7 Steps to Marketing Success

Title: 7 Steps to Marketing Success
Author: Kathleen Gage
Email: kathleen@turningpointpresents.com
Word Count: 1017
Copyright: © 2005 by Kathleen Gage
Web Address: www.kathleengage.com

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter,
on your web site, or in your print publication provided you include
the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is
not required.

7 Steps to Marketing Success
by Kathleen Gage

In the past it didn’t take nearly as much marketing effort to
build a business as it does today. Unfortunately, many people are holding on to the belief that things are still the way they were and are not doing what needs to be done to make their businesses succeed.
Marketing your business is something that is a constant process and
takes a considerable amount of focus and commitment.

Competition in virtually ever industry has increased. Additionally,
there is no guarantee that once you do manage to attract a customer
to your business they will keep coming back. We have a highly mobile
and fickle society. This simply means it is more important than ever
to evaluate what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you
must do in the future in order to stay competitive.

Here are some steps you can take to increase your chances of success
in your business.

1.Get clear on your values and mission. I recently read a book
called “The Path” by Laurie Beth Jones. She begins the book
with a story her uncle told her of his experience during World War II. According to her uncle, if an unidentified person appeared to a
soldier and could not immediately identify their mission, they were
shot on site. Wow! Would this ever make a person clear on their
mission. It was literally the difference between life and death.

This can hold true in business. If we are not clear on our values and
mission it is easy to flounder and eventually our business could die.
However, by being very clear on your values and your mission, you are
assured more of a chance for your business to grow and thrive.
Take time to write out what your values are. From there, create a
statement that clearly defines what you offer your customers and
clients. If you find that you are getting off track with what is
important, simply take time to review your written statement.

2.Effective and realistic planning. I strongly suggest you create a
solid marketing plan. As a result of completing the plan you will be
much better prepared and know whether or not your marketing idea is
feasible. Additionally, take time to fully understand how marketing
works. Marketing is not a one-time shot or one size fits all. You
must plan your campaigns. You must be committed for the long-term and
test various types of campaigns as you move forward. The more solid
your plan, the more success you will experience.

3.Take action. Once you create a good marketing plan take the
necessary actions outlined in the plan. More times than I care to
think about, I have talked to business people who put together plan
after plan after plan and yet, don’t take appropriate or
consistent action on the plan. For whatever reason time is invested in the plan, but then very little, if anything, is done. Again, keep the long-term goals in mind as you take action.

4. Have realistic expectations. Many people expect overnight results
and give up when the results they wanted don’t materialize as
they had hoped. Unrealistic expectations always lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. Talk to other business people to find out what they are experiencing at any given time. You may be surprised at what you will learn.

Define realistic, quantifiable performance metrics that reflect your
business goals.

5. Be persistent and persevere. There are going to be times when you
get very frustrated with what is going on around you. If you
don’t think this is true my guess is you haven’t been doing what you
are doing for very long. Truth be told, business can be extremely
frustrating. There are times things can seem so overwhelming you
wonder how you can get through the situation. It is when you revisit
why you are doing what you are doing and what your purpose in
business is that you can get back on track. If success were easy,
everyone would have it. Persistence and perseverance can pay
handsomely.

6. Create a focused marketing message. The main purpose of marketing
is to identify the appropriate markets for your products and services
and then open up a conversation with those markets. That simply means
finding market segments that can benefit from your products or
services and communicating with them in a way that motivates them to
take action.

Keep in mind; the first action is not always going to be to buy. Your
customers first action my simply be to stop by your store. Maybe it
is to make a phone call to gain more information. Perhaps it is
visiting your website to fill in a request form.

Regardless of what the first step is it is what you do after someone
takes the first action is crucial to the success of your business.
Develop a solid follow up system that allows you to develop long-term
relationships with your client base. The health of your bottom line
depends on it.

7. Believe in yourself and your vision. Regardless of how much you
want something, there will be times the temptation is to give up and
throw in the towel. The greatest test of your character is to be
willing to follow through to the very end. You must find ways to
believe in who you are and keep your vision close to your heart. Many
years ago I was taught to keep going on my dreams and to not quit
five minutes before the miracle.

Fact is I never know when the miracle will arrive. The only way to
find out is continue forward in spite of all outward appearances.