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Ron Stein
Sales and Marketing Advice for Florida business
Three things great companies do every day
Many companies have a great product or service and their business is, well, adequate. Sure, a profit is made. Yet, for a company with a solid offering it’s not the type of record busting, shoot for the moon revenue you want.
It’s not very satisfying. Particularly when a competitor with a mediocre product seems to be running on all cylinders. A few deals have been lost to them and they seem to be everywhere. How do they do it?
A great product or service is not enough to have real success today. Of course that’s where it starts. But, what goes into a “great” product”? Quality of workmanship, services delivered on time and product working as advertised every time seem pretty obvious. Yet, still is more needed.
The market needs to need what you have. After all, people buy what will satisfy them in some way. Solve their problems. Make them feel good. Give great value. Naturally, this is all from the buyer’s perspective.
The first step to a great product is getting to know what your audience demands and where the holes are that need to be filled.
The next pillar of revenue success is really an integral part building a great product or service -- marketing.
Great marketing happens when it’s baked into your offering by making it interesting, relevant, and unique for your target audience. That makes it easier for you to create a clear strategy, communicate your message, and know how people want to connect with you. Plus it squarely places everyone involved in your company -- staff and partners -- on the same page.
That leads to the third critical pillar of success -- getting out and actually selling. Except you need an action plan first, filled with exact tactics and activities. Then you and everyone on your team will know what your business will do week in and week out; when you’ll do it, who’s responsible, and what tools are needed.
These then, are the three things great companies do every day.
Bake marketing into your offering from day one. Most businesses tend to place too much emphasis on things like technology and quality. Even though features and functions are important, they are not significant enough to be differentiators in the mind of your buyer. Create a buyer persona upfront to guide you in two essential ways; you’ll build an offering that your audience truly wants and then know how, when, and where to communicate with them. Remember, all your prospects care about is solving their problems. Step one is to build your offering according to customer’s needs, not features; otherwise you’re working backwards.
Be a trusted source of problem solving. Next, you’ve got to get the market to want it. No matter if you’re selling to other businesses or consumers you can’t just say, “Look how great we are” through slick advertising and social media propaganda. Focus on education instead of promotion and give to get. That starts with teaching customers why your offering is needed. Tell your story in the language of customer’s needs and keep the attention on value over price. Spend a little time figuring out where your ideal prospect hangs out, online and offline, and how they like to communicate. Map out the entire purchase journey, from beginning to end.
Have an action plan and the right selling mindset. Many businesses manage to nail the first two pillars of revenue success and still end up falling flat because they think that’s enough. Or, maybe that selling is viewed as manipulative. Selling isn’t something you do to buyers; it’s what you do FOR your prospects. Lay out a plan based on the two or three key marketing initiatives you want to accomplish. Always keep in mind your trusted source approach. Just like you created a great offering built around customer needs, a great action plan consists of a series of selling activities that fits your audience -- the way they buy, when they buy, and how they buy. Now get out there and go do it!
Great things happen when you focus on buyer’s requirements and not your own. Make that evident in all of your communications, from your website to your networking introduction, and the Tweet you are about to post.
Great offerings go way beyond the product or service itself. Be authentic and relevant. A give to get attitude intended just for your specific target audience will sell more of what you offer than you can begin to imagine.
Ron Stein is President of FastPath Marketing (www.marketing-strategies-guide.com) and the author of the Rapid Impact Marketing & Selling Playbook. As a speaker, coach, and consultant he works with small business owners helping them to accelerate the path between their vision and the actions needed to reach, win, and keep customers. Ron is the creator of the FastPath to More Customers Now! 7-step marketing system based on more than twenty years as a successful business owner, corporate CEO, business development executive, and salesman. He is also a mentor at two nationally recognized business accelerators. Ron offers one-on-one and small group mentoring, conducts seminars, and consults. He can be reached at 727-398-1855 or Ron@FastPathMarketing.com.
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