Marketing Kick-start #2

(Part 2 of a two-part series)

In Part 1 I urged you to kick-start your marketing with a different approach – focusing on prospects and their problems – instead of on you and your services. (click here for Part 1)

It's worthwhile revisited the principles involved so you can continue this approach.

Focusing on the prospect means there's no hype or hard-sell to make you or the prospect feel uncomfortable. It also makes for more effective marketing (you'll see why shortly).

This approach can be used in almost any business, although it is most effective for service businesses and industry sectors with a long sales cycle.

Two key principles are important when developing prospect-focused, problem-based marketing strategies:

= Get the attention of prospective clients by talking about a problem which you solve, which is common to people or businesses in your market.

= Use low-cost marketing leverage to increase the return on your time, effort and money.

When you talk about a problem, you gain the attention of those who relate to that problem. By definition, they are the target market: They have the problem now and are actively seeking a solution – or they have just realised they have the problem (you helped them recognise it) and they are beginning to think about a solution.

Ironically, all you have to do is talk about the problem. It's not absolutely essential that you discuss a solution. In fact, in many circumstances even mentioning a solution at an early stage can be guaranteed to lose the interest you're beginning to create.

Why should you use low-cost marketing leverage – and what is it?

You can take a problem-based approach one-on-one with individual prospects. Marketing leverage is using the same time, effort, and money to reach many prospects.

Low-cost marketing leverage is when you do this repeatedly (or have others do it for you) without repeated all of the first-time costs. There are many ways you can do this.

What sort of problem should you choose to talk about?

Everyone is looking for free advice, often just a generic tip, sometimes quite specific guidance. Think of the things existing customers ask you about, and the questions you get from people you are introduced to for the first time.

Is there a single common thread to this, or maybe several topic areas? With your knowledge of your industry or profession, you can talk about those issues or problems in such a way that it gains the attention of many people, not just one.

You are probably doing this already on a one-on-one basis, without even thinking about it.

Seize on one topic or even one aspect of a topic. Use your knowledge and experience of the problem to create several key points.

Develop those points into something long enough to get the attention of your target audience, but short enough to leave the audience seeking more. Don't try to write a definitive thesis. Keep it simple and appropriate to an audience confronting the problem for the first time.

Develop the "more" part, so you have something further to offer when they come calling (on your phone) or clicking (on your website). Make sure you include those details. You may find it easier to write your longer "special report" first and do the short version later.

Don't stop there. What are the next steps in the process of them becoming a client? What is it you want them to do and how easy is it for them to do?

Don't worry you may not be a brilliant writer or a whiz at marketing strategy. Instead, get help.

Even highly-competent writers and marketers need constructive criticism and an external perspective. In any case, you'll need advice on how and where to present your material, how to turn a stream of qualified inquiry into sales, and how to leverage your efforts.

Where should you place your attention-getting piece? How can you get additional, more leveraged, use out of it? What other purposes can you put the core concepts to?

Learn the answers to these questions and you'll have the ultimate leverage — being able to apply these techniques, plus your industry expertise and your knowledge of your own market, to grow your business easier and faster.

This is possible through Individual Coaching, and for a lot less than you'd expect — in fact, for less than what you would pay a part-time, junior office assistant.