How to Avoid the 10 Biggest Marketing Mistakes!

1. When you were young you learned that it was not polite to promote yourself. You weren’t taught how to blow your own horn effectively and politely. Learn to promote yourself using techniques like telling stories about your customers’ successes with your products/services.

2. If it’s in your head, it’s a dream. If it’s on paper it’s a plan.  Strategizing means deciding where you want to go with your business and planning how to get there without wasting a lot of time and energy. If you create a road map you can add and revise without losing forward momentum.

3. Schedule marketing into your daily calendar. Reading, thinking, planning and even sales are all part of marketing.

4. If people still don’t understand what you do or you can tell they aren’t interested after you spend 2 minutes telling them, it's time to make a change in what you are saying. Decide what you want to be known for and own it by communicating in terms of benefit to the customer.

5. Sell by responding to a customers' needs instead of by selling what you want to sell. There may be times when you have to move stock that is not selling. A creative approach in what you say and how you market may solve your buying mistakes without turning off prospects.

6. Create campaigns with a clear picture of who you are marketing to. Research, research, research and then test, test, test. Even the best marketers strive to improve the results they get from their most successful campaigns.

7. Everyone you talk to provides clues to what they think, how they think and what their problems are. Listening gives you a chance to show interest and ask questions without a prospect being afraid of being sold. It’s just a conversation.

8. People buy from people they know and trust. Give them enough value to establish yourself as a resource, a problem solver and they will do business with you.   

9. How about those people who call themselves your friends but only contact you when they want something? Keep in touch with clients so you build a relationship with them.

10. Remember that your current customers are your best prospects. Make regular offers they can’t refuse.

Your business does not stop at the door of your establishment. Get out there and get involved. Join business organizations. Volunteer some of your time/resources/expertise for something you believe in.

Bottom line red or black? - You choose – Marketing makes the difference!