7 Steps to Marketing System Successmarketsimplicity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/7STEPS... · 2018. 2. 21. · Step 2: The Marketing Hourglass TM Most marketers are familiar with

7StepstoMarketingSystemSuccess

Copyright©2011DuctTapeMarketing 2

7 Steps to Small Business Marketing Success

An overview of the Duct Tape Marketing System

Written by

Americaʼs Most Practical Small Business Marketing Expert

John Jantsch

Distributed by

Brad Tornberg



7 Steps to Marketing System Success Practiced effectively, marketing is simply a system. hilethismaybehardforsomebusinessownerstocomegripswith,leaninginsteadtowardsthe“marketingisastrangeformofcreativevoodoothinking,”marketingisnotonlyasystem,itmaybethemostimportantsysteminanybusiness.Tounderstandhowtoapproachmarketingforabusiness,itmaybehelpfultounderstandtheDuctTapeMarketingSystemdefinitionofmarketing.Marketingisgettingsomeonethathasaneedtoknow,likeandtrustyou.Onecanargueaboutwhat“like”or“trust”isinanygivenindustry,butnowmorethanever,thisdefinitiongetsattheheartofthegame.Herearethe7corestepsthatmakeupthesimple,effective,andaffordableDuctTapeMarketingSystem.Businessesthatappreciateandimplementthisapproachtomarketinggrowinaconsistentandpredictablemanner.

Step 1: Strategy Before Tactics Strategywithouttacticsistheslowestroutetovictory.Tacticswithoutstrategyisthenoisebeforedefeat.‐SunTzu

Smallbusinessesalwayswanttograbtheideaoftheweek.Andsmallbusinessownersareabsolutelytheworstatthisbecausethey'redoingahundredthings.Sothenewshinyobjectthatmakesthemostnoisethisweekisnowthemarketingplan.Thethingis,ifabusinessownergetsthestrategypartrightinmarketing,heorshecansurrounditwithjustaboutanysetoftacticsthatareperformedandmeasuredconsistently.That'showimportantthestrategypieceis.Therearetwoverysignificantcomponentstogettingamarketingstrategydownforabusiness:tonarrowfocusdowntoanidealclientandtofindsomewaytoclearlydifferentiateone’sbusiness.Now,thosemaynotsoundlikeearth‐shatteringideas,butmostbusinessesdon'tthinkaboutthemasthoroughlyastheyshould.

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Part One: Define the Ideal Client Thetrickistodiscoverwhatthatidealclientlookslikeinthemostspecificwaypossibleandthengoaboutbuildinganentiremarketingstrategyaroundattractingmoreoftheseidealcustomers.Manysmallbusinessestrytobeallthingstoallpeopleandfindithardtoreallyfocusorsucceedatservingnarrowlydefinedmarketsegments.Smallbusinessesdon’tnecessarilyintendtobeallthings;itjustsortofhappensfromalackoffocusandaprospectonthephoneaskingforsomehelpinanareathat’snotreallythebusiness’thing.Whileitmayseemlikegrowthtotakeonanewcustomer,ifthatcustomerisn’tagoodfit,itcanactuallystuntrealgrowth.Insomecases,tryingtoworkwithcustomerswhoarenotidealclientscanleadtosuchabadexperienceforbothyourbusinessandthecustomerthatyouactuallycreatevocaldetractorsforyourbusiness.Mostbusinessesarebestsuitedtoserveanarrowly‐definedmarketsegment–kindoflikeasweetspot.Thisdoesn’tmeanthesweetspotwon’tgrow,evolveandchangealtogetherovertime,butatanygiventimethereexistsasetidealclientformostbusinesses.Thetrickistodiscoverwhatthatidealclientlookslikeinthemostspecificwaypossibleandthengoaboutbuildinganentiremarketingstrategyaroundattractingmoreofthese.Forsome,anidealclientmightsimplybeasubsetofpeoplewhocanaffordwhatyouoffer.Forothers,theidealclientmightbecomprisedofsixtoeightlong‐termclients.Inthelatter,acompanyisprobablybetteroffworkingwithpeoplethatareaperfectfitorlifemaygetmiserable.Aperfectfitmaymeanthatthecustomerhasthekindofneedyourcompanycanreallyhelpwith,butitalsomightmeantheclientvaluesyouruniqueapproachandtreatsyourstaffwiththerespecttherelationshipdeserves.Amultipleredflagclient,takenbecausetheysaidtheycanpay,willsuckthelifeoutofasmallbusinessfasterthanalmostanyotherdynamic.Alessthanidealclientcanalsocomeintheformofapersonwithwhomacompanywouldlovetowork,buttheyjustdon’treallyhavetheneedthatmatcheswhatthebusinessdoesbest–suchasagoodfriendorrelativewhoworksforanorganization



