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Four Deadly Sins of Marketing

By Debra Murphy, Vista Consulting

One of the more frequent comments I get from prospects is that their programs attract many leads, but they don’t get any sales from their efforts. The good news is that they have recognized that they need help and have called to discuss their concerns.

There could be several reasons that this happens. If it is happening to you, make sure you are not committing the following four deadly sins of marketing. These sins certainly won’t commit you to eternal doom, but they could put your business into serious jeopardy.

Do Your Marketing Messages Speak to Your Prospects?

Developing clear, concise messages focused on helping your prospects solve a problem are critical to successful marketing activities. Review your messages and ensure they communicate what you do, for whom you do it, and what benefit they will gain from doing business with you. If your messages are vague, too broad, or inwardly focused, you will lose your prospect quickly.

Messages that do not convey the value and benefit of working with you is a lost opportunity for moving the relationship forward. Don't lead with your process, the “how you do things”. Instead, focus on the outcome, the “what you get when we’re done”. It is far more interesting to your prospect to talk about themselves, what they need, and what they are looking for. Keep the how you do things for later discussions with the prospect once you’ve convinced them you can help them achieve their goals.

Is Your Business Positioned Properly?

Some businesses end up getting categorized incorrectly mostly by their competition, making it very difficult for them to easily explain what they do to their prospects. Remember that positioning is the way in which you want current and potential customers to think about your business. If your business offers a great service which results in a higher return on investment, make sure you position your business as such and not let the competition position your business as the most expensive.

I have a client whose competition positioned them as the high cost service, when in reality they did provide a better, more reliable service that resulted in their clients achieving a more lucrative and reliable cash flow. After turning their messages around and saying this to their prospects, they were able to negate their competitor’s negative messages about them.

Another prospect I’ve spoken with has been put into a general category that compares them to a florist, when actually they are an event designer. The work they do warrants a higher price structure, but they end up being perceived as a high priced florist. Unfortunately, they lose the prospect before they get a chance to explain what they do and how they can turn your special event into a beautiful production.

Can You Differentiate Your Business Effectively?

What is it you can do that others in your field cannot? Can you articulate your key differentiator that sets you apart from others in the crowded market of like businesses? Differentiation is a way to make you stand out from the crowd. When developing a positioning you need to select the most persuasive, meaningful and unique difference that will allow you to compete for the largest number of potential clients. There are four categories of differentiation that you can consider: price, focus, product/service, or customer service. You certainly can have more than one differentiator in different categories; however, you need to make sure that the one you use is the most compelling benefit for your target audience. The key to successful differentiation is to know your clients really well and pick a blend of differentiation methods that truly sets you apart. And remember, the differentiation is about the client, therefore speak in terms of benefits.

Are Your Marketing Materials Professional?

Great messages, clear positioning and differentiation work wonders for businesses. But put them in a less than professional setting and your prospects will never stay long enough to hear them. Your business’s Web site, brochures, and other sales tools have to contain quality content and look professional to get the prospect’s attention. If your Web site is your main fulfillment piece for your marketing programs, be sure to get someone who can effectively represent your brand identity in the design of your site. If your content is vague, lacking substance, or just not clear, get help from someone who can write effective content. Self printed, black and white business cards send a negative message about the lack of success, not frugality as some people may think. Cutting corners and trying to save money on the basics can hurt your business more than you know.

Your Marketing Penance

For your marketing penance, you need to spend one hour on defining your target market and two hours on developing your messages, positioning and differentiation that speaks to this audience. Once these tasks are completed, to ensure you are absolved from your marketing sins, you must determine the most professional way to project these messages to your prospects. The gates of marketing heaven are not that hard to reach!