Imagine a cold winter night with sleet beating down on your car as you drive through a mountain range. As you near the edge of a sharp curve you reduce your speed and pump your brakes gently. Suddenly, your car slips and screeches into a skid. You turn hard on your steering wheel to correct but the car goes out of control.

If you’ve ever been to diving school you’ve mostly likely come across many helpful instructions. One of the more counterintuitive instructions you’re bound to receive is about that same icy road. You are instructed to turn your wheel opposite your instincts and steer into the curve. The idea is that turning towards the dangerous skid helps you gain control, traction with your wheels and right your car. Ultimately, the advice is sound and keeps you from over correcting and suffering the dangerous consequences of responding poorly in that driving situation.

But how does learning to drive on a mountain teach you about marketing during a recession? While your business intuition during a recession might lead you to a “common sense” reaction to pull back on marketing expenses you should do the opposite to gain traction and control of your business. Similar to the driving instructions about steering on a slippery slope, one of the most counterintuitive yet powerful principles of marketing during a recession is that you should steer into the curve of the current market with your plans.

Fact is, increasing your marketing spend (or at least maintaining it) during a down marketing can be one of the best decisions you can make. By advancing your marketing plans during a time when all your competitors are reducing spending you are actually taking advantage of the artificial gap created. In other words, if your competitor normally spends $100 on an advertisement and you spend the same, all things being equal, there is no competitive advantage. But, if they pull back to $50 because of the down market and you maintain your spend, you’ve not only gain the advantage of their reduced spending but collectively you’ve also entered more boldly into an overall less competitive market place.

By steering into the curve of the market you take control of your environment and gain more traction than if playing on an even field. When we take a look at many other companies that have taken advantage of the down market by introducing products, brands, elevated their marketing plans and otherwise turned into the curve, you’ll see that success is prevalent after the recession is over. And, regardless of what you may have heard, the recession will end. The question remains, were will you be when it does? Will you be in a better positioned place? Or will you remain in the same equal or less footing as your competitors?

So, what are the rules to Steering into the Curve?

Rule one: make sure you have the right type of business model to begin with.

While you should turn into the market with your marketing plans, you can’t do so if you aren’t well capitalized. What I mean to say is, if you don’t have the business model that supports a marketing spend normally, then it will be more difficult to start developing a better marketing plan. To do so appropriately, consult with a marketing professional who also understand business development, not just ideas. They can help you shift your budget in a proactive way so that you don’t simply increase spending but spend your increase (if needed) smartly.

Rule two: Don’t spend if you don’t spend smart.

Everybody wants your money. Everybody. And that is no different when it comes to marketers. But just because somebody has a marketing service (even if it’s a good marketing service) it doesn’t mean that you need to spend money on it. There are many different marketing channels to create brand awareness, direct marketing response and consumer engagement. But you can’t do it all.

Take a look at all the channels available and line them up along side each other. Figure out the return on investment for each stream, see which channels align with your business, and then determine which you’ll use in an integrated manner. Of course, if you don’t understand how each of those would work, I again recommend getting professional marketing help. Don’t spend unless you know how to spend smart, get educated on how to spend smart, or get help from someone trustworthy who does.

Rule three: Just because they are good ideas doesn’t mean they are good for you.

Let’s go back to the diving analogy. This time though, think about your younger years…when you were first learning how to drive. You probably got a lot of advice from your friends on driving. And, more likely than not, a lot of it was bad advice. Why is that?

Well, it wasn’t because your friends didn’t like you or wanted to cause you harm. Instead, it was probably misplaced judgment, lack of larger perspectives or just plain and simple ignorance at work. All the same, everybody probably thought they had a good idea about how to drive.

Getting back to today, you probably also receive lots of different pieces of advice on how to do things in your business. Suggestions, advice and “secret techniques” on how to improve your business and marketing plans are plentiful. But, just because there are there and some of them are actually good, it doesn’t mean (like when you were younger) you should take that advice. On top of that the sheer number of possible selection offers real confusion on what to do next. You need to be careful though. Good ideas attract business like honey attracts flies. Before you act though, ask yourself tough questions. Is the idea good for your business specifically? Is the idea good right for your company? Just because it is a goof idea does not mean you should do it.

As you consider your business marketing plans make sure you are aware of the Steer into the Curve premise and rules of engagement. It could position you and your company for greater success in this recession market and for the future, once the market turns. Remember what we alluded to earlier: how you handle your marketing plans during an economic downturn is similar to the advice of steering into the curve in driving. It is sound and keeps you from over correcting and suffering the dangerous consequences of responding poorly in that situation.

Copyright Merge Left Marketing LLC 2009

Get more marketing and branding insight with our free article library at http://MergeLeftMarketing.com. Be Distinct. Be clear. Merge Left.

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Wondering if your marketing message is dancing in the
spotlight right in front of your target market or is busy
cowering by the punch table nowhere near your customer
base? Take this quiz and find out.

