The Real Marketing Genius
I spend a lot of my time reading books and listening to tapes about business and marketing. I guess that's understandable.
Many of the authors of these materials are known as experts, gurus or marketing geniuses. However, a few weeks ago I was listening to a discussion about marketing and one of the participants made a point that struck me like a ton of bricks.
He said: "The only true marketing genius is the customer".
What a succinct and powerful statement!
The truth of the matter is that no matter how much good advice or information or training we get in marketing, the only person's opinion that really matters is the customers. No matter how good the idea seems to be, if the customer doesn't respond then nothing else matters.
What's the moral?
Simple. You need to constantly stay in tune with your customers interests and desires and give them what they want, how they want it, when they want it. If they don't respond to a particular offer, you need to do your best to find out why (through follow-up surveys or any other method at your disposal).
If they do respond to an offer it's still a good idea to find out why. It may be for a different reason than you think.
We should all certainly continue to study marketing and listen to what the "experts" say, but we need to give just as much (or more) attention to what our customers are saying as well.
Learn More: Read an informative article about conducting consumer surveys here: Conducting Customer Surveys
Shawn Meldrum has spent the last two decades marketing everything from almonds to landscape lighting. He currently specializes in marketing for mortgage brokers, loan officers and real estate agents. For free mortgage marketing articles and much more visit:http://www.mortgagemarketingtips.com/
 Google News Updated : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:51:33 GMT Fantastic finishes: 5 NFL games down to the wire - Washington Post
Washington Post - Dallas Cowboys' Mat McBriar (1) has his punt blocked by Arizona Cardinals' Sean Morey as Monty Beisel (52) looks on during overtime of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 in Glendale, Ariz. Blocked punt downs Dallas Backups Burst Through Line and Lift Cardinals in Overtime Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:15:50 GMT Forecast: Summery Sunshine Sticks Around - Washington Post
Washington Post - Columbus Day will feel a lot more like Labor Day as temperatures climb to around 80 degrees. This unseasonably warm weather will continue for the next several days. Enjoy a warm, sunny Columbus Day Beautiful start to the work week Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:03:26 GMT European, Asian markets bounce back - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - LONDON (AP) - European markets opened strongly Monday following Asia's lead in response to the widespread government efforts over the weekend to shore up the world's troubled financial system. The financial crisis A light at the end of the tunnel? World stock markets welcome European bank rescue Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:23:04 GMT UK government takes stake in three banks - CNN International
CNN International - LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British government on Monday said it would make a multi-billion investment in three of the country's major banks to help them through the "first financial crisis of the global age. In quotes: Bank bail-out reaction TEXT-Lloyds TSB terms for acquisition of HBOS Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:18:47 GMT 1.5 million G1 Android phones pre-ordered - TG Daily
TG Daily - By Wolfgang Gruener Chicago (IL) - T-Mobile’s upcoming G1 may not be the best-looking iPhone rival, it may not have the most complete feature set and T-Mobile may have undersold the device at the recent launch event. Get ready for next-gen mobile HTC G1 Android Phone Racks up 1.5 Million Pre-orders Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:21:21 GMT Dodgers stand up to Phillies in Game 3 win - FOXSports.com
FOXSports.com - by Ken Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX. LA revitalized at Moyer's expense Kuroda's pitch serves its purpose for Dodgers Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:00:36 GMT Manatee dies before reaching rehab site - Boston Globe
Boston Globe - By Emily Canal After a 27-hour trip to Florida, Dennis the manatee, rescued from the frigid waters of Cape Cod, died in Orlando yesterday as SeaWorld employees carted the mammal to a rehabilitation center. Video: Rescued Manatee Dies After Mass. Rescue Manatee rescued off Cape Cod dies en route to Florida Sea World Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:21:21 GMT Increase Online Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Those who believe the web is not a direct response... Read More Perhaps, with apologies to Dale Carnegie, we should call this... Read More During the holidays, folks everywhere shop many long hours to... Read More Whether you're a former retail store owner known for your... Read More 1) Know the company and their culture. Are they trendy... Read More Brochures are a great way to get your message across.... Read More If the promotional items you give out end up in... Read More An inexpensive way to promote your services is to createvarious... Read More Special event and a special recipe- hand it out on... Read More Do you have a list of marketing ideas that you'd... Read More In a previous installment, we spoke about how to come... Read More Who would have thought that a three month newbie and... Read More Your nametag can be your best friend. It can be... Read More SMS is good for:? Short lead times and immediacy ?... Read More Business cards and greeting cards almost go hand in hand... Read More Do you spend a lot of time and energy courting... Read More How often do you sit around and wonder how to... Read More Before we begin, I want you to think about how... Read More I nearly panicked recently! Well, maybe a slight exaggeration but... Read More Do you ever wonder if you could be doing a... Read More Staying ahead of the marketing curve seems to be a... Read More Deciding whether a particular marketing program is profitable to your... Read More In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward... Read More You can have the best little business ever with wonderful... Read More Marketing public relations gives you cost effective ways to reach... Read More
Adsense
websites
Directional (Not Direct) Marketing
Contrarian Marketing at Benettons
Sleigh Bells Ring...And Cash Registers, Too
Online Mentorship Programs: Cash in on Your Expertise
Corporate Gift Tips To Wow Clients & Associates
Receiving a Brochure Printing Quote
Business Promotional Items ? How to Stimulate Word of Mouth Advertising
10 Ways to Get Your Flyers Noticed
Recipe for Success
How to Turn a Marketing Calendar into Marketing Success!
