 |
|
|
|
We hope you enjoy reading the following column by Charles Marshall. After you are finished, please to return to the Motivational Column selection page for more column options. Learn Important Marketing News with an Article on Marketing Plan and StrategyMotivation and repetition is the key to success with your marketing plan. This article helps outline how the old adage "try and try again" is key to your marketing strategy. Enjoy our marketing plan article below. Or, read some of the other marketing news article options from Charles Marshall.As I sat in Mike’s living room, he complained that his business was not doing that well. The phone wasn’t ringing and the jobs weren’t coming in. He confessed he didn’t know how much longer he would be able to stay in business if things didn’t get better soon. As we talked, I learned the principle source of his revenue was other businesses — that essentially he operated as a subcontractor, receiving out-sourced work from other businesses. I asked Mike if he had tried marketing to businesses that would need his services. He adamantly assured me he had but experienced utter failure. What could the problem be, I wondered. Could it be that I was looking at an actual example where aggressive marketing didn’t apply? Somehow, I didn’t think so. Probing more deeply, I asked Mike what methods he had used to reach his prospective customers. He told me he had gone door-to-door passing out business cards, but once again, he declared the effort as a complete waste of time. “That’s amazing, Mike,” I said. “How many times did you try?” “Oh, just once.” he answered. “I didn’t do it again because it just doesn’t work. That’s about the time when I introduced Mike to the “just once won’t work” rule. Any farmer knows that you need to plant more than one seed per hole if you expect to produce a harvest. It just makes sense to make allowance for the probability that one of the seeds won’t germinate. By placing two or more seeds per hole, the farmer is exponentially increasing his chances of producing a plant. Marketing must be approached with the same mentality. Whether the area you are farming is regional, national or global, the same principle applies. The more times you strike, the more chances you have of hitting. To expect any significant return from attempting a marketing method just once is the very height of folly. In order to get a good idea of whether a marketing plan works, you need to try it at least three times, and maybe more, depending on the type of business. The key word in the phrase “marketing campaign” is the word “campaign.” It’s an ongoing effort. Just once doesn’t work. To expect to see results after one attempt is simply unrealistic. It doesn’t matter if you think your marketing effort ought to have returned better results. The real-life truth is, mediocre effort always produces mediocre results. Before discarding any marketing method, ask yourself if you have given it a fair try. Have you invested enough time and money to know for certain whether or not that particular method works? Are you using that method to its full advantage, or is there a better way to use it? To discard any marketing method prematurely is to discard the possibility of increased income. To quit too soon is to forfeit the character gained by persisting in the effort. < © 2004 Charles Marshall. Charles Marshall is a motivational speaker, motivational author and president of M Power Resources, LLC. Visit his Web site at www.MPowerResources.com or contact him via e-mail at charles@MPowerResources.com. |
|
Have a
date in mind for your event? Call or
e-mail
our office at
charles@charlesmarshall.net for fees and
availability. home about charles clients recommendations programs charles' book charles' column video clips contact event planning site map partner sites
|