1. Overall, you would describe your marketing as:

A. Going strong. You consistently get lots of good leads and
sales from your marketing efforts.

B. Getting better. You’re seeing some positive results, but
you’re always looking for ways to improve.

C. Flat. Your sales are neither growing nor shrinking.

D. Don’t ask.

E. You don’t do much marketing. Or any marketing for that
matter. Customers pretty much find you.

2. Your last marketing campaign was:

A. A huge success. It exceeded your expectations.

B. No complaints. You’re pleased with your results.

C. Not sure. You didn’t notice much change with your sales.

D. A waste of good money.

E. You can’t remember your last campaign. In fact, you don’t
think you’ve ever had one.

3. At the last Chamber of Commerce meeting, you bumped
into a woman who you felt would be your ideal customer.
Her response after you introduce yourself is:

A. “I’m so glad I ran into you. I’ve been meaning to talk to you
in more detail about how your business can help me out.”

B. “Oh, I think I remember hearing about you. Tell me more
about what you do.”

C. “Sorry. What did you say you do again?”

D. “Who are you?”

E. “Excuse me. I need to refill my drink.”

4. While working out at your health club, you find yourself
exercising next to your sister’s new boyfriend. Even though
you know he has no interest in your business, he starts
quizzing you about what you do. After you tell him, he says:

A. “Oh, that’s interesting.” And changes the subject.

B. “Yes, I think I’ve heard about your business.” And
changes the subject.

C. “Yes, I think I saw one of your ads in the paper last week.”
And changes the subject.

D. “Oh course. I’ve been seeing your ads all over the place.”
And changes the subject.

E. Changes the subject.

5. You run into one of your customers at a restaurant. He’s
sitting with a large group of people, but still jumps up to
greet you. When he turns to introduce you to the rest of the
group, he:

A. Describes your business perfectly.

B. Gets it mostly right.

C. Manages to describe one aspect okay, although he got a
couple major points wrong.

D. Described someone else’s business. At least that’s what
you think he was doing. He certainly wasn’t talking about
your business.

E. Didn’t quite get your business’ name right. For that
matter, he didn’t pronounce your name correctly either.

6. You feel like you’re getting your money’s and/or time’s
worth from your marketing efforts:

A. Most definitely.

B. Definitely.

C. Not sure.

D. Don’t want to talk about it.

E. You’re getting a great return — after all, you spend hardly
any time or money marketing so ANY return is huge.

7. Overall, how would you rate your marketing in terms of
meeting your overall business’ goals?

A. Exactly on track.

B. Doing pretty good. For the most part, your marketing is
helping you meet your business’ goals.

C. You’re still in business so you guess something must be
working. Although you’re not exactly sure what.

D. Business isn’t so hot.

E. What goals?

Scoring:

Mostly As. Your marketing message is definitely the life of
the party. It’s getting in front of your target market and your
target market is responding to it. Better yet, you aren’t
wasting your efforts reaching people who have no interest in
what your business does. Great job.

The only caution I would offer is to not allow yourself to be
lulled into a false sense of security. Things change. Markets
shift. Don’t allow your current success to blind you to a new
competitor or a new product or a changing marketing
landscape. History is littered with companies who allowed
themselves to lose market share or even be toppled by a
shift in the marketplace.

Mostly Bs. Your marketing message may not be the star, but
it’s certainly turning heads. While you could be getting more
from your marketing efforts, you’ve definitely accomplished
much. Your target market is both getting the message and
acting on it. You’re seeing a slow and steady growth in your
business.

While everyone would love to the next “overnight” success,
truthfully that’s not terribly realistic. Marketing is about slow
and steady growth – and even an occasional setback. While
huge marketing success is great as a goal, you should be
very pleased with what you’ve accomplished.

Mostly Cs. Your marketing message has about half of its
dance card filled. Your business is flat. Probably as flat as
your marketing. Your business is certainly not growing and
may even be slowly declining.

While there’s nothing wrong with holding the status quo, this
is still a precarious place to be. If you’re not careful, you
could find your business sliding into the “business is not so
good” category.

I would suggest taking a hard look at your marketing
message. Maybe you’re not reaching your target market at
all. Maybe you’re wasting your marketing efforts by getting
your message in front of people who will never buy your
products or services. Or maybe you are finding your target
market, but your marketing message isn’t persuading them
to do business with you. Maybe the marketplace or your
target market is changing. Or maybe it’s a combination of
things.

Mostly Ds. Your marketing message is hiding in the
bathroom and has been there for awhile. This is not a good
place to be, but you already know this. If it isn’t too late, I
would suggest a complete revamp of your entire marketing
plan. Maybe your target market isn’t right. Maybe you have
too much competition. Maybe you’re competing on price
(never a wise selling point). Maybe you’re not differentiating
yourself enough from your competition. Maybe you’re not
explaining your product correctly. Or maybe it’s something
even deeper, a major problem with your product or
business.

