‘How do I get more sales?’
‘How do I get more customers?’
‘Tell me, if you were marketing this, how would you do it?’
As a Marketing Professional, these are questions I get asked all the time. And they want a short succinct answer in two sentences or less on a strategy that will solve all their problems.
Way too many business owners and managers think marketing and sales is simply coming up with or knowing that single omnipotent strategy that will drive customers to their door.
IT AIN”T THAT EASY!
Believe it or not – Marketing is hard work.
It is about rolling up your sleeves and doing your due diligence.
I teach this to my first year marketing students – the Principles of Marketing. And unfortunately for many of them they just glaze over (as do too many business owners). But this stuff is what Drives Your Success!
First you need to know your current marketing situation. Learn all about your marketing environment. Both your Micro-Environment (what is happening with the factors you can control) and the Macro-Environment (the external factors that are happening around you).
Next you need to do research. On your customers, on your market segments, on your competitors, on other marketing ideas and strategies. Find what is pertinent, what is working, who is buying, how much their buying. All very important.
Next take a good hard look at your client. Study their buyer behavior. Learn what influences them. Find out what stimulus is needed to make them take action. Examine their buying decision process. Look at the various cultural, social, personal and psychological factors that affect their consumption behavior.
Finally take a look at what you / your company has done in the past. What has worked and what has failed miserably. Learn from your past mistakes!
Now – and only after you have done your homework- can you begin to strategize. Now you can start using the Four P’s of marketing – Price, Product, Place and Promotion to create the unique ways to increase sales, find more customers and effectively market your product.