I love to backpack. For me, there’s nothing like the reward of sleeping on a high mountain peak or near a scenic lake after a long trek with everything I need to survive on my back.
Every time I plan for a trip it’s very important to minimize the weight of my pack while maximizing the utility of the items I bring. One of the most important items I carry is my pocketknife. It’s small and compact, relatively light but offers many uses. With it I can cut rope or food, open cans, saw wood, grab small items, tighten screws. It’s a very versatile tool that can help me handle just about any situation that may present itself while I’m off in the woods.
When it comes to marketing your small business your marketing plan can help you handle many situations which may stand in your way of doing more business. Here are seven ways your marketing can help you increase sales.
Grabbing Attention
The first step to attracting clients is grabbing your market’s attention. If your future clients don’t know you exist you can never sell to them.
The best way to get noticed by your market is to use an outstanding marketing message: words that jump at your prospects because they clearly and concisely speak directly to their needs. With simple adjustments to your existing copy you can skyrocket attention for your business with your advertising, brochures, website, the way you talk about what you do and any other marketing collateral you employ.
Do you have an outstanding marketing message that sells?
Learn how to double, triple or even quadruple interest in what you sell.
Web Site Traffic Optimization
One of the effects of having a great marketing message is that you can use it to attract targeted visitors to your website. A website is a great tool for building efficiencies into any business. You can use your website to build your list of prospects, educate them and increase sales.
Building Your List of Prospects
A growing list of prospects is the key to success for any business because it empowers you to educate more and more people about your products and services over time. Your website is fantastic tool for building your list of prospects. Most people who encounter your marketing the first time aren’t looking to buy. Instead, they are likely performing research; gathering information so they can make an informed decision. This is your opportunity to exchange quality information for contact information.
How can you add more prospects each week?
Educating Prospects
Another way effective marketing lends itself to increasing sales is by educating prospects. When your marketing does a good job educating your future clients they will develop a clear understanding of the value you provide.
How do you educate your future clients?
Facilitating Sales
When your phone rings with a sales inquiry, do you spend too much time describing what you do and the value of your products or services? By having the aforementioned pieces of the marketing puzzle in place your clients will already be clear about the value of how you can help. The result will be that you find yourself spending less time describing and more time closing deals when the phone rings.
Building Referrals
The best source of business is a satisfied customer. When a client tells a friend or colleague that you’re great they knock many of the obstacles to selling to someone new out of the way. For the most part, we inherently trust our friends and colleagues. So, when someone recommends something, we tend to believe in what is being recommended. Another benefit of a referral is the uncanny way in which the value of what is being referred is conveyed between people already familiar with each other. Great marketing plans have clear objectives about how to build referrals.
What are your objectives for building referrals?
Performing Research
Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to understanding your market. The more you know about how your market thinks and speaks about your products or services the better you will be able to communicate the value of what you offer. The results will be increased sales.
What’s your plan for learning about your market?
Move Your Marketing Forward(TM)
I love my pocketknife. It helps me in many ways; often in ways I never anticipated. Does your marketing do enough to help you consistently attract more clients and grow your business?