Sum of Its Parts
I just spent a week at the beach with my
family and, as much as I vowed not to think
about work, stumbled onto a highly relevant
lesson for marketing professional services. It was actually my mother who inspired this
lesson, thanks to the following beachy quote
she had on the refrigerator: "Saltwater taffy, for example, does not taste
good. Seagulls are not pleasant birds. Most
people look better in clothes ? a lot of
clothes. But it works. The beach is the ultimate
triumph in setting." ?from the article, Sea and Be
Seen What does this have to do with marketing
professional services? A lot. Just like saltwater
taffy, seagulls, and under clothed people,
any one thing done in isolation to market your
professional services won't work. When you take the sum of its parts, marketing
works. Let's take an easy example: networking.
Done in a vacuum, networking is just a "part."
Without ways to sustain a new contact's
attention, build their trust, or keep in touch ?
the other "parts" of your whole ? you spend
far more time and energy drumming up
business than if you had other aspects of your
marketing "machine" doing a lot of the work
for you. Let's get specific. The biggest mistake I see is
when people go out, network (or make cold
calls, or send direct mail pieces), is that they
simultaneously scare prospects off with an
anemic poorly-messaged website, no value-
adding resources to build your prospect's
confidence, and new contacts that vanish
into thin air because there's no systematic
way to stay in front of them that's affordable
and effective. The same "in isolation" principle applies to
other marketing "parts." * If you invest in telemarketing, but send
new leads to a lousy website (even if you
don't send them there, they'll look you
up), you're shooting yourself in the foot. * If you're a master at churning out brilliant
weekly e-newsletters, but haven't
"packaged" your services into a range of
ways potential clients can buy from you,
you're missing the point of using an e-zine
as a smart promotional tool. * If you go to all of the time and effort to
get booked as a speaker, then run
around preparing for and delivering your
talks, you'll get nothing but a nice ego
boost and applause unless you target the
right audiences and hit them with "What
in it for Me?" messages. All of that time, money and energy
wasted?but not if you pay attention to the
sum of your parts! To avoid wasting your resources and to make
the most of your individual marketing efforts,
make sure you have all of these parts working
together: * Positioning that sets you apart from others
offering a similar service. From your target
audiences' perspective, what makes you
different? Why should they choose you? * Packaging in the form of a value-packed
website that you can send new contacts to,
demonstrating your value (again, through their
eyes) and building their confidence in you as a
good solution to their problem. * Promotion: An easy way to keep-in-touch
with contacts and prospects, even if you're
using other high-touch tactics, such as follow-
up calls and meetings. The point is that not
every new contact is a ready-buyer when you
first meet. You need to stay on their radar, at
least monthly, so that when they're ready to
buy, you're there. A monthly e-newsletter or e-
zine is the perfect vehicle. * Persuasion: You've got to turn contacts into
prospects, prospects into clients, clients into
referrers, and so on. Simply setting up sales
calls and writing proposals won't do it, though.
As any successful sales person knows, there are
many moving "parts" to master. You've got to
know who the decision makers are, what
they're willing to spend, how buying decisions
get made, how to stay in control of the selling
conversation, and how to ask for referrals, to
name a few. * Performance is the one "part" most of us in
professional services rely on most ? it's how we
get referrals and maintain (or tarnish) our
reputation in the marketplace. It's the
marketing part that keeps me on my toes the
most, above any other marketing challenge I
take on, including writing this e-newsletter,
upgrading my website, closing a sale, or giving
a public talk. Why? Because it's all about
managing and exceeding client expectations,
two very tricky "parts" to master. If this doesn't
ring a bell with you, then take this quick quiz to
find out what it really takes to master
Performance:
http://www.turningpointemarketing.com/Is_This_For_You.html In isolation, I'm definitely not a fan of
saltwater taffy, seagulls or bathing suits. But in
the right setting and working all together,
they're part of the most effective vacation I
can think of. The sum of its parts works. So too
can your marketing. (c) 2004 TurningPointe Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved.
Marketing educator, Kelly O'Brien, is creator of the "Create a
TurningPointe!" Marketing Bootcamp. To learn more about this step-by-step
program, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and 20-page marketing
guide, visit http://www.turningpointemarketing.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Profitable Marketing Programs (Part 1)
Deciding whether a particular marketing program is profitable to your business is often more subjective than the accountants would have you believe. You should not only consider the direct revenue and costs associated with a marketing program, but you should also think about the long term impact on your business.