that’snotafitorbuddyatyourgolfclubthathasacompanyyouwouldliketohelp,butdon’thavetheresources.The5stepsbelow,appliedtoacurrentclientbaseandworkedinorder,willtellsmallbusinessesmoreabouttheirtrueidealclientthananymarketingclassorbookeverwill.

1. Findyourmostprofitableclients.2. Fromtheabovegroup,identifythosethatrefer.3. Fromthatevensmallergroup,findcommondemographiccharacteristics.4. Takethetimenowtounderstandthebehaviorthatmakesthemideal.5. Drawafullydevelopedbiographicalsketchtouseasamarketingguide.

Part Two: Differentiate the Business Steppingoutsidetheboxisessential.It'sactuallyhowbusinesseschargeapremiumfortheirservicesandproducts.It’salsooneofthehardestthingstodo.Smallbusinessesabsolutelymustfindorcreate,aspartoftheirstrategy,awaytodifferentiatetheirbusinessfromalltheotherbusinessesthatclaimtodothesamething.Thisisn'tnecessarilyanewconcept,butit'soneofthehardesttogetbusinessestoactuallydo.Everyonewantstothinkwhattheydoissounique.Unfortunately,inmostcases,it'ssomethingthateveryoneeithercanordoesclaimaswell.Here’sagoodwaytogetasenseofthisidea.Cutandpastethefirstparagraphofyourtopfivecompetitors’websites,blackingoutallreferencestonames,andthenpassthedocumentaroundtheofficetoseeifanyonecanrecognizewhichcompanyeachparagraphbelongsto.Chancesare,thedescriptionswillbenearlyimpossibletotellapart.Oneofthemosteffectivebitsofresearchyoucanconducttohelpfindwhatreallysetsyourorganizationapartistositdownandinterviewahandfulofyourbestcustomers.Askthemthesequestions:

• Whatmadeyoudecidetohireus?• What'sonethingwedobetterthanotherpeoplelikeus?• What'sonethingwecoulddobetter?• Wouldyoureferusordoyoureferus?• Ifyouwouldreferus,whatwouldyousay?



Ifyourcustomersimplytellsyouthatyouprovidegreatservice,thenpushabitwithquestionssuchas:

• Whatdoesgoodservicelooklike?• Tellmeastory,ortellmeatimewhenweprovidedgoodservice.• Whatdidthatentail?

It’samazinghowquicklycoredifferencescometothesurface,directlyfromthemouthofasatisfiedcustomer.Lookforcommonthreadsthatsurfaceinconversationsanddevelopacoremessagethatsupportsthosethemes.It'snoteasybecausealotoftimesbusinessownerswanttobelikeeverybodyelse;theydon'twanttobethedifferentkid.Everybodyinourindustrytalksabouttheirserviceslikethis,sothat'swhatbusinessownersthinktheyneedtodo.Steppingoutsidetheboxisessential.It'sactuallyhowbusinesseschargeapremiumfortheirservicesandproducts.It’salsooneofthehardestthingstodo.Ifyourbusinessisreceivingphonecallsandinquiries,andoneofthefirstquestionsis,“Howmuch?”There'sareallygoodchanceyou’renotdifferentiatingyourbusiness.Ifprospectscan'ttellhowthebusinessisdifferent,they’regoingtousetheonemeasurethatmakessense:price.Asmanysmallbusinessownershavediscovered,competingonpriceisnotfun.There'salwaysgoingtobesomeonewillingtogooutofbusinessfaster.Whatpeoplelikemostmaynotsounduniqueorsexy.Itmightbetheuniqueproductsandservices,butoftenit'sacompany’swayofdeliveringanexperience.It'sthepeople,guarantees,packaging,brandpromotion,andspecialtouches.Itishowthecompanypositionsitsbusinesstosolveaproblemthateverybodyintheindustryishaving.That'swhatpeoplebuy.

