Basics - Basics - Basics

Secret Shoppers do a pretty good job of helping you see your business from a different point of view. This week, just have a friend shop your store and report back to you.

Remember, it doesn't matter what you think of your business -- it is what your customers think. Find out.

Have a great week.

Are your commercials up to date?

Today is the first day of summer.

Are your commercials talking about the right thing?

Remember, you need to make sure that your commercials (audio and print) are timely and tied together. If you are promoting something in print, you should be promoting the same thing in broadcast.

What better time than the first day of summer to double check your commercials.

Have a great day.

Word of mouth

How is your word of mouth advertising?

When I talk to people about advertising, they like to tell me that word of mouth is their best form of advertising. Here is what I tell them.

1. If your word of mouth is not good -- no form of advertising will really help you. Remember, advertising is about telling your story. If you don't have a good story, it is hard for any medium to help you.

2. Word of mouth advertising is slow. You have no control over the speed or accuracy of word of mouth. I can assure you of this, bad word of mouth will be faster than good word of mouth.

So this week, work hard on building your story so all your advertising can improve. Have a great week.

Do you have company coming?

We are expecting some company this week. So this weekend, we were doing a few of the maintenance chores. You know, the kind you know you should do, but really never get around to it, unless company is coming.

So what marketing "chores" do you need to do that you have been putting off?

A new training program so your employees provide better service.

Talk to your graphic designer about updating your logo.

Perhaps it is a new commission plan for your sales team.

Believe it or not, that is all a part of your marketing plan. Better hurry, you know how company just sometimes shows up.

By the way -- we are offering a lunch and learns for web advertisers at Hometown Radio. It's every Wednesday and Thursday at 11:30. We will buy lunch and get you in an hour. Call (417) 334-6003 Have you seen our new site yet? www.hometowndailynews.com

It's always about marketing

I was with some friends on Friday night. We talked about everything under the sun.

A brief comment inspired this post. We began talking about a business where my friend had made 4 major purchases. He said that the owner of the business will barely give anyone the time of day when he is in the store.

We are talking about a business who does a considerable amount of advertising. Remember advertising can only do so much - you have to walk the walk - not just talk the talk. I believe that the owner should talk to every customer that he sees, but he should at least be smart enough to know his top customers.

This week, take some time to see how you might be hurting your marketing. Because it's always about marketing.

Do you know the answer?

How many more customers do you need to hit your goal?

In order to answer that question, you need to know the answer to two questions.

1. What is your goal?
2. How many customers are you serving everyday?

There are two types of people reading this right now.

1. The people who know the answer and thinks this is a pretty simple entry.
2. Those who are thinking, I really should know that?

If you want your business to grow, answer these questions and then start working to get from point A to point B. Good Luck!

You are always marketing!

Realtors will tell you that curb appeal is a huge part of selling a home. What kind of curb appeal does your business offer to your customers? If you can't keep the weeds and grass mowed in your own business, how do you expect a customer to believe that you can help them?

The same concept is true with your company vehicles. It is important to make sure that they are saying what you want communicated to the public.

Who is answering the phone? More and more companies are going to automation. It is more efficient and to that degree I understand. However, is the automation easy for the caller to work through? Nothing will replace a warm voice with a caring spirit answering the phone in your business. Your customers appreciate it.

On the reverse side, there are those of us who should not be answering the phones on a regularly basis. If you have the wrong person answering the phones, your business will suffer.

These are simple reminders, but sometimes it is the small simple stuff that turns into monsters. Think about how your business is doing in these areas. Have a great week.