Developing a Contact List- Part Two
A Seven Letter Word That Helped a 3 Month Marketing Newbie to Online Success
The Seven Deadly Sins of Ineffective Nametags
Step by Step Guide to an SMS Campaign
Using Business and Greeting Cards Effectively
Three Simple Keys Will Make Your Customers Stick
Raise Your Income!
Guerilla Marketing Lesson 2: Why Do People Call Me?
Give me a Referral any Day - the Power of Networking
Top 5 Ways to Generate Qualified Leads for Your Small Business
A Great Marketing Model ? Utilizing the Power of OPM
Profitable Marketing Programs (Part 1)
Business to Business Direct Mail Offers that Say Free
What Does Marketing Mean?
How to Run a Successful News Release Program
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Tracking Your Way to the Top!
I often wonder how people without a plan know where... Read More
Beware of Magazine Style Yellow Pages Ad Design.
I have been designing Yellow Page ads for the past... Read More
No One Gives A Damn About Your Business. Unless You Give em A Reason To
The good news is that there are thousands of people... Read More
Deciphering Marketing Lingo: Whats the Difference between a USP, Single Message and a Tagline?
Maybe you've heard these different marketing terms, maybe you haven't.... Read More
How to Turn Your Marketing Into a Money-Making Machine - Setting The Stage For Successful Marketing
Powerful Marketing has become elusive to many companies seeking strong... Read More
More Scams! Do you Really Believe It?
Quit spreading those chain letters, nothing is going to happen... Read More
Moving a Business Relationship from Free to Fee: Power of Freebies - Part 2
In the last issue we looked at 5 reasons why... Read More
Beyond Repair: The Fixed-price Model
Don't get me wrong. I certainly don't think the majority... Read More
Are Your Prospects Walking Out on You?
After 11 years in sales, I've put together and delivered... Read More
6 Article Marketing Smarts: How To Get More Reprints And Exposure
Article marketing is the latest buzzword for marketers... Read More
15 Ways to Promote eLearning Programs
Pre-note: In this article, teleclass is an example used to... Read More
Free Marketing Tips
Dumb Excuse #1"I'm not sure I want to invest any... Read More
Get More Clients From Networking - Follow The Rules Of Dating!
If you're a business owner, you probably spend quite a... Read More
Why Do You Need to be in the SERPS?
Why does your business need to be in the Search... Read More
Small Business Marketing Tip - Get Attention and Be Remembered
We live in a world of noise ? not just... Read More
Money Making Real Estate Marketing Ideas
Real estate marketing is a lot simpler than most Realtors... Read More
Use The Neglected Weapons In Your Marketing Arsenal
Business marketers have a lot of weapons in their arsenals... Read More
Logo Facts
What makes one logo better than another?Simplicity.A good logo works... Read More
A Look at Color Brochure Printing
Brochures have become vital in today's workplace, serving a wide... Read More
Discovering The Benefits That Hook Your Prospect
Benefits! They're what marketing is all about. No doubt you've... Read More
The Power of because...
"Do it!", "Do it now!", or "Do it because..."Which of... Read More
Business to Business Direct Mail Offers that Say Free
In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward... Read More
How to Manage Your Marketing Mix
Here's the deal: advertisement is not marketing. It's like saying... Read More
Set Your Business Apart With A Unique Selling Proposition
Unless your company has absolutely no competition now or in... Read More
How Prince Connects With His Target Market!
While Internet legend (and young pup) Frank Kern would have... Read More
Marketing |