RealWorldCaseStudy:HowOneArchitectDifferentiated

Onceuponatime,anarchitectwasaskedwhathedidforaliving.“I’manarchitect.Idesignbuildings,”hereplied.Whenpressedfurther,hebragged,“NooneelseknowshowtodesignabuildinglikeIdo.”Yet,whenthearchitect’scustomerswereaskedwhathedid,theysaid,“Weexpectedgooddesign.Butletmetellyouwhathereallydoes.HehelpsuscutthroughalltheCityHallredtapeandthatgetsuspaidfaster.”Thefirstthreecustomersallsaidessentiallythesamething.



Nowwhenaskedwhathedoesforaliving,thearchitectreplies,“Ihelpyougetpaidfaster.Sure,I’manarchitect,butIalsohelpyoucutthroughCityHallredtape.I’mthecontractor’sarchitect.”Byembracinghisnewmessage,thearchitect’sbusinesswentfromasecondorthirdtierplayertothe#1commercialarchitectinhismarket.That’sthepowerofdifferentiation

Step 2: The Marketing HourglassTM

MostmarketersarefamiliarwiththeconceptoftheMarketingFunnel:awholebunchofleadsareloadedintothetopofafunnel,andthey’rechokeduntilafewbuyerssqueezeoutthesmallend.WiththeintroductionofTwitterandFacebook,peopleareevenhungrierformoreleads.Thegameisalwaysaboutputtingmoreandmoreleadsintothetopofthefunnel.

Butwhatgoodareleadsiftheyaren’tconvertedintosales,repeatbusinessandreferrals?Whatif,throughremarkablecustomerexperience,acompanyhadtheabilitytoretainthesameclientsandgenerateasignificantnumberofnewleadsandreferralsfromthosehappycustomers?Whenitcomestoleadreferralgeneration,thecustomerexperienceisit.Themarketinghourglasssuggeststhatthere'salogicalprogressionthroughwhicheverycustomercomestoknow,like,andtrustacompany.Oncethatoccurs,thecustomerthendecidestotry,buy,repeat,andrefer.ThediagrambelowillustratesthelogicalpathaleadshouldfollowtoparticipateinafullydevelopedMarketingHourglass.ThisconceptisoneofthekeyelementsoftheDuctTapeMarketingsystem.



WhenoneoverlaystheDuctTapeMarketingSystemdefinitionofmarketing:–“gettingsomeonewhohasaneedtoknow,like,andtrustyou”‐withtheintentionalactofturningknow,likeandtrustintotry,buy,repeat,andrefer,theentirelogicalpathformovingsomeonefrominitialawarenesstoadvocatebecomesaverysimpleprocess.Thekeyistosystematicallydeveloptouchpoints,processesandproduct/serviceofferingsforeachofthe7phasesofthehourglass.

1. Know–Ads,articles,andreferredleads2. Like–Website,reception,andemailnewsletter3. Trust–Marketingkit,whitepapers,andsalespresentations4. Try–Webinars,evaluations,andnurturingactivities5. Buy–Fulfillment,newcustomerkit,delivery,andfinancialarrangements6. Repeat–Postcustomersurvey,crosssellpresentations,andquarterlyevents7. Refer–Resultsreviews,partnerintroductions,peer2peerwebinars,and

communitybuilding



Fartoomanybusinessesattempttogofrom“Know”to“Buy”andwonderwhyit’ssohard.Bycreatingwaystogentlymovesomeonetotrust,andperhapsevencreatinglowcostofferingsastrials,theultimateconversiontobuygetssomucheasier.Inordertostartthinkingaboutthehourglassconceptandcurrentgaps,oneshouldponderthesequestions:

• Whatisthefreeortrialoffering?• Whatisthestarteroffering?• Whatisthe“makeiteasytoswitch”offering?• Whatisthecoreoffering?• Whataretheadd‐onstoincreasevalue?• Whatarethemembers‐onlyofferings?• Whatarethestrategicpartnerpairings?