But don’t lose heart! It’s still very possible to turn things
around. Remember, all successful people suffered
setbacks (and downright failures) at some point in their
careers. You can make a comeback.

Mostly Es. Your marketing message is still outside looking
for a place to park. Many service-based, single-person
businesses find themselves in this category – for instance
consultants, coaches, graphic designers and (ahem)
copywriters. You never really take the time to put together a
marketing plan or market yourself in any orderly manner.
When work falls into your lap, you happily snatch it up. When
it doesn’t, you find yourself wringing your hands a lot.

Yes, I too was in this category. When I first started my
business, I didn’t write down my goals and promoting
myself was haphazard at best. Believe it or not, I was
actually pretty successful for several years using this model.
I was lucky. I had good, loyal clients who I could count on for
repeat projects.

However, even with good clients, you still end up with the
“feast or famine” business model. Does this sound
familiar? Work starts raining from the heavens, so you hole
yourself in your office and focus on, what else? Getting the
work done. And you’re so busy with paying work, you stop
promoting yourself. When you finish the work, you pick up
your head, look around and discover there’s nothing new
waiting for you. So you rush out, start networking and
contacting people and pretty soon the work is raining down
again. And you stop promoting yourself because you’re busy
and…you get the picture.

In this model, you aren’t really growing your business. You
don’t have time. You’re either doing billable work or looking
for billable work. Even if you use outside help during the
busy times, the busy times don’t last so you can’t build your
business.

Speaking from someone who’s been there, I would strongly,
strongly urge you to take a hard look at your business, your
goals and your marketing model. A regular, sustained
marketing campaign can lead to regular, sustained work.
Your cash flow will even out, and you can start outsourcing
certain tasks on a regular basis so you can start growing
your business.

(A note on Question 4 in case you thought I had the answers
reversed. The point of this question is to find out if you’ve
picked marketing vehicles that are reaching your target
market or if your marketing is so scattered it’s reaching
people who have no interest in purchasing your products
and services. Don’t waste your time and money driving just
anyone to your business – target people who have the
interest and the means to purchase your products and
services.)

Michele Pariza Wacek is the author of “Got Ideas? Unleash Your Creativity and Make More Money.” She offers two free e-zines that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at TheArtistSoul.com.

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One of the biggest mistakes that I see small business owners make is to spend their money (or time) on marketing or advertising, not get the results they want and then conclude that marketing doesn’t work. Or they keep on spending their money and time on advertising, despite their lack of results and convince themselves that it’s “raising their profile”. (In reality, it’s probably just money down the drain.)

The main reason that their marketing doesn’t produce the results that they want is because they’ve usually missed out or half done one of the ingredients of their “marketing formula” or are doing things in the wrong order. Getting your marketing right is a bit like baking a cake – you need the right ingredients, in the right proportions, added in the right sequence and baked at the right temperature.

What can a good “marketing formula” do for you?

A good marketing formula can help you to:

* raise response to all of your marketing activities so that you have more leads in your pipeline for the same investment * make your marketing profitable (as it should be!) rather than an expense * secure more sales from the presentations you do and the appointments you attend

Once you’ve worked out your formula, most of your campaigns will be successes and you can use your formula over and over again to continually reproduce outstanding results.

To illustrate the point, one famous marketer claims to have done a direct mail campaign that got a 100% response! In other words, everyone that he sent his letter to bought his product or service. Now, that is unheard of in a world where a 3% response rate is considered to be good. Another marketer claims to turn 98% of all telephone consultations into business (and 40% is generally considered to be doing OK in her field).

These people have got their marketing formulas highly tuned and working very hard for them. Can you achieve the same results? Well, you may not ever achieve a 100% response to a mailshot, (that was probably an exceptional case) but you can certainly improve the performance of your marketing and start making it pay once you know and understand the ingredients of marketing success.

So what are the ingredients and steps of a good “marketing formula”?

Your marketing formula is comprised of two parts:

The ingredients:

This is really the foundation of your marketing – it’s the groundwork that allows whatever marketing activities you undertake to actually work and give you good results. The ingredients are:

* a very clear target market (preferably one that is hungry for what you offer) * a thorough understanding of your target market – what concerns them, why they would buy your services, what motivates them and how you can identify and locate them * a good value proposition (the tangible outcome you deliver) * an irresistible offer * an understanding of the competitive landscape and where your company fits in (or in other words – your differentiation and your positioning) * a strong, client-attracting message

You can have brilliantly executed marketing, but if the ingredients are wrong, then you’re either going to attract all the wrong types of people, or attract multitudes less than you are really capable of. Either way, you would be wasting your marketing effort and budget.

