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That’s a simple question that is often asked. What I find most confusing is why so many companies have a hard time defining the difference between marketing and sales when establishing the job functions of those responsible. The border lines are frequently blurred. But until you really understand the difference between Marketing and Sales, you will not be able to assemble a good marketing strategy for your business or for your online marketing efforts.
What Marketing Really is:
The sole responsibility of your Marketing Strategy or Marketing Plan is to get potential clients to ‘raise their hand’ and say they have an interest in your product or service. It’s about the equivalent to standing up in front of a room of school children and asking ‘who wants cookies?’ I am sure you can imagine that every hand would go up!
Now, that’s a real simple marketing strategy, but in a nutshell, that’s really all your marketing plan is. The simple question makes no effort to sell anything; you haven’t presented an offer; you have only determined that every child in the room wants what you have. Cookies.
A Simple Start to a Marketing Strategy:
Taking this up a notch, consider a simple marketing plan for a Chiropractor who runs an ad or distributes flyers or post cards with the headline “Do You Suffer From Back Pain?”. If you’re not a back pain sufferer, it’s not going to attract your interest and that’s fine. Although not specifically discussed by marketing guru’s and marketing text books, that too is part of your marketing plan. Eliminate those who have no interest in your product or service. (More about that part of marketing later!)
On the other hand, that simple headline start to your marketing plan will most certainly attract anyone who has issues with back pain. That’s exactly what a marketing strategy is supposed to do.
It's just a Headline:
That one simple headline doesn’t make any offer; there is no specific service mentioned; at this point, we really don’t even know if the good doctor has a solution for your back pain! But that simple marketing plan or strategy is doing one thing. That is, getting anyone interested to ‘raise their hand’ or ‘take a look’ or, if part of a website or advertisement, that headline is grabbing the readers by the eyeballs and pushing them to read more. (For more details about how important headlines are to your marketing plan, see this information on how to structure headlines for an effective marketing strategy).
Of course, as you build your marketing strategy, that headline would then include additional information and ultimately make an offer. Your offer should be attractive enough to get the reader or website visitor to take action. Understand that taking action does not necessarily mean ‘make a purchase’. At least, not at this time. When it comes to marketing, taking action could be
- Calling for more information
- Calling or e-mailing for a Free Brochure
- Contacting you for a free evaluation
- Contacting you for no obligation quote
- Listing to a recorded message for more information
- Downloading a Free Report from your Website
Attracting the attention of your prospects (those who are interested because the headline attracted their attention) and making them a good offer is really the sum total of your marketing strategy.
How do I Know My Marketing Is Really Working?:
That’s pretty simple to figure out. Regardless of your actual sales, marketing is what should ‘get the phone to ring’. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be the phone. It could be an e-mail message or subscribing to your e-mail list on your website.
In short, your marketing strategy is working if potential (qualified) prospects are contacting you for more information.
When Your Marketing Plan isn't Working:
If you are advertising and promoting your business and you can’t get people to contact you, there is an adjustment in your marketing strategy that would involve:
- 1- Your ads, letters and marketing materials
- 2- Your Headline
- 3- Your offer (to get prospects to contact you)
- 4- Your target audience. You don’t take your accordion deer hunting,
so you wouldn’t advertise accordion lessons at the target practice range, right?
- 5- Your copy included in the advertising piece.
- 6- Your overall marketing strategy
Where do Sales fin in My Marketing Planis
Technically speaking, your sales are really the result of your marketing. (Notice that I didn’t say the ‘end result’; that’s because marketing doesn’t end with the sale; but there’s more about that later!) A good marketing strategy means that you’ve directed your advertising to the right target audience; your headline grabbed their attention; your copy was compelling; you created a good offer so that prospects would contact you. Then, given the proper sales process, you convert your prospect and make the sale.
Not Satisfied With Your Sales? Is it the Marketing Plan?
The simple test to determine where the problem lies is this. Are prospects contacting you? Are you getting phone calls or e-mails? Do you have people interested in your product contacting you to find out more?
If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to those questions, then it’s pretty safe to say that your marketing plan is working. Your marketing strategy is attracting the prospects that have an interest in what you’re selling.
If that’s the case, (being that prospects are contacting you) and you’re not selling, then you have to review your sales process. That would include things like:
- Your Telephone Skills
- Your Total Offer
- Your Closing Procedures
- Your Pricing
- Your Sales Presentation
- The Questions you’re Asking in your Sales Presentation
In short, your marketing strategy has attracted the prospects interested in your product or service; but you can’t close the deal. That’s when you have to look closer at issues related to sales; but your marketing plan is doing well.
Does Marketing End after the Sale?:
No! Absolutely not! Your marketing strategy may enter a different level because you’ve already satisfied a client, but the sale should never, ever be the end of your marketing plan. Why? You’ll have to read about Marketing After The Sale - Squeeze Untold Profits From your Customer List
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