I remember growing up playing sports, I always had to have the number 10. That number was worth scrapping for I tell ya…

Something just felt right about that nice crisp even number 10. Well in honor of the number 10 on today 10/10/10, I had to pay tribute.

Wrapped in a marketing lesson of course.

Ok, so here we go.

The top 10 signs you need a marketing plan right now:

10.  You tell your sales team to go SELL…they continue to come back empty handed.

9.  You are starting to get a reputation as the “annoying pest” vs. the “welcome guest”.

8. You frequently get referrals from your best clients and you can’t seem to convert them consistently.

7. Your prospects ask you what you do and your response could be mistaken as your nearest competitor.

6. Your nearest competitor is “stealing” all the business in your area using the Internet.

5. Your Employees all have a different answer on why a potential client should do business with you.

4. You can’t define your ideal client in 2 sentences.

3. Growing your business is always on your New Years goals but it never seems to happen.

2. You don’t invest in marketing because you can’t define the ROI.

1. The Economy has changed forever. If you don’t have a marketing plan, you will get eaten alive.

I know, that’s probably not what you wanted to hear but it’s the truth.

The economy has changed, and if you don’t get a marketing plan and strategy together you are going to find your competitors building relationships with your prospects and leaving you behind.

The power of 10…

In honor of 10/10/10, take 10 minutes right now and get clear on the very next steps you need to take to get a solid marketing plan in place for the next 3, 6, and 10 months.

To your success,

Matt

As I coach small businesses, many folks stumble trying to come up with what makes them different. They often state that all of their competitors offer the exact same thing. In fact in many cases, businesses just flat copy the marketing from their competitor and change the name of the product or service.

Or even more insane, they start with the price from their competitor then mark it down 10% or more and call it a strategy.CRAZY! I won’t rant too much on this, but many businesses don’t even understand their true cost prior to making this decision…Don’t do it!

Remember, there is always someone out there willing to out of business faster than you. Just don’t let it be YOU…Price isn’t the game you want to play. I know this is easy to say, but I am going to give you a different perspective on providing your product or service, then use that as your USP.

I want you to go through a really quick exercise and write down all of those things that make doing business with you unique. But instead of focusing on price, product, features, or benefits, I want you to focus on your process.

Keep in mind that as you think through this process, you may find gaps. No problem, just write them down.

Start with the first interaction with your prospect during your sales process, then continue through the FIRST interaction with your client, then on to the experience with you after you have just finished the transaction. I want you to get really detailed here.

Pay special attention to all of the details you create as an “experience”. Think about the experience from your prospects perspective. Then look at how you engage with your customers while you are doing business with them.

If you are a carpet cleaner, this might be as small as putting booties over your feet. Or, if you are a Realtor providing a moving truck at no cost to move your customer into their new house.

In my opinion, you can create an experience that is so excellent that your customers will be raving about the “experience” you created. The small things you did as part of your operations process that made doing business with you easier. See how powerful this is?

So here’s your homework…

If you don’t have a process that creates a “Wow” experience for your customers, create one. Start right now and create a simple list of processes you could add one at a time to create this experience. AFter you put them in place, make sure you leverage this in your marketing. Leverage testimonials, and get the word out there that you are DIFFERENT and UNIQUE because your process is different.

If you have to, go experience your competitors service or product then make yours better.

If you are committed to this, you will have an advantage and by the way…

A USP, a true differentiator, and a reason to NOT focus on price and instead focus on the value you are providing for your customers.

To Your Success and Prosperity,

Matt

More than likely you are experiencing them every single day. As Social Media proliferates as a social marketing tool, I see more and more business owners getting frustrated.

Is this you?

Many business owners jump into the Social Media fray then stop their efforts because they aren’t seeing results. Worse yet, Social Media and Social Marketing become a “time vampire” for them. Sometimes taking time away from marketing efforts that were working well for them.

Here are a couple things you need to do now to prevent the social media time vampires from affecting you:

1) Your Objective - Before you start Tweeting and Blogging, start with an objective. What do you want your prospects to do? Are you trying to build your list? Or, are you trying to use a one step sales process and sell your prospect immediately. If it is the latter, I would suggest a two step process if you are moving them from Social Media to your website or blog. Bottom line, get clear on what you want to accomplish.

2) Work In Blocks – Carve time out each day and use automation tools like HootSuite.com and Word Press to create and pre-schedule content. Working in blocks of time with an objective will allow you to leverage your time and not get sucked into real time chats and the infamous Facebook wall. Focus on creating relevant content based on your objective, but have a purpose.

3) Be Consistent – Remember in any marketing effort, it is a marathon not a sprint. Don’t blog twice then quit. It will take a time to build a following, but you need to consistently take action and post relevant content and build a layer at a time. Speak to your prospects about solutions, and get them on your list to build more trust.

Go Target, Attack, and Profit!

I have heard this many times from friends and other small business owners. “My Marketing sucks but…”. But what?

The problem I have with that statement is that I have a firm belief we are all marketing businesses at the core. Regardless of what you sell, or service you deliver. You could be an accountant, technician, or caterer…Doesn’t matter in my book, we are all marketing businesses.

So what happens when you declare and then dismiss that your marketing sucks? In my book, you are making a very bold statement to yourself and your employees that you don’t take the growth of your business seriously. You may have a desire to grow your business, but your actions aren’t congruent with your marketing efforts.

When I hear this statement, what I now hear is that the business owner doesn’t have time. That they are too busy. There are so many tactics that they don’t know where to start. They start one tactic after another without a strategy behind their efforts.

This has never been more true with Internet marketing, Social Media, and all the other bright and shiny marketing tactics available to us. If you are stuck, and maybe even paralyzed in the “marketing sucks” mode, here are three (3) tips that might just get you out of it.

1) Find The Path – Take 30 minutes and write down all of the paths your current customers took to find you. This will do two things. One, it will help you identify those efforts that don’t suck and are working now. Two, it will help you focus on the 20% of your effort that is getting you 80% of your results. If you are a new business, this might not take you very long but it is still worth the exercise.

2) Create A Simple One Month Plan – While I do recommend you create a complete marketing plan, one good way to jump start your efforts is a simple one month plan. Chart out one thing you can do consistently in the next month to market your business. An example is make a habit to write in your blog and promote it once a week. Start getting some momentum and build on it. You will be surprised how fast this can build and kick you out of the “my marketing sucks” mode. Remember, what you focus on expands…

3) Create Habits – Make marketing a habit. Build on the success in your first month, and make it a habit in your marketing system. Focus on adding one habit at a time. In one year, you will have a system. Many of the smaller tactics when done consistently will surprise you. One blog post, one sales letter, one newsletter at a time. Break it into small manageable pieces, and you will see results.

Us Entrepreneurs have a tough time sometimes with the marathon. Remember that the only way to eat an Elephant is one piece at a time…

Have a successful week!

~Matt