Your geyser leaks, you get a plumber to fix it. Your DSTV reception deteriorates, you get a technician to fix that. Your car breaks down, you take it to the mechanic for fixing. Even at work, it goes like that. The HR person “fixes” your people issues, your secretary “fixes” your diary-and-phone-ringing problem, your accountant…
What is a marketing strategy? Let’s be honest, it sounds like one of those impressive business terms that you only use in meetings but means nothing. For a start, it combines two of the most over-used, under performing concepts in business, namely “marketing”, and “strategy”. I don’t blame you for rolling your eyes! But honestly,…
Here’s an idea: treat your marketing and sales as the lungs of your business; your operations are the heart. It is marketing and sales that should feed fresh information back into your business from the outside world in the form of new ideas and market insights. The better your marketing and sales, the better the…
Marketing is about convincing someone that they should consider your product or service instead of: either not using anything, or selecting an alternative option. But how many people can you convince simultaneously? Or more accurately, how many different people, or organisations, can you convince at the same time? You’ll agree with me that every time…
Marketing can do miracles. It’s a black art that can magically generate leads… This is how many entrepreneurs think of it. I get calls from business owners hoping for the unbelievable. Like the guy who recently wanted “…thousands of leads, instantly, using R25,000…”. This is the stuff of fairy tales. The marketing community is guilty…
If you are desperate for sales, building a brand is not your immediate solution. Brands don’t unlock short term sales, they lock-in value, over the long term. One should brand something because you want to lay claim to it. It is your special ingredient, your unique way of doing things, your difference in the eye…
Think of your ideal client as an armoured vehicle. Your job is to speak to the driver, the big chief inside, who can decide whom will be chosen to fight alongside his army. You want them to choose you as an ally, but first you’ve got to talk to them, and convince them of your…
Why you should plan your marketing Generally I have two types of client. One type embraces the idea of formalising his/her business by putting processes and structure in place. The other type resists it. Obviously, how you choose to run your business is none of my business. But what is my business is to provide…
There is a difference between a marketing message and a sales message. Your marketing message is aimed at gaining as much attention as possible from as wide an audience as possible. The sales message, on the other hand, is aimed at converting a handful of truly interested people into clients. It’s a difference often missed…
Your business should take a stand on the things that matter to your customers I appreciate what Donald Trump is doing in American politics. And what Julius Malema is doing here in South Africa. Both stand for something in a sea of foggy politics. There is no doubt about what they represent, and to whom.…