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Almost FREE! (Marketing Advice)


That þFREEþ in the title, it got your attention,
didn't it? Everyone loves to get something free and
smart marketing people know that and use it to
generate sales. It's just one little marketing trick
you can use to turn your hobby or your
entrepreneur dream into a successful business. If
you're already in business, it might mean the
difference between staffing up and moving to new
offices. Perhaps it could provide the extra dollars
to take a quick vacation to Europe this summer.

Very few businesses understand marketing and the
role it plays in their operation. Too often marketing
simply means cold calling, running an occasional
advertisement and joining the local Chamber of
Commerce. It's too often an unstructured, on-the-
side activity that gets mixed results. Successful
businesses, even those seeking just 15 minutes of
glory like the pet rock folks, know that marketing is
the essence of all business.

Marketing, which includes sales, should consume 1/3
of your resources. The other 2/3 should be split
between product or service, and administration. If
you spend 6 months and 1 million dollars developing
your product, you should spend similar time and
money marketing it. The golden rule: allow as much
(dollars, energy, time etc.) for marketing as you did
for product development/support. Also, develop a
written strategy plan or flow chart for your
marketing, just as your þmanufacturingþ division
operates under.

Consider your marketing dollars an investment, not
an expense. Investments often take time to pay-off.
Expenses, on the other hand, are short term
operating costs. Marketing is not a short term
thing, its purpose it to build up the business's
equity. Need more convincing? Suppose you could
purchase the exclusive rights to the Coca Cola name
for 100 dollars. Think of the millions of dollars that
name could generate for you. Now tell me, was that
100 dollars you used to purchase the Coca Cola
name an investment or an expense? For decades the
Coca Cola people have been plugging the Coca Cola
name. Haven't we just decided owning that name is an
investment, not an expense? For all those long
years Coca Cola has been INVESTING in marketing
their name. Today that investment is worth millions!

Golden Rule #2 is to market continuously. The big
wave will get notices briefly, but it's soon
forgotten. It's the little waves that over time
create and move beaches and mountains. Beach goers
expect to find the beach always at the same spot.
They don't like surprises when they get there.
Buyers are the same. Mark Twain said, "familiarity
breeds contempt and children." He was kidding about
the contempt, but it does take a feeling of ease,
comfort and trust between two people to begin
breeding. It is just as true between buyers and
sellers. Find an effective place to advertise and
advertise there regularly. Consistency is more
important than flash, use a small ad, but run it
frequently. Let the ad readers get familiar and
comfortable with you. That's when they'll begin
buying! While they're warming up to you, don't expect
them to save your telephone number and address.
Only when they're ready to buy will they demand such
details. If they know where to find your ad, i.e., in
every issue of the GREENSHEET, they've as good as
got your telephone number memorized! Give your
potential buyers ads they can depend upon. When the
trust and feel comfortable with your ads, they'll
feel the same way toward you!

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