Copyright 2005 Robin Harris, DesignerLifeFor many burgeoning entrepreneurs, the ?M? word can be an
unexpected stop gate to the realization of their potential
for success. Mmm, mmm, mmm, marketing, for the non-sales
oriented entrepreneur occurs like a serious impairment to
communicating with potential ideal clients (customers).
When this skill is missing from their natural repertoire,
their business, no matter how vast its potential, can
languish in cycles of struggle and low profits.
The traditional marketing approach that one can study in
academia or via a plethora of books from the local book
store does not even begin to shed light on what
distinguishes the effective marketer from one that is not.
It?s a combination of skills, which you can learn, and
talent, which you can?t. Finding the right combination of
strategies to leverage what you are naturally good at is
the key to transforming your marketing activities from
ineffective drudgery to a fun and profitable activity,
which I refer to as ?Marketing BLING?.
When you have ?Marketing BLING?, your marketing activities
flow from your passion and talent and your ability to
connect with your ideal clients is close to effortless.
It?s like a game you love to play, and yes, you may get a
little winded and have to wipe the sweat from your brow,
but you know you are on the court, playing full-out.
This type of marketer, I will fondly refer to as the New
World Marketer; she or he represents a new global species
of entrepreneur that is very likely to have a strong
presence on the Internet. They carve out a niche for
themselves that embodies a new business model where work
and play merge into an almost seamless adventure.
The New World Marketer has abandoned theory and old rules
in exchange for a customized system that expresses who they
are, who they serve in the market place, and showcases a
style of certainty and confidence because they know they
are perfectly suited to help their ideal clients. This
detour from traditional marketing approaches leads the
entrepreneur to find a path that has a high degree of
workability for both the entrepreneur and their ideal
clients.
In the old business model, the business plan covered the
idea of the unique selling proposition (UPS) as the
collection of benefits and features that give the business
an advantage over the competition. In the new business
model, the viewpoint extends beyond simply product and
integrates the unique entrepreneur into the offer because
relationship marketing is the only kind that leads to
customer loyalty. Even if your product is non-distinct,
plain vanilla, or available through other retailers ? you
still have one trump card to play when you can draw from
your own unique blend of experience, knowledge, and
passion. By intentionally integrating those qualities into
how you connect with your ideal clients, you can easily
create long-term profitable relationships.
In this marketing paradigm, which I call ?Marketing With A
Story? (MWAS), you know who your ideal client is, you
understand their problems, concerns, and needs, and you
have put together a comprehensive solution that can be
offered on a gradient and provide a experience of value
even prior to consummating the buyer/seller relationship.
Your ability to leverage this strategy depends on 3 simple
strategies:
1. You have identified your ideal client type, you
understand their problem, and you have a workable solution.
2. You have some unique experience or perspective that,
when combined with knowledge, passion, communication, and
products and/or services naturally attracts the ideal
client.
3. You can offer the perspective ideal client something of
value at-no-charge that moves them closer to
problem-resolution, thus ushering them happily into your
marketing pipeline.
The most important piece of the MWAS approach to marketing
is YOU! You have to be willing to own your unique
magnificence that has been birthed from experiences of both
failures and successes. Your experience and your
perspective can be cradled within your unique brand of
passion for solving the client?s problem to create the
pinnacle of a holistic UPS. When this strategy is
thoughtfully executed, you will find there is no
competition; the ideal clients that you can help will
recognize you just like you will recognize them.
Here are 5 ways to begin your own MWAS marketing campaign:
1. Invest time in identifying and understanding your ideal
client type
2. Gain intimate insight into their pressing problem that
you intend to solve
3. Put together the optimum solution to solve their
pressing problem
4. Leverage your experience, perspective, knowledge, and
passion so that it clearly positions you to connect with
and help your ideal clients
5. Peel off a small piece of the problem that you can
solve for free as a way of introducing yourself to your
ideal clients and gaining their trust
And so I?ll leave you with these final words:
You ain?t got a thing without Marketing BLING, do-wah,
do-wah, do-wah, do-wah.
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Robin Harris is a Certified Coach and Founder
http://www.Marketing-With-A-Story.com She works with
entrepreneurs who want to market with ease by using their
personal experiences, knowledge, and passion to attract
their ideal clients and create effortless profit centers.