The steps:

These are the steps that you take to implement your marketing, and the sequence you move your potential buyers through en-route to them becoming loyal clients. These include:

* the strategy you use to get your compelling message in front of your target market * where and how you place your message for maximum impact in the budget you’ve allocated (your message can be delivered verbally or in written form) * the timing of your message * the steps your prospects need to be taken through to turn them from strangers into paying clients

A weakness or failure at any of these points will lead to reduced response and lowered conversion rates – and that means weak results and wasted investment. It’s somewhat like a chain – the system fails at the weakest points, so all points have to be as strong as possible.

So if you want your marketing to succeed, you need a good formula – the right ingredients combined in the right steps. Just like baking a cake – if you do things in the wrong order, or miss steps out, you’ll end up with a result you didn’t want – a burnt cake, a cake that’s rock hard or biscuits instead!

In part two of this series of articles I’ll discuss the ingredients in more detail – so look out for it in a couple of weeks.

Copyright 2005 Attractioneering

Jane Hendry helps professionals, consultants and coaches to create marketing systems that easily and consistently attract their ideal clients. To get your f*ree Attraction Marketing Starter Kit please visit http://www.attractioneers.com

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Marketing planning must be really difficult and complex, otherwise why would there be so many books written on the subject … right?

Well, I’m just enough of a skeptic to believe that many of these books were designed more to make money for their publishers and authors than to make marketing planning simple and understandable.

I spent more than 30 years working with very successful small business people who never wrote a single marketing plan. Why didn’t they need complex, 100-page marketing plans chock full of statistics, charts and graphs like the experts recommend? It’s because they knew exactly where they wanted to take their companies and how to get them there and they were universally successful.

The fact is they basically carried their product “marketing plans” around in their heads. That’s how simple marketing planning can be. In fact, if you strip marketing planning down to its most basic elements, you could just about write your plan on the back of a napkin.

Okay, that might be a bit of an oversimplification, but let’s look at the six basic things you need to know for successful marketing planning.

1. The situation. Is this a new or existing product or service? If it has competition, how is it better than the competition? Bigger? Lasts longer? Easier to use? Offers more features? Priced better? You should be able to sum up your situation in a couple of sentences. If not, maybe you don’t really understand the situation.

2. The market. How big is the market for your product or service? This can be defined in terms of total dollars, number of units sold or any other quantifiable number. The important thing is to know the size of your market because only by knowing this can you define a marketing objective. You also need to define what the market looks like — Males, age 25-45? Soccer Moms? Working mothers? Seniors? Childless couples? A market isn’t just numbers, it’s people. And it’s important to understand where they are economically, what’s important to them, and what problems you can help them solve.

3. Strategy. Now that you have defined your situation and your market, it should be easy to develop a marketing strategy. For example, if your product is footless, control top panty hose, your strategy might be to “focus sales efforts on figure-conscience women age 34-45 during the spring and summer months.”

4. Tactics. If “strategy” is what you intend to do, “tactics” is what you need to do to accomplish it. In the case of the strategy example above, the tactics might be:

- Begin sales efforts against distributors by Feb. 1

- Have products in distribution pipeline by March 1 for delivery to retailers no later than April 1.

- Begin concentrated radio advertising in 12 key markets by April 15 …and so on

5. Objective(s). You can frame your objectives any way you want but you have to assign a number and a date. It’s no enough to say, “Successfully introduce the new product by year’s end.” In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up somewhere else.” If you don’t include a number and a time, you will never know whether or not you were really successful. Write objectives like “sell 5,000 units by December 31.” Then, on January 1, you can count sales and determine how successful you were. Best case, you will find you sold 5,000 or more units and will know your marketing planning was right on. And if you didn’t meet the objective? You should be able to at least learn a lesson and do better next time.

6. Budgeting. The final thing you need to consider is how much money you can spend to meet your objective. The best way to do this is break down your budgeting by tactics. If you need to reach 100,000 women to sell 10,000 units of your product, do you have the money to do this – in terms or radio, newspaper, TV or direct mail? Do you need collateral materials such as brochures or in-store displays? How much will these things cost? Depending on your product or service, you may also have to hire a PR firm or an advertising agency. Be sure to budget for this expense.

Can you add more elements to your planning? Of course. Just go buy one of these marketing textbooks and you’ll find pages and pages of information that could be incorporated into your plan. The point here is that maybe you don’t have to make your marketing planning a huge and laborious project. Do what many of my clients have done – keep it simple, something you can just carry around in your head if that’s your style. The important things are your situation, your market, your strategy and tactics, your objective and your budget. Know these things and you’re well on your way to success.

Have you heard about HD radio technology? It makes AM sound as good as FM and FM sound almost like you were listening to a CD … and its free! To learn more about this amazing new technology, just go my Web site, http://www.hd-radio-home.com, to get all the buzz. Douglas Hanna is a retired marketing executive and the author of numerous articles on HD radio and family finances.

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Email Marketing List Building: Leverage 4x4

Doctors often wonder when and how to start incorporating marketing into their long-range business plan. There’s no argument that it is a necessity – the questions are more about the process.

