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Differentiation -- Smart Marketing Strategies for the Solo Entrepreneur
Are you ever frustrated or hesitant when you talk to prospective customers because you can’t readily explain why they should come to you rather than go to your competitors? Sure, you might have your 30-second elevator speech, but then they ask you...
Do You Know The Common Direct Marketing Measurements
John Wanamaker, a 19th century entrepreneur, once famously made the statement, “I know that half of my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.” Fortunately for today’s marketers, there are scientific ways to determine which half is...
Stretching Your Marketing Dollars--7 Cheap and Easy Ways to Market on a Budget
Just because you have to stretch your marketing dollars doesn't mean their effectiveness will decrease. The easiest marketing solution is often to simply throw money at a problem. But that is rarely the most effective. When Businesses are forced to...
What Does Marketing Mean?
You can have the best little business ever with wonderful potential, but if you can't market it, you don't have a business at all.
Learn how to market yourself, because you are your business. Don't confuse the terms "marketing," "advertising," and...
Why Strategic Marketing Should Be Taught In Seminary
Why are so many churches content with being culturally irrelevant and creatively archaic? If you train someone to be irrelevant, they will be. If someone is given archaic ideas for presenting relevant material, the material will no doubt be...
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Network Marketing - Its All About Customers
Copyright © 2003 Priya Shah
Leadership, Visualization, Goal-setting, blah, blah...
All network marketers have heard that jargon at one time or another. But you know what? It's just that - Jargon.
When you share with your team, the lessons you have learnt while building your business - that's Leadership.
When you imagine that new car or house on the beach, that you're going to buy next year with the income from your business - now that's Visualization.
And when you plan exactly how you're going to go about getting that new car or house - well, that's Goal-setting.
It's that simple...
And yet people complicate it so much that they write entire books, and have entire courses to teach you these "skills."
But they're missing the whole point, really. Because network marketing is really about customers.
Think about it.
Why do companies get into network marketing? DUH. To sell products, of course!
And why do they choose to sell their products through network marketing?
Because network marketing is really the most efficient way of selling products.
After all it's all about people selling (or recommending) products they USE to their own network of friends and acquaintances. To people who TRUST them.
So if you want to serve your customers better through your network marketing business, here are a few things to ask yourself.
1. Are you in the service business or recruitment business?
If you are in the business of helping people - whether to become healthier, or financially independent - you should consider yourself as providing a service. And a service runs on customers.
Sure, there are plenty of people out there who want to start a home business or join a business opportunity.
But if you focus on the opportunity, you'll be competing with a whole lot of other, more established networking companies, for a new prospect's time and money.
Instead, if you focus on your products (and I'm assuming they are unique, excellent products that meet a real need), you'll have very little competition.
Besides, it's so much easier to sell a product than to sell a dream.
2. Is your product right for them?
I've seen people recommending their products to customers as a "miracle" solution to all their problems. This is
not only misleading, but is bound to backfire.
Ask yourself - are there other options for my customers? Are there cheaper, perhaps more effective options, that can help them?
Perhaps they can't afford your product right now. Or perhaps there are other, albeit less effective options, that might meet their immediate needs better.
Almost everyone needs to get healthier, or richer. But how they choose to achieve their goals should be their choice, not yours.
Certainly, give your customers all the information they need about your products. It's not your duty to suggest alternatives.
But sometimes the best way you can serve them is by letting them know that they are free to explore their options and get back to you when they've decided that your product meets their needs best.
You'll not only have a grateful customer, but also build trust and goodwill. Your customer will think of you as someone to depend on, and come back to you when they need advice.
Yes, you might lose a customer, but you'll have gained a friend.
3. Do they really need the business opportunity?
Once you get a new customer, do you instantly start shoving the business opportunity down their throat? If so, you're doing them a disservice.
Yes, do show your customer how they can reduce (or even completely recover) their costs by becoming a distributor and recommending the products to their friends.
Offer them what they want - a cheaper way to purchase your products.
But also accept that some of them may just want to keep buying products without ever building a business.
And appreciate them for contributing to your paycheck.
