I am going to take a few minutes and share some of the Marketing tips and rules I have acquired over the last while. You may agree with some and disagree with some; however, I would like to hear your comments on this article.

Well let’s start off with the basics:

The Five “P’s” of Marketing

Price

We try to make sure that it is a balance between competitive and profitable. You want to try and stay with the current rates of what the market will bare. Make sure to find out what your competition charges, and don’t undercut to get jobs. Clients are willing to pay that little bit extra to your quality of service.

Product / Service

Now whether you are in the greenhouse industry or a landscaper, you need to know your market. Does your market need this product or service? Do research before jumping into something new.

Promotion

Appropriate and effective advertising is key. We all cannot rely on “Word-of-Mouth” advertising. Have you ever tried anything else? Well how do you know if it will work or not. I recently attended a training seminar on Marketing for Small Business, and the instructor asked me what types of advertising do we do. I said “None”. Then he asked “Do you have signage on your trucks?” Yes, yes I do. Here was my breakdown on what advertising I thought I didn’t do.

- Signage on trucks
- Business cards
- Yellow page ads
- Letterhead
- Signature lines on emails
- Uniforms
- Shop/office placement on major highway
- Ad in classifieds for employment
- Jobsite exposure

See there are many types of advertising. Make a list of what you do. I am sure you will be surprised!

Place

Are you accessible to your clients? Are you visible from the road? Place is not everything, I believe that people will drive great distances for what they want. However, it does make things easier.

People

This is the most important element in your business. If you have bad employee’s you business will then give bad service. Someone with all the experience in the world that has a bad attitude can be more detrimental then a person with no experience that knows how to treat people.

So there are the “The 5 P’s of Marketing”. Why are there always 5 steps to everything? And always an odd number too.

The 7 sins
101 pickup lines
10001 baby names
3 strikes your out

Why is that? I have no idea…if you have any idea let me know

Let’s move on…

Ever heard the phrase “Let Common Sense Rule“? Makes sense eh? Make sure to stick with what works. And if it is not broken and you can assess that your clients can find you…then leave the vast majority of your marketing program in tact. But, if you are interested in NEW clientele (for new or different products / services) then be willing to TRY NEW APPROACHES.

Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.

The important best “common sense” questions to ask yourself today are:

a) What current marketing and advertising initiatives are working?
B) How do you know these initiatives are working?

Set a staff meeting (if you have staff) and ask them the above questions and listen carefully. You might be surprised on the input they have.

When in Doubt…ASK!

Here is a bit of interaction on your behalf. I have a challenge for you that you can start right after reading this. Over the next 3 weeks ensure that every customer that enquires about your business (questions, products, services) is asked….

How did you learn about our business?

THEN…keep track of the responses. All too often we discover that a disproportionate amount of business comes from some very simple and cost effective advertising and/or marketing. Why would you spend thousands of dollars to put a 1/2 page ad in the yellow pages when only 2% of your business is coming from there? Scale down to a 1/8 ad and put the money where it works for you.

Now what can you offer your customer? What benefits can that customer receive from your company? Stick to the basics and focus on marketing your five (there is that magical number again) biggest benefits to your customers.

Are you an industry leader?
Are you an established business with a great reputation?
Are you an innovative company that stays ahead of the industry?
Are you known for your expertise?
Are you known for specializing your services or products?
Are you known for exceptional and proven customer service?
Are you known for quality service and work?
Have you built a reputation for quick and reliable delivery of your services/products?

Meet with your staff and ask them their thoughts on why your business succeeds. Invite a few of your best clients to a breakfast and discover their reasons for their loyalty.

So that is just a taste….I’ll be posting more on marketing in a bit.

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