Ideally, a practice should start marketing from its inception. Whether general, cosmetic or another type of specialist, the sooner you market, the easier it is to develop your brand as a quality dentist in your market. However, as more and more doctors are transitioning from a general practice to one with a greater aesthetic focus, the need to create a source of pre-qualified patients with an interest in aesthetics grows.

Getting Started
Far too often, doctors turn to marketing once they realize their practice is in trouble. Perhaps they have dropped insurance too quickly, or the competition has landed in their neighborhood. The number of new patients each month has declined, and panic mode sets in. It must be time to stop stalling and start marketing.

In reality, successful marketing efforts are built over a period of time. The practice needs a plan. The practice needs a brand identity (ie – logo, tag line/positioning statement and consistent “look”). The practice and associated brand need several months of consistent advertising before they can even start to grab hold of a position in the mind of a prospective patient. Using marketing to turn a practice around within a month is like trying to stop a flood with a single sandbag.

So when is the best time for the non-advertising practice to start incorporating marketing into their practice? From the moment you take your first course at LVI. Start with the internal projects first – developing a long range plan, a logo, determining your position in the market, a stationary package, new patient welcome package, etc. Make sure you’re your case presentation and case closing skills are well practiced. Then, as you continue to take more courses and further develop your skills and confidence, you’ll be ready to jump into external marketing without waiting.

Patience = Patients
When asked how long the process takes, I often refer to the history of my husband Larry’s practice. Before he even opened his doors, we had created a logo and communicated his opening with print advertising and direct mail. As his interest in aesthetic dentistry grew, print ads about aesthetics began appearing in our advertising schedule.

But it was not until he had completed several LVI courses that we pulled the trigger focusing on aesthetics in our advertising. Gradually, more patients began asking about these services. In his estimation, it took over a year of consistent advertising about aesthetic dentistry before our market came to regard him as the premiere choice for those services.

As a general rule, the more saturated your market, the longer the process takes. We were fortunate with Larry’s practice because we live in a rural area with virtually no established competition for aesthetic dentistry – and it still took a year. Of course, now the competition has caught on and competitive ads about cosmetic dentistry are infiltrating the market. But since he was established in his position, his brand has remained consistently strong. As a general rule, you have to spend twice as much money to achieve half the result if you’re trying to occupy an established position. Find a niche message and stay with it.

In a metropolitan area such as Philadelphia or Houston, advertising for aesthetic anything can be seen in every medium. Cosmetic surgery, LASIK, permanent makeup and salons are all competing for your prospect’s expendable “health and beauty” income. A myriad of ads for smile makeovers pepper the magazines, radio and TV. Your prospective patient now has to sort through all this clutter to get to your message, and with enough frequency that they remember you when the time comes to make a decision.

There is skill involved in knowing when to start promoting your talents. An old saying in advertising goes “Nothing can kill a bad product faster than good advertising.” In other words, have your clinical, case presentation and case closure skills refined before you unleash your message on the public.

Where Do I Start?
Once you’ve made the decision to market your practice, you’ll need to do a little homework. First, carefully evaluate the competition in your market area. This includes anyone promoting out of pocket health and beauty services as well as other dentists.

Look in the local paper, lifestyle magazines, yellow pages and check your mail. Watch the ads on TV and listen to the radio. Cruise the web for your market. Try to gauge the message and frequency over a period of several weeks. Rip out ads and make notes about what you see. Are these advertisers consistent or just looking for a quick fix? Those with a consistent and clear message are your competition.

Next, determine the best person to help you guide the marketing of your practice. There are many independent consultants who can help create a long range plan and schedule for program development. Give them appropriate insight into your business and plans, but make sure they do the homework to learn the nuances of your industry. There are also a number of excellent full service agencies who can execute the plans as well as develop them.

Unless your office manager has credible past experience, don’t frustrate her and make her learn a new industry. Work with an experienced marketing professional who looks at the whole picture. You or your chosen point person should act as the VP Marketing does in a corporation – manage the consultant or agency, but let them do what you hired them to do.

It Worked For My Best Friend, So…
We hear it often – “I’ve been hearing that radio worked really well in “X” market. Let’s give radio a try.” The key to marketing a practice lies in understanding the principles behind marketing strategy. Every market and message is unique. What you say and how you communicate it will not have the same results in Lewisburg, PA as it will in San Francisco. It totally depends on who your target demographic is (family age women, professional men, blue collar, Hollywood, divorcees, etc.) and where they are located (holistic S. California, power-driven D.C, health conscious mid-west). There is no single right answer for everyone. That’s why package marketing solutions work well for some people and totally bomb for others. The more your marketing consultant knows about your target market and competition, the more specific – and targeted – the message can be.

