Preparing for Prosperity

By Roger Parker
Posted Monday, November 29, 2004

Encouragement to keep moving forward and marketing to existing clients, despite economic downturn.

Don’t let bad news distract you from the many positive steps you can take each day It’s hard to maintain a positive outlook these days.

By the time you arrive at work, you’ve probably been exposed to a barrage of bad news: declining stock prices, decreasing sales, increasing costs and growing unemployment. Encounter enough bad news and you’re likely to wonder why you’re even bothering to go to work at all!

Accentuate the positive: Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by negative economic events beyond your control. Instead, focus on the many steps within your control you can take to generate sales today and prepare for a more prosperous tomorrow. Customer follow-up: Start each day by contacting three recent customers and finding out how satisfied they are with their purchases. Thank them for choosing you and ask them what you can do to make them even happier next time. You’ll undoubtedly uncover additional unmet needs while generating valuable leads and referrals.

Point of sale: Review point-of-sale marketing materials and sell-up materials and make sure they’re being used.

Web site: Does it contain both Open Content (accessible to all visitors) and Premium Content (limited access high-octane information used as a registration incentive and reward for buying from you)? Are they up to date?

Synergy: Explore ways to use print to drive visitors to your web site, allowing you to keep customers informed using e-mail and on-line newsletters.

Event marketing: Plan a program of special events to keep customers, prospects and your staff informed and enthusiastic about your business.

Marketing partners: Keep a constant look-out for opportunities to reduce your marketing costs by creating partnerships with other firms.

Refine your focus: Review the ways you and your staff answer the basic marketing questions: • How do you describe your business?
• What’s unique about your business?
• How effectively are you communicating your competitive benefits?
• Why do customers choose you instead of your competition?
• What needs to happen to reach more prospects and convert more of them into customers for life? Finally, ask: “Who are our most valuable customers?” and “What can we do to make them feel special and appreciated?”

Think like a Guerrilla! Since 1984, Jay Conrad Levinson’s best-selling Guerrilla Marketing books have described a detailed, integrated no- nonsense philosophy. Jay’s books are required reading at colleges and businesses large and small throughout the world.

Guerrilla Marketing puts a premium on profits, rather than “sales” or “creativity.” It involves leveraging your resources, using a mix of low-cost marketing tools (like postcards and e-mail) rather than expensive four-color ads to generate satisfied customers, word-of-mouth referrals and repeat sales.

Recession-proof your business Visit (www.GMarketingDesign.com) for more ideas, including details about Roger C. Parker’s Recession-Proofing Your Web Site, an eight-step road map to help you make the most of your online investment at a time when each marketing dollar must do the work of ten.

About the Author
Roger C. Parker is the author of numerous books, including The Streetwise Guide to Relationship Marketing on the Internet. Roger’s clients have included Apple Computer, Ford, H-P, Microsoft, Shearman & Sterling and Yamaha. In 1996, he was appointed to the Microsoft Small Business Council. Call 603-742-9673 to schedule a free 15-minute introductory consultation. Call today or visit (www.onepagenewsletter.com), so you can start building sales and preparing for prosperity–one customer and prospect at a time!