“I have a web site, send out sales letters, run ads and network whenever possible, but I’m only attracting a trickle of new clients. What am I doing wrong?”– Bart, Spokane, WA
When I looked at Bart’s marketing materials, it was clear he was working very hard and had spent a lot of money on his marketing. In terms of marketing activities he wasn’t doing anything wrong, but his marketing was still missing the mark.
Bart’s marketing was modeled on the same approach that his competitors and most small business owners use. It was focused on his company, his products, his services and his credentials. Even though they were all top notch, this approach doesn’t work. No matter how long Bart used this approach, he’d still be throwing away time and money.
If you only learn one thing from this article, understand this. A company-focused, product- and service-focused marketing strategy will not help you achieve your potential in the marketplace. You may get a trickle of clients and referrals from satisfied clients but you won’t attract the quantity or quality of new clients that you deserve. In fact, you may drive away some of your best prospects.
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How should you focus your marketing to attract a flood of new clients? Before I give you the answer, let me tell you about a study of babies featured on Livescience.com Researchers found that 10 month old infants tend to “grasp the names of objects that interest them rather than whatever the speaker thinks is important”.
An infant is most likely to learn the name for an object they find interesting, whether or not its what you want them to pay attention to. Instead of “book” or “school” they may learn “dog”.
According to the researcher, Hirsh-Pasek, “We all learn best when things are meaningful”. Makes sense for people of all ages, doesn’t it?
There is only one marketing strategy that actually works to attract new clients. You need to gear your marketing to the way babies, teenagers and adults like you and I learn. Make your marketing meaningful to your prospects.
Want to make sure your small business marketing is meaningful to your prospects and works? There is a simple solution >>
You may find your company history, processes, products and services infinitely interesting, but most prospects don’t (at least not at first – they’ll want to know more about you later in the sales process). No matter how many times they see your marketing materials, your prospects won’t pay any attention to them if they don’t speak to their concerns.
To get where you want to go with your business you need to focus your marketing strategies on your clients’ interests, not yours. It may seem like a small difference, but it will determine everything else you do to market your product and services and how successful you’ll be.
3 Steps to Client-Focused Marketing That Works
1. Start by identifying what your client’s interests are relative to your product and services.
2. Evaluate each of your marketing materials to determine if they lead with an emphasis on your company and your products or on your clients’ interests.
3. Get rid of marketing materials and strategies that don’t work and replace them with a client-focused strategy and set of marketing tools.
Want your prospects’ attention and their business?
Stop wasting your time and resources on a company- and product-focused marketing approach and discover exactly what you need to do. If you want more than just a trickle of new business, you owe it to yourself to use the following link to get the details and see your business grow.