Pulling the Trigger
While you may have hired a consultant or agency, remember that ultimately, it’s your business. The agency has an obligation to give you recommendations based on their knowledge and experience. But everything you approve – logo, ads, website – will all reflect on you and your practice. Make sure you’re not only comfortable with what you approve, but that you love it. A good agency will keep working until you get a product that simply thrills you, as well as one that gets calls from patients.

Once you’ve made the decision to add marketing to your practice, be prepared for a long term commitment. Remember that it takes time to get results, but with good direction and a unique creative message, you will get the attention of your prospective patients. Don’t change directions after only a month – give it time. Keep an eye on the future. Strategies to market aesthetic dentistry will change as our society’s trends and needs continue to change. Evaluate the competition, track your results, and most of all, keep learning. Continual improvement will help to define your success.

Xana Winans is the owner and president of Golden Proportions Marketing (GPM), a thriving company that specializes in comprehensive, custom marketing and advertising strategies for the dental and medical fields. The GPM website can be found at http://www.goldenproportions.com and Xana can be reached at 866-590-4476 or xwinans@goldenproportions.com.

Errors And Omissions For Marketing Consultants

Great Views of Harbour Town

One of the most attractive regions of the world surely is Europe – with its 480+ million inhabitants, especially also Germany with its 80+ million thereof.

Insofar it is the ‘world market’ pure and simple (due to market sizes, buying volume, number of inhabitants, etc.). And it becomes for very many entrepreneurs more and more essential (= their survival) to get into/stay in foreign markets – but, of course, very thoughtful.

Concentrating on the home markets only will ´restrict – especially SMEs – to their ‘limited’ market places back home. Even if these are huge markets like e. G: USA.

Nowadays the sharp price competition needs companies/owners who strive to be ahead of their respective markets segments – not necessarily with regard to pricing but surely with regard to competitive advantages/customer ´benefits. (The marketing guru Prof. Kotler even argues a bit tougher: ,,We should get out of markets where we can’t be the first …”.)

If we do not concentrate on the clients’ needs and sell ‘our fingerprint’ (plus whatever such clients ask for !) which is always different even from the toughest competition, as well companies from Europe as from other parts of the world (especially SMEs – who still stand for the majority of a countries’ GDP) would only have a shadowy existence, which – due to their number of inventions and technical solutions – would not be justified.

On the contrary they should open themselves for new foreign markets and/or find foreign collaborators in order to broaden their market existence/shares.

Hereafter I touch therefore only four aspects – which in no case, however, cover the whole field of marketing of a specific company – which can give the entrepreneurs some idea though how to ‘better place the enterprise’ in the markets and by this initiate a better present and long-lasting ’starting position’.

We are on a ‘buyers’ market’, where it is important to have a detailed view and perspective for the own enterprise and the products produced – especially as the recession seems to be over soon and the economical development is seen ‘quite bright’ by the various institutions.
So, what can be done by an individual company – now ?

o I. Analysis

In my eyes that is the necessary starting position in general.

It has to be found out how the enterprise – with its present products – is accepted in the market place, where it is less successful than the competition, where the positive points are to be found (price, delivery – logistics timing -, quality, service, etc.) or simply:
“How the company for the time being is represented to its clientele and how it is valued”

Parameters for this situation are the own selling results, the profit-situation for all products, the total production/import/export statistics of such products in the area looked at, the buying structure, the advertisements/sales promotion done, etc.

Such an analysis should – normally – be executed by somebody not belonging to the company as then procedures followed so far are questioned, which may be existing without real reasons and/or new selling ideas can be elaborated/ added which are available due to the experience from other industrial fields – and being a consultant even from other companies where similar proposals reached good results.

o II. Targeting

The analysis has to be followed by a segmentation of the markets which are supplied by the company.

This segmentation has to lead to the question whether the company already supplies its clients on the best possible ways in order to really reach all segments in a way as accepted by the respective clientele and in the best possible manner, avoiding any unnecessary frictions.

o Possible catchwords are

o – core abilities -

Due to the multitude of different suppliers who all deal with various technological solutions but with just one problem (e. g. the IT-market, the automotive industrys, etc.) it is extremely important that a company finds/defines its ‘core abilities’ (the ‘fingerprint’ as said above) which are available – in this combination – only with them and that it concentrates on it and ‘markets’/cares for them. Only in this case a kind of ’sole selling position’ can be developed which in-turn leads to a sharper profile in the ‘market places’.

Now, many people may say that this is not relevant/true for them, but my experience says that it is – in many cases – just a matter of creative justification and formulation to reach such a target of ’sole position’.

o – research -

of the total quantity of prospective clients per segment/market locally and/or foreign, in order to define implement the strategic/ operational targets and control mechanisms in order to verify the results compared to the targets

o – sales routes multiplication -

i. e. that we have to find out if and when it may be advisable to sell our products (perhaps slightly changed in form/colour/packing and/or execution) to the different market segments following different sales routes

o III. Definition/implementation

- of procedures for the various market segments with a view to the various foreign markets/representatives/distributors, etc.

