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The Three Worst Marketing Mistakes You Can Make
Marketing is what we do that puts us in a position to make a sale. Good marketing makes selling easier. Bad marketing may make selling impossible.
We market to strangers so some of them will respond with at least potential interest in what we have to offer.
We market to our clients and customers in order to move them up to the next level of products or services.
Most of us put a lot of time, money, and effort into marketing. For most of us it is the key activity we use to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.
But when we don't deliver on the promises we make in our marketing we unleash the deadly 3/33 viruses on ourselves.
The 3/33 virus will destroy the marketing we have done in the past and it will make it very difficult to successfully market - at least to some prospects - in the future. And for the most part the 3/33 virus is a do-it-to-yourself process.
The 3/33 virus is word of mouth marketing on steroids - in reverse. Here's how it works:
When you fulfill a promise, deliver excellent service, and/or come in under budget - they might tell 3 people. And that usually is because you asked them for referrals.
But if you screw up, don't do what you said you would do, or fail to deliver in any way - in your customer's mind - they will tell at least 33 people. This can be disaster.
You know I am speaking the truth. Remember the last time you got poor service in a restaurant and how many people you went out of your way to tell about it?
Here are three ways to guarantee that all the marketing you've done will backfire on you.
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Don't Do What You Said You'd Do
This past summer I entered into a collaborative agreement with a colleague: I would refer customers to his business and he would offer those customers a discount. Seemed like a win-win for everybody.
However, he failed to follow through. Upon my recommendation, interested clients sought to order this colleague's product. But when they tried to order using the agreed upon discount code, there was no record of such a discount.
This was very frustrating for those who tried to place orders. And it was disappointing to me not only because of the frustration my clients experienced, but also because I was let down by a colleague I'd thought to be reliable. And now this colleague has a number of people who will not be purchasing his products or recommending his business in the future.
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Disappear With Your Customer's Money
This seems an obvious no-no. Once in a while I hear stories of people hiring someone via the Internet for a service who keeps the money but disappears without doing the work. However, I don't think that sort of thing is confined to the Internet, I hear just as many, if not more stories of that happening in cases where both parties have met in person, and often upon a recommendation.
Something like this actually happened to me recently: I met a new client through a mutual friend. We met, discussed the project, and both agreed to the scope and fee for the project. I have since completed the project and am now having difficulty securing the agreed upon payment. Not only has this created an awkward situation for our mutual friend, it has made me wary of recommendations from this friend as well as reluctant to recommend the services of this new client.
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Embarrass Your Boss
Everybody's got to serve somebody was a line in one of Bob Dylan's songs. So no matter who you are or the position you have in your company - you do have a boss, maybe many of them.
If you are a small business person, you are likely the person you have to answer to. Or, to take another and more customer-service oriented view, your clients are the ones you have to answer to. Any lack of follow up or following through will not only embarrass your and/or your boss, it will disappoint your clients, which will ultimately hurt your reputation and your business far more than simple embarrassment.
So, who's your boss? Whose opinions are important to you? Who do you serve? Are you doing everything you can and more to make sure you aren't disappointing or embarrassing them?
How can you be sure to avoid the three worst marketing mistakes? Only make promises you can keep, and keep the ones you make. It's as simple as that.