Marketing to Success on a ZERO Budget

By Rachael Bermingham
Posted Saturday, January 22, 2005

TOP 10 TIPS TO GET YOU MARKETING TO SUCCESS ON ZERO DOLLARS!

I come across so many people that absolutely freak out when they think about having to market their business. Heaps of questions come up like, ‘Where do I start?’, ‘I hate selling’, ‘How do I market my business when I don’t have any money?’….. Most of these people absolutely LOVE what they do, but detest having to ‘sell’ their service to receive an income from it.

You’ll love it when I say it’s easy to start and anyone can do it with a little planning and preparation, you DON’T HAVE TO SELL, yes believe it! If you market well and consistently you won’t EVER have to sell again – now how’s that for great news?! And best of all you DON’T NEED MONEY to do it. Its music to your ears isn’t it?! And it’s true, I created, built and established a business that replaces my income from every job I ever had based on some simple strategies that you can adapt to your business and your style – and in addition to that, they’re easy and I’D LOVE TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU RIGHT NOW! Ready? You’ll be surprised….

These 10 strategies are what I would call the basic backbone of any marketing plan and are important to anyone wishing to build a successful business. They’re so easy that sometimes people overlook them, or worse, think they’re not important enough to warrant doing, which often results in a fatal outcome.

1. BE PASSIONATE love what you do and let it show! Doing business with someone who is excited, passionate and happy, is completely different to doing business with someone who is grumpy, bored and even angry. Now this doesn’t mean you have to leap up excitedly and run over and hug the person when they meet you! All it means is being nice, friendly, helpful, focused and present for your customer and their needs – now isn’t that easy?? If you’re doing something right now that you aren’t passionate about, stop causing yourself and everyone you deal with pain – instead look at things you do love doing and can do passionately… All that’s stopping you from doing it is YOU…

2. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH IN YOUR BUSINESS AND KEEP FOCUSED if you don’t have a plan in place of where you wish to be, and how you want you business to be functioning in a year or 2 – then you’re on the road without a map! You’ll go round and round in circles, and life will be a little chaotic. Not only will you be confused, in most cases your clients and team will certainly feel the adverse effects of this lack of direction too. Start thinking about where you see yourself and your business this time next year, then go about setting up little goals (or steps) for yourself that are achievable between now and then to ensure you set yourself up for a successful and profitable outcome.

3. HAVE SOME SUPER EFFECTIVE SYSTEMS IN PLACE to back you up in business. Make sure you’re organised with systems that will assist you and your clients. Simple strategies like having a diary or schedule so you don’t double book or forget things. A phone that works and has good coverage if it is a cell phone, a quick and easy system and standard in place to return calls if you miss some. Let’s face it, if you’re returning calls to clients a week later, it’s highly possible that you will have already lost their business. If you send out quotes, have a system such as diarizing a follow up call. Systems can make or break your business. Stick to your schedule so you’re not running behind. If you’re continually late, can’t find things when clients call you up, your payment system is off the rails, products are late etc then you’ll find your clients start to dwindle quickly. So challenge yourself to implement at least one effective system per week that can make your life and your clients’ lives a whole lot easier.

4. SPEAK UP silent passion is not going to get you anywhere. If people don’t know what you’re doing then how can they do business with you, or refer you to others? One of the cheapest and most powerful marketing strategies is networking. That doesn’t mean you have to impose yourself on everyone who comes into your space! Instead it means to be prepared for what you will say when the opportunity arises or when you can create an opportunity to communicate with the person about what you do. And remember to speak up to your family and friends; this is a real bug bear among many entrepreneurs and small business people starting out. Don’t be shy about what you do, or what you are creating for yourself – speak up, be proud!

5. LIST YOUR BUSINESS with online sites that will happily have your business submitted and shown on their directory for free – get out there! If you have a website, you’ll find numerous businesses or organizations in your local area, state, country and also globally that will accept an online listing from you. Remember this opportunity can help you build your exposure and profile. Take ½ an hour each week to list your business somewhere different. Just make sure you keep track of who they all are so you can update your details if necessary in the future.

