The success of your business depends on your ability to build marketing momentum. Without the ability to generate new sources of leads your capacity to sell will slump and the growth of your business will stagnate or shrink.
Unfortunately, many small business owners are at a loss when tasked with coming up with new ways to market while others are frustrated into stagnation by seeing consistently ineffective results from their marketing efforts. It doesn't matter if your business is young or established. If your business is young you must market well simply to survive. On the other hand, if you have had marketing success with a method that does not increase your opportunity to generate new business your success will be stunted by your limited ability to find new sources of business.
Building marketing momentum is like kicking a ball down a hill that keeps getting steeper. Each time the hill becomes a little steeper the ball will roll faster and pick up momentum. In marketing, any tactic you add to attract attention to what you do is like making the hill a little steeper.
The other day I was talking to Ed who runs a successful metal shining business. I asked him how he went about generating new sales. He told me that 100% of his marketing effort is networking. I couldn't help but wonder why. I realize that he is doing well with it but if he simply placed an ad in the yellow pages that generated just one sale a year he would cover the cost of the ad and be profitable!
Even though Ed's networking efforts are successful he is limiting his ability to grow his business by only implementing one form of marketing. By simply trying something new in addition to networking Ed can benefit from developing a new way to generate leads and build his marketing momentum.
Is your marketing effort one dimensional or stagnant? Here are five tactics you can use to build marketing momentum.
Deliver a Great Marketing Message
A great marketing message will have the effect of generating interest in what you do. It never ceases to amaze me the number of small business owners that fail to use a compelling marketing message. How many times has someone described to you their business or what they do with a label like, "I'm an accountant" or "I'm in Communications"? Such answers are not likely to start interesting conversations and marketing opportunities are missed.
If you answer the "what do you do?" question with a savvy marketing message you will find that more people associate what you do with a need of their own or that of a friend, colleague or relative and you will win more referral business. Develop and use an outstanding, compelling marketing message and you will find that more people show interest in what you do. The result will be more better sales.
Make Cold Calling a Hot Source of Sales
Many small business owners hate to make cold calls. Their derision is understandable. By making cold calls they are setting themselves up for rejection. No one likes being rejected. However, rejection is part of the game when making phone calls. Once you realize that it's not your fault when someone says no during a cold call you can move passed your barrier and add cold calling to your marketing arsenal.
The fact is that by regularly picking up the phone and reaching out to potential clients small business owners increase their chance of finding new business. A percentage of the people you speak with will become clients when you make cold calls, especially if you are targeting your market well and are offering something they need. What's more you can work to improve your phone skills to increase your ability to make sales. Add cold calling to your marketing strategy and you will increase your opportunity to generate new business.
Use Your Web Site as An Effective Marketing Tool
Many companies have web sites that fail as effective marketing tools. Does your web site consistently generate leads and sales? It should. And it can. The World Wide Web is a continuously open marketplace that reaches hundreds of millions of consumers every moment of every day and allows you to easily and accurately target those who buy your products or services. A company without a web site as part of its marketing team is missing a fantastic opportunity to increase its revenue stream. Deliver a web site that functions as an effective marketing tool and you will consistently add to your marketing momentum.
Develop Your Network
Another great tool to use to build marketing momentum is networking. Networking is a highly effective means of generating referral business (which is some of the easiest business to get, once you get a referral). A person who is willing to take someone else's advice to contact you about your product or service will transfer the trust he has in his friend or colleague making the referral to you. Making it easier for clients to trust you removes one of the barriers to making a sale. By developing a robust network you will increase your ability to find new prospects and do more business.
So then, just how should you go about building your network?
Ed, from our previous example, is able to successfully operate his business with networking alone. That's because Ed networks the right way. Many small business owners and executives don't realize what networking truly is. Unfortunately, all too often people think they are networking by reaching out only to the people they know when what they should be doing is taking steps to continually expand their network. Ed regularly attends networking events and is involved with multiple networking groups. He ads new people to his network all the time and has a successful business to show for it (though he could be even more successful if he added another tool to his marketing toolbox).
