Mistake #1 that most small business owners make is not thinking like a marketer. You don’t need an MBA to get more business. In fact, that might just overcomplicate things. This is a simple 5 step guide for the non-marketing, left-brain world of business owners to use their existing knowledge and resources to increase their bottom line.
- Step #1: Pay attention to how you are marketed to. When you make a purchase, think about how you found out about that business, how long you knew about them before you bought, how often you received emails or direct mail from them, etc. And more importantly, why do you trust this particular company enough to hand over your credit card? Chances are, the marketing that motivates you will also motivate your own prospective clients.
- Step #2: Learn the lingo of marketing. Here is a fantastic guide to the language of sales and marketing. Knowledge of these terms will not only help you communicate to your sales team, it will help with step #3…
- Step #3: Identify the perfect customer and map out a realistic sales cycle. Unqualified leads are a waste of money (so stop paying for Yellow Pages ads!). Get out a piece of paper and draw a diagram of your marketing funnel: how do people find out about you, how do they contact you, how do you market to them, what makes them eventually become a client, etc. You don’t have to be an artist to do this and it’s such a simple process that most business owners overlook it. It will, without a doubt, show you where the holes are in your process.
- Step #4: Establish a web presence. Whether you decide to write lots of content for your site or not (and we highly recommend you do), you need to at least have a website and be active on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. For more information on how to create an effective web presence that will pay for itself year after year, get a free copy of Tom Foster’s book 5 Mistakes 99% of of Lawyers Make With Their Websites. This book apploes to everyone, not just lawyers.
- Step #5: You are an expert in your field. Make sure everyone knows it! Write a book or blog, create a video series, speak at events, offer consultations. Offering your expertise (especially for free on your website in exchange for contact information) is a fantastic way to position yourself as an expert in your field. Plain and simple, experts make more money.
Once you get started, you will probably find that marketing is really fun. Setting aside time to plan ways to grow your business is exciting and necessary if you want to competitive. If you think you can’t market your business, Charley and I would love to feature you on a podcast. We guarantee you can and we’ll offer free suggestions on how to do it. Just contact us!
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