MARKETING 101

*Activities to drive people to our business and create sales*

 

         

 PIPELINE DOCUMENT ATTACHED!

 

THE PURPOSE OF BUSINESS

In order to understand Sales and Marketing, we must first understand the purpose of business. Unfortunately, many people have the misunderstanding that the purpose of business is to make money.  This couldn't be further from the truth.  Money is a byproduct of successfully providing a solution to someone's problem.

 

"The purpose of business is to solve problems."

 

For most of us who have worked for someone else, all the marketing and advertising was done by the company owner or whoever he gave that job to.  Interest was created and people came into the place of business where we worked.  We did whatever job we were paid to do to help make that business successful. 

But now WE are the "Business Owner," so not only do we get to determine our income and level of success, but we also get to be as creative as we'd like to be, in regards to marketing and advertising our business.

So once we understand that the purpose of business is to solve problems, we can then understand that marketing is all about figuring out . . .

• What problems we have a solution for
• What kinds of people have these problems
• Where these people are and how to reach them
• How to get their attention and interest

IDENTIFY OUR TARGET MARKET

The essence of efficient business resource utilization is in understanding who our potential customer is, what benefit they desire, and how to reach them with our value proposition. Our ability to find potential customers that need our products and to show them that we can solve their problem for a fair value exchange will determine for the most part our business success.

 GET IN FRONT OF YOUR TARGET MARKET THRU:

 1.  Warm Market Approaches & Letters - People You Know 

• Business Announcement Letters - create your list from all databases
  • Christmas card list
  • Address books
  • Cell phone contacts 
  • Professional contacts
  • Facebook
  • Myspace
  • Work contacts
  • People you would invite to child's wedding,
  • Local phone book - start in the A's and go thru the alphabet . . . 
    • who do I know who is an Attorney, Banker, Child care provider, Doctor
• Emails to Announce Business and share your web site.
• Phone calls to Follow Up on letters and emails sent
• Use Indirect Approach - who do you know . . .
  • Make contact and identify interest
  • Give information thru website or DVD
  • Schedule appointment with Sr. Partner
• Offer  Coupons or Certificates (if available)
• HAVE FUN!

2.  Meetings - to Announce Your Business or Introduce New Products 

• Grand Opening/Business Open House:  
  • Most businesses have one to let the public know they're open
  • Opportunity for brand new business owners to showcase their products to people they are comfortable with
  • Invite 20-30 people, send invitations or call 2-3 wks in advance, ask for RSVP, give your phone number and directions, encourage people to bring a friend and offer a prize for whoever brought the most guests
    
  • Share your story - why you started a business
  • Give a short Alkaline Water talk  
  • Water demo, ph test, orp test, etc.
  • Add every name to your Contact list & Follow Up!
     

• Healthy Home Party - make it a potluck party
  • Get together with friends for any occasion at your home
  • Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Lyons Club, Women's Clubs
    
• Business Network Incorporated www.bni.com 
  • Network with other professionals to share your business as you share theirs
  • Chapters will have a plumber, electrician, home builder, HVAC, banker, realtor, wedding planner, doctor, dentist, chiropractor etc. - all people we could share business clients with
  • You'll be in a rotation to give a 10 minute business presentation - Short overview of Kangen water, ph test, orp test to present  benefits of the water.
  • Whole idea of a professional networking group is to give referrals and do business with them.  Motto:  "Givers Gain."  You become connected to not just their current clientele but their warm market and cold market as well.
  • Zig Ziglar said it best, "Help enough people get what they want and you will get what you want."  The best way to build trust & credibility with someone is to refer business to them.

 

3.  Cold Market - People you don't know . . . yet 

• Always be looking for:
  • People with problems we can solve
     
    • Ask questions to uncover a need
  • 
    
  • People who need supplemental income or a career change
• Find people doing things well
  • Pay them a compliment
  • Ask them if they enjoy what they're doing
  • Ask them if they plan to retire from that job
• Word of mouth, elevator speech, short infomercials
  • Step outside your comfort zone
  • Learn to relate to people and show interest in them
  • Be ready to give a short overview of what we do
• Church or School Newsletters or Bulletins
• Local Fundraisers
  • Scouts, Athletics, Civi
• Send Business Announcement Letters to Businesses
  • Daycares, Nursing Homes
  • Follow up with Director, Manager or Administrator
• Placement Referrals - always ask for Referrals to keep your contact list growing
  • Use testimonial letters in your presentation book when contacting referrals