Measure Your Results
No matter what tactics you adapt to market yourself or your business be sure to measure your results. By measuring your marketing results you will be able to move away from or correct what does not work and stick with and reinforce what does. By diligently measuring your results you will improve your ability to ad to your marketing momentum and grow your business and success.
By measuring my results and trying new things I have been able to develop an ad that enjoys a 20% response rate. The ad is so successful I only need to run it occasionally to generate enough calls to keep me very busy. Not only does this great ad do a fantastic job of generating interest in my marketing services it saves me money on my advertising costs because I can meet my goals by running fewer ads.
You too can develop highly effective ads by measuring your results.
Move Your Marketing Forward
If your marketing efforts aren't helping you reach your goals you can improve your results by implementing any one of the tactics outlined above. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with and take small measured steps toward realistic goals and you will see a beneficial transformation in your marketing results.
Jeremy Cohen, helps small business owners attract more clients and grow their business with his coaching service and free marketing guide: Jumpstart Marketing: More Prospects, Clients & Success Get the guide at http://www.bettermarketingresults.com
monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..Search Engines account for almost 90% of all web traffic!In... Read More
You've heard marketing and advertising gurus quip, "Sell the sizzle,... Read More
Discover How Specialized Cost Containment Creates A New Win-Win Position... Read More
So you want to start a business but you don't... Read More
Everyone is talking about small businesses. In 1993, when it... Read More
You've probably heard the statistic that 95% of small businesses... Read More
Are you a home or small business owner and you're... Read More
Becoming a contractor or sub-contractor for the U.S. government can... Read More
Many businesses offer small business franchise opportunities. There are many... Read More
Database Problems in MarketingI have been working on a direct... Read More
There is a continual trend we are seeing which I... Read More
Why should you do informative talks to smaller groups?Informative talks... Read More
Security Professionals provide the products and services necessary to create... Read More
Here are a few tips on how to hand out... Read More
How often have you thumbed through a business opportunity magazine,... Read More
Managing cash flow is every small business owner's most important... Read More
Most of us remember going to at least one garage... Read More
As a solo entrepreneur or small business owner, one of... Read More
Sometimes the simple businesses are the ones, which make good... Read More
At first glance, this topic may seem a little repetitive,... Read More
Your business account comes with an ATM, Debit card. Pick... Read More
An observation while returning home from a seminar: Getting away... Read More
When is advice free and when should you charge for... Read More
Continuing from the second article:6. About the aground mathematical model,... Read More
Some of the very qualities that attract people to the... Read More
scheduled maid service Mundelein ..Here are some of the questions that you need to... Read More
One of the biggest excuses franchisees of home based and... Read More
Here are some useful tips on how to select a... Read More
In the first article we mentioned the main characteristics that... Read More
Maximum efficiency in the cleaning industry is a key to... Read More
Completion not Perfection Five Keys To Doubling Your Productivity and... Read More
The way you manage your money is one of the... Read More
A cherished business doctrine is that growth must be a... Read More
Due to the over regulation in the Franchising Industry and... Read More
We're birds of a feather, public relations and small business.... Read More
Every home business has the same problem of how to... Read More
If you're looking for start-up capital for your business, but... Read More
Get maximum results with minimum effort. Sounds great doesn't it?... Read More
You've probably heard the statistic that 95% of small businesses... Read More
How do you find the best business partners?Finding a good... Read More
Many job applicants want a job but often do not... Read More
Are you a motivational speaker who consistently gets rave reviews... Read More
A corporate shell could be liken to a house that... Read More
The stock market is still on a wild roller coaster... Read More
When working properly, computers enable small businesses to make big... Read More
Send handwritten notes. That applies whether you're a guy or... Read More
What is a guru?A guru is a teacher. A mentor.... Read More
The American system of business management has been admired and... Read More
Everyday, customers and business owners are bombarded with billboards, logos,... Read More
The choice to incorporate a small business in Florida has... Read More
Small Business |