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Are You Making One of These Mistakes?

7/26/2017

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  1. There is no rhyme or reason to your marketing activity. You're doing a little of this, and a little of that without any clear plan. No Plan = No Purpose.
  2. You're listening to tactical experts and building your marketing based on random tactical strikes versus having your tactics support a clearly defined strategy.
  3. You're bootstrapping your marketing without any consistent and dedicated funding. No Budget = No Profit.
  4. You're under the impression that you can do marketing for free, forgetting that there is the cost of your time and effort. And, forgetting that you don't know what you don't know and may be missing some critical foundational marketing elements.
  5. You're not looking at the bigger marketing picture. Instead, you're focusing on short term efforts without thinking about next steps.
  6. You have no analytics in place so you don't understand what works and what doesn't.
  7. You're trying too many marketing activities at one time. If the content isn't consistent you can be your own worst enemy by creating confusion over your unique brand position.
  8. You're not marketing consistently so your prospects don't know where to find you when they're ready to buy.
  9. You keep changing your marketing message, or your marketing message is too broad which can be confusing to your prospects.
  10. You're not following up. Most prospects need 7-16 touches before they make a decision. Be honest, how many times are you communicating with them?

Any of these issues will sabotage your marketing, and make it less effective than it should be causing you to waste time, money and effort. So, before you start your marketing activity, pause and take a strategic look at where you want to go. Then, devise a plan to get there. I promise that a little strategic effort will go a long way toward having your marketing engage and compel your prospects to action. To your SWEET success!
 Abigail Tiefenthaler is the founder of Sweetspot Strategies, Inc.  She helps small and mid-sized companies clarify, prioritize, and simplify their marketing and income producing activities for greater success. Her FREE Guide: "7 Deadly Mistakes That Sabotage Your Business and Cause You to Lose Customers (and Money)" identifies potential sabotage patterns so you can address them. Download it: http://www.sweetspotstrategies.com/7-deadly-marketing-mistakes/.
And, contact her if you're interested in a Strategy Session to get started on your path to success at abigail@sweetspotstrategies.com or 954-804-9413. 
​Also, connect at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sweetspotstrategies  
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sweetspotstrategies  
 T
witter: www.twitter.com/mysweetstrategy ​
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7 Signs You Need a Marketing Budget

7/26/2017

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Marketing is everything! And without it, your business will fail. But, before you decide to invest in marketing make sure you're doing these seven things first. If you're not, chances are your marketing investment will be a waste of your money, time, and effort.

1. You've made a Commitment to run your business like a business.

You are creating structure around your business. You are organizing your day, performing specific tasks, committing to a certain number of work hours, finding a balance of working both in your business and on your business, and creating specific expectations. You have a measurement for productivity, and an evaluation criteria for activities. You understand how structure is your fastest path to freedom.

​2. You plan on turning a Profit in 2016.

You plan on making more money than you spend, and realizing a profit in your business. You have identified specific financial goals. You have determined how many clients you need, how much product you need to sell, the value of a client, and the types of activities you need to do to reach your financial goals. You will dedicate time to think about how you spend your money, time, and effort so you can maximize your productivity.
3. You're confident in your Brand.

You have completed a Brand review. You're ready to bring your brand to life. You have your Who, What, Where, When, and Why answered. You know your USP. You have a clear positioning statement. You can segment your potential market, and target your various ideal client groups by pain point and key messaging.
4. Your products and services are Packaged and Priced.

You've done an audit of your competitive market and identified gaps that only you can fill. You have research that supports your decision on the types of products and services you offer. You're confident in how you've packaged and priced your offerings. You've done your homework, and you're ready to promote your products.

