MARKETING TIP: Which Hot Dog Vendor

AFTER COMPLETING a morning tour around Darling Harbour, we were ready for a quick bite to eat before moving on to our next destination. We saw a row of street food vendors a short distance away.

We felt like a hot dog, but as we walked past the first guy, he was absorbed in reading his newspaper. He didn’t even notice us walking by. I noticed other food vendors along the path so we continued walking.

As we approached a second hot dog vendor, he looked directly at Maria and me and asked with a big smile, ‘How are you today?’

‘Fine,’ we said.

Then he said, ‘Are you ready to try one of the best hot dogs in all of Sydney?’

I smiled and looked at Maria, she nodded her head enthusiastically, and a sale was made.

Why did we walk past the first hot dog vendor, and why didn’t we walk past the second?

Because the second knows a lot about effective marketing, and the first knows very little — or is independently wealthy and doesn’t need the money.

The hot dog marketer knows something about the principle of giving a little in order to get a lot. He gave a little bit of attention to us and made us feel important. The first guy made us feel . . . invisible.

Were they the ‘best’ hot dogs we’ve ever had? Probably not. But when you’re hungry, and they’re served with a smile, they sure taste good.

People buy things they want from people they know, like and trust! If you want your customers to like you, and buy from you, then treat them as though they are the most important people in the world. You don’t have to go an extra mile. Sometimes just an inch will do.

Treat Your Customers Like Gold

Why? Because they are worth their weight in gold.

Too many small business owners spend most of their time, energy and money trying to find new customers.

While that is something you should be doing, don’t forget that you have a goose that lays golden eggs right under your nose.

Your current list of customers have already purchased from you. They have already experienced your excellent product or service and excellent customer service. If your product, service or customer service aren’t excellent, then that is something you need to work on immediately – if not sooner.

Research has proven that a happy past customer is much more likely to purchase from you again in the future.

Past customers are easier to sell to, and they buy more than people who haven’t purchased before.

There’s an enormous vein of gold sitting in your customer gold mine. All you need to do is ask for it.

Use Magnets to Attract Your Best Prospects

NO. I’M NOT talking about literal magnets, I’m talking about magnetic offers that are so appealing that your prospects and customers can’t resist them.

If you simply offer your product or service like everyone else, your prospects won’t see any reason to choose your business over your competitors.

Here are a few ideas of magnetic offers:

  • a special, limited-time discount offer to attract your best prospects
  • a free sample of your product or service
  • a free catalogue
  • a free bonus or bonuses when they buy
  • a free workshop or presentation
  • a BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) offer, etc.

There are thousands of magnetic offers that you can use to grow your business. What kind of magnetic offer can you use to break through to the next level?

10 Tips for Growing Your Business the Organised Way

GROWING A BUSINESS is similar to tending a vegetable garden. Knowledge, careful planning, organized systems, use of proper tools, continuous care, and dedication give you the very best chance of producing a beautiful and abundant garden that brings forth fresh veggies for years to come.

The same is true when it comes to growing your business. By following a specific sequence of steps, just like growing a garden, you can succeed. Neither can be accomplished with a haphazard approach.

Discovering how other businesses are growing, thinking through your marketing strategy, taking an organized approach, using the proper tools to get the word out and focusing on achievement will help you reach your business goals and set you on the right path towards accomplishing your greatest success.

  1. PROSPECTING. For most services and products, it is imperative to first generate qualified prospects. Only then do you work on converting those prospects into first-time buyers, repeat customers, and finally, life-time customers. If you’re trying to generate an immediate sale, chances are, you’re going to be disappointed with the results. You will make most of your sales by following up with your prospects repeatedly.
  2. WHAT IS A PROSPECT? A person is a prospect only if they:
    a) have a genuine interest in the particular service or product you provide
    AND
    b) have responded to one of your offers
    AND
    c) they have provided you with contact information (name, e-mail, etc.)
    AND
    d) they have the authority to buy your service/product and can afford it.

