There’s a lot of extended talk about marketing & growing sales for any B2B Business and often it tries to spin a mystique and complexity that isn’t necessary for the owner of any SME Business! At heart there’s only 3 things that you need to focus on initially when you look to expand your sales & customer base and these are the 3M’s! MARKET – Who do you want to sell to? In which markets & industries, and in what geographical areas? An old technique that works is to prepare 3-5 different ‘identikit’ customers that represent your prospective customers, and think of them when you progess to the next stage… MESSAGE – What are you going to say to these prospective new customers that you start to engage with? What distinguishes & differentiates your company from its competitors? How can you convey the passion, enthusiasm and knowledge that you, demonstrate, and your business to get a recognition and ‘likeability’ from the customers of tomorrow, and convey it consistently in all dialogue and engagement ahead. MEDIA – What ways are you going to get to your targeted new customers, with your consistent message, in building your profile. It may be Direct Marketing, Social Media, Pay Per Click, Telephone Marketing, Networking or a combination. Your time is finite whereas your options are infinite so prepare wisely! And lastly, something that I was first taught over 30 years ago, but is relevant now as it was then! Always make sure that you address your sales & marketing efforts to the right person(s) in your target customers, don’t waste time & effort selling to those who can’t influence the process. So target the MAN! The MAN has: Money Authority Need Without the above they are not a true prospect worth pursuing in your valuable but restricted time!
