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Small Business Marketing: Top 10 Ways to Succeed 

Small Business Marketing:  6-10 Ways for Success              Page #2 

(6) Every good small business marketing director knows who their customers are, all of their customers, including their distributors.  You should all work together to get the right goods to the right place at the right time.  Your distribution channel may consist of anything from just you and the people who stop by your door, to a network of sales reps, distributors, retailers and others.  Good small business marketing programs recognize that finding value in buying exchanges are important for every member of the distribution channel.

(7) Intelligent small business marketing means being aware of the different behaviors of your target market segments. You will be successful when you have developed somewhat of a "customer imagination", knowing what influences purchase decisions. You need to be able to think as your customer would think, and imagine what they would want.  Be sensitive to the influences on buyers, and aware of their cultural expectations and behavioral motivations.  When you develop empathy to the degree that you anticipate customer needs, you will continue to grow in your small business marketing success. 

(8) You need to know that people do business with people, so place value on developing your people skills, including the sales skills of members of your staff.  Advertising only brings people in the door. It is the people skills and sales skills that turn prospects into customers.  Maximize your small business marketing efforts by perfecting your selling approach and transmitting these skills to others in your company.  Advertising is only a prelude to the more personal aspect of the small business marketing process.  Therefore, the quality of your sales staff is at least as important as the quality of your advertising program.

(9) Your small business marketing program should have a communications plan that includes public relations, paid advertising activity and a promotional strategy. Develop a strong sense of the benefits of your product or service and then communicate that clearly through every appropriate medium.  Use promotions to add incentives to buy, when it suits your small business marketing goals.

(10) Apply sound budgeting techniques to your small business marketing activities.  Effective marketing means you experience the cash out-flow, usually long before you see any in-flow. You can't let that bother you.  Instead, use a disciplined approach to set realistic budgets and measure performance against your small business marketing goals. 

You should always remember that your business will always be successful to the degree that you make your customer successful.  Also, it is always incredibly important to keep a positive attitude and persevere. Whenever you get dispirited about the progress you are making with your small business marketing strategy, just re-read this top 10 list. It will help you to get back on the road to small business marketing success.  

  Also See 1-5   Page #1

Information from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Marketing Basics

By Paul Susic MA Licensed Psychologist  Ph.D Candidate CEO/President Susic Psychological Consulting P.C. 

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