In business today, your marketing strategy must be constantly changing, constantly improving, constantly finding ways to create a power marketing presence. The sales and marketing funnel is old hat – you meet a lot of people, narrow the field and cultivate potential clients, narrow those down to prospects and finally, at the end of the funnel, distill a select group of clients or customers. The sales funnel is a good model for the process. But the big question is, how can you transform your funnel into a more effective, super-charged, lean and mean power marketing machine?
Start by taking a look at the funnel, not from the top down, but from the bottom up. Focus on the few contacts who have become your very best customers, those who were left at the bottom of the funnel. Pick your three top clients. If you sell small items to many people, pick the three top types of customers for your product. Analyze these customers, beginning at the critical point, when they made the commitment to buy. Work your way backward from there through the entire sales process. Analyze your activity at each level of interaction. List the specific actions you took at each step of the process.
- What compelled the client to “sign on the dotted line?”
- What ongoing or additional sales were generated?
- What did you offer that they really liked? What appealed to their emotions?
- What non-business factors or common interests helped build your relationship with them?
- How did the client get to know and trust you?
- How did the client initially contact you?’
- How did they first hear about you?
Now take a look at the actions you listed. Together these actions drove your top clients to your business. This is your success pattern.
Now take another look at your list. What can you do to replicate, tighten, expedite or improve the outcomes at each step of the process? How can you take your power marketing to the next level? If your best customers came from referrals, how do you strengthen those specific referral relationships, and how do you create more of them? If your top clients relate to you not only as a professional, but also as a dog owner, or knitter, or soccer parent, remember to explore these interests and others with future potential clients. If your website was a key factor in the process, how can you improve your message or navigation, to make it even more attractive to your best potential customers? If you have been successful in selling additional or ongoing products, how can you adapt this to other clients?
Take the factors which are appealing to your best clients, and use these as guidelines. Analyze what has worked, and what can be improved to make your business even more attractive. Hone your message and offerings to create a remarkable experience for your highly defined target market. Let your best clients help you set your direction for success, and build your power marketing machine from the bottom up!
Click here to download the Power Marketing Analysis Worksheet, and capitalize on your strategic marketing opportunities!
