STEP 6-EXECUTE WITH CONSISTENCY

If you’re the owner or manager of an existing business, you rationalize that things are too far along for you to initiate any creative and compelling impact on the future and fortunes of your firm. If you’re in a startup mode, you resort to producing some lame excuse for a professional-looking logo and marketing materials because you can’t afford it “right now.”

You look at the expense involved with doing it correctly and decide to execute it all on a shoestring.

If these thoughts spring up in your mind, then you haven’t REALLY embraced the concepts that we’re sharing here and you might as well leave now OR review the STEPS you might have missed.

On the other hand, let’s say that you have started with the STEPS revealed here. You have invested the time, energy and money necessary to START RIGHT or START OVER.

That’s great!!

But, time and time again, we’ve seen clients who expect magical results that don’t happen. So, they don’t continue to execute their PLAN.

Instead, they hop from one thing to another without referencing its connection to their core strategy. Don’t misunderstand what we’re saying here. We applaud those who constantly look for new and innovative ways to conduct their business. However, we also have a number of clients who want to retain us to, say, develop a web site for them. Can we do that? Sure. But, they rarely consider that the site has to be a part of an overall strategy, not just something that they do because everyone else is.

For instance, if they’ve given no thought to their uniqueness in the marketplace (offline) … haven’t analyzed the “look” that they have in comparison to their target audience … haven’t developed any special marketing efforts, services or products compared to the others in their industry or profession … haven’t looked at how their marketing efforts meshes with their sales efforts … and so forth, then HOW IN THE WORLD would they know how to develop their web site as a cohesive part of their marketing strategy?

Finally, please consider that you must execute a comprehensive plan CONSISTENTLY for it to have any penetration with your targeted audience. Just starting and saying, “Well, we didn’t get any sales from that effort or any inquiries from that promotion” ignores the fact that people are busy. They have other interests than what you’re about.

So, your message must be compelling, uniquely packaged (forget sending another boring “sales letter” as a way to really get their attention), and consistently/creatively offered.

All too often, businesspeople are convinced that running a display ad in their local media will cause massive inquiries. Depending upon what you’re “selling,” it might and hopefully does. But, how often do you see banks (and others) running ads in business publications with their officers all pictured and some generic copy about the bank “being there”? Boy, that’s compelling, isn’t it? Just makes you want to get right over there and do business. Or how many times have you seen banks (or others) airing TV commercials that have people dancing all around and suggesting that “whatever you want, you got”?

In addition to being a massive waste of money, when is the last time you acted on this ad-agency-run-amuck hysteria by moving all your personal, business, stock-trading, and trust business to that institution because of this compelling artistry? You and I both know the answer. While I am a person not given to attacking the creativity of others, I am amused that bright, well-intentioned business owners would permit themselves to be “sold” on this approach. And why are they?

BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE A MARKET POSITIONING STRATEGY IN PLACE THAT IS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING AND EXPLOITING PRODUCTS, SERVICES & MARKETING EFFORTS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO THEM.

Once they commit to that, then they are positioned to execute a “strategy of MEANINGFUL differentiation” consistently either with or without their existing promotional resources. Whatever the case, make sure that you are consistent AND that your consistent efforts are “MEANINGFULLY DIFFERENTIATED” from your competitors.