First and foremost you know deep down that ultimately business is about marketing. Getting and keeping clients.
You know it, but you struggle to find the time to do it.
You also find yourself being reactive to those leads that are generated, rather than being proactive. You drop everything to follow up on a hot lead. Why wouldn’t you. They are hard to come by.
The challenge outlined above is a typical challenge for many businesses.
Sales teams are spending time writing proposals. Marketing people are spending time creating presentations and strategies.
There never seems to be the time for more tactical work. Tactical from the point of view of actually generating leads.
Let me ask you this question first.
Is Marketing your NUMBER 1 priority in your business?
Is it subservient to operations, finance, customer service, and IT?
Now before I get emails from those of you in these functions criticizing me for undervaluing them. I don’t. I place huge value on these functions.
However a business needs customers. And in order to get customers you need to generate leads. And in order to generate leads you need marketing activity.
What often happens is that Marketing and Sales are the functions that get done if there is time left over in the week. Operations, finance and IT, get done first.
Are you genuinely being proactive in ensuring that your marketing is done EVERY week. Consistently?
Is your business diary blocked out every week for these critical activities?
Do you measure these activities weekly? Consistently.
Do you consistently test and measure your marketing strategies to ensure you get a return on your investment?
The answer is really simple. If you want to have a business that has sustainable growth. More clients. More sales. More leads. You have to schedule marketing FIRST every week.
Here’s a great way to position this in your mind if you are for example a business owner.
You may be an accountant, a retailer, a solicitor or an engineer. But first and foremost you are a MARKETER.
Yes a marketer first and your day job second. This is not me being trivial. This is a very important distinction. And one if taken seriously will absolutely transform your mindset, and the results of your business.
Actions;
Write down now, the number of hours you or your business spent last week actively marketing or selling your services.
Now write down the number of hours a week a successful business should spend actively marketing? Do some research and I guarantee you you’ll find that the Top 5 businesses in your industry, are the most consistent at marketing. It’s never a coincidence.
Finally start today to prioritise your marketing. Everyone is involved in marketing. Everyone has a role, so you are not undervaluing the other key functions. Make it your No.1 Goal and guess what. You’ll get better results. Guaranteed.
Best of luck.
Ronan
Ronan Kilroy Certified FocalPoint Business Coach
Profitability, Productivity, Possibility.
