I spend a lot of my time reading books and listening to tapes about business and marketing. I guess that's understandable.
Many of the authors of these materials are known as experts, gurus or marketing geniuses. However, a few weeks ago I was listening to a discussion about marketing and one of the participants made a point that struck me like a ton of bricks.
He said: "The only true marketing genius is the customer".
What a succinct and powerful statement!
The truth of the matter is that no matter how much good advice or information or training we get in marketing, the only person's opinion that really matters is the customers. No matter how good the idea seems to be, if the customer doesn't respond then nothing else matters.
What's the moral?
Simple. You need to constantly stay in tune with your customers interests and desires and give them what they want, how they want it, when they want it. If they don't respond to a particular offer, you need to do your best to find out why (through follow-up surveys or any other method at your disposal).
If they do respond to an offer it's still a good idea to find out why. It may be for a different reason than you think.
We should all certainly continue to study marketing and listen to what the "experts" say, but we need to give just as much (or more) attention to what our customers are saying as well.
Learn More: Read an informative article about conducting consumer surveys here: Conducting Customer Surveys
Shawn Meldrum has spent the last two decades marketing everything from almonds to landscape lighting. He currently specializes in marketing for mortgage brokers, loan officers and real estate agents. For free mortgage marketing articles and much more visit:http://www.mortgagemarketingtips.com/
On Superbowl Sunday, Domino's Pizza delivered more than 900,000 pizzas-and... Read More
If you want to get consistent results from your marketing,... Read More
We all DO judge a book by its cover, and... Read More
Being in a quandary prevents you from moving forward in... Read More
One of the easiest, if not the easiest, ways of... Read More
The year is almost over and the last half of... Read More
I met Sue at a recent networking event. She is... Read More
In Part 1 of this article, "Resistances to Marketing a... Read More
In direct mail lore, there's a rule stating that you... Read More
YES-- it is true that Networking is an art that... Read More
Building a coaching or consulting practice can be rewarding and... Read More
Great graphic design looks effortless, but it requires lots of... Read More
More of the findings of the recent studies in behavioral... Read More
In a recent marketing workshop I attended, I discovered that... Read More
Have you ever studied your best donors and wished you... Read More
Do you ask prospective clients to go too far?Must your... Read More
With the advent of spring, trade shows begin to blossom.... Read More
In the last issue we looked at 5 reasons why... Read More
Web Presence gives your business a distince edge over your... Read More
Every now and then I will meet someone who has... Read More
Small companies that rely on business-to-business sales often find it... Read More
You need only one card, but make it noticeable. Make... Read More
Perhaps, with apologies to Dale Carnegie, we should call this... Read More
What if there were things you could start doing now... Read More
Want to get Better at your Marketing today?For many service... Read More
The Web is intended to help people find information quickly... Read More
Everything you've ever learned about marketing and advertising is WRONG.... Read More
You have read part 1 & 2 of this article... Read More
Powerful Marketing has become elusive to many companies seeking strong... Read More
Are you tired of living off handouts from big-name marketers,... Read More
Corporate marketing groups - especially bandwidth-challenged small-to-mid-sized departments - can... Read More
Forget what you know about your business Your goal is... Read More
You are an expert. You have lots of content -... Read More
Starting a new online business, developing a new product, launching... Read More
Clichés. We've all heard them...and hear some of them so... Read More
No matter if you're publishing your first book or producing... Read More
I went to a networking event the other day where... Read More
This really and truly is the easiest (and most profitable)... Read More
The toughest job you face as a B2B direct marketer... Read More
How Colors Effect Our Emotions?One of the most interesting things... Read More
We all know the saying, "Failing to plan (prepare) is... Read More
Offering free and exclusive content to ezine publishers and webmasters... Read More
CD Business cards allows any type of business that dynamic... Read More
Are you still waiting for business to turn around before... Read More
My wife likes to shop at the local Safeway. Is... Read More
We all watch the commercials on TV. We hear them... Read More
Brochures are one of the oldest marketing weapons in the... Read More
So how do you effectively market your product or service... Read More
Successful direct mail packages contain three things: an attractive offer,... Read More
This tip is so simple, that many people we've talked... Read More
Pop quiz! If you have to say goodbye to your... Read More
If recreating the old experience of subscribing to magazines by... Read More
With direct mail, you can break even and still claim... Read More
When it comes time to print your brand identity materials,... Read More
This list contains 25 powerful strategies to improve your direct... Read More
Most of us are used to the concepts of risk... Read More
If anyone was to ask me what my greatest strength... Read More
You're probably familiar with e-mail signature (or "sig") files -... Read More
Alright you've got yourself a nice website with a great... Read More
1. Advertise in trade journals, ezines, and web sites that... Read More
So you have a Web site. And so does most... Read More
After 11 years in sales, I've put together and delivered... Read More
So... you spend time and effort putting together a survey,... Read More
Almost everyone who dreams of starting their own business is... Read More
Contrary to popular belief, the best use of business cards... Read More
Loyalty marketing has been around for as long as retailing... Read More
Marketing |