Have you ever noticed “how” much easier ( and profitable) it is for a business to sell additional products and services to existing customers and clients, as opposed to trying to sell and or market them to brand new strangers? And it makes complete marketing sense to conduct business this way,right? Absolutely!
Thank goodness some things (like successfully) marketing your, business, products and or services, is one of the more logical things. Of course you stampede them with heart felt emotion!
But at the end of the day, when you tally all your actual costs, it comes down to the money you’ve spent (your outlay) vs the money you brought in ( your initial gross profit) and if there’s any left, guess what?
You live to repeat the same titillating process another day. If not, time to reevaluate and start anew. No great mystery there. But here’s something to ponder entrepreneur; just like it makes total marketing sense to always try and sell more to existing customers and clients first.
It’s equally important that you understand and appreciate how and why you want to base (at least) part of your long term marketing efforts on taking advantage of one of the most powerful five letter words in sales and marketing….
Why You’re Making An Awfully Big Mistake If Your Long Term Marketing Plan Doesn’t Include One Of The Most Powerful Five Letter Words In Sales And Marketing!
You do realize that it’s a whole lot easier to service needs and wants as opposed to merely trying to entice complete strangers with pure solicitations, right? Case in point; let’s say there is a local chartered lending institution of some kind, like say (a bank and or credit union etc.) And as a direct result of the prolonged nagging national recession and or several other contributing factors, they find themselves with a larger than normal stock pile of repossessed properties.
Did you know that (legally) if they get too high a percentage of repossessed properties on their books, they can be fined and in some extreme cases, if they can’t liquidate the properties fast enough and quickly get below the legally allowable threshold, they can be forced into receivership and be taken over by the feds!Ouch!
So these bankers qualify as potential prospects with genuine needs! Would you not agree? Now imagine this local bank with two dozen or so properties of all kinds (meaning) both residential and commercially zoned properties on their books, draining their gross profit margins and just sitting vacant!
(Which means these lenders are extremely motivated to get these properties off their liability sheets and back onto the asset side of the ledger asap!)
Because what normally tends to happen to vacant properties? If they sit there long enough!That correct? They are magnets for perpetual vandalism. And what do broken windows,graffiti and trashed spread all over the inside of vacant properties do to it’s overall fair market value (FMV) ? Bingo!
Not to mention uncut grass and or other shrubbery, that hasn’t been attended to in quite a while. So why doesn’t either an extremely savvy (banker) and or an extremely savvy landscaping entrepreneur reach out to the local banker and offer to do the upkeep (landscaping) of the properties, to keep them from continually losing more value.(And otherwise being a general eyesore to the local community.)
You Can Usually Find Some Sort Of Opportunity Surrounded By Adversity!
When you think about this particular potential marketing opportunity, there could potentially be needs on both sides of this particular situation.
First; from the bankers point of view, if they reach out to a struggling landscaping business that (unfortunately ) has had to (either) reduce the hours of several valued employees from full to part time and or lay them off altogether!
The banker could (and should) be able to negotiate some type of preliminary contract, where the landscaper gives the banker a discount on his normal pricing, in order to (if nothing else) prevent the landscaper from having to lay off any more of his current full time and or part time employees.
And from the struggling landscapers point of view. They could negotiate that very same initial preliminary contract, contingent upon the banker guaranteeing in writing, that in exchange for getting a discounted price for the landscapers services, the banker will do at least two things.
A.) First, after an initial trial period of say 90-120 days (or X), if (and only if!) the banker is pleased with the landscapers services, the banker will expand the contract and let the landscaper service more of the bankers repossessed properties inventory.
Plus, give the landscaper a gradual pay increase of say 25% or X.
B.) And the other thing the banker will do is give the landscaper a personal letter of recommendation (a testimonial letter of some kind) and agree to personally contact at least three other local banking/credit union presidents and arrange for the landscaper to offer their services to other lending institutions with the same basic initial offer.
Hopefully you can see and appreciate how and why it can potentially be incredibly lucrative to service needs! Can you not? And that’s why the needs angle definitely should a part of any serious entrepreneurs long term marketing plans. Don’t you agree?
Please share your extremely valuable comments (in the comments section below) that you can apply to your business, product or service in the next 30 days or less!
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Hey Mark
You’re always coming up with some great marketing ideas. I like the example you had here.
The example you left is a great way to plan on how to kill two birds with one stone. Doing a great enough job to extend the contract and having the banker give recommendations to other bankers are some smart moves.
This definitely works with blogging. You write your great post, get comments, get a bunch of shares, traffic from search engines and at the same time you’re getting recommendations via your commenters. This is why it’s so important to build a community, relationships and create a sense of reciprocity in regards to sharing and commenting.
