Initial Marketing Goals

One of the biggest mistakes that new marketers make, is in thinking that the marketing process is about their desires, and feeling that they must tell everyone what they want to get what they want.

This leads to overeager actions which are interpreted as rudeness, inconsiderateness, and inexperience. You can always recognize the new marketer on the forums when they post their ad as an introduction – they are not the same thing! You can recognize them when they blast an ad every time they are allowed, or worse, in spite of forum rules prohibiting ads.

They create a newsletter and get signups and blast ads to them. They greet people and try to tell them what a great thing they have in the first sentence. They beat the streets leaving brochures behind with only a “hi, I’m so and so, I do such and such, call me if you need it.” They appear at trade shows, and feel that if nobody buys anything, that everybody hates them.

The fact is, it isn’t about you. It isn’t about what you want at all. It is about what your customers want. And until you help them know that what THEY want is more important than what YOU want, for YOU as well as for THEM, you can forget developing a loyal client or customer base!

When you only want to talk to someone if they are interested in your product, you are missing a great opportunity. If, on the other hand, you show some interest in the PERSON, as an individual, and come to know them, all kinds of unexpected benefits come, and many of them are financial. In fact, many of them come at you out of the blue, and you wonder how it has happened that fortune has smiled so upon you – when in fact, it was because you were nice to that person, who remembered you, and recommended you to someone else, who came to you presold!

We offer a free service, which serves as an introduction to our skills, and allows us to demonstrate first hand how we look out for our clients’ interests. Not all businesses can do that, but for those who can, this is the ideal way to “give first”.

For product sales, if you discuss a person’s needs, and put aside your desire for the commission long enough to consider their point of view, you are more likely to make a sale in the long term than if your eyes glaze over and you lose interest the minute they say THEY are not interested.

Once you gain their interest, it is STILL about their needs more than yours. Have you ever recommended a LESS expensive option? Have you helped a client analyze their needs, and helped them figure out the cost/benefit on the options they are considering? You may miss making a bigger sale in the short term, but you’ll profit more in the long term as they come back again, and refer their friends, because they knew you really did put their needs first.

Get into the mind of the customer – not to manipulate them, but to help them in the best way. Do that, and marketing goals become very clear, and efforts become very effective. There are those who will tell you they do not have time for that, while they feel they do have time to blast useless ads and try to bully people into buying what they want them to buy. In fact, doing it right takes less time than doing it wrong, and when you do it right, it builds momentum – it grows upon itself until the efforts of marketing are minimal compared to the results it returns.

Give it a try at the next trade show – hold up a mirror so they can try on jewelry, sympathize with their budget woes, give them something to giggle about, help them know when your product is NOT right for them, talk about their problems in relation to your expertise in a conversational way,  and let them know you care about them as a human being. Then see what happens – both how your customers respond, and how you feel.

Betcha something good happens!