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10 Phone Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
"I hate making marketing calls. I don’t know what to say and how to say it. I’ve been assigned to find new clients and in the past 4 weeks I brought in zero new clients."
Do you ever feel this way?
Are you tired of being turned down?
...
Broadband - Will it Affect Your Online Marketing Future?
To all editors, this is NOT part of the article, please remove before posting. You'll notice I've included some hyperlinks within the article. They are there for description only. I have absolutely no financial interest in any of the linking. ...
Marketing Your Business Website On A Budget
Owners of home based businesses that are trying to make a living working from home know the problems encountered trying to get your website noticed in order to increase traffic and ultimately revenues. After all, if people don't know about your...
The Mighty Marketing Newsletter
For many companies and organizations, it's a powerful marketing
tool that attracts and retains customers. I'm referring to the
dependable, hard-working newsletter.
On the subject of newsletters, guerilla marketing guru Jay
Conrad Levinson...
What Is Marketing?
To too many people marketing equates to one of two things:
- Selling: with all that entails such as the dreaded double-glazing or financial salesman.
- Advertising: with all that entails such as the slick young creative and smarmy account person....
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The Ultimate Marketing Secret
Hold on a second! I know you’re eager discover this marketing “secret” is, but before we get to that, I’d like you to do a quick exercise. So grab a pen and a piece of paper, this won’t take long.
Ready?
Write down every method you currently use for marketing your business. Take your time. Put down every technique you employ. Let me know when you’ve finished.
All done? Swell.
So, what’s on your list? Chances are you have the usual marketing tools: newspaper, radio and television ads; showcase videos; web sites; business cards, etc. You probably have some of the more “advanced” techniques, too: writing a regular column for a newspaper/magazine; vehicle placards/window detailing; regularly attending professional/association meetings; teaching classes; sponsoring community events; referrals agreements; etc.
All are useful tools for marketing your business. But there’s another “must have” that you need on your list. I call it the “ultimate marketing secret” because an amazing number of businesses overlook it. So what is this remarkably effective marketing method?
Simple: CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I don’t just mean simple customer service. I mean honest-to-goodness, 110% knock-your-socks-off-before-during-and- long-after-the-sale, gotta-love-this customer care. Or, as marketing guru Jay Conrad Levinson says, “customer bliss.”
Too easy an answer, you say? Doesn’t matter, it’s true. Whether you believe it or not, the fact of the matter is, everything you do is marketing! And customer service is the primary “contact point” for the customer. It’s what they will remember most about dealing with you and your business. If any aspect of your customer service falls below their needs, you’ve lost. Sure, you might have a contract that keeps your from losing their business -- this time. But you won’t get it again. And you probably won’t get the business of anyone they know, work with, or talk to for the next few years…
Yahoo! executive Tim Sanders says in his new book LOVE IS THE KILLER APP, “At a time when more of us have more options than ever, there’s no need to put up with a product or service that doesn’t deliver, [or] a company that we don’t like.” Customers know this instinctively and, as the saying goes, will “vote with their feet” as they walk away from your business and head over to
your competitor. If you want to attract and keep more customers, focus on developing exemplary customer service first and foremost! Even before you spend another dime on advertising. And remember, customers base that decision on THEIR definition of service, not yours. How? Well, start by focusing on the customer.
“The best service that you can give customers is to solve their problems,” says Thomas Proulx, President/CEO of Netpulse Communications. “Even better is to solve a problem for them before they even know they have a problem.” Look at every aspect of your service through the client’s eyes. Examine every interaction with you and your business from their perspective:
--What problems might they have understanding what services you provide? --What materials need to be clearer? Better defined? Easier to read? Easier to get? --Are you available at the times they need you most? Are your business hours compatible with their availability? --How easy is it to contact you (and actually get through to you)? How quickly do you return calls? Answer emails? --When they call, do they know whom they’re speaking with? Is your answering system clear and easy to navigate? --Do your marketing materials (business cards, ads, flyers, etc.) all show the same information and contact numbers? Is it easy to find you/your office? --Do you have ready access to a list of people who can help your clients with ancillary services they may need (notary public, inspectors, insurance, etc.)? --Do you have systems in place to quickly obtain/retain/access needed client information?
And that’s just the start. You must review EVERYTHING that the client sees, hears, touches, talks to, interacts with in the process of doing business with you and ask yourself: “Is this helpful to my clients? Is this giving them exactly what they need most?”
When you start answering “yes” to those questions 100% of the time, you’ll be on your way to providing that oh-so-desired blissful customer service experience.
So there. The ultimate marketing secret is out of the bag. Who’s gonna use it first? you… or your competition?
About the Author
Jim Allen is a professional life & business coach. For more ideas, subscribe to his free bi-weekly ezine, THE BIG IDEA, by sending a blank email to: SubscribeGA@CoachJim.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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