Marketing From The Heart: Issue # 31

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Marketing From The Heart: Issue # 31
Copyright © Zerald Communications Corporation 2003
http://www.zerald.com
All Rights Reserved.

By Tom St. Louis – “Canada’s Marketing Wizard”

May 9, 2003
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The 4 Deadliest Marketing Sins (Adapted from "The 5 Fundamentals of Marketing" by Tom St. Louis

Yes, yes, we all know just how incredibly important
marketing is.

Hundreds of books have been written and numberless
seminars are enthusiastically attended every year. I
see a lot of would be wizards out there sagely
recommending things they’ve never tried themselves.
There are more hopes and fears and disappointments
and delusions generated by the marketing aspirations
of business owners than grains of sand in the Sahara.

I’ve been saying in my talks for years that mindset is
more important than strategy. If a person had the
right beliefs and mental focus, marketing would be
irrelevant. The clarity and force of their message—
and being—would be irresistible.

For the rest of us mere mortals, it’s important to
effectively communicate the value of our product or
service through normal channels. What is marketing
but communicating value?

But, and this is a very big but, when your mindset
needs tuning, your marketing cannot reach its
intended target. My friendly neighborhood golf pro
told me the other day that a 300 yard drive will
not hit the fairway if it’s even one degree off
target. So what are the errors of thinking that
keep SME owners from hitting their target?

Here are four which I consider to be particularly
damaging. I’ll bet you a nickel you’ll see yourself
in these errors. If you can see that you fall prey
to them, you will be in a position to adjust your
“swing” and hit the fairway every time.

Deadliest Marketing Sin #1:
Losing Sight of Your Objective

In order for me to illustrate this point, let me
tell you a story. I call it the Streetlamp Story.

Once upon a time, a man was walking on an unlit
street in the middle of the night and accidentally
dropped his wristwatch. This was upsetting to him
because the watch had been a gift from his
grandfather.

So he got down on all fours and felt in every
direction until he was frantic. He just couldn’t
find it. Then he had an idea. So he looked up
towards the corner where the streetlight was
shining brightly. Even though the lamp was 100
yards from where he dropped his watch, he walked
over there and looked under the light.

Why? Because at least he could see where he was
looking!

If you think the guy was stupid, you might have
a point. But I’m here to tell you that we all
lose sight of our objectives and we all get
caught up in the tactics and activities we are
comfortable with. And when we do, we are just
like the guy looking under the streetlamp for his
watch.

Deadliest Marketing Sin #2:
Default to Cheap and Easy

The most common error companies make, usually
fatal, is that they choose to do what’s convenient
for themselves rather than what will create the
strongest and most lasting impression in the
minds of their prospects and clients.

Many company owners or marketing directors start
with a clear objective in mind. But when it comes
to deploy their marketing, they ratchet back to
what is financially and logistically comfortable.

That’s a terrible error!

If you want your marketing to have lasting impact,
when your prospects and clients are being bombarded
by 3000 marketing messages a day, you’ll have to
step up to the plate and be distinctive. You’ll
never get there by making it cheap and easy for
yourself.

Notice I did not say that you must overspend. I
said you must be willing to be distinctive. An
obsession with cost cutting will hurt you. These
days, thousands of business owners want to believe
that, for example, fax broadcasting can do it all.

Why do they think that?

Because it’s cheap and easy! Don’t fall into that
trap.

Deadliest Marketing Sin #3:
Inconsistent Implementation

If you implement your marketing only when you get
around to it, the most discerning prospects will
see you as a “marketing dilettante”, and they will
take a pass on your products or services. One of
the big changes the Internet has made in our
perceptions is that it has led us to realize that,
as buyers, we have infinite choices, so we may as
well go for the very best deal possible.

When you communicate sporadically, or in a way
that is not clear, it is obvious that you are
not the best, and that negatively affects your
client retention, your referral rate, and your
new client acquisition.

Consistency and Clarity are the best messages
you can send. Of course it follows that you
cannot create the impression of consistency when
your marketing is inconsistent.

Deadliest Marketing Sin #4:
Being a “One-Note Johnny”

Many companies like to do one particular thing
in their marketing—let’s say for example that
it’s sending E-mail—which is all too common
these days. Sending E-mail is a great thing,
but the impact of E-mail diminishes if it’s your
only marketing activity.

Remember, combinations work better than any one
tactic.

E-mail is appropriate for certain kinds of
messages and not others. So, even though sending
E-mail is cheap and easy, by itself E-mail simply
cannot substitute for other modes of
communications—especially when they are in the
right combination.

Whether your preferred mode of marketing is
through phone or E-mail, fax, direct mail or
networking, always keep in mind that it’s a
combination—strategically deployed and
consistently implemented—that will have a
multiplier effect on all your efforts.

So what’s the right mindset for marketing
success? It’s quite simple, really. You can
decide what you want to offer and to whom.
Then you can systematically and strategically
communicate it to them so that they conclude
that you are the only company it makes sense
to deal with it.

The thing that will most powerfully differentiate
you from your competitors is the commitment to
communicate strategically and in combinations of
ways—forever!

If you haven’t read my latest manifesto:
“The 5 Fundamentals of Marketing”, go to:
www.ProfitMachine.net and download your copy -- free.

All the best,

Tom St. Louis

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P.S. If this issue of Marketing From The Heart has
been inspiring, useful or thought-provoking, please
take a moment and forward it to your friends and
associates.

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