"No one has ever become poor by giving." -Anne Frank

Let's face it -- most people will not instantly welcome "marketing" with open arms. Your prospects are busy, and they don't (usually) spend their time thinking about you and your products or services. So, business owners need to learn how to market their businesses ... without making it feel like they're marketing their business too hard.

First, you need to be consistent.

The majority of small businesses are inconsistent in their follow-up to prospects (if they even DO follow up at all!). They might send an email or direct mail piece and then wait months before sending another one.

Unfortunately, without consistent communication, your prospect has no idea who you are. Do you know how quickly emails from unknown senders get deleted? Furthermore, inconsistency can cause a perception of ineffectiveness. Nobody wants to buy from a company they don't believe to be well-run.

Don't pitch so much.

Too often businesses and entrepreneurs, struggling to survive, send marketing pieces whose only goal is to promote their products or services ... again, and again.

Now, promoting your products is necessary, and even great. But you need to do a lot more than that with your marketing tactics, if you want to get your information actually read! Your marketing messages should be positioning you as a respected authority in your industry. Be sure to include testimonials, endorsements, and awards your company has won, along with your sales message.

The story's the thing.

Your follow-up and marketing must be informative ... so provide valuable information! If you're showing up with no value, you'll wear out your welcome fast. You need to communicate that you are on their side and deserve to be trusted. You'll accomplish this if you provide them with accurate, insightful, and *interesting* information.

One of the best ways to do this is to tell stories -- about yourself, about your customers, your products (and their origins), even your suppliers and staff. People are hardwired to respond to stories, so don't fight that reality.

You'll notice that I try to put these marketing tactics into practice myself ... they're a big reason why our practice continues to grow, even in our current economy.

And you can do it too (if you're not already).

I'm grateful for our chance to serve you and your business -- and we are dedicated to its success. Which means we are here to keep you focused on what really works.

BE THE ROAR not the echo! 

Warmly,

Janet Behm

(801) 278-2700

Utah Real Estate Accountants