The results of these examinations has to be part of the overall ‘company planning procedure’ like the financial aspects, the sales organisation (> marketing plan) and all relevant costing procedures.

Especially the last aspect is one of the most important, as the costing procedure (starting with the optimal purchasing (even world-wide depending on the use of raw-/ready materials), the logistics needed, the suitable way of production (not to mention ‘lean-procedures>, the quality aspects, stock-keeping with the distributors, customer service, advertisement/sales promotion, etc.) will still be the finally deciding point for the pricing and this – provided all the rest is the same for different suppliers – will be decisive for the buying decision of our clients.

o Advertising/public relation

has to include nowadays an INTERNET-presence. That means, however, not only to have a site in the NET but also to publish it with relevant associations, client groups, etc., i. e. to ‘market’ it as a conventional means also but, if we want to be really successful it has – first and foremost – to be made-up in a way to lead the ’searcher’ directly to HIS solution/the solution to HIS problem, i. e. following also strictly marketing procedures as necessary for the respective product/market segment.

o IV. Control and correction

This step belongs to the ones mentioned before like the baby to its mother as only if it is controlled if/how the targets have been reached a correction will be possible and only then we will ‘answer the markets’ to our best.

This refers to the sales routes as well as to the ‘market presentation’ via representatives, advertisements, fairs/exhibitions, pricing, customer service, etc.

And it is as well understandable as logic that these parameters differ from market segment to market segment, from country to country, and I can say form my practical experience that in most cases the results from a deviation of the targets in one market/market segment not only have a real influence on the internal decisions (referring to production, organisation, finance, etc. ) but also gives perfect hints in order to correct and define new marketing ways for the rest of the segments/ markets, which again leads to an increase of sales and a more positive view of the future.

As stated in the very beginning it is not the aim of this article to present final solutions for everybody.

This is absolutely impossible as one company differs from the other nearly totally (even when producing the same final product) and only the detailed individual study gives answers to this – which then again leads to a more positive development of the enterprise.

However, the steps mentioned before – perhaps partly adjusted by further steps, like out- sourcing of different internal procedures, targeted customer service like key-accounting, special service offers to a few good customers/ products, etc. – can be used in general by all companies and as such lead to an increase of turnover and/or profit.

More details are available here;
http://www.marketing-und-vertrieb-international.com/en/marketing-and-sales.htm

Michael Richter – International Marketing- and sales consultant – concentrates for more than 35 years on marketing and selling of investment goods and long-lasting consumer goods to/in all 5 continents – since 1991 he works as an independent marketing consultant, especially for SMEs worldwide.

Michael Richter
Drehergässle 5
88499 Daugendorf/Germany
http://www.marketing-und-vertrieb-international.com/en/
michael.richter@marketing-und-vertrieb-international.de
Phone: +49-7371-93210, Fax: +49-7371-93217

Email Marketing

Combine traditional business marketing and Internet marketing strategies and increase your business revenues.

Business Marketing Works.

Without marketing your business has no revenues. This marketing may be from word of mouth of clients you’ve served already. Or it may be intentional marketing you create your self. Either way business marketing works. Marketing is the only way to your business success.

Traditional Business Marketing Techniques that Work

Traditionally, we know that ads in magazines, direct-mail postcards, direct-mail sales letters, business networking, telephone calls, and building business relationships all work. In fact, if you’re business marketing strategies are not working, take a look at the copy. What does each ads say? Are you tracking the results of the ad? Did the ad generate revenues for you? If not, you may have had an expense as a result of applying the traditional business marketing techniques. It could be costly to run the ad again using different copy until you find the copy that gets the result you want.

Combine Tradition Business Marketing with Internet Marketing Strategies that Work

Putting internet marketing strategies to work in your business can give you an opportunity to test your ads in a cost effective way. Using internet marketing strategies you can discover what works and doesn’t work with your ad for little or no cost.

Once an ad is getting results using internet marketing strategies, you can put the successful ad in magazines, postcards and even use it on your business card. With an ad that you know gets results the expense of the more traditional marketing techniques is viable.

Powerfully Effective Business Marketing

The combination of internet marketing strategies with traditional business marketing techniques is a powerful way to move your business forward and increase your revenues. It can take as little as three weeks to 90 days to begin seeing new results in your business.

It’s a Magical Combination.

Combining internet marketing strategies with traditional marketing techniques gives you a freedom for expressing yourself uniquely, unlike ever before. Your unique selling point can be easier to create. Your purpose becomes more defined. You are able to attract your ideal clients to your business more easily as a result

Just as business marketing is systematized and repeatable using traditional methods, internet marketing is repeatable and predictable as a clear system to follow. Learn these systems and surge your business revenues forward using the “magical combination” of traditional business marketing and internet marketing.

You’ll be smiling as you check your continuously increasing bank balance.

