| There are many small business marketing strategies | | | | from those who responded the first time, when Mort |
| that when implemented will get you lots more new | | | | decides to send them another letter during the next |
| business. However as you are considering various | | | | slow season? Probably not much. |
| sales prospecting techniques, it is important to also | | | | Getting people to raise their hand and self identify |
| remember what not to do. Here is the most the | | | | themselves as having interest in your services is a |
| common mistake small businesses make with their | | | | time tested method for effective business |
| marketing. If you avoid this, your small business | | | | development. But whatever method you use to make |
| marketing solution will pay off with lots more new | | | | people aware of who you are and what you do is |
| clients. | | | | simply an activity. Sending letters. Making cold calls. |
| The most important trap to avoid is to make sure you | | | | Writing articles. Giving a speech. None of these are |
| do not focus on activities rather than developing a | | | | your marketing strategy. They're parts of your |
| business development process. Here's the scenario. | | | | marketing strategy. It's important to always remember |
| Business is a bit slow so Mort the Business Owner | | | | that they are simply activities. |
| wakes up one morning and says to himself, "It's about | | | | A marketing strategy has three components to it. A |
| time we got some new business." So when Mort | | | | method for making people aware of you. A method |
| arrives at the office he immediately puts in place his | | | | for capturing data about those people, and a method |
| Marketing Strategy. "Let's make some cold calls. Or | | | | for staying in touch. When you have those three |
| write some letters. Or update the database. Or write | | | | components linked together, then you have a |
| an article." The list goes on and on. | | | | marketing process. When they're not, then all you have |
| What Mort has done (which virtually all of us do at | | | | is just have a bunch of activities. And the results speak |
| some point or another) is to confuse activities with | | | | for themselves. |
| strategy. But why is this a problem? Well let's say that | | | | One of the main reasons that marketing fails to yield |
| Mort sends out some letters or emails. And maybe a | | | | the results we want is because we focus on the |
| few people respond. And maybe Mort actually calls | | | | wrong things at the wrong time. If you start to drive |
| one or two of them. But then he gets busy (or decides | | | | traffic when your marketing trap is not established, the |
| that following-up really isn't that much fun) and he lets | | | | result will be that visitors will simply bounce off your |
| the leads grow mold. | | | | site. That is a great waste of money, time and energy. |
| Now obviously that's a waste. But here's what's even | | | | Thus, make sure you're thinking about a marketing |
| more wasteful. What do you think the reaction will be | | | | system rather than focusing on marketing activities. |