If you were asking what people really want from a marketing campaign, most people would say generating high quality leads. 2-step marketing is designed purely to generate high quality leads.

2-step marketing is a good way of establishing your authority. I’m a marketing consultant like 1,001 other marketing consultants that are around, but say, because I’ve written a special report on how to double the sales of photocopiers, if someone in the photocopy industry is particularly interested in that report, I come across as having some authority within that area. I am not just “another consultant” but a consultant who’s written something that is very specific and of interest to that particular business. It is a very good way of quickly, easily and inexpensively establishing authority by producing a reasonably authoritative work which will be of interest to people.

You must remember that this is not about selling straightaway, but about getting a foot in the door. It’s about people raising their hand and gathering the names of people who have said that they are potentially interested in finding out more about what it is you’re talking about. They are not ready to buy but, they are interested.

We offer a 1 hour FREE consultation, if you would like to see what we can do for your business contact us 01858 445 543 or email alastair@idealmarketingcompany.com

This is probably one of my favourite marketing subjects because it gets to the absolute core of what people look for marketing to achieve. If you were asking what people really want from a marketing campaign, most people would say generating high quality leads. They want leads from a person who are potentially interested in buying from the company and that is exactly what two step marketing is all about.

Why does two step marketing work so well?

 It focuses on the right people. If you send out a direct mail campaign to a hundred people, which of those people are you going to follow up on?  By using 2-step marketing, if ten of them have replied to you using the reply mechanism that you’ve included and asked for their free offer, free report or CD then those are the ones to follow up. They are the ones that are clearly interested. Those who have not responded are probably less interested. If you’ve done everything right, you’re first going to follow up with the ones who have already raised their hands. Imagine you were talking to a room full of people and you ask the question “Who in this room owns a Mercedes?” The people who put their hands up are the ones that are interested in what you’re selling and that is exactly what two step marketing does. You ask people to raise their hands: they are not saying they want to buy a Mercedes, but they are interested in finding out more. Those are the ones that you focus on.

For more advice on PR & Marketing contact us on 01858 445 543 or email alastair@idealmarketingcompnay.com

Some factors you should take into account are:

• Where do my prospects live?
• Are they willing to travel?
• If they are willing to travel, how far will they come?
• How much money do they have to spend?
• If I am solving a problem, how do they currently solve that problem?
• Is there a better way of getting to them than advertising?
• Which publications do they read?
• Is there a section of the publication that is most popular?
• What other companies advertise in this publication?
• Does it work for them? (Ask them.)

This is one of the ideas covered in the book – “the Marketing Launchpad” by Alastair Campbell available now from Amazon – order your copy today.

We like to think that we are important to our customers and that they lie awake at night wondering if we will write or call them during the next day – but sadly this isn’t the case.  They probably can live without a call from a recruitment company asking if they have any vacancies at the moment and they probably have enough letters landing in their reception area to notice if your brochure is there or not.

But the ultimate indignity is when you phone up an old, existing  client and they ask you ‘Where are your from again?’ How could they possibly forget that that you actually dealt with them before and that you are the company that has helped them find at least some of their colleagues that are sitting near them in the office.

One way to minimise that chances of this form happening is to keep a regular e-mail campaign going.  For most, a monthly newsletter is frequent enough, but be clear about what the point of the campaign is. You are not necessarily going to generate a flood of enquiries (although you might).   The real reason is to keep you name, your company, your logo and your services in the mind of your customers and your prospects.

A decent regular newsletter is probably the quickest and cheapest form of marketing that you can produce.  Your list should be built up from opt in subscribers, along with people you meet at networking events and your customers base.  This data combined with time this will turn into a very powerful tool through which you can promote:

• New services
• Open evenings and events
• Testimonials
• Case studies
• Twitter or blog developments
• Great new candidates

In fact building up an e-mail list of existing and future customers and sending out a regular e-mail to them is probably the most cost effective and indeed effect ways of stopping the response “you are from where?” over time.

Action points

1.    Start collecting together business cards
2.    Create a sign up form on your website
3.    Work out a simple newsletter with sections that you can write about each month
4.    Make a start this week.

Alastair Campbell runs the Marketing Mentor programme which offers a free one day marketing seminar followed by a free 17 month marketing support package for recruitment company owners or their senior staff. Visit www.themarketingmentor.co.uk to find out more.

Many of the business books will tell you about offering outstanding customer service.  In my experience, most companies can survive and make a good living by being barely adequate. 

Perhaps because we don’t like complaining much, mediocrity is everywhere we look.  A sandwich shop that doesn’t have fresh bread – but it’s the only one in the village.  A petrol station that is filthy with surly service, but it’s located by a busy road.  A restaurant with poor service that gets by because of limited choice in the local area.  All of these businesses succeed through lack of competition; they may survive for years as they are and make a decent living – without providing proper customer satisfaction.

But imagine the difference if they really tried?  If they really embraced their customers?  If they worked out what their customers wanted?  If they really went out of their way to serve the customer?  What would happen when a new competitor opened up nearby?  Would it affect them?  Possibly, but if they had followed the ideas contained here, it would only have a very limited effect because their business would be built on a strong foundation of customer loyalty. 

