Frequently Asked Questions about Marketing

When is marketing needed?
What is marketing?
Is marketing the same as sales?
What’s the difference between marketing and sales?
Will marketing increase my sales?
If marketing doesn’t close the sale or directly generate revenue, why is it needed?
What will marketing do for my business?
What types of activities are considered “marketing”?
How do I know if marketing will work for me?

When is marketing needed?
Marketing is recommended if…

Your business needs better exposure or better recognition within its target/desired audience
You are selling a new product or service
Your sales fluctuate significantly from month to month
Your business is seasonal; or greater than 70% of your yearly sales are generated during a specific time period (e.g. the winter holidays; summer fiscal year end)
You have difficulty finding prospects or can’t define your target audience(s)
You have noticed a decline in the number of people who are interested in your products/services
You want more people to find your business online using the search engines
Your sales levels remain stagnant or are slowly declining
You consistently lose sales to your competition
You have little to no repeat business from customers
You have old inventory that you want to eliminate quickly
You want to leverage the benefits of your products/services

What is marketing?
Marketing is the process of developing long-term strategies designed to attract and invite a specific target audience to a specific action such as contacting you for more information, making a donation or contribution or requesting a price quote.

Is marketing the same as sales?
No. Marketing involves strategy where sales involves technique (such as closing the sale, determining the right price, etc..)

What’s the difference between marketing and sales?
In general, marketing involves the prospecting process, lead generation and driving traffic (or potential customers) to you. Sales, on the other hand, converts marketing efforts into revenue. Sales involves establishing a relationship and closing sales.

Will marketing increase my sales?
That’s a difficult question to answer. In theory, yes. If marketing is attracting the right audience, the message is clearly stated, the price is right and the prospect is ready to buy then in an ideal world, marketing should lead to a sale.

Unfortunately, we live in the real world. There are competitors who may have a better product or sell the same product/service for a cheaper price. The prospects may not have the budget to afford your product or service. Your sales force may lack the proper skills to close the sale. In any event, marketing can only increase your odds at winning the sales game by providing a long-term strategy, helping to craft more powerful messages and expanding your reach by zeroing in on specific, targeted audiences.

If marketing doesn’t close the sale or directly generate revenue, why is it needed?
Marketing involves strategy such as positioning, creating benefit statements, generating interest and inviting a potential customer to take action. It is necessary since without marketing finding or attracting customers becomes very difficult.

Marketing is much like using a road map to plan a trip. It is the road map that helps you reach your destination since you must plot out what will most efficiently take you to your desired location. Marketing is your business “road map” for success. It helps you uncover the paths that will likely generate the best results. Without marketing, your odds at increasing business, sustaining your business long-term and establishing name recognition in your industry are significantly decreased.

What will marketing do for my business?

Generate better exposure or stronger recognition by your target/desired audience
Create a “buzz” about a new product or service
Stabilize your sales for better forecasting
Provide consistent income, even during “down time”
Help you better define your target audience(s)
Increase your ranking in the search engine
Improve your online visibility
Increase your opportunities to close more sales
Know how to better position your business, products/services against your competition
Draw more business from your existent customer base
Develop strategies to provide other streams of revenue using existing products/services
Clearly state your product/service benefits or add value to what you sell/do/make
And much, much more!

What types of activities are considered “marketing”?

Developing a branding strategy
Defining benefit statements
Analyzing your competition and/or your competitors’ products/services
Creating positioning statements
Clarifying your message—to the media, in advertising, in promotion, on your website and other marketing materials
Identifying your target audience(s)
Focusing on your strengths and areas where you have opportunities to grow and/or make money
Establishing processes to promote repeat business
And much, much more!

How do I know if marketing will work for me?
Marketing, like medicine, is not an exact science. We can only listen to your needs, diagnose the issues and then create a course of treatment. Whether marketing will work for you or not, depends on you. Factors such as your budget, your ability or willingness to implement our strategies, and so forth all play a role in your success.

If you’re in a rush and hoping that marketing will be the white knight riding in to save the day you’ll likely be disappointed. You’ll also likely be displeased if you place unrealistic expectations on what marketing can do for you and your business. Marketing requires dedication, determination and time since it is based on long-term strategy.

If, on the other hand, you’re willing to hear feedback, are able to offer insight, and commit to following the plan through until completion you’ll likely achieve your desired results. The most successful marketing strategies are those which have been given adequate time to prepare, research, develop and implement over an extended period of time.

Frequently Asked Questions about Marketing

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