What to do for entrepreneurs who don't have time for marketing

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Just answer these 8 questions that will guide you and help you attract customers.

Stephen Covey tells the following story in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. A man saw a lumberjack in the forest, with great difficulty sawing a tree with a blunt saw. He asked the woodcutter:

- Dear, why don't you sharpen your saw?

- I have no time to sharpen the saw, I have to saw! the woodcutter moaned.

Very often, instead of thinking about a convenient tool for achieving a goal, we try to achieve this very goal without a tool at all. What if there is a business and no time for marketing? The office is rented, people are hired, and there are few orders. We urgently need new customers and sales, a lot of chaotic movements are taking place, some kind of advertising is given, accounts are created in social networks, because friends say - this is how it should be. No results.

However, the most urgent, the most urgent thing in such a situation is to stop rushing from side to side, trying to sell everything, to everyone and everywhere in the hope that it will “shoot”. You need to get down to a promotion plan. That is (bingo!) To do the very marketing for which there is no time.

Why? Everything is very simple. No clients - no business.

Having a sewing machine at home and being the most popular tailor in town are two different things. Even if you are doing something that is in demand, and you have all the necessary resources to turn it into a product or service, this does not mean at all that you have a business.

Business is when you sell a product or service and get paid for it. And in order for people to buy from you (more than once, miraculously finding you, and not because you were selling water in the desert), they must receive information about your offers. At the exact time when they need it. So we again returned to the key task of marketing - business development.

What does “my business is doing well” mean? Very simple. New clients arrive. Those you already sold to come back to buy more from you. The average check per purchase is growing.

What to do for those who have little time for marketing? You need to be sure to answer yourself eight questions. A well-asked question determines the direction of action that needs to be taken to increase sales. Some of them can be done right now, others can be planned for the future or discussed with partners.

1. Who are your customers? What do you know about them?

The modern concept of marketing has gone quite far from the usual socio-demographic characteristics of "women 25–35 years old with higher education, living in large cities." Knowing the interests of customers allows you to determine where to look for them. Knowing their needs helps formulate a proposal. Understanding what their typical day looks like determines the communication strategy. And even the tone of communication should match the way your audience expresses itself.

2. Why are they buying from you? How are buying decisions made?

What needs does your product cover? What tasks of the client does he solve? Are you sure you know the reasons for buying? After all, it depends on how to talk about the product and where to promote it.

3. What is the most popular product? Why is it selling well?

This is already what you did well. Analyze why. Think about whether you can improve something, make it special. And communicate with those who buy. They will tell you everything you need to know.

4. Are you promoting a product or is it “selling itself”?

If you think that a product is selling well and nothing needs to be done to promote it, look at it the other way: how much money can you make if you invest in promoting such a good product. How many new customers will come and buy this product if they receive information about it.

5. How do your customers find you?

Analyze where they come from: POS ads, online ads, social media group or page, print ads? Is it possible to do something to make the channels through which people come to you become even more convenient? Plan to advance through them, especially in conditions of limited resources.

6. What should the person who saw your ad do?

Check if there is a call to action in your advertising messages ("Buy and get a discount / gift", "Register for our event", "Sign up and be the first to know about all our special offers"). Is it clear to everyone who sees what needs to be done if the message interested him (is there a phone number, a form to fill out, a purchase or registration button)? Only a very interested buyer will look for your phone number or address. Don't lose everyone else at this stage.

7. Do you have discounts for regular customers, recommendation program?

It's about offers like "Bring a friend and get a gift" and the like. Retaining a customer who has already bought is cheaper than attracting a new one. Give him discounts, points, special offers. Enter it into CRM. Stay connected, but don't get bored. Make a subtle reminder of yourself and offer bonuses.

8. Who are your competitors? What can you learn from them?

Many entrepreneurs are intimidated by the high competition. In fact, this is a sign that there is a good demand for a product or service, that there is a lot of money in this niche. Let's look at competitors as a development opportunity, not a problem. What do they do better than you? What interesting ideas are being implemented? It is especially useful to observe competitors who are located in other geographic markets and are not actually competitors. If you creatively borrow their idea, you may become a shining star in your market. Steal like an artist!

Pareto's law in this case works like this: 20% of your actions bring 80% of the profit. Identify which 20% of your activities are making you money and focus on them. Promotion (i.e. marketing) makes one of the most significant contributions to business development. That is, if you put just 20% more effort into your marketing, the results will be overwhelming.