For some business owners, it’s a struggle to clearly explain what it is you do, especially if your business is unique or you are trying to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Often, we explain what we do, but not how it’ll benefit the person we’re talking to. We need a clear way of saying, “This is what I offer and this is how it will help …
Are You Persuasive?
Much of marketing is about persuasion. Note that I do not say "manipulation." That's the kind of marketing we all hate. Dictionary.com defines the verb "to persuade" like this: 1. to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging: We could not persuade him to wait. 2. to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding; …
Are You Using the Wrong Marketing Model?
Should your marketing strategy be a funnel or a bullseye? Neither marketing model is wrong -- but one is more flexible to real-world situations than the other. And both offer you insights into creating a successful marketing strategy. Let me explain… Imagine two images: A funnel, where the entire universe of possible clients start at …
How Customers Make Buying Choices
I LOVE reading about the psychology of marketing! Have you read The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar? She's a social psychologist and a professor of business at Columbia University. She studies how people make decisions, which all small business owners can apply immediately when you market your services and products. It's an especially …
Nurturing the Not-Ready Customer Through the Buying Cycle
Wouldn't you love it if you could close every sale with a new customer in 30 minutes or less? But that rarely happens. A sales cycle can last up to six months, depending on how much research the potential customer has done before he or she comes to you. Before customers are ready to sign on the dotted line, they first must go through a …
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Repeat After Me: Competition Is Good
No! No! No! I got an email from a student the other day who said he wasn't going to launch his class because he found out that a competitor had a similar new class. Do not give up on your dream just because someone else has a twin idea. It happens all the time! There's even a word for it: Zeitgeist. It means that the culture and climate of the …