 

4.  DVD, CD, Magazine, Brochure, Business Card - keep on hand

• Have some Tools on hand or in your car to pass out locally
• No real presentation skills needed other than a friendly face
• Make a plan and schedule time to hand out a tool every day to expose people to the products and possibly the business
  • Takes 3 DVDs out with you every day
  • Set a goal to get one appointment with a DVD or brochure every day
  • Be ready to converse with people about what you do
    • 'National Marketing Director looking to field test our  technology and get some testimonials - who do you know . . .'
  • Use Indirect Approach to ask who they know who . . .
• Use 3 feet rule - talk to anyone who comes within 3 feet of you
• Place them in Doctor offices, nursing homes, daycares
• Leave them laying around if you were a patient at an office
• 250 Free Business cards available at www.vistaprint.com

 

5.  Reverse Advertising - look for Professionals who may be open to another income revenue

• Pick up business cards or names from other businesses and contact them to see if they might be interested in adding income to their current occupation
• Find names of professionals on
  • Bulletin boards
  • Flyers
  • Classified Ads
  • Commercial trucks with business name on side
  • Direct mail sent to us 
• 
  

 

6.  Classified Ads - low cost advertising

• Small newspapers are read more thoroughly and cost less; best to target towns of 20,000-30,000 population
• Be repetitive; Run them for several weeks.  Usually, people see things multiple times before responding.  It builds a feeling they can trust you if you're around for awhile.
• Magazines to target niche markets
• Work at home ads; possibly focused on economic challenges/extra income, job loss, mothers with small children, retirees . . .
• Retail ads marketing our products. These ads should focus on offering solutions.
• Have an Attention Grabber as a catchy lead or header
• Don't spend a lot of money - keep the ads short and simple.  Research various papers and get cost estimates of running your ad.
• Use local number if you're running ads locally or an 800 number if your ad is online or out of the local area code

 

8.  Direct Mail

• Low cost way to expose or market your business to a lot of people 
• Decide what you want to advertise: product, business or grand opening
• Create Material:  Postcards, Letters, Flyers, Sales Ads, Doorhangers
  • www.VistaPrint.com for 100 free postcards
  • www.SonicPrint.com
  • www.SendOutCards.com
  • Numberous places print hundreds of doorhangers for a few cents each.
• Create a Mailing list targeting specific areas or niche markets
  • Search www.salesgenie.com, by zip, city/county, home owner, household income, pets, high-tech household, etc.  They will send 100 free contacts in a file that you can then import directly into microsoft work to print labels.
  • For doorhangers, target neighborhoods with high electric bills or playgrounds in the backyard (make the hanger germ-related or supplemental-income based).  Spend half a day and get some exercise!  Have a plan and an answer ready for anyone who asks what you are doing.
• Mail and follow up using www.dexknows.com or www.411.com
• Plan your follow up and write out a script to practice with, so you're prepared and know what to say when you engage in conversation or follow up

Blogging for free leads/conversations

• Create your own blog page at www.blogger.com
• A form of Instant Messaging

Business chat rooms - find people with similar business interests

 

  Trade Booths

• Animal shows (animals drink water too!)
• Health expos
• New Home shows
• Home Improvement shows 
• Be sure to talk to other Vendors at  shows, visit other booths, become an affiliate if their business compliments ours help each other market products
• Set up a booth with some of our products,
  

 

 

SUMMARY

 

We trust that you will use these 'Marketing 101' Team Call presentation notes as a resource to help you develop your marketing creativity.  As the marketing pipeline diagram shows, there are so many ways and methods to expose our products and business and you can tailor any of these strategies to use with your talents and skills. 

 

Don't be overwhelmed by trying to do everything.

We recommend you choose 1 or 2 methods

that excite or appeal to you and . . .

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** Become Competent in a Major and a Minor **

 

The most important thing is to

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!! TAKE ACTION !!

 

It's been said that 85% of your success in any business is determined by your ability to relate well with others.  Life is about relationships so no matter what you do, do your personal development every day to improve your people skills and most of all, have fun!

 

 

Share the product!

Share the opportunity!

Improve Yourself!

 

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