With that said, you build your presence and trust with people who are willing to buy, and on top of the from those that’s already in your email list. You showcase your social proof, and in return you get better results!
Thanks for sharing Mark! I hope you’re having a great week!
Wow Sherman!Thanks!
You just hit me with five totally awesome spin off ideas, that until you pointed
them out were not at all obvious to me!LOl!
But that’s what’s so great about building and developing conversations with other
extremely savvy marketers such as yourself!
They always have and offer extremely valuable insights! And brilliant perspectives that you
don’t have and or hadn’t even considered!
I do believe I can make another post and video out of your
extremely insightful comments!LOL!
Thanks so much (as always) for sharing your extremely valuable insights and for
your continuous support!
Both are greatly appreciated!
OK. So the five letter word is “needs”, right?
I love your example of the bank/landscaper situation and how you covered all the angles. Super creative and a good way to explain it!
Awesome Karen!
So glad you found some value and I can guarantee you that incredibly
simple marketing concept can’t spent several different creative ways!
I just wanted to use a really practical example, that hopefully most marketers
would be able to relate to!
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your much appreciated input
and for sharing my content!
It’s all greatly appreciated!
Mark, you have me betting my hands on this huge desk!
Amazing insight Mark. This is what I walk our people through in this community. Everyone has no clue of all the opportunities each day. That is they do not get out and around their own communities, as I do.
Sometimes, just being aware of your own surroundings. Will help others, thus helping you making new connections. There is always several ends to a new opportunity. Taking the time to complete your due diligence, is paramount.
Very well done Mark. I must say. You have a natural gift and it is not being wasted. I appreciate this article and will be sharing it over and over again.
Fabulous William!
And so greatly appreciated! And I couldn’t agree more
with your astute observations, about potential untapped opportunities being practically any and everywhere!
Provided of course that our minds are open and receptive to those potential possibilities!
They say great minds think alike my friend! So there is simply no way you could appreciate what’s being
written, unless you’ve got the right marketing/opportunity mindset as well!
So glad and truly delighted that you found some sort of value here! And even more thrilled with your decision to
share it!
That’s truly awesome on your part! Thanks again! And so glad to see back active in the group and actively participating
in the ongoing conversation here! Thanks a bunch man! And don’t be a stranger going forward!
While I quite agree with your analysis and explanation; what can a top marketing executive do when he is being confronted with the mandate to get new customers for a complete new product.
Most companies and organizations are diversifying, looking out for new products that will be added to their already made portfolio. In the context of this need, it will be suicidal in trying to convince the management board to stick to a product.
I work in a big FMCG company ( aside my personal blogging interest) and the most herculean task is trying to bring new customers on board the already flourishing products of the company.
Can you advise on what can be done in such situation.
Regards,
James
You make a fabulous and (sadly) all too common point!
In that particular narrow situation, as you’ve described, it’s probably best to go along and not
rock the boat!
Bu this is where your marketing research needs to kick into high gear! Meaning: scan major competitors
frequently asked questions pages (FAQ).
What you’re looking for here is any and every currently un met and or un serviced need! Maybe your firm can do it faster, offer
better customer friendly terms or a longer guarantee/warranty!
Maybe you can offer hands on free training for the first 30-60 days etc. Or maybe you can offer exclusive use
of currently unused warehouse space or use of certain expert staffers and o equipment etc!
Or maybe you can do or offer something at cost for the X amount of days and or months etc!
In other words, look for a way to leverage whatever it is you already have and try to barter it
for what they made need now or in the future!
You start diligently exploring these type of untapped marketing possibilities and you’ll
definitely uncover a major or minor opening or two!
And then strategically leverage them into greater and greater opportunities!And don’t forget to
think in terms of how your current and or future joint venture partners (JV) partners may be able to
help you out as well!
My friend, as you delve further and further into the possibilities, your creativity will slowly but surely,
open more and more creative doors of long range possibilities!Great question!
Thanks so much for asking! And make no mistake, the corporate mindset is pretty tough to get to think outside the box!
So that’s understood going in!
That’s smart. Kind of makes me want to go into business with a landscaper and pitch this idea to him. Las Vegas has a lot of empty homes.
You way too kind Zach!
But hey, I’m sure you’ve come across and will continue to come across
more than your fair share of distress property situations!
And from what I’ve read so far on your blog , I’m more than positive that both you and your colleagues
have more than enough expertise and creativity to maximize your profits, in practically any situation
and or economy!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
Wonderful information – so dense! Looking forward for more in the future 🙂
Thanks so much Llyane!
Your kind words are very much appreciated!
And welcome again to the B3 community! looking forward to checking your blog
as well!