A great consultant and/or business owner will ask and answer three questions before they begin implementing an effective marketing strategy.
1. What are your goals? More specifically, what do you hope to accomplish with an effective and comprehensive marketing plan?
GOAL:
To increase your client/customer base
CONCERNS: Is your business going to be able to effectively handle the added workload?
a. Can you afford the staff?
b. Can you afford to buy additional product?
c. Do you have customer service policies in place to handle these new clients/customers needs?
GOAL:
To increase sales
CONCERNS: Who is going to be the salesperson? If you are a small business owner, more than likely it will need to be you or an existing staff member.
a. Do you have time to produce more new content, new products and manage your personnel and sale your product?
b. Do you or any of your staff have a marketing background or marketing experience?
c. Does your staff want to sell or market for you?
d. Is your staff good at selling?
Do you want to take the chance of bringing in new clients if you are going to neglect and potentially lose your current clients?
Do you want your current clients to negatively review you because you are not serving them well?
Do you want to invest your time and money in an ineffective marketing plan due to inexperienced or unmotivated staff?
Do you want to commit yourself to this additional workload?
2. How big can your business get while still allowing you to balance your personal life?
CONCERN: Balance
As a psychologist, I am very concerned with business owners and their ability to balance their priorities in life. Businesses usually do not thrive if they do not have the full attention of their owners, as families tend to disconnect with overly worked parents.
So, it is imperative that business owners choose which is their first priority. If it is family, you will need to make sure staff members are going to give your business their full attention. Bottom line is, someone has to do it.
Are you willing to sacrifice .........?
How long are you willing to sacrifice........?
Will you enjoy doing the specific tasks involved with the marketing and the increase in clients and/or sales long term?
Will you trust someone else to do those tasks for you?
Who else is negatively effected by your decision?
3. Are your staff and family going to support you with this growth and commitment?
CONCERN: Support
Your business is less likely to achieve and sustain success if you do not have a VERY strong support system in place. In fact, almost every endeavor in life fails, if you do not have a support system in place. Let’s face it, we are not able to accomplish things on our own. We need help. It takes a community.
I realize these are tough questions and they are not fun to think about, but they are critical nonetheless.
If you are ready to increase your sales and client/customer base, call me, I want to help. If you need to get some systems in place in order to create a support system at home and at work, call me, I want to help. If you need help creating a trustworthy, trained and motivated staff, call me, I want to help.
Valerie Zapien, M.Ed.