Ultimately all business is about building trust. So the next time you process an order or answer a query, focus on building a relationship, rather than a business.
If you're a friend to your customer and do what's right for them, you can be secure in the knowledge that what goes around will definitely come around.
About the Author
Priya Shah is the Editor of "Be a Whiz at eBiz!" a free-wheeling newsletter on internet marketing and home business http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com She also publishes "The Glutathione Report," a newsletter featuring regular updates on the health benefits of glutathione. http://www.glutathione-report.com
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KnowThis: For Marketing, Market Research, Internet Marketing ... |
KnowThis.com offers a wealth of information, forums, and resources for professionals, academics and students in traditional and internet marketing, ... |
www.knowthis.com |
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Marketing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Marketers depend on marketing research, both formal and informal, ... The next big thing is a concept in marketing that refers to a product or idea that ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Marketing - Marketing Strategy - Marketing Plan - Marketing ... |
Learn about marketing careers, the stages of developing a marketing plan, how to begin marketing research, create a marketing strategy, and how to market ... |
marketing.about.com |
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Marketing.org - Home of the Business Marketing Association |
Serves the professional, educational and career development needs of business-to-business marketers. |
www.marketing.org |
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Welcome - American Marketing Association - www.marketingpower.com |
Dedicated to serving the educational and professional needs of marketing executives. |
www.marketingpower.com |
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Advertising, Marketing, Media and PR News - Brand Republic |
Find the latest Advertising, Marketing, Media and PR news from Brand Republic, the online resource for up to the minute advertising and marketing news and ... |
www.brandrepublic.com |
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Marketing Magazine - Marketing News - Brand Republic |
Marketing Magazine - Marketing News - Brand Republic. |
www.brandrepublic.com |
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Marketing (Canada) |
Offers a Canadian source of news and articles on marketing, advertising and media. |
www.marketingmag.ca |
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BidVertiser - Pay Per Click Advertising On Sites Of Your Choice. |
Pay per click advertising - online advertising directly on sites of your choice, internet marketing solution for online advertisers. |
www.bidvertiser.com |
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Online Behavioral Contextual Advertising and Marketing. |
Promote your business with today's most effective online advertising technology, contextual advertising at a cost effective metric of CPC, PPC, CPM or CPV. |
www.clicksor.com |
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Sales Jobs / Marketing Jobs / Advertising Jobs - MarketingJobs.com |
Employment site for marketing and sales professionals. |
www.marketingjobs.com |
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The Chartered Institute of Marketing |
The Chartered Institute of Marketing is the world's largest international marketing professional body and helps with career support and information ... |
www.cim.co.uk |
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Marketing: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
See all blog posts tagged with marketing on Technorati. |
www.technorati.com |
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Marketing Profs - Marketing Concepts and Strategies: Expert ... |
Marketing knowhow from professionals. Newsletter, articles and how-to's. |
www.marketingprofs.com |
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Guerrilla Marketing Online - The Official Site |
Guerrilla Marketing Online is anonline magazine for small business, entrepreneurs, sales people and marketers of all kinds. |
www.gmarketing.com |
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Business Marketing - Small Business Marketing |
Business marketing - Read everything your need to know about small business marketing. |
www.entrepreneur.com |
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All About Marketing |
Adapted from Field Guide to Nonprofit Program Design, Marketing and Evaluation ... Inbound Marketing Includes Market Research to Find Out: ... |
www.managementhelp.org |
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Pages tagged with "marketing" on del.icio.us |
USA Network Announces a NASHVILLE STAR Marketing Partnership With ... - Yahoo! ... Direct Marketing Association: Telephone, Mail & Internet Marketing ... |
del.icio.us |
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ClickZ Internet Marketing Solutions for Marketers |
Includes columns with commentary and analysis on a wide variety of internet marketing subjects ranging from B2B marketing to search engine marketing. |
www.clickz.com |
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Direct Marketing Association: Telephone, Mail & Internet Marketing |
Trade association for users and suppliers in the direct, database and interactive marketing fields, offering seminars and resources, and lobbying for ... |
www.the-dma.org |
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