| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Ready, Aim, Fire...Oops...Wheres The Target?
Everywhere you go on the Internet you find the words, "target market." What do they mean? What does it have to do with you? Well it has everything to do with your success in sales. Let me give you an example. A few weeks ago an online entrepreneur asked me to review a direct sales presentation for him. Let's call him "Joe". His product and service is excellent. Top quality and performance, excellent customer service and support. The product will produce desired results for any business advertising online. In this particular case, Joe's potential customer is in the furniture manufacturing business. The company owns a small chain of outlet stores and advertises on the Internet. Basically, an excellent candidate for Joe's offer. Well, Joe sent me his package. In the offline world, it would have required UPS to deliver it with a hand truck! Now, that is an overstatement, but it consisted of a three-page cover letter, with four separate attachments and a CD presentation that he was going to mail as a follow-up. Here's my response to Joe: "What a tremendous amount of work you have put into this presentation. Having been on the receiving end of proposals such as this, I must tell you that it would be the recipient of the "delete" key. Why? Too much to wade through. Too much for me to absorb. Too much for me to do. Nothing to compel me to read on. Having said that, let's pretend for a moment that I am Mr. Jones. Joe, here are two sites that can help you develop a more "targeted" approach to Mr. Jones: http://www.furniture-info.com/1061.htm http://www.furniturestatistics.com/statisticalreviewsales.html I hope this helps, Joe. Decision makers are bombarded daily and we must be ever diligent that we are focusing in on "WIIFM" (What's In It For Me)". Now, what was the message to Joe? Do Your Homework. Mr. Jones doesn't give a rip about your product unless it can fulfill his needs, but first you have to know what those needs are. Joe's presentation, which probably took him hours if not days to prepare, was a classic case of overkill. The two sites referred to would have given Joe all the ammunition he needed to prepare an effective presentation and in just a few short minutes. By the way, the research tools that I use to study markets, trends, and individual sites are listed below. Both are free to download and are priceless. http://www.copernic.com http://www.alexa.com Ready, Aim ... Get Ready To Fire! About The Author Patty Baldwin is a former Better Business Bureau executive and the owner of several online businesses. A successful net marketer, she invites you to visit any one of her sites at:
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Effective Lead Generation How to Gain your Prospective Clients' Attention and Generate the Leads You Need to Make Your Business a SuccessIf you've ever tried to get a child who is engrossed in their favorite video to do another task you know you must first get their attention. Often the best way to do this is to use their name so they realize you are speaking directly to them. Client or Customer? There Really Is A Difference Some people use the words "client" and "customer" interchangeably or generically. I'd like you to think a little about these important words because there is a significant difference - one that can have huge impact upon your long-term business. 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. 51 Ways to Say Thank-you in a Fundraising Letter for a Non-for-Profit (Includes Examples & Samples) One of the hardest jobs in fundraising is crafting original thank-you letters. You want to be thankful. How to Give Your Biz a Boost with a Summer Marketing Makeover Are you on track for hitting all your business goals for the year? A quick check-up of your promotional efforts can reveal "week spots" and help identify what needs tweaking to give your business a healthy boost in the next few months. Here are five key areas to focus on with your mid-year marketing makeover. Where to Look for New Donors for Your Fundraising Letter Appeals Have you ever studied your best donors and wished you could clone them all? Maybe you can, with a bit of creative thinking.1. Attract More Clients by Raising Your Profile One of the most common issues I'm asked about is how to raise the profile of a business to attract more clients.This is an important issue no matter how small or large your business may be. The Fine Art of Relationship Marketing The buzzword these days is "relationship" marketing. Just what is it? And why is it important? Relationship marketing is so much more than "networking. Take It To The Customer In the past, purchasing ad space was the solution to every entrepreneur's marketing challenge. Then it was direct mail, followed by telemarketing. Customers: The Key To Successful Marketing How well do you know your customers?What is the primary reason your customers or clients come to you? Or purchase your product or service? What is the Number One problem you solve for them? Do you know? Are you certain? If you don't, your marketing could be missing the mark, and you could be missing out on sales.Uncovering Your "Key Selling Point"This is the Single Marketing Message that is the central message in all of your communications about your business, product or service. Breaking The Voice Mail Barrier Even if you never place a cold call, you still have to reach people by phone. That customer who was so interested last month never called you back, and now you must call her. A Complaint? It's a Compliment! - 7 Tips for Dealing with Complaints at Trade Shows A Complaint? It's a Compliment!What made you mad last week?In the past week, how many times were you upset by something? What action did you take? Complain to the neighbors, make a snide remark to a co-worker, post it on a list or email a group? Did you just gossip or did you try to make it into a positive experience? They say we complain to ten people for every one compliment about a product or service.Did you call the manager of the company, write the company president, email a suggestion for improvement? Probably not. Knowing Your Customer Is The Key Without doubt, understanding what a customer's wants and needs are is one of the most important aspects of running a business. You must know your customer. Prepare Your Communications For Growth As the American economy emerges from recession, many businesses are now reexamining their marketing materials and realizing that their communications are outdated, ill-prepared for the return of a robust, competitive, growing economic environment. Strategies developed to survive hard times are often the wrong ones for profiting in good times. Marketing Flat? Is It Your Plan or Your Vision? 60+ hour workweeks, cash flows that constantly keep you up at night, stress and more stress again. Payroll due in two days (where the heck is that going to come from?) Does this sound like your business? Is your business a job with the most fickle, disloyal boss of all. Business Cards and Business Etiquette One of the very basic conditions of being a successful businessman is to get people (your existing or prospective customers) to like you and a very basic requirement for being liked by people is to have proper business etiquette. We all like to be in companionship of well-cultured people and etiquette is one of the most important components of culture. Name the Top Cable Network When Cable began as Community Antenna Television in 1948, all it did was collect over the air TV signals and send them down a cable.When Cable networks began, so did Cable advertising. Dont Advertise Your Business - Market It! Too many business owners believe that marketing their business means just paying for a few ads. What few understand is that Advertising is not the same as Marketing. Mortgage Marketing - Viral-Email, Referral Marketing Strategy This is a devastatingly powerful way to extend your marketing reach. For this to work right you need a website that promotes your business. Marketing On The Cheap: Join The What? Your local Chamber of Commerce.Now before you stop reading, I assure you this really works, and no, this is not an advertisement for the Chamber of Commerce although it may read like one.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