Juanita Bellavance is an internet marketing mentor with a focus on passive income streams combining internet technologies with other business models.

Create the Magical Combination of Business Marketing and Internet Marketing in 90 Accelerated Days!

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Specifically the techniques you employ in your Internet marketing campaign as well as the completing of these techniques can determine whether or not Internet marketing will work for your business. Additionally, the likelihood of your …

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CPA on the net promoting is a type of advertising that is creating a lot of waves on the web. That is because the point that the financial rewards are definitely significant, and it can get lot less perform than other models of earning …

We’ve noticed that on a well known marketing web site, there is an article with a similar title – just what is marketing? This is a very good question and the answer typically ends up (as it is in the aforementioned article) being a lot of tactics, like advertising, brand management, sales, service, pricing, email marketing, etc. That’s a good start, but far from complete.

And that’s one of the problems with the web. There are lots of web sites out there with people claiming to be knowledgeable about marketing. In fact, if you go to search engines like Google and type in marketing, you’ll come up with over 16,000,000 web pages! By the time you’ve got that many people claiming to be experts in marketing, it’s difficult to even know what marketing means.

Marketing Is Not Tactics

When most people think of marketing, they think of marketing tactics. People associate marketing with tactics, partly because they’re fun. Advertising is fun, promotions are fun, and so is sending out email campaigns and every other similar tactic. But tactics, while the most salient aspects of marketing, are similar to the tactics of sport. They’re very important, but useless without having a sound basis of knowledge.

And so it is with marketing. Marketing is far more than tactics. Marketing is analysis, and a sound marketing strategy is based on this analysis.

Marketing Is All About Customers

What type of analysis are we talking about? Well, analysis about customers, for example. Having a solid understanding of customers means having a solid understanding about how customers behave, their motivations, their perceptions and preferences. It means segmenting the market correctly and not in the way that most companies think about segmentation (if they ever do).

It means having a profound understanding of their attitudes, their knowledge and their emotions. Without having this knowledge, the tactics of marketing are just blowing in the wind. You’ll hope that the tactics work, but be blissfully unaware about whether anyone would want to pay attention or listen.

Adding Competitive Analysis

Rarely do we see marketing sites deal with competitive analysis (we do!). Marketing is also about understanding competition. But not just listing off who the competitors are. It means thinking about their competitive reactions, their objectives and capabilities. It means understanding competitive forces in an industry as well.

Too often I see firms acting as though they were monopolists, as though their competitors were unlikely to react or had little interest in capturing a market. The Internet is a good example of this. How many Internet companies really seriously thought about the potential competitive reactions of the entrenched players? Did any of them consider long term competitive reactions? What about putting together plans that were robust to future competitive reactions?

No, marketing is also about competitive analysis, not just the “interesting and fun” tactics that permeate the web.

What About Capabilities

Once again, to think about marketing you need to also think about a company’s abilities to actually survive in the market. I’m not talking about financial abilities, although that is part of the story. What about a culture, the salesforce compensation, the relationships with distributors, suppliers, etc?

Some companies focus squarely on customers and even think about competitors. But these same companies often forget about their ability to provide what customers need, or the incentives in their distribution system to actually get the job done.

No, marketing is not just about tactics, it’s also about understanding your own company and it’s abilities and weaknesses.

So, What Is Marketing?

Marketing is, in fact, the analysis of customers, competitors, and a company, combining this understanding into an overall understanding of what segments exist, deciding on targeting the most profitable segments, positioning your products, and then doing what’s necessary to deliver on that positioning.

How to do deliver on a positioning? Well, this is where the tactics come in. By branding correctly, by advertising correctly, by communicating via email, letters, or whatever, but all done in a way that is consistent with the analysis that marketing is really responsible for.

If you want to get involved in tactics, that’s fine. But just think about artists, sports figures, doctors and scientists, and ask yourself whether in these other areas (which all, by the way, are as creative as marketing), it is just necessary to understand tactics. I think what you’ll find is that tactics alone won’t get you very far, but tactics along with a strategy based on great analysis will get you exactly where you want to go.

So before you go hiring consultants and network with other marketers (as suggested in this “other article”), make sure you understand what is marketing so you don’t just become a tactical pawn, but someone who can ultimately direct the entire marketing campaign.

Happy Marketing!

Tony Marino is not only the CEO of America Web Works, LLC., he is also host of the Marketing Antics LIVE Radio.He is also the author of the ePublishing Master’s Course. Additionally, he holds Email Compliance Officer status for many of today’s leading Network Marketing companies.

He has also worked with the likes of legendary Direct Marketers Ted Nicholas and Gary Halbert. Best-Selling Authors, Harvey McKay, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. ABC Television’s, Jimmy Kimmel and NBC’s, Carson Daly. Online Marketers, Dale Calvert and Jay Abraham just to name a few. His offices are located in Portland and Los Angeles and he’d love to hear from you anytime!

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