One of the big questions I get from new clients all the time is, "Why
am I not generating new business? What am I doing wrong?" You know it
is very overwhelming trying to decide what to do and when. I totally
understand that because I was there several years ago. I was spinning my
wheels and not going anywhere at all. I had to really understand what
my market needed from me, and how they needed it.
The thing is, if
you choose the wrong marketing tactics you're going to be pouring money
down the toilet. Plus, the longer it takes for you to grow your
business the greater the chance you won't stay in business.
I
wanted to compile a list of reasons that block you from really
developing your business or deter potential clients from working with
you. Think about whether any of these fit what you are dealing with.
You have to know what is broken before you fix it. That is a must before you can build a thriving business.
- Unclear/Wrong target market
- Wrong or unclear message
- Not stating clear benefits and features
- Wrong joint venture relationships
- Low believability
- Not being authentic
- Copying others versus using your own unique stamp on your business
- Low credibility
- Building your business on the wrong value system
- Offering the wrong offers
- Focused too much on making a sale versus generating a lasting customer
- Promoting in the wrong places
- Not enough money, time and effort invested in promoting
- Your message is weak & can't break through the marketing clutter your prospects are already exposed to
- Weak marketing materials
- Poor customer service
- No long term strategy in place
- Poor quality of product or service
- Lack of variety of services and products
Okay, I know that was not pretty nor was it easy. But you have to really look in the mirror and identify what is not working.
So where do you start if you do see some areas that you need to improve upon?
My
first suggestion to you is to dive deep into learning your market. I am
always amazed about how little someone know who it is that they are
marketing to. Make this a priority.
- Who are they?
- What are they most interested in?
- How do they like to receive information?
- What type of events do they attend?
- What solutions do they generally seek out?
- What other like professional service your target market?
- What programs or services do they tend to be attracted to?
- Are there any potential joint partnerships that you can form? (These JV partners must work with your target market.)