Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

The big marketing lie! With 30 examples to prove it

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biggest lie in business, everything is marketing

The biggest lie in marketing is almost certainly not what you’re expecting.

Here it is.

If you ask the average owner of a small or medium-sized business about marketing, they will tell you the following: “I don’t have enough time for marketing”.

That’s a lie. 

And here are 30 examples to prove it

Whether these business owners know it or not, they are marketing their business all day every day. That’s because everything in business is marketing.

Here are 30 examples.

  1. The way you speak: From the words you use to the warmth of your welcome.
  2. The range of services you provide, especially in relation to how similar they are to what your competitors offer.
  3. The eagerness you demonstrate for helping your clients or customers.
  4. The cleanliness and age of your company vehicles.
  5. The way you and your team dress.
  6. The experience you give your clients or customers, which they share with their friends.
  7. The way you handle phone calls.
  8. The causes that you or your business publicly support.
  9. The prices or fees you charge.
  10. The type of offers you use to attract new clients.
  11. The confidence you inspire in others when you connect with them.
  12. The way you respond to email enquiries, both in the speed and tone of your response.
  13. The content you use on your website.
  14. The places you choose to advertise.
  15. The type of advertising messages you use.
  16. The groups your business belongs to.
  17. The energy you have for your business.
  18. The way you connect with people on social networks.
  19. The time it takes you to make a decision.
  20. The quality of the photos and other graphics you use.
  21. The type of clients or customers you choose to work with.
  22. The type of clients or customers you choose not to work with.
  23. The leadership you demonstrate.
  24. The guarantees you offer.
  25. The flexibility you show, when a client or customer has a unique challenge.
  26. The professionalism of your marketing copy.
  27. The working atmosphere you provide.
  28. The way you communicate with your clients or customers.
  29. The way you handle problems, both internally and external (client) problems.
  30. The regularity with which you achieve deadlines.

It’s all marketing

Everything your business does is marketing.

That’s to say, it’s giving people a story about your business. It’s setting their expectations. It’s building confidence in your services or creating doubt. It’s telling the world what your priorities are.

In short, if you run a business, you are already engaged in marketing. And you’re doing it all day, every day.

So, the question is never if you market your business or not. The question my friend, is whether you’re doing it effectively or not.

Attract more clients with The Fine Print

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the fine print, marketing, the small print

I have something a bit different for you today. It’s a marketing tactic that helps influence people to buy from you or hire you, by destroying preconceptions about the fine print we often find in marketing messages.

Here’s what we all know about the fine print, before we even read it. It’s going to be some kind of disclaimer, informing us that the product or service they just told us about, isn’t as good as they made it sound.

This got me thinking.

What if my clients were to do something amazing and flip the fine print, so that it was a marketing asset for them?

I developed the idea in full. Then, I tested it and measured the results. Finally, I rolled the tactic out to my clients.

Here’s what happened.

Flipping the fine print

My idea was to create a big and positive impact on their cautious prospective clients [or customers]. The kind of prospects that read the fine print. Those who made bad purchasing decisions in the past, or who just like to be thorough.

Anyhow, what I did was to add fine print to my client’s marketing material. But instead of it containing a disclaimer, it gave their prospective clients an additional, motivating reason to make the purchase.

Think about that for a moment: The prospect is braced for a disclaimer, but they find a powerful benefit of my clients product or service, instead. That’s marketing dynamite!

  • It shattered negative preconceptions that their prospective clients might have had.
  • It was memorable for all the right reasons, with prospects often mentioning that they spotted it and it made them feel more reassured.
  • It built trust in my client’s services or products.

And this all combines and compounds, to make the buying decision that much easier.

Hold that thought.

Your prospective clients

Now, let’s think about your prospective clients.

How do you think they would feel about your services, if you added fine print to your marketing, which contained the same kind of preconception-shattering, motivating benefit?

Could it have a similar, positive impact on how your prospects feel about hiring you or buying from you?

Based on years of seeing it work in my client’s marketing, if you do it correctly, I believe it absolutely could.

Your economy is specific. The economy is general

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your economy, the you economy

The economy is general. It’s determined by outside factors.

Your economy is specific. It’s determined by you.

Your economy is what matters. That’s because it is always your actions that determine your results.

We saw this everywhere during the pandemic lockdowns, with businesses in the same industry, in the same towns, serving the same marketplace; one would flourish and the other would fail.

Same restrictions.

Same opportunities.

But massively different outcomes.

Your economy and amazing opportunities

Every business owner today, who’s doing the right things for the current landscape will thrive. I know because I work with these business owners every day. We’re working on their economy. We’re focused on the things they can control. It turns out that’s 100% of what actually matters, for the success of their business.

And remind yourself that every time we see economic uncertainty, the number of new opportunities multiply. Look for the new needs and new wants of your marketplace. Their needs and wants are begging for you to provide solutions. Bring them your new ideas, new products, new services and new packages, etc.

The opportunities are all around you, so start developing your economy now.

Forget networking events!

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Forget networking events

A caller once asked me on a live radio show, for tips on how to work the room at a networking event. I can still remember the shock in their voice, when I gave them my answer. However, the listeners found it really useful, so I thought I’d share it with you.

Here it is. Drum-roll please…

Forget it!

I explained that I wouldn’t spend much time, learning how to get the most from networking events.

No. I wouldn’t spend any time whatsoever on it… none, zero, nada.

Instead, I suggested they focus on ‘why’. Specifically, why they needed to go to networking events. Why their clients, website, social networks, newsletter, customers and contacts weren’t providing all the leads their business needs.

Whenever a business isn’t attracting enough sales or new clients, it’s always because they’re neglecting something. So, rather than pestering strangers at networking events, I offered a few alternative strategies.

Attract interest rather than pestering strangers

Here are some of the things I do for my clients, which work extremely well.

  • I bake marketing into my client’s products or services. This means making their products or service so remarkable, that they almost market themselves. Just think about that for a moment.
  • I create a story about their business, which is so remarkable their marketplace want to share it.
  • Most importantly of all, I put an FTA structure in place for my clients. It’s extremely effective. Here’s what an FTA structure looks like.

So, be kind to yourself. And choose marketing that actually works for you. Marketing that allows you to focus on what you do best.

11 Daily decisions for unstoppable momentum

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marketing, usp, different

With 2023 just around the corner, here are 11 things you can do that will help you end this year stronger and start the New Year with massive momentum!

  1. The decision to end your working day with a review of what happened. List your achievements and the lessons you have learned. Use these to make better decisions the next day.
  2. The decision to fall in love with your business. A business you don’t love, can’t possibly love you back. We’re told that when we do what we love, we will never work another day. This is true. And it improves literally everything.
  3. The decision to associate with people, who will motivate you and encourage you. The way you feel determines your focus and your feelings. That’s why it’s critically important to seek out those who inspire you to do better. This can be face to face or online. The opposite holds true. Avoid negative people as much as possible. It’s hard to overstate the damage they can cause.
  4. The decision to focus on what you want [as successful business owners do], rather than focus on what you fear [as failing business owners do].
  5. The decision to pause before responding harshly to someone on any important matter. It takes seconds to say something, which can forever ruin a