| "body"> | | | | drawer because it's too long and too complicated to |
| If you are a small business owner or independent sales | | | | do anything else with. |
| professional and you are working on, thinking about or | | | | What I'm talking about is a plan of attack. If you want |
| reading about creating a marketing plan - STOP!! | | | | to find success you need to ATTACK IT! |
| So many so called "marketing experts" say you need | | | | I like to use a large easel and a big post it flip chart |
| a marketing plan and puke out all this | | | | pad. I write in red marker so it's ultra obvious and |
| "direct-from-the-textbook-junk" about how to create | | | | always carries a sense of urgency. |
| one and what it contains. | | | | In this plan of attack you want to make a list of no |
| Traditional marketing text books and philosophies | | | | more than two or three narrowly defined targets to go |
| weren't written for small businesses. They were | | | | after. You need to solidify your Gravitational |
| written for big corporations, so the irrelevant stuff | | | | Proposition - a unique offering statement that is |
| between their covers doesn't mean anything to you | | | | irresistible to your target and pulls them to you with a |
| but wasted time, energy and cash. | | | | natural, powerful force. |
| Most marketing experts only know what's in those | | | | Your Gravitational Proposition should answer these |
| college text books - and I got to tell you for a small | | | | questions. |
| business that's poison. I've read all the text books I | | | | 1. What is it you are trying to sell? |
| have the advertising degree hanging on the wall. I've | | | | 2. What HUGE benefit does your customer get from |
| got the master's degree too. And you wanna know | | | | the purchase? |
| what? All that standard education information is | | | | 3. How much does it cost? |
| garbage. | | | | 4. Why proof do you offer/why should I believe you? |
| See, academics aren't interested in the same things as | | | | Your proposition doesn't have to contain all of these |
| entrepreneurs. They don't think the same as us and | | | | things but a combination of the ones that puts your |
| they definitely don't know anything about small | | | | offering in the best light possible. |
| business. They know theory and principles that work | | | | The next thing on your action plan should be the steps |
| for the masses. That's why this is standard education | | | | you will take to attack your prospects and the |
| stuff. But standard education principles yield standard | | | | individual actions you will take to accomplish those |
| results and often times less when applied to small | | | | steps. |
| businesses. | | | | Cross each one off the list as you finish it and add |
| I don't know about you but I'm not looking for standard | | | | new ideas as you come up with them. Only add ideas |
| success. Standard success is $30,000 a year and a | | | | when you can add actionable steps to take to |
| broken home for your kids. I think we are all aiming a | | | | implement those ideas. |
| bit higher, that's why you're reading this right now and | | | | Create time deadlines for each set of steps to |
| seeking something more. | | | | incentivize yourself to get them done. Even create |
| In that standard marketing education they talk about | | | | rewards for accomplishing the projects. You must |
| the "Four P's of Marketing" (some say five P's now). | | | | block out at least one day per week where you do |
| The Five P's are product, price, placement, package, | | | | nothing but plan and act - otherwise you are doomed |
| promotion. | | | | to have slow growth and mediocre results. |
| For a small business the Five P's are procrastination, | | | | You must change your mindset. You must realize your |
| procrastination, procrastination, procrastination, | | | | main job is marketer not doer or seller or manager. |
| procrastination. | | | | Marketing is the most important job you can master if |
| You need rapid but smart growth - and that's not | | | | you desire success in large scale. |
| covered in a marketing plan or in the "Five P's." | | | | So forget the marketing plan, the four or five P's and |
| What you need to create is a "Rapid And Smart | | | | start creating rapid and smart growth by taking |
| Growth Plan Of Attack." | | | | aggressive action. Remember that you must test and |
| This is a living and breathing one page document that | | | | measure all of your efforts for effectiveness and act |
| evolves as you take action and test results. | | | | accordingly. |
| And it's not just a plan. A plan gets filed away in your | | | | |