I had agreed to do a guest lecture to a college entrepreneur
class. Before I could begin the instructor asked me, “What is Marketing?”

It got very quiet in that classroom as I tore my notes in half, walked out from behind the podium, shut down the projector and walked back to lean against a table in the front of the room.

Then I answered:

“1. Go where the
money is.”

We all expect to get paid for what we are providing but that
won’t happen if the folks we see as customers or clients can’t pay for our
offering. And we won’t be able to stay in business if there aren’t a number of
them we can sell. So the first marketing task is to locate a group of them in
time, space, interest or viewpoint.

“2. Sell what they
want to buy”

What you sell needs to conform to their needs and desires.
It needs to solve their problems. How you provide the product or service to
them is just as important.

Over 60% of all non-essential purchases made in stores today
are first reviewed on the internet. If you have exclusive merchandise, you may
stand out in their minds. If you have a unique return policy or any other
visible or perceived difference it may separate you from the pack.

“3. Do it again.”

Successful businesses are built on relationships not
transactions.  Whether your business is
wholesale or retail, business to business or business to consumer you can’t
afford one-off sales. Even if the second sale to the same customer is years
later, they can still provide you with ongoing sales via referrals. An initial
sale may be only a dollar or two but over time as that customer comes back six,
eight or 10 times a year it adds up.

In today’s world you need to keep track of those buyers as well. Click here to hear Jerry speak (just five minutes) about Contact Relationship Magic and what you should be looking for.

Jerry Fletcher builds Trust-based marketing strategies that build businesses, careers and lives of joy…on and off line. Speaking web site: www.NetworkingNinja.com

Consulting web site: www.JerryFletcher.com