth more rapidly than when selling to a domestic market.But how do you market your company successfully to overseas buyers? What can you do to provide the right information to prospective clients that is informative and engaging? How can you stand out from the crowd?The most common promotional approach is to provide brochures. Direct Mail Response Rates Soar With Dimensional Mailers in Business-to-Business Lead Generation The toughest job you face as a B2B direct marketer is reaching your prospect with your message. Reaching C-level executives is particularly difficult because they employ mailroom staff and executive secretaries who screen their mail, or your mail, depending on how you look at it. Timing and the Right Product Will Make Your Dreams Come True Are you looking to erase your debt, buy that new luxury vehicle, or impress that special person?You can, if the timing is right and you market a product everyone needs!Here's a blueprint that outlines the 6 steps to start earning big money today.Step #1: Find a product everyone needs. Free or Not Free - That is the Question You may be in business for yourself or as a small company, but no matter what, especially if you just started this business, you need publicity! It's great that your spouse or best friend believes in you. You may even have total strangers tell you what a great idea you have. Whats In It For Me? Sometimes, one of the most difficult things to teach beginning sales professionals is the difference between features and benefits. All too frequently, sales people list their product or service features, without articulating how those features will ultimately benefit that prospect or customer. Creating Your Future with a Marketing Plan Almost everyone who dreams of starting their own business is familiar with the fact that they should create a business plan. However, often that's where many people stop. What the Heck is a Campaign and Why Do I Need to Do One? Many people ask me, "What is a postcard campaign, exactly?" "And why do I need one?" As I have been educating my clients one on one for years now, I suddenly had the bright idea that I needed to explain this for more than just one at a time and in further detail. So here goes?Campaigns for marketing are, in a nutshell, a series of repeat mailings that are strategically planned so that there is maximum benefit (more new customers) for your business. Marketing: Are You Focused? In early 1992, President George H.W. Make More Money with Marketing Metrics Do you know how effective each of your individual marketing tactics is? Many small business owners market in a vacuum. They spend money on brochures, advertisements and web sites with no real way to tie specific results to specific endeavors. Peddling Your Own Wagon Through Local Exposure In my e-book "Articles That Sell", I've shared the secret of marketing your business on the Internet. If you've been active in your efforts, you've been writing and publishing free reprint articles. If You Do No Other Preparation Far too often we see small businesses rush into doing things without planning and preparing. Unfortunately, marketing is a great case in point. Translation and Your International E-Commerce Strategy Most businesses realize that they are simply a click away from any corner of the globe. Well, actually two if you include the Yahoo! search a potential customer does to access your shopping cart. 10 Packaging Tips That Will Make Consumers Buy Your Product The customer is king/queen. We have all heard this mantra. Networking Events - Lose the Fear and Gain the Benefits "Kevin, are you saying I need to go to Networking events? I hope not because I hate them."No, of course you don't have to go to them. Market Your Identity One of the most critical but overlooked parts of business success is using your identity. If you want to build a successful business you have to strike the word image from your vocabulary right from the start. Focus...a Marketing Strategy The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just the right marketing tactic for each of your businesses. The real problem that's experienced by many entrepreneurs--a damaging lack of focus. Large One? Here's a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing your sales, immediately.All you need to do is add these 2 words to your selling system, and you're good to go. Database Marketing: Secrets To Skyrocket Your Online Profits Using Database Marketing What is database marketing?Database Marketing is the gathering and storing of specific information about your prospects or customers.This information is usually stored in a database program on your computer. Design Does Matter The idea that good design can improve how people perceive your business has long been a part of a designer's sales tools.They try to convince you that by improving your image, maybe creating a new logo or changing the way you communicate with your customers you can somehow improve sales and improve your bottom line. When, Why, and How to Use Mailing Lists Mailing lists may be the cause of more heartbreaks than anyother single factor in mail order. A poorly chosen list, a weakmailing and the high cost of mailing to a list can tax theoptimism of a new dealer very, very quickly.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