    Everyone else is a stranger. Not a prospect.

  3. TARGET. You can’t try to market to everybody. When you do, you’re marketing to nobody. Pick a niche market and focus on your main audience. Target them in all of your marketing materials.
  4. OFFERS. To get people to respond to your marketing, develop an enticing offer and get it in front of as many people in your target market as you can. Perhaps, a free tips report, free e-zine, or free sample. The best offers are generally the FREE offers.
  5. GETTING THE WORD OUT. There are a multitude of ways to get the word out about your offer. You can try traditional marketing, such as direct mail, press releases, networking, ads, etc. Or, you can use the Internet, such as online networking, joining in discussion forums, submitting to search engines, link exchanges, affiliate programs and so on.Whatever you choose, schedule time each day to market your business. Write it on your calendar. When it’s written down, it is more concrete, and there is a better chance that you will do it.
  6. FOLLOW-UP. Once you begin to generate prospects, it is imperative that you get their contact information (i.e., name, e-mail address, and any other pertinent information) into an organized database. Why all the work? Because follow-up is the key to successful marketing. Once you have contact information, you can continue to make enticing offers for your product and/or service (discounts, gift certificates, 2 for 1 deals, etc.)
  7. ONE SERVICE/PRODUCT. Choose ONE product or service to market at a time, or you’re liable to confuse your prospects. You can have more than one product listed on your website. However, when you contact your prospects, it’s best to focus on one product at a time.
  8. GUARANTEE. Guarantee your products or services. Offer, at minimum, a 100% Money-Back Guarantee. When it is clear that you stand behind your services/products, you will have accomplished a trust-factor. This is called risk-reversal.
  9. PROACTIVE. Don’t use the Passive Marketing technique. That’s when you distribute general information, verbal and written, about your company, and then just sit around waiting for the phone to ring, or for your e-mail inbox to fill up with orders. In the real world, it doesn’t work that way. You have to be proactive.
  10. TRACK. Track. Track. I can’t say this enough. Keeping accurate numbers will help you make good marketing decisions. If you don’t know what’s working, you’re going to waste a lot of time and money. However, if you do know exactly what’s working for you, you’re practically guaranteed to reach your goals.

Grab Your Prospects by the Shoulders

IF YOU DON’T get your prospects’ attention you don’t stand a chance of making the sale. And getting anyone’s attention today is getting more and more difficult.

Here are 3 things you can do to help get and keep your prospects’ attention.

1. Target people who want what you are offering

Forget about trying to convince people to want what you are offering. That’s just a frustrating dead end.

Instead, find and attract people who are already searching for it. This is a huge power tip. Think about it–if you told a restaurant waitress that you ‘wanted’ a big, juicy cheeseburger, and she persisted in trying to convince you to eat a healthy salad instead, how would you feel?

Marketing is about helping people get what they want, not what you think they should want.

2. Hit their hot buttons

If you want to grab and hold your prospects’ attention, then find out what her deepest concerns or desires are in relation to your product or service. Then make sure you let her know that you can help her get those things.

3. Be just a little intrusive

You can’t be a wallflower at the dance and just ‘hope’ that someone will eventually ask you to dance. With that approach you may be sitting alone all night.

You have to get up and tap someone on the shoulder and ask them if they would like to dance. The first approach is being passive (invisible). The second approach is being intrusive.

Passive, easily-ignored marketing isn’t the way to get your prospects attention. Your marketing efforts must grab your prospects by the shoulders and ask them to make a decision.

Being intrusive means ensuring that your prospects focus their limited attention on ‘your offer.’ If they don’t, you can’t win.

Talking to your prospects face-to-face is the most powerful way to ensure that your prospects are focused on your offer.

Handing them your flyers instead of simply leaving them in a pile on a table is another way.

Following up with your prospects on the phone is another way to ensure that you get their attention.

Those are not the only ways to get your prospect’s attention.