6. BUILD GREAT RELATIONSHIPS its amazingly important with everyone you deal with. Building great relationships with your clients can increase business, profitability and longevity beyond your wildest dreams if done well. It’s just as important to build good relationships with your associates, you’d be surprised how many sales reps, suppliers and clients can feel the energy of a happening, successful and happy business when they walk into your business, and you’ll be surprised at how these people can talk! Make sure they talk about you for the right reasons.

7. ADD VALUE to your clients in any way you can. There are so many people out there giving standard service, it’s actually not that hard to give superior service. If you’re not sure where to start, simply ask your clients how else you could help them! Also remember to ask them what they’d be willing to pay for that extra value or service. Basics such as remembering their birthday or something else that’s important to them so you can send a Christmas card or small gift with their interest in mind etc. Little things such as, if your client is into golf an email to let them know of an upcoming golf event with a ‘saw this today and thought you may be interested in it, happy golfing, jack’ or a golf ball with your logo on it given to them out of the blue, and if you really have some money in the bank a round of golf for 2 at the best golf club in their area… Obviously you need to put your prices up to ensure you’re not running at a loss but people buy value – they love to be made to feel special and this is what the marketing strategy ‘adding value’ is all about. Until you can afford to spend some $$$, a cold water or cup of coffee, a call, an email or a bit more time in getting to know your client goes a long way.

8. DO THE LITTLE THINGS EXCEPTIONALLY WELL EVERY SINGLE TIME you’d be surprised at how well that rates in a clients mind. Things like being on time, such a small thing but how many times have you heard people complain that their tradesman, doctor, hairdresser etc who was late? How many times did that professional call you prior to you arriving at the site to it to let you know they were going to be late? I can guarantee you with all of us put together, we’d be able to count the amount of times (if any) on our fingers! Such a little thing makes your client feel respected. And just how much effort does it really take?? Hardly a thought, all it really entails is a little system to be put in place for you and your team to follow through on it every time to ensure your client is respected and will come to you again.

9. ASK THE BIG QUESTION which is, how did they find you, where did they hear about you? Every business big or small needs to put this at the top of their list. If you don’t know where your clients are coming from then how on earth do you know what marketing initiatives are working? There is a valid quote that goes ‘Only 50% of marketing works, do you know which half is working for you?’ Amazingly many don’t, and that’s because they don’t ask their clients that all important question.

10. DON’T GO IT ALONE you don’t need to! How many millionaires and business success stories have said they had mentors and coaches that were instrumental in helping them get there? LOADS!!!! Most will tell you they had a little help and guidance, the truly honest ones will tell you they could not have done it without their mentors and coaches. There is no shame in asking others for help, truly, you don’t need to walk this path alone, after all, anyone who has ever had a business knows what a huge task it is. You can fast track yourself, save yourself loads of time, energy and money, AND your sanity if seek out some people who are excellent at areas you need experience in. Some excellent Zero dollar solutions and hints can come in the form of simply signing up for a newsletter or free teleclass on subjects of interest. It’s a terrific and low cost starting place to help you build up your business. Try mine for more marketing strategies and ideas each month – sign up on the website (www.marketingtosuccess.com)

If you’re having problems with getting your business off the ground or need to lift it to the next level, sign up for an introductory session with Rachael for just $100USD, you’ll also be able to claim it as a business expense for training and marketing.

Go get them! and Abundant Success To You!
Rachael Bermingham, Leading Female Marketing Strategist

International Marketing Strategist
(www.marketingtosuccess.com)

About the Author
Article by International Female Marketing Strategist Rachael Bermingham from Marketing To Success. Rachael works one on one with entrepreneurs and small business owners to build successful businesses through implementing zero and low cost marketing strategies.