Over the past couple of days I have been gathering
ideas and content for our next workshop which will be themed around marketing
that actually works.
Occasionally when I am presenting a workshop there may
be people in the room who can be thinking along the lines of “That might work
in the widget industry but it would never work in mine.” For that person it may
be true, although I would still challenge the thought by asking “How could you
make it work?” This did however get me thinking, is there a marketing strategy
that does actually work in every industry? There is, and truth be told it has
always been and always will be the number 1 strategy for marketing.
Strange thing is we all know about it but I have
rarely walked into a business that has a plan in place to work on and
continually improve it. Let me tell you what it is and as way of a bonus I will
also throw a couple of supporting strategies that will help take your marketing
to a whole new level.
The ultimate marketing strategy is this, Be Remarkable in every single thing you
do. You have to be remarkable from
the way you deliver your product or service, the product or service itself, the
way your phone is answered, the way you and
your people turn up, the way you invoice, in other words you have to be remarkable right across the board. Just
to clarify this point you don’t have to be good or great you have to be remarkable. You want people to go away
and because of the remarkable
experience they have had dealing with you they feel compelled to remark about
you to other people!
Just to make this point a little clearer when Sir
Chris Hoy won the worlds sprint championship in 2012, who finished second? My
guess would be that for some of you it is much harder to name the second man because
most people just don’t care about second best.
The person who is remarkable by being slightly faster than everybody else gets all
the praise, all plaudits, all the money and trappings that go along with being
remarkable.
You may asking “why have I got to be remarkable?” here is why; who is your
competition? Most of you might be thinking about a competing business or the
company just down the street, truth is your competition is anybody your actual
or potential customer chooses. Basically they can compare you with anybody.
If somebody can purchase an item on Amazon and have
it delivered the very next day in a particular time slot your delivery will be
compared to theirs. If somebody can make a purchase from a website in the
evening and the very next day pick it up in store you will be compared to that
experience. Rightly or wrongly you are always being compared to the best. Since
the arrival of the internet you are on a world stage you have to be remarkable more now than ever.
So let me ask you “What is your plan to be remarkable? What strategies have you
and your team got in place to make sure you are and continue to be remarkable?
The number 2 strategy is to keep in constant contact
with your customers. Not every six months, quarter or monthly every single week!
I’m not talking about trying to sell them something every week, what I am talking
about is strengthening your relationship with them by giving them something
that will add value to them which could be information, new ideas, or just
plain old helping them overcome a problem.
The final strategy, ask for referrals if you are
being remarkable and adding value
when you keep in touch then ask them “Who do you know who would benefit and
appreciate the level of service that we are providing you with” and once you
have the name ask “Do you want to contact them or would you prefer to just give
me their number?”
There are loads of great marketing ideas out there
but I believe these are the top 3.
So just to recap:
1.
Be remarkable
in everything that you do.
2.
Keep in constant contact and add value
every time
3.
Ask for referrals
If these were the only three marketing strategies
you used in your business what do you think the difference would be?
Give them a try and let me know how successful they
have been for you.
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