Promotional Products
As a promotions director for a lot of super markets, one of my key responsibilities was finding promotional products for the events we make. I worked with distributors to order, design and customize these items to promote the super markets image to the general public.
Communicating Our Attitude
The goal of successful marketing is to create long lasting relationships with your prospects by marketing your business with passion. When you're not excited about what you're doing, no one else will be either. Our passion for what we do in business is communicated through our attitude. Our attitude comes shining through in a variety of ways. How can you create an attitude that paves the way to success for you and your business?
Direct Mail Response Devices and How to Craft Them
Successful direct mail packages contain three things: an attractive offer, a call to action, and a response device. The offer is the Incentive. The call to action is the Imperative. And the response device is the Instrument.
Mail Can Make You Money
Are you still waiting for business to turn around before you start direct mail marketing? Waiting around won't get you any business. The time to start is now.
What the Heck is a Campaign and Why Do I Need to Do One?
Many people ask me, "What is a postcard campaign, exactly?" "And why do I need one?" As I have been educating my clients one on one for years now, I suddenly had the bright idea that I needed to explain this for more than just one at a time and in further detail. So here goes?
Your 30 Second Commercial
This tip is so simple, that many people we've talked with never bother using it, but it is highly effective. Prepare a 30 second verbal commercial about what your business offers. This should be 50 words or less, and practice saying it until it becomes second nature. End it with phrases such as "I'd love to have you as a client" or "I'd like to do business with you".
How to Critique Your Own Yellow Page Ad
Forget what you know about your business Your goal is to see your Yellow Page display advertisement the way a directory user sees it. You can't act like you know anything about your enterprise that isn't there, on the page. Look at your ad without pride or being identified with your operation. If you pretend it's someone else's, you can spot the flaws you'd otherwise overlook. Mentally put the competition's name on your ad. Does what you say apply equally well to them? If it does, you haven't effectively set yourself apart.
2 Little Words That Work Marketing Magic
In his classic best-seller, "How To Win Friends And Influence People," Dale Carnegie's second chapter is entitled The Big Secret of Dealing With People. The secret is summed up in this principle: Give honest and sincere appreciation.
Get Personal: Letters vs. Direct Mail
One of the reasons direct mail works is the personal aspect. It's ostensibly a letter from you to your prospect. Because of this, the more personal you make it, the better your response will be.
Flesh Eating Spiders And Other Marketing Horrors
After a friend was bitten by a spider, I decided to do
some research to find out more about the spider.
Three Simple Ideas That Increase Profit? FAST!
Are you spending more time trying to get new clients than actually working with them?
The Lone Wolf is Blind
When Advertising, it's not always better to be the lone wolf.
How To Go From Under Dog to Top Dog by Unleashing The Power Of a Postcard
The Tale of Two Dentists...
Radio Advertising Works With These Tips!
Advertising on the radio can be an effective lead generation strategy. But like all marketing tactics, success or failure lies in its implementation. Here are 15 important tips to help make your radio advertising more profitable.
Knowing When To Charge More and To Charge Less
More And More
Market Research ? How Good is the Data?
"Make money for taking surveys"," Cash for your opinion", "Make easy money at home".
Why Instant Gratification Marketing Condemns Businesses To Losing 90% Of Their Potential Customers
Most businesses target only people "ready-to-buy". These hot prospects are "Now Buyers" because they've been inching closer to a decision for some period of time. They're just about ready to spend cash. Advertisers target "Now Buyers" because the pressure is on to make sales immediately. And, they know these prospects are most qualified, from a timing standpoint.
Down To The Wire
When you want to win and woo new clients with national publicity -- and don't have an enormous budget to distribute your message -- turn to the news wires. But first, be sure you're telling a story that's worth printing.
Marketing 101: The Power of Marketing
When you hear the word "marketing" what comes to mind? More business or wasted money? If your experience with marketing or advertising has been less than positive your cynicism may be well founded. Yet, have you ever noticed a competitor with a mediocre product and a healthy business? The difference is often marketing.
|