5. You're creating a Plan that aligns your activities with your goals.
No more "BSOS" (Bright Shiny Object Syndrome) for you! You have a clear path to take with your money, time, and effort. You have identified a few (only 2 or 3) key strategies so your tactics can be focused, intentional, and consistent. You know which media outlets and social media platforms will best reach your ideal target. You understand the type of content you need to create to help your customer's choose you. You can use your customer's voice. You've identified analytics to measure the success of your activity.
6. You're ready for the Sales conversation.
You are ready and willing to talk to your prospects to qualify them, overcome their objections, and close them. You know how to listen and respond to their questions. You know how to understand their needs. You know the results you offer. You're letting your prospects come to you in their own time.
7. You will Follow Up until you receive a Yes/No answer.
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You will do what it takes to create follow up activities that get a response from your prospects. These activities will include multiple points of contact to build awareness, visibility, credibility, and authority. You will remind your prospect that you will be there when they're ready to make a decision. You will not stop speaking to that prospect until they become a customer or say, "No thanks." And then, you will not take their NO personally!
These seven activities point to a place where you're READY to invest in marketing! So now, make sure you're doing everything you can to ensure that your investment in marketing leads to success by creating programs around the best strategies for you and your prospect! To your SWEET success!
Abigail Tiefenthaler is the founder of Sweetspot Strategies, Inc.  She works with small and mid-sized companies helping them clarify, prioritize and simplify their marketing and income producing activities for greater success.  She can be reached at abigail@sweetspotstrategies.com, or 954-804-9413. Connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sweetspotstrategies, Instagram atwww.instagram.com/sweetspotstrategies, and Twitter atwww.twitter.com/mysweetstrategy. 

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What if Different Marketing Created a Different Business?

7/26/2017

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Happy New Year! 2015 is here!
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You're in the driver's seat with the wide open road before you. Are you ready to take the wheel, and get where you want to go? Do you have your map, or are you just going to start driving? Do you know which roads are under construction? Are you aware of the speed traps? Did you bring enough money for tolls, gas and food? ​

These are questions you would have answers to if you planned your trip. You'd plan your route. You'd plan your budget. Get it? Most people spend more time planning a vacation than they do planning their business! 
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What do you do with your business? You probably do stuff which makes you feel like you're going somewhere, right? So, how many bridges to nowhere did you create? How far did they get you in 2014?

Are you ready to get 2015 started on the right path? I'll give you a hint...it all starts with marketing!

Try as you might you can't take a business idea and simply start selling. This is not an enduring business model. You may have some initial success, but eventually you will struggle. Maybe your experience proves this true?

Marketing is that connector between a great idea and successful sales. Marketing connects your ideal client to your product or service. And, isn't it a lot easier when your ideal target shows up to buy? It stops you from feeling salesy, and disappointed when you hear "No" because you're talking to the right people!
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Good marketing is easy to do if you put in place three things: 1) A great positioning, 2) A clear and focused strategy, and 3) A 3-prong approach to execution.

#1. Marketing gets prospects to become customers, and customers to become loyal fans. The foundation of this migration is a great positioning. Your positioning is developed in the Branding phase of your business. Your positioning comes when you are able to clearly communicate the transformation your prospect can expect when they work with you.

#2. Good Marketing needs a clear and focused strategy. Your strategy will depend on where you want your business to go, and the goals you have set for your business. A few different strategies include:
  • Increase your customer base
  • Improve customer loyalty
  • Increase awareness
  • Position yourself as an authority
  • Launch a new product or service
  • Increase referrals
  • Improve your retention rate
  • Promote bundled products
  • Increase sales
  • Increase purchase frequency
#3. Finally, good Marketing execution is based on a 3-prong approach consisting of content, media, and frequency. The only way to make sure you are managing your execution is to create a plan where you can outline your tactics by content, media, and frequency. When you manage your execution the bonuses are that you also manage your budget and your time, and you've given yourself permission to say, "No!"
The easiest way to determine whether you need Marketing support is to look at your Sales process. Do you feel salesy? Do you struggle to convert prospects to customers? Can other people tell you exactly what you offer? Is your message clear? Your answers will point you in the right direction. Marketing drives your business, and the good news is that it is available from people who want to help you, if you're ready to admit you want a different business.

Marketing is a critical piece of the business success puzzle, and it comes at a very specific point in your business. Let's talk and see if you're ready to invest in a marketing program that helps you have a better business. And, if not now, when? To your SWEET success!

*Abigail Tiefenthaler is the founder of Sweetspot Strategies, Inc. a marketing consulting company that helps entrepreneurs create marketing that builds relationships, creates experiences and earns the trust of their customers, what she calls the NEW Marketing 3.0! She invites you to visit her website www.sweetspotstrategies.com to download "99 Sweet and Effective Marketing Tactics for Any Business Owner".

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    Author

    Abigail's goal is simple, build a brand that positions a business as different and unique, then simplify marketing so it can attract the right prospects. 
    She's co-founded online and offline networking groups, a mentor and presenter for SCORE and speaks regularly on branding and marketing. When she's not working with clients or speaking, Abigail loves renovating her 50+ year old home with her husband of almost 27 years.

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