Three Quick Marketing Questions For You

Everything you know about marketing a business is wrong.

Forget everything you’ve heard about systematically marketing, strategically building a list, ruthlessly promoting yourself and writing out your marketing calendar 12 months in advanced.

That stuff is anxiety provoking.

Marketing (relationship building and value adding) is not a robotic process… it’s art, it’s instinctual, and it’s the equivalent of – dare I say it – love making.

There’s a certain magic about great marketing that moves people to action with a smile.

A great example of magic in marketing is Disney and how they extract money from us – and we happily comply.

Don’t get me wrong, good marketing IS formulaic and there is a “process” to it…

…however the difference between business owners who get a steady flow of new prospects and referrals and are generating six figures VS the business owner that relies on having random hit or miss promotions is the ‘magic’.

It’s like this…

I could go out on a weekend and play hoops at the local park and maybe be the best player on the court.

But put me in the NBA and I’d be lucky if I could keep up with the water boy.

The missing ingredient? Magic.

Now, in sports you either have it or you don’t.

If you have the natural talent and work hard at perfecting your skills then you’ll make it to the big leagues.

But if you don’t have the natural talent, genetics, and skills then you’re never going to make it to the big leagues.

It’s not like that in business and marketing.

Even if you don’t have the natural skills (instincts), you can develop them over time.

In fact, I’ve seen some pretty socially awkward business owners become legendary in their marketing skills over time.

Here’s how to develop your marketing skills…

Rather than just taking a marketing promo and regurgitating it, ask yourself these three questions each weekend to help you plan out your weekly priority and productivity list.

1. What do I plan to do this week to get more clients?

Notice, I didn’t say leads or prospects. I said CLIENTS.

Odds are that you already have a list of prospects that you haven’t followed up on… or at least haven’t followed up on thoroughly.

Maybe you’re going to follow up with these leads and prospects better with calls, emails, auto-responders, and direct mail.

Maybe you’re going to get them back in for another free trial or consultation to demonstrate greater value.

Maybe you’re going to improve your sales skills and convert more of these leads and prospects into paying clients.

Or maybe you’re going to come with the coolness and deliver more value, better and more consistent content and compelling case studies.

It’s not always about marketing or lead generation.

But it may be…

and if it is… then take a look at your best producing month and reverse engineer what worked – and do it again – only better.

Next, ask yourself this…

2. What do I plan to do to keep my clients?

Fantastic, so you’re delivering a great product or service.

Big deal. Let’s be honest, most business owners are skilled enough in their craft that they can deliver a good product or service. You need to differentiate yourself.

What else are you doing to keep them?

To your clients, in addition to results, the other four things they want from you is to keep it fun, recognition, appreciation and a sense of belonging – a second home.

It’s a lot easier to keep your clients than to get new ones.

And finally, ask yourself this…

3. How do I plan to add value to the people in my circle of influence? 

What connections or hook ups have you made for your clients recently?

What value are you going to deliver to the businesses that refer to you (or to businesses who you want to refer to you)?

Read the “Go Giver”. It’s a great little book and fast read on the topic of being a value adder. Plus it just makes you a better human.

See more often than not we’re always looking for others to do something for us rather than to come with the giving hand.

For example, most business owners are just thinking “me, me, me”.

Mail out for me.

Host my lead boxes.

Let me put my flyers in your store.

Send me more referrals.

But that doesn’t get you very far. In fact, it repels connections. Instead, think about building relationships this way.

What VALUE are you bringing to others?

Do it without expectation and see what happens.

I don’t know about you, but I prefer working with value adders and not value extractors.

Just one of the rules I live by.$

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