Top 10 Marketing Issues

(Essential Questions to Ask Yourself)

• Think from the customer's point of view
  
  • What solution are you providing to them?
    
  • Why did they come into your store?
    
  • What is it that you can do that will make them not walk out still needing it?
    
• Talk benefits, not features
  
  • What is the benefit of what you do?
    
  • What does the customer need that for?
    
  • What do you know that they don't that they will benefit from knowing?
    
• Focus on getting the right customers
  
  • Who is NOT a good customer for me?
    
  • Who is my perfect customer?
    
  • Where are they?
    
• Decide on a budget and use it
  
  • What is the industry standard for marketing budgets for your business?
    
  • What will get you the most return per dollar?
    
• Don't sell – help people buy
  
  • What questions can I ask that are actually about allowing my customers to understand?
    
  • What information am I giving out that is not relevant to solving a problem?
    
• Have a cohesive message
  
  • Is the customer getting the same message in your store that you gave them in your ads?
    
  • Are your main benefits clear in every interaction with a customer?
    
• Study your business
  
  • What things are changing in your business?
    
  • What is your competition doing well that you can emulate or do better?
    
• Measure and react
  
  • What happened the last time you advertised?
    
  • What can you use that information for to make better choices next time?
    
• Don't stop when it starts working
  
  • How are you planning to continue marketing as you get busy with the effective marketing you have done?
    
  • Are you going to grow your marketing budget as sales grow?
    
  • Whose job will this be?
    
• Don't ask customers to jump through hoops
  
  • How many steps can you take out of your purchase process to make it easier?
    
  • What are you making them do that you could do yourself?
    

How is your competition handling those same issues?