How to get more out of your business

1. Worth repeating.

”You have value when you meet customers’

needs. You can count on those needs changing and, because they do, you have to change the way you do business—or your value will migrate to

someone else!.”

Adrian Slywotsky in Value Migration: How to

Think Several Moves Ahead of the Competition

2. What is your USP?

Why should your customers do business with you? What makes you unique? What is your Unique Selling Point (USP) – that advantage you promote in all your marketing? These questions should identify a product or service that the customer can’t get anywhere else and should be the flag under which you advance your sales and marketing efforts. When the issue is USP, you could consider…

• Your USP may be that you maintain service 24/7.

• It may be that you provide more practical information and advice than anyone else.

• It may be that you have everything in stock at all times—no waiting or back-ordering necessary.

• It may be that you sell your products at the lowest mark-up in the industry.

• It may be that you guarantee same-day service.

3. Pitfalls to be avoided.

Mal Emery’s top-ten marketing mistakes are as

follows:

Trap #1: You fail to focus your business on the needs of your prospects or customers.

Trap #2: You fail to specify who your market is and what their wants and needs are.

Trap #3: You fail to capture your customers’/ prospects’ names and addresses.

Trap #4: You don’t try to sell your customers something else on the ‘back-end’.

Trap #5: You …