The more loyal your customers, the stronger your business.  With loyal, happy customers, much of your marketing is done for you.  Much of your new business is taken care of and much of your profit is predictable.  If you decide to expand, you will be able to do so confident that you have a highly successful business model that you can replicate easily.

It all starts with appreciating that your customer is king.  Your customer is the most valuable asset in your company.  Keep your customer happy and wanting more.  Give your customer what they want and they will keep coming back to you for more.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

34. Encourage referrals.  What gets rewarded gets repeated.  If you send a thank you letter and voucher when a new client is gained as a result of a referral, do you think your customers will do it again?  By making it clear that you appreciate the effort they have made to refer business to you, you are making it much more likely that you will continue to receive business in this way.  It is not so much the gift; it is more the fact that you have taken the trouble to acknowledge the kind referral from a customer.

35. The most important people in your company are your customers.  Accept this, believe it and make sure everybody else in the company believes it too.  In some companies, customers are viewed as an inconvenience that gets in the way of getting the job done.  There would be no job, no wages and no company without them so remember who pays your mortgage, for your holidays and puts food on your table. Thank them and be grateful for them every day.

36. Get together with customers at social events, restaurants or other places away from the office or factory floor.  This change of scenery help you to be seen as more of a friend than a supplier and helps to foster deeper, more productive long term relationships.

37. Avoid silly mistakes.  When we rush it is all too easy to make simple mistakes.  These reduce your credibility in everybody’s eyes.  We all make the odd slip, but concentrate on making a great job of everything you do.  Don’t accept mistakes as inevitable, many of them can be avoided with some thought, preparation and attention to detail.  Remember, in most cases, the quality of the job will be remembered longer than the time it was delivered in.  

38. Aim for consistency.  There is a large telecoms / cable company I deal with that is 90% bad and 10% OK when you call them up for service. The few times I get my hopes up, only to be dashed when the promised delivery never arrives or the scheduled repair man doesn’t turn up.  As customers, we like to know where we are.  That’s why we like dealing with one person organisations – if that one person is good.  We know that we will get a good level of service from them.  If you have a good attitude towards customers, it’s important that any new staff you take on are briefed and trained in this.  Wouldn’t it be great if your customers felt that ‘no matter who you talk to, someone will help you out?’  There is nothing worse than playing Russian roulette with a company’s call centre.  One day you get a little star, the next you get somebody who would clearly rather be elsewhere.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

28. Introduce a money back guarantee scheme.  If you do business by post you need to offer a 30 day money back guarantee anyway.  Smart businesses do a lot with this.  Most companies try to bury it in the small print.  If you are selling something that you are proud of, you shouldn’t want people to pay for it if they don’t want it anyway.

29. Exit survey.  Why has that customer stopped using you?  What did they like, what did they hate?  When most customers leave we have no idea why they went.  If you take the time to ask them, there is statistically more chance that they will one day come back (if only to see if you have smartened up your act) and you will stop others going the same way. You should already be doing this with staff who move on, so why not find out why customers are too?  You might uncover some uncomfortable information, but it could be key information that could turn around your company.

30. Keep your word.  If you say you are going to do something, then do it.  Become known as the person who keeps their word. Ask customers what they want from you.  Do they want more contact, less contact, more / less information etc.  It’s always a good idea to be led by the customer; because what you think might be a useful regular update might be time wasting junk as far as the customer is concerned.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

25. Thank you.  Every time somebody gives you business, make sure you say thank you – and mean it.  These are two words that everybody likes to hear.

26. Don’t create a product and figure out a way to sell it.  Find out a need and work out a way to satisfy it.  What do your customers genuinely need?  Ask them what it is and then work out a way of either adapting or creating a product to fill that need.

27. Customer charter.  Create a customer charter or guarantee that sets out to any customer and member of staff exactly what should be expected.  Set your standards high and do everything in your power to stick to them.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

25. Thank you.  Every time somebody gives you business, make sure you say thank you – and mean it.  These are two words that everybody likes to hear.

26. Don’t create a product and figure out a way to sell it.  Find out a need and work out a way to satisfy it.  What do your customers genuinely need?  Ask them what it is and then work out a way of either adapting or creating a product to fill that need.

27. Customer charter.  Create a customer charter or guarantee that sets out to any customer and member of staff exactly what should be expected.  Set your standards high and do everything in your power to stick to them.

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.

22. Customer care manager.  Do you have one?  I know of companies with only three staff who have a customer care manager.  Even if it’s not a full time role, it shows your customers that you take their concern seriously.

23. Be innovative and different. In today’s crowded marketplace it is important to stand out from the competition.  Make sure your customers remember you for being the company that is always changing, always improving, always coming up with great new ideas.

24. Exceed expectations. It is no longer good enough to be OK.  If possible, always aim to exceed your customer’s expectations.  Promise to deliver by Tuesday, but deliver by Monday lunchtime. Deliver extra items with no charge.  Drop off personalised gifts such as mugs or calendars. 

For more marketing ideas come to our next free marketing seminar on February 9^th  Hothorpe Hall, near Leicestershire – see the seminars page for full details.