For most folks,
owning your own business is a dream come true. The freedom of being
your own boss and succeeding to the best of your ability are facts of
life for the small business owner. Sure, there's more stress than
what you probably imagined when you were creating your grand plans,
but with a little strategy and planning you can overcome any tough
spot you get in. There are 7 tactics developed by successful
marketers that are sure to make your business as successful as theirs.
1. Create A One
of a Kind Selling Point
If you want to stand
out from the crowd, create a unique selling proposition that stresses
the benefits the customers will receive from doing business with you.
Will they get faster service? Go ahead and dramatize it, but keep the
customer at the focus...Get free overnight delivery! Hey, it tells
the customer...you get quick service and a discount on shipping. Two
definite benefits in one statement.
Why should someone
buy from you and not your competitor? I hate to deal a blow to your
ego, but it really has nothing to do with you , your product, or your
service. Yeah, its a little self-centered, but customers are
attracted by offers that point out the things that benefit THEM.
Don't go out on a
limb to create new products and services to get attention. Just, add
a special benefit to the ones you already have... maybe it's quicker
service. The most effective things to emphasize are benefits that
your competition cannot or is not willing to give.
2. Use
Testimonials
Hey, we all know
that business owners think their product or services are the best
thing going, but it's what the current customers think about it that
really matters to your prospective customers. They're the ones who
see things from their point of view... what they have to say about the
business has an impact.
Testimonials play an
important part in advertising - especially for small businesses.
Yeah, big businesses with well-known names don't have to worry about
it, but small companies can use testimonials as marketing tools to
build credibility.
Think about it...how
else can we gain credibility than by creating a group of satisfied
customers and shouting what they have to say? Let's look at some ways
we can make testimonials an effective part of our marketing campaigns.
3. Upsell
Upselling is one of
the most successful marketing trends today. Everywhere you go,
someone is trying to get you to buy more. From McDonalds with its
supersize options to clothing stores that try to sell you shoes to
match your outfit, everyone's jumping on the band wagon. Why? It
works!
Your customers
already know that you have great products and provide satisfactory
service. They trust you to come through for them. Think about it...
it's much easier to make sales to someone you already have a
relationship with.
Use every
opportunity to increase your sales volume within the customer audience
you already have. Do you have a product that goes with the one they
are purchasing? Offer it to them at the register. It's a proven and
effective method for increasing sales. You may be shocked at the
additional sales you can generate from those who are already buying
from you.
4. Make Your
Price Seem Smaller
Divide and
conquer... The old war tactic works in marketing too! When the price
seems too steep, break it down into "buyable" size bites. An $120
item is only 12 low monthly payments of $10. A $365 purchase would
only cost $1 per day. Now that sounds affordable!
5. Paint The
Benefits Pretty
Customers buy
because they want to enjoy the benefits of the purchase. A lady might
buy a dress because she wants to feel sexy, or a man will buy a book
because he finds pleasure in reading. Emotions are the key element
that drives purchases.
Use word pictures to
stir up the emotions that will instigate the sale. Let them feel
the benefits, and they'll be more apt to head for the cash register.
Put them where you want them.
6. Create
Attention Getting Headlines
Are you ready to
capture your reader's attention with great copy? The headline is the
place to start. How often do you scan the newspaper's headlines
before you decide whether or not to read the article? Yeah, that's
where we lose or gain the reader's interest, so it's a pretty
important part of the advertisement.
A good headline
should telegraph its message in twelve words or less. Double check
those headlines. Do they make a promise of a positive benefit, or ask
a provocative question? Don't settle for less than attention grabbing
statements.
7. Provide An
Offer They Can't Resist
Is your deal too
good to pass up? If not, you need to improve it. Hey, I'm not
talking about cutting prices even more...you've still got to make a
profit. You can make the deal sweeter just by increasing the readers
knowledge of the value of the product, or adding bonuses that are
perceived as valuable, but cost you little.
Motivate buyers with
expirations. Yeah, an open ended offer encourages
procrastination...which leads ...yep, nowhere. When the customer
knows he has until Saturday to purchase an item he'll pay more for on
Sunday, he'll make it a priority to head for your shop.
Who is Allyn
Cutts, and why should you care?
Allyn has spent over
24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase
sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic,
providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for
small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally with
clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing
strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn
more about Allyn Cutts at
www.AllynCutts.com and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and
4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays.
