What comes first marketing or selling? This is the chicken in the egg quandary faced by small business owners, SOHO, sales professionals to even C-Level executives. However, the answer is marketing even though some may resist this simplistic response because marketing is not their strong suit or because the current organizational structure removes the sales department from marketing efforts.
So why is marketing so critical to business and sales success? These 5 Axioms may help answer that question.
Axiom #1
You can have the best product or service, incredible customer loyalty and the greatest ROI, but unless someone sees and more importantly wants to learn more about you, it truly does not matter about your products or services.
By remembering this axiom, you may be less likely to talk about your products or services, prices or even provide a proposal
Axiom #2
Products or services only sell themselves only after these 4 actions have been taken, leading to an established relationship.
- Attract Attention
- Incite Interest
- Develop Desire
- Include call to Action
People buy from people they know and trust. Until you accomplish these four actions, the likelihood that you have the beginnings of an mutually agreeable relationship has been greatly diminished.
Axiom #3
Business is at least 75% about effective marketing and 25% about actually selling.
Unfortunately, for many the opposite is true with 25% or less time being devoted to effective marketing. Then when the business becomes busy delivering its products or services there is even less time for marketing. When you think you do not need to market because business is good to great, then look to your nearest McDonald’s. Has this business with impressive branding stopped its marketing?
Axiom #4
These four elements must be present to deliver a powerful marketing message.
- Powerful Story
- Cohesive Message
- Emotional Exploitation
- Targeted Audience
Your message is the first and most crucial step within the overall sales process. A weak message delivers equally weak results. However, a strong message that fails to emotionally connect with your potential customers (a.k.a. prospects) will also deliver poor results.
Axiom #5
Time invested in improving effective marketing skills has an exponential factor to realizing the goal to increase sales.
When you hone your marketing skills, you will invest less time in selling your products or services and increase your earned sales ratio (close ratio).
When you understand and implement these 5 Marketing Axioms, you will begin to increase sales and truly enjoy the fruits of all your labors.
Source by Leanne Hoagland-Smith