Marketing is really fascinating thing and the one thing I’ve started loving about it is the opportunity to try and bring out the best creative ideas. Alas below all the ideas that come flocking, there’s no point if it isn’t used now.
Andrew has a number of loyal followers (me being one of them) and his articles on Sitepoint or his website always keep me thinking and intrigue about marketing. Recently, he shared the twenty blunders he hope many aren’t making in marketing.
- Talking about technology and specialized knowledge more than about solutions.
- Focusing on you instead of on the prospect. At first, prospects only marginally care about you, what you do, and how smart you are. Instead, they care about solving their problems and taking advantage of their opportunities.
- Letting your achievements or expertise speak for itself. This is a huge mistake. You may be brilliant, but that doesn’t mean clients will come to you.
- Not choosing a specific niche or target market. This will give you the false security of having unlimited prospects, but ultimately will get you fewer clients at higher cost than if you focus.
- Not reaching your target market effectively.
- Not dominating your target market. If you don’t dominate, someone else will, and your revenue will suffer.
- Creating an incomplete or non-compelling marketing message. With a poor message, your business development efforts will go nowhere.
- Trying to “close the sale†too soon. Most people in the market for professional services need a series of positive interactions with a candidate before making a decision.
- Making poor use of publicity. Getting mentioned in the news is an exercise in vanity if it doesn’t get you clients.
- Not asking for referrals. Few professionals take full advantage of their opportunity to generate referrals.
- Relying too much on referrals. Referrals are a fine source of additional business, but they put you in the position of being dependent on others.
- Competing on price. This error is a sure way to lack enough high-paying clients to meet your financial goals.
- Forgetting to stay in touch with past clients. Remember the old adage, “Out of site, out of mind.” You forfeit one of the best sources of profitable work if you forget to stay in touch with, and continue to support, past clients.
- Providing poor or mediocre service during engagements. Word spreads fast when you do this, and can quickly destroy your reputation.
- Cutting or delaying your investment in business development, especially in bad times. This error will only hurt your bottom line more.
- Not creating a simple, clear business development plan that lays out goals and a way to achieve them. If you don’t set goals, how will you know if you are successful?
- Creating a business development plan that misses some crucial steps in the process of attracting and retaining clients. Your plan must establish yourself as a credible authority, demonstrate your value to prospects, earn trust and commitment, and keep your clients’ loyalty.
- Not taking action on your business development plan.
- Relegating marketing to an administrative role.
- Not getting help. Many professionals tend to want to do it all on their own. In business development, this can cause them to repeat common marketing mistakes and get poor results.
These are only the twenty blunders Andrew mentioned in Are You Making Any of These Twenty Marketing Blunders? In his article, he also produced suggestions to counter these errors.
One of the things Andrew always repeats to everyone is that client loyalty is a must.
Ain’t marketing fascinating..?