It’s funny, but I’ve always thought of a marketing plan as a blueprint to your marketing projects. Over the years I’ve found that people have differing opinions on what a marketing plan should include.

Recently, I received a marketing plan from a client. It covered several topics, from positioning to the market environment. What it didn’t cover were the tools to be used in the marketing process.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s important to understand where you stand relative to the overall market, and to know things like point of differentiation and what your competitors are up to. But it’s also been my experience that most business owners know some of this already. What they lack is the time and expertise to create and implement a step-by-step marketing campaign.

When undertaking the task of creating a marketing plan, or having one created for you, be sure to determine what it is you want in the end. If it’s a better understanding of your market and where you stand, request that. If it’s a blueprint for all your marketing efforts, including a timeline and budget, request that. Both are important pieces of information to move your company forward.

Well, it is, but not that kind. So why does everyone groan when I ask them about their plan? Are we all too busy to deal with a plan? Are we adverse to the idea of putting a plan in writing? Or are we just unable to plan? I think the answer is a little bit of all the above.

To emphasize my insatiable need for planning, let’s discuss what happens when you don’t plan. If you don’t plan to get an oil change for your car, it fails to run. If you don’t plan to order the materials you need to build your product, you fail to fulfill orders. If you don’t plan your day, you fail to get things done.

So why is it, when we don’t plan for marketing our business, we still think it will get done? Now I’m not saying it won’t happen, but will our efforts be effective? All aspects of marketing need a plan…

• Website – what to you want from your site? – create a plan that will help you accomplish this.
• Trade Shows – who do you want to speak with? – create a plan to make sure you see them.
• Social Media – what do you want to say and to whom? – create a calendar to make sure you meet this requirement.

Without a plan, we tend to do what’s commonly referred to as “shot gun” marketing. Try this once, and that once, and something else once, and nothing ends up working. A plan is a means to focus on specific campaigns from start to finish. It will enable you to measure your marketing efforts to discover what works best.

We’ve been working with several clients recently who have been reluctant to launch their websites. Most often they will tell you it’s because it’s not done yet. Technically, a website should never be done. You should be constantly adding to the site. Whether it’s using a blog or adding to a press page, the more often you update the site, the more reasons your customers and prospects have to come back to your site. It’s also the best way to improve your search engine ranking.

People tend to view launching their site like it’s going to print. Once it’s up it can’t be changed. When the fact is that it not only can but should be changed. The trend towards content management sites such as Word Press are in response to the need to update frequently.

When deciding to launch ask yourself, Is it better than what’s out there now? If it’s a new site, the sooner you get it launched, the sooner your prospects will be able to find you. It will also get you indexed by the search engines sooner. If it’s a new site, Does it look and function better than the old site? If so, get it launched and add to it later.

A few years back, you would see “page under construction” and know that the site wasn’t complete. This is no longer the practice. If you don’t add a page until it’s ready, no one but you will know the site’s not “done”.

 

 

I was recently on a panel discussion called “Sales for the Non-Sales Person”. In preparation for the panel I was asked to come up with my top 5 selling tips. This was a challenge. Although I now embrace the role of sales, this wasn’t always the case and since I’m not a trained sales professional, I wasn’t sure what to say. Especially since my sales style is about as casual as them come.

It was when I embraced my casual selling style that I was able to clearly define what works for me. My top five selling tips are…

1.     Don’t make sales calls

If you make a call thinking “I’m going to sell you something”, you’re already sunk. Think of it as an introduction to see how you can help. I changed my calling approach to this a few years ago and was amazed at how much more successful it was. The bottom line is no one wants to be sold to but are always willing to listen to someone who wants to help them out.

2.     Research

Make sure you know exactly who will be interested in your product or service and be ready to explain to them why you thought of contacting them specifically. The more knowledge/interest you have in them, the more inclined they’ll be to listening to what you have to say.

3.     Follow-Up

It’s imperative to follow-up with the people you’ve spoken with. Even if you call them once every three months, you’ll keep your name in front of them. If your list gets too large for a personal phone call, use social media as a way to contact customers/prospects.

4.     Believe in what you’re selling

If you truly believe in your product or service and feel it’s a fantastic solution for your prospects, this will come through when you reach out to them. It’s a matter of viewing each call, visit, communication, etc., as a way to help the person you’re contacting. I know from experience that enthusiasm is contagious. Make sure you have it.

5.     Be Yourself

This may be the most important of all the tips. There are many sales strategies that professional sales people use. Make sure the ones you adopt are the ones you’re comfortable with. If you’re uncomfortable making a cold call, the person on the receiving end will sense that. Perhaps networking is more your forte. Know your comfort zones and work within them.

I had to stretch my comfort zone by cold calling to get my business off the ground. For me it was the most efficient way to contact my prospects. I was terrified at the concept but when I think about it, there’s rarely a missed opportunity to speak with a stranger when I’m out in public – was this really so different?