Good Marketing is Like a Bad Habit

By Stuart Ayling
Posted Thursday, January 27, 2005

You know those bad habits we get. Like raiding the chocolate biscuits during late night TV shows. Or slouching we when we sit. Or biting our fingernails.

Before we know it we’ve let a new behaviour creep into our routine. Now we’re a slave to the bad habit. It’s hard to resist. We’re tempted. We get that short-lived surge of satisfaction when we do it.

Well, marketing is pretty much the same. Except you can get into good marketing habits that will actually help you. And it won’t hurt. Good marketing habits can make you feel really great.

Think about this.

* When you introduce yourself, are you in a good habit? Do you have an easy-to-understand introductory statement, or maybe a snappy 30-second intro?

* When you meet people do you follow up? Are you in the habit of sending them a thank-you note for meeting with you? Or maybe you could send them a useful article (written by you or some other authority).

* Do you have good sales habits? Are you in the habit of asking the right questions? Can you automatically lead prospects towards doing business with you?

* Are you in the habit of regularly communicating with prospects and clients? Communication has never been easier with options like newsletters, updates and blogs being so easy to publish. Do you stay in touch?

* Are you in the habit of writing informative articles, stories, case studies, or helpful hints for your clients? This helps to demonstrate your expertise and is a key element of building trust with potential clients. It also gives you great content for your marketing materials and web site.

* Are your advertising and promotional activities a good habit? Do you follow a plan to avoid the “feast or famine” cycle? Or do you relegate promoting your service to a low priority in the rush to “do the business”?

Good News
The great news is that like bad habits, good marketing habits will also give you a surge of positive feelings. You’ll get hooked on:
- The adrenaline rush of new clients asking for you.
- The positive relationships that seem to magically develop with new clients.
- The extra confidence you’ll feel when people listen to what you say.
- The satisfaction of getting results.
- The constant knowledge that you are making progress.

You can eliminate your dread of marketing. And getting into good marketing habits is easy. Just like getting into bad habits. Do it a bit at a time. But keep doing it.

Slowly you will build up new behaviours. Results from your marketing efforts will improve. You’ll feel more confident. You’ll reinforce the good marketing habits.

Go on. Make a start. Slip into a good marketing habit. You’ll enjoy it!

About the Author
Stuart Ayling runs Marketing Nous, an Australasian marketing consultancy that specialises in marketing for service businesses. He helps clients to improve their marketing tactics, attract more clients, and increase revenue. For additional marketing resources, including Stuart's popular monthly newsletter, visit his web site at (www.marketingnous.com.au)