It's difficult to reach your business goals if you don't
have the right materials and/or the information to help your business reach the
success it's capable of. These four
competitive marketing strategies are needed to produce an extremely successful
business.
1. Negotiate - Have you noticed that some people seem to
always get the best deals? Yeah, you pay
full price and think you did OK until they show up with the same thing, only
they paid several hundred dollars less.
It really gets your goat! How do
they do it? They're not afraid to ask
for an extra discount. Yep, don’t sell yourself short because you didn't ASK
the next time your advertising rep makes an appearance! Even if you're already getting a discount,
ask for a bigger one. You have
not...because you ask not.
2. Trim - Bigger is always better...or is it? When it comes to advertising, don't be
surprised if some of your short ads meet with more success than larger more
expensive ads. Trimming down on the size and cost of advertising doesn't mean
you'll be trimming the results!
3. Exploit the Freebies - What's the difference between
advertising and publicity? ...who's
doing the talking? Yeah, when you sell yourself, it's advertising. When someone else is selling you, its
publicity...and it generates credibility and interest that you don't want to
miss out on. Think about the different ways you can get your business in the
spotlight. Do you have some news… write
a press release? Write some "how
to" articles with a short by-line at the end and release them to e-zines,
magazines, newspapers, and other publishers.
Why not promote the product of a non-competitor in return
for them promoting yours...think of the totally different market they affect!
Yep, there are a lot of ways out there to get free advertisement that will
benefit your business. Of course you won't be able to rely solely on the
freebies, but hey, you can get a little extra for nothing!
4. Improve Your Offer - Is your deal too good to pass
up? If not, you need to improve it. Hey, I'm not talking about cutting prices
even more...you've still got to make a profit.
You can make the deal sweeter just by increasing the reader’s knowledge
of the value of the product, or adding bonuses that are perceived as valuable,
but cost you little. Motivate buyers with expirations. Yeah, an open ended offer encourages procrastination...which
leads ...yep, nowhere.
When the customer knows he has until Saturday to purchase an
item he'll pay more for on Sunday, he'll make it a priority to head for your
shop. Advertising doesn't have to wipe out your bank account to be
effective.
When you learn to negotiate, know when smaller ads are as
effective as large ads, ask for discounts, and create an irresistible offer,
you're on your way to skyrocketing profit margins!
Be Prosperous,
Deon Christie