Step 3: Publish Educational Content Bynowsmallbusinessownersaretiredofhearingthephrase,“ContentisKing.”Astrueasitmaybe,today’sprospectsinstinctivelygravitatetosearchenginestoansweralltheirburningquestions.Themistakemanybusinessesmakeisthateveniftheychurnoutcontinuouscontent,theydon’tmakeitpartoftheiroverallstrategy.Yourcontentandpublishingeffortsmustbefocusedon

achievingtwothings:buildingtrustandeducating.Thesetwocategoriesofcontentstrategymustbedeliveredthroughthecreationofveryspecificformsofcontent,notsimplythroughsheervolume.Everybusinessisnowapublishingbusiness,soyoumuststarttothinklikeone.

Contentthatbuildstrust

• Blog:Blogsaretheabsolutestartingpointforcontentstrategybecauseitmakescontentproduction,syndicationandsharingsoeasy.Thesearchenginesloveblogcontent,nottomentionthefactthatblogsallowonetoproduceandorganizeagreatdealofeditorialthinking.Contentproducedonablogcaneasilybeexpandedandadaptedtobecomecontentforarticles,workshopsande‐books.

• Socialmedia:ThefirststepinthesocialmediacontentgameistoclaimallthefreeopportunitiestocreatesocialmediaprofilesonsiteslikeLinkedInandFacebook.AlsoclaimyourprofileswithinBusinessWeek,EntrepreneurandInc.magazinecommunities.Buildingrichprofiles,andoptimizinglinks,



imagesandvideosthatpointbacktothemainsiteisanimportantpartofthecontentstrategyplay.

• Reviews:RatingsandreviewssitessuchasYelp!,MerchantCircleand

CitySearchhavebecomemainstream,user‐generatedcontenthubs.ThefactthatGoogle,YahooandBingallallowotherstorateandreviewbusinessesmakesthesesitesanincreasinglyimportantcategoryofcontentthatsavvybusinessesmustparticipatein.Businesseswillneverhavetotalcontroloverthiscategory,butignoringitmaybeoneofthemostdamagingforcesforabrand.Proactive,aggressivemonitoringofthischannelisamust.

• Testimonials:Customertestimonialsareapowerfulformofcontent.Every

businesstodayshouldseekcustomercontentinmultipleforms:written,audioandvideo.ThiscontentaddsimportanttrustbuildingendorsementsandmakesforgreatbrandbuildingassetsonGoogleandYouTube.

Contentthateducates

• ThePointofViewWhitePaper:Everybusinessshouldhaveawell‐developedcorestorythat’sdocumentedintheformofawhitepaperore‐book.Thiscontentmustdivedeeplyintowhatmakesafirmdifferent,whatthesecretsauceis,howthecompanyapproachescustomerservice,andwhythefirmdoeswhatitdoes.ThisideaisexpoundeduponinTheReferralEngine.Thisistheprimerforacompany’seducationalcontentpush.

• Seminars:Today,peoplewantinformationpackagedinwaysthatwillhelpthemgetwhattheywant.Presentations,workshopandseminars(onlineandoff)aretremendouswaystoprovideeducationwiththeaddedpunchofengagement.Turningone’spointofviewwhitepaperintoa45‐minute,value‐packedsessionisoneofthemosteffectivewaystogenerate,nurture,andconvertleads.

• FAQs:Therearethosewhowanttoknowoneveryspecificthingaboutthecompanyorapproachandtheselearnersgetthemostvalueoutofthetraditional“frequentlyaskedquestions”approach.There’snodenyingthevalueofinformationpackagedinthisformat.Gobeyondthequestionsthatroutinelygetaskedandincludethosethatshouldgetaskedbutdon’t,particularlytheonesthathelppositionthecompanyfavorablyagainstthecompetition.

