Your marketing prospect is a Goldfish!

Many years ago I attended BNI breakfast meeting regularly - ultimately it wasn't my style but it did teach me some very valuable lessons - most of all the one-minute presentation.

Young and eager I did my best to squeeze the minute full of 'interesting' facts and benefits.

Afterwards, the friend who had introduced me gave me  a free and frank assessment which amounted to 'no-one is interested and you did nothing to make them interested'. I love my business., so why doesn't everyone else?

Now, two decades later I try to press this same message home on a weekly basis - At the early marketing stage your prospect isn't interested - and the more you tell them, the less interested they become!

It is a hard thing to take in - but an invaluable one in the early stage of marketing - stage performers use the adage 'always leave them wanting more' which also works in this context.

To get a clear visual of your early prospect just picture a goldfish - swimming around his little bowl happily admiring the model castle each time he passes thinking 'that's a nice castle'.

In this case however, the goldfish is particularly selfish and greedy so all he swims around thinking is 'what's in it for me?' 

The instant you get the goldfishes attention you have to deliver the response to 'what do I do now?' - if you don't capture that moment you will revert to 'what's in it for me?'

The 'what do I do now?' will of course depend on your medium - phone call, email, exchange cards etc. But you must harness it and you must make it as easy as possible for the lazy Goldfish before he swims off.

Strategy is not a big word!

When the word 'strategy' is mentioned to a small business owner, the reaction all too often is a mixture of shock and disbelief - best summed up in the reply 'I'm just a small business, I don't need that sort of thing'.

Quite simply every business needs strategy - or strategies - covering marketing, collections, 'paperwork' and other business facets.No need for spiral binding, no need for lots of graphics and images - frankly the back of beer-mats will do as long as it is comprehensive, cohesive and workable..

Strategy is what guides your business - more importantly, it is what differentiates you from others who are just doing a job.

Take time out from doing the job and look at your business from an outsider's view (perhaps get an outsider to do this with you) this will provide the foundation for your strategy.

It isn't a big word and it isn't time wasted - it is your route to success!