Marketing – If the Phone Does Not Ring, Nothing Else Matters

No matter what industry you are in, it is easy to get bogged down with the little things.  

Some people are so focused on their business name, business cards, stationary, website, and office furniture, they forget the biggest goal;  

Getting the Phone to Ring!  

Sure it sounds basic, but you wouldn’t believe the number of people who focus on everything but getting the phone to ring. Matter of fact, you should be spending at least 70% of your time looking for future business. If you fall below 40% you need to reprioritize or hire out some of your time consuming work.  

So how do you do it? Well, when it comes to marketing, you should be focused on three areas.  

1. Clear Message – Chances are you can ‘talk the talk” when it comes to your business. You might even be able to talk circles around colleagues, but that wont help you in your marketing. Oftentimes people create elaborate marketing messages that only confuse people. People don’t need any more confusion in their lives. Matter of fact, they will gravitate to the least confusing solution. Make sure your marketing message speaks, clearly, to the intended audience.  

2. Qualified Mass – Don’t send your marketing message out just random. Target your market. For example, if you wish to target staffing agencies, placing an advertisement in the newspaper is too costly for the off chance someone who runs a staffing agency is reading that part of the paper. Conversely, you need only open your phonebook, search the Internet, or go through a good list company to get all the names and addresses your want.  

3. You Just Want Them To Call – The goal of any marketing should be for the potential client to want more information. Sometimes consultants put too much information in their marketing. So much in fact the reader has already made a decision on whether or not they need your services. Your goal should be to include just enough information so they are curious enough to call you; that is where deals will be made.  

In the end, it doesn’t matter how great your product or service is if no one calls you to ask for more information. Focus your efforts on marketing, test different methods, and get that phone to ring. The rest will take care of itself.