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Marketing Mistakes: How to Avoid Marketing Mistakes
If
you’re like most small business owners, your focus is on the day-to-day
operations of your business. Or, in some cases, the mere thought of marketing
your business scares you to tears. However, you may be the rare breed of small
business entrepreneurs who has decided to tackle the complex task of marketing
your products or services.
In order
to survive the competitive world of marketing, you should recognize what
pitfalls may prohibit you from successfully marketing your own business.
=> Lack
of Confidence
If you are not confident in your abilities, you won’t
be able to influence your clients that you are the right choice for them. If you
are afraid of being labelled as a “pushy salesperson,” you won’t have the skills
necessary to benefit your client because you will be focusing on your confidence
level and *your* needs, instead of listening to what your customer needs. When
you’re not listening, you can’t provide solutions, you can’t overcome their
objections, you can’t earn their trust and most importantly, you won’t have the
confidence to ask them to partner with you.
=> Lack
Understanding of Your Own Service
If you don’t really
understand what it is that you do, if you’re not prepared to express to your
client in simple language what your services can do for your client, then your
lack of understanding will be reflected in your tone. If you don’t sound like
you believe in your service, it will be next to impossible for your client to
believe in you, let alone believe in your service.
=> Lack
Pride
Are you really
proud, almost boastful of your service? Can you effectively tell your customers
how well you deliver your service? If you lack pride in how well you respond to
the needs of your customer or how well your service really works, your clients
will sense this and you will lose integrity. Don’t be so arrogant or boastful
that you break your arm by patting yourself on the back, but if you’re proud of
your service, let your customer know it!
=> Fear
of Failure
Some people simply
aren’t effective at marketing their own business because they think that a
start-up business will be difficult to pitch. Symptoms of failure fear is the
mentality that you’ve tried “everything” to get new clients and “nothing” is
working. You are constantly looking for advice on how to build your business
from family, friends, and even strangers because you are coming from a place of
fear and your fear of failure is keeping you from effectively marketing your
business.
Your fear may be
reflected in your tone when you speak to your clients or may be as simple as
thinking you are unworthy of receiving money from people who want to buy your
service/your business. In either case, business development may be a bit of a
challenge.
=> Lack
the Proper Communication Skills
You might be the
best chatterer in the world, people may love to talk to you and you may be able
to transcribe the most technical language into comprehensible speech, but if you
can’t articulate what it is that you want people to invest in, they won’t. If
your clients don’t understand why they should invest in your service, what it is
that you do, or what the lasting benefits of that service will be in their
business, you’ve blown the perfect opportunity to gain a new client.
All of the above
pitfalls can be overcome with additional education or training on your product
or service line, through experience or by enlisting the assistance from a
qualified business coach with strong marketing skills and strategies.
Kristine Maveus-Evenson is internet marketing strategist and small
business coach. She provides services such as website optimization, and
affiliate program management. With a talent for working with small businesses,
her coaching and teleclass sessions provide an engaging and liberating
perspective on business growth strategies.
You can reach her by email:kristine@capturehits.com or on the web at
http://www.capturehits.com
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