• Successstories:Buildingrichexamplesofactualclientssucceedingthrough

theuseoftheproductorserviceofferingsisatremendouswaytohelppeoplelearnfromotherindividualsandbusinessesjustlikethem.Whenprospectsseethemselvesinasuccessstory,theycanmoreeasilyarriveata



placewheretheycanimaginegettingthosesameresults.Thisisanotherformofcontentthatbegstobeproducedinvideo.

• Alloftheaboveelementsshouldbebuiltintoamarketingplanwitha

processtocreate,updateandcurateeach.Step 4: Create a Total Web Presence

Therewasatime,justafewshortyearsagoreally,whensmallbusinessesfinallyconcludedtheymustusethewebtosupplementtheirmarketingeffortsandcreateanotherpotentialchannelformarketingmessages.Today’sbusinessmustevolvethatthinkingradicallyagain‐‐orfaceextinction.Theonslaughtofsocialmediausedidn’tsimplycreateanothersetofmarketingtactics,

itsignaled,tothoseviewingitstrategically,ashiftinthemarketinglandscapethathasbecomepreposterouslyevident.TheWebanddigitalinteractivitynowrepresentthecenterofthemarketinguniverse.Mostmarketingdecisionsmuststartandendthere.Today’ssmallbusinessmustviewitsmarketingstrategiesandtacticswithaneyeongrowingtheonlinecenterandradiatingbeyondwithspokesthatfacilitatemostoftheofflinetransactionalfunctionsthatdrivesalesandservice.Allbusinesses,regardlessofindustry,havebecomewhatwelikerefertoasO2O(onlinetooffline)businesses.Theirprimarymarketingobjectivesarefocusedondrivingpeopleonlinetodrivethemoffline.Inthateffort,theonlinecorewebpresencehassignificantlyheightenedresponsibilities.Furthermore:

• Whileadvertisingwasusedprimarilytocreateasaleorenhanceanimage,itmustnowbeusedtocreateawarenessaboutwebcontent.

• WhileSEOwasprimarilyafunctionofoptimizingawebsite,itmustnowbeafunctionofoptimizingbrandassetsacrosssocialmedia.

• Whileleadgenerationusedtoconsistofbroadcastingmessages,itmustnowrelyheavilyonbeingfoundintherightplaceattherighttime.

• Whileleadconversionoftenconsistedofmultiplesalescallstosupplyinformation,itmustnowsupplementwebinformationgatheringwithvaluedelivery.

• Whilereferralsusedtobeasimplematterofpassinganame,referralsnowrelyheavilyonanorganization’sonlinereputation,ratingsandreviews.



• Whilephysicalstorelocationhasalwaysmattered,nowtheonlinelocationforthelocalbusinesshasbecomealifeanddeathmatter.

Ifyouarestilllookingatmarketingeffortsinalinearway–withonlinetacticsfallingsomewhereinline–it’sessentialthatyouchangethisviewentirely.Today’sbusinessownermustbuildfromthecenterfirst.Onlythencanthesmallbusinesscreatethestrongfoundationthatwillcarrythecompany’smarketingeffortsintothenextdecade.

Step 5: Operate a Lead Generation Trio Traditionalleadgenerationtactics:directoryadvertising,tradeshowparticipation,halfpageprintads,arequicklyloosingappealwithsmallbusinessowners.Therearetwoverygoodreasonsforthisdecline:

1. Traditionalmethodsaresomeofthemostexpensive.

2. Traditionalmethodsareprovinglesseffectiveintermsofleadgeneration.

Messageandinformationoverload,technologytoblockads(CallerID,TiVo,XMRadio)andtheavailabilityofinformationmaymaketraditionalandmoreexpensiveoutboundmarketingeffortsathingofthepast.Smallbusinessesmustchangethewaytheythinkaboutandapproachleadgeneration.Theymustthinkmoreintermsofbeingfoundandlessintermsoffinding.Peoplearestilllookingforsolutions,tryingoutnewservicesandbuyingthingstheywant,they’vejustchangedhowtheygoaboutdoingit.Inaway,thecontrolofmessageconsumptionhaschangedwithit.Technologyhasmadethephonedirectorypocket‐portable.ThereisnoneedtotraveltothetradeshowbecausetheinteractivedemoisonYouTube,blogs,searchenginesandsocialmediasites.Alltheproductinformation,answersandreviewsonecouldeverconsumearedeliveredwithouteverleavinghome.So,inordertogenerateleadsandbefound,businessesmustputthemselvesinthepathofpeoplewhoarelearningabout,askingabout,andshoppingabouttheirparticularindustries.Leadgenerationdoesnotneedtobedoneexclusivelyonline.Thisadviceshouldnotleadbusinessestoconcludethattheyshouldn’tuseadvertisingatall.Whatbusinessownersshouldunderstandisthattheironline



presenceisthehubofeducationandthatonlineandofflineadvertising,PR,andreferralsystemsmustutilizetoitsfullestpotential.Onecanthinkofitaslightingcandlesalongdarkpathssothatwearytravelerscandiscoverthecompanyinthedark.Thosecandlesaretheeducation‐basedentriesinsocialmediahubslikeTwitterandFacebook–gentleguidesofintroduction.TheyarethePReffortsandarticles,writtentoilluminateone’sexpertise.Theyaretheblogposts,designedtoattractsurferslookingfortheway.Theyarethestrategicpartnerships,alignmentsthatevoketrust.Theyarethewebconferences,providinginteractivediscussionswithcustomersandprospects.Theyarethecommunitybuildingevents,placeswherecandlescanbere‐litandshared.Youcannolongersitback,dumpanofferinthemailandstartworkingthephones.You’vegottobuildyourinboundmarketingmachineandstarttakingadvantageofthepowerofinformation,networking,trust,connection,andcommunitytogenerateleads.Today’sintegratedleadgenerationtrioconsistsofcreatingeducation‐basedapproachesthatblendtheuseofadvertising,publicrelationsandreferrals.

1. Advertising:Advertisingisusedinhighlytargeted,measurablewaystopromoteawarenessofeducation‐basedcontent:suchaswhitepapers,audiosandseminars.Itcarriesthehighestcostandlowestcredibility,butisalsotheonlyleadgenerationtacticthatcanbecompletelycontrolled.Advertisingworkswhenutilizedasdescribedandmustbepartoftheoverallmix.

2. Publicrelations:PRissuchapowerful,credibleandlowcosttool.Itisanareathatisoftenunderutilizedbysmallbusinesses.There’snorealmagictogeneratingpositivepress.It’sagameofbuildingrelationshipswithahandfulofkeyjournalistsandcommittingtocreatingannouncementsandsmallstorieseverymonthusingacombinationoflocalpresscontactsandonlinesocialmediatools.

3. Referrals:Referralgenerationisprimarilyaprocessoffindingwaystobe

morereferablefirst.Itstartswiththemindsetofmakingeverycustomerareferralsourceandmakingiteasyforthemtodoso.Oncethisisinorder,youcanmovetobuildinganetworkofstrategicpartnersthatcanbereliedontorefernewcustomers.Theseleadsareoftenthehighestquality.

Whilemostbusinessesfindtheydevelopaprimaryleadgenerationtactic,it’sthethoughtfulcombinationofrepeatedcontacts,consistentlyplaced,thatleadstothegreatestlong‐termtrust‐buildingmarketing.



Step 6: Make Selling a System Oftentimes,thequickestwaytomakeanimpactonanorganization’smarketingresultsistogotoworkontheleadconversionorsalesprocess.Thelackofanysemblanceofasystematicapproachtosellingisthebiggestweaknessformostsmallbusinesses.

Thefocusofmarketingisalmostalwaysongeneratingmoreleads.Whileleadsarecertainlyimportant,theobsessionwithgeneratingthemconsumesasignificantamountoftimeandmoney.Installingasalessystem,onethateveryoneinvolvedinsellingintheorganizationoperates,isthefastestwaytoimproveoverallmarketingresults.(We’reassumingyou’vealsonarrowlydefinedyouridealclient‐http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2010/11/03/5‐steps‐to‐the‐perfect‐client/,createdasignificantwaytodifferentiateyourbusiness‐http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2010/02/08/5‐questions‐you‐should‐ask‐every‐customer/,andareconsistentlybuildingtrustthrougheducationalcontent‐http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2010/10/15/content‐as‐an‐essential‐strategy/)Theendresultformostbusinessesweworkwithisthatwedramaticallyreducedthenumberofleadstheyarechasing(decreasedexpense)whilealsodramaticallyincreasingthenumberleadstheyareconvertingtocustomers(increasedrevenue.)Ifyou’removingprospectslogicallythroughMarketingHourglass(http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2009/09/28/the‐easiest‐way‐to‐explain‐the‐marketing‐process/)youwillnoticethatbythetimetheygetseriousaboutabuyingdecision,they’vealreadysoldthemselves.Thisapproachalmostmakessellinganon‐issueanddeliversstunninglyhighconversionrates.Belowaretheessentialingredientsneededtooperateyourleadconversionsystem:

• Discovery:Youmusthaveaplannedresponsewhenaleadasksformoreinformation.Iknowthissoundsobvious,butfewbusinessesdomorethanreact.Inordertomoveprospects,youmusthaveacalltoaction,educationplan,andfilterthathelpsqualifyanddirectleadstothenextstep.Thisisasignificantstepandonethatcanhelpyoustopchasingthewrongleadswhilealsogivingyouanopportunitytocreateauniqueexperience.Interruptthenormforyourindustryhereandyou’llhelpfurthercementhowyou’redifferent.



• Presentation:Onceaprospectdeterminesitneedstoknowmoreaboutyourspecificofferings,eitherbywayofademoorsalescall,it’simportantthatyouhaveasetwaytopresentyourorganization.Thisisapointwheremanysalesfolksgooutandtrytoanswerthequestionsthatprospectshave.Theproblemwiththisapproachismostprospectsdon’tknowwhatquestionstheyshouldhave;soit’sreallyuptoyoutostartaddingvalueintherelationshipbypresentingwhatyouknowisuseful,whilealsodiscoveringtheiruniquechallenges.Thisispartscripted,partart,butitshouldbepracticedconsistentlyacrosstheorganization.

• Nurturing:Dependinguponthebuyinghabitsofyouridealcustomeror

salescycleforyourparticularindustry,youwillneedasystematicapproachforkeepingleadsthatarestartinganinformationseekingprocesswarmastheymovetowardsabuyingdecision.Thisisaplacewheretechnologycancertainlyhelpyoumakeautomatedcontactsviaemailorsnailmail.Creatingplannededucationevents,suchasonlineseminarsandpeer‐to‐peerpaneldiscussions,isalsoanotherveryeffectivewaytonurtureleadsandcontinuetoeducate.

• Transaction:Formanyinselling,thegameendswhenthecustomersaysyes.Yourleadconversionsystemmustbecreatedinawaythatdeliversthesameexperienceonceaprospectbecomesacustomeraswasdeliveredthroughoutthecourtingperiod.Thebestwaytodothisisthroughaplannedorientationprocesswhereyoucontinuetheeducationalapproachbyteachingthecustomerhowtogetthemostfromwhatthey’veagreedtobuy.Thiscanbethroughasimpletrainingvideooramoreelaboratenewcustomerprocess,butthisimportantstepleadstoasmoothtransitionfromprospecttocustomerandoftensetsthetoneforadditionalpurchasesandreferrals.

• Review:Yoursellingsystemwon’tbecompleteuntilyoucreateaprocessthatallowsyoutomeasureandcommunicatetheresultsyourcustomersareexperiencing.Oneofthebestwaystodothisisthroughsomeformofaplannedresultsreviewprocess.Bysettingtheexpectationforthisprocessupfrontyousendaverystrongsignalthatresultsmatter,butyoualsogettheopportunitytoaddressissuesthatdidn’tgoasexpected,aswellascollectclientsuccessstoriesandtestimonialsfromyourhappiestclients.



Step 7: Living By the Calendar It’stoughtogetaroundtomarketing,Wegetit.Youdidn’tstartyourbusinessbecauseyouweredyingtogetyourhandsdirtywithblogging,copywriting,andselling.Butyousoonfoundoutthatyourbusinesswoulddieifyoudidnot.So,whattodo?Thesecrettogettingmarketingdoneistomakeitahabit.

Or,ifwemayroughlyparaphraseAristotle‐“Wearewhatwerepeatedlydo.Marketing,then,isnotanact,butahabit.”Mostofushavemoreexperiencetryingtobreakabadhabitthanestablishagoodone.Thesecretistocreateasystemandprocessonsxlybecomessecondnature.Whenitcomestomarketing,we’velearnedthatsmallbusinessownerscanmovetowardsmakingmarketingahabitbydoingthesethreethings.

1. Monthlythemes:chooseonebigmarketingneed–redoyourwebsite,writeyourmarketingkit,createanewcustomerprocess–andmakeitthethemeforthatmonth–youcanevenplanoutthenext6monthsthiswayandyou’llstandabetterchanceofactuallygettingthesedone.Thisisagreatideawhenitcomestogettingyourentirestafffocusedononething.Theproblemcomeswetrytodoitallatonce.Wegointooverwhelmanddon’tgetanythingdone.Makeitsimple,takethelongview,andwatchwhathappens.

2. Weeklyreviews:Whenitcomesrightdowntoit,onceyou’reclearonyourmarketingstrategy,marketingitselfbecomesasetofprojects.Whenyoustarttolookatmarketingasthehabitoffocusingonagroupofprojects,youcanbegintobreakthoseprojectsdownintoactionstepsortasks.Yourweeklymarketingreviewshouldincludeeveryoneinyourorganizationandposethesimplequestion–“Whatneedsbedonenext?”toeachprojectonyourplate.

3. Dailyappointments:Whileyoumayhavemanythingsonyourdailycalendar,makeitahabittoscheduleonetimeslotdedicatedtosolelymarketingeachday.Thisistheonlywaytokeepthefocuswhereitbelongs–onconstantadvancementandimprovement.



Hire a Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Consultant Look,youknowwhatyoudobest,andI’mguessingyou’rereadingthisguidebecausemarketingisn’tit.Though,maybeyouknowallaboutmarketing,butitjustneverseemstogetdone.Hireamarketingconsultanttohelpyoucompletetheultimatemarketingplan.You’llreceiveone‐on‐oneattentionfromamarketingprothatcanhelpyoucraftapowerfulmarketingplan,holdyouaccountableforcompletingtheeachstepandthenshowyoujusthowtoimplementtheplantogrowyourbusiness.DuctTapeMarketingConsultant–Needhelpimplementinganyandallofthestrategiesinthisworkbook?TheprofessionallistedbelowisaspeciallytrainedandauthorizedDuctTapeMarketingconsultantwhocanleadyouonthepathtoexplosivegrowth.

Contact: Brad Tornberg 9405 Town Center Blvd. Voorhees, NJ 08043 [email protected] www.marketsimplicity.com



About the Author John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, award winning social media publisher and author of two best selling books - Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine . He is the creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System and Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network that trains and licenses

small business marketing consultants around the world. His blog was chosen as a Forbes favorite for marketing and small business and his podcast, a top ten marketing show on iTunes, was called a “must listen” by Fast Company magazine. He is the featured marketing contributor to American Express OPENForum and is a popular presenter of workshop and webinars for organizations such as American Express, Intuit, Verizon, HP, and Citrix. His practical take on small business is often cited as a resource in publications such as the Wall St. Journal, New York Times, and CNNMoney. What others are saying about John Jantsch “John Jantsch is the Peter Drucker of small business marketing tactics.”

Seth Godin, author of Linchpin

“John Jantsch has a real knack for boiling marketing for the small business down to simple but highly practical action steps. His presentations are inspirational, motivational and always full of real-world information.”

Ken Yancey, CEO SCORE

“Kansas City based marketing consultant and entrepreneur John Jantsch has earned a large following among small business owners with his Duct Tape Marketing Web site, where he dispenses tips, strategies, and tactics to help entrepreneurs expand their businesses.”



Documents

7 Steps to Marketing System Successmarketsimplicity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/7STEPS... · 2018. 2. 21. · Step 2: The Marketing Hourglass TM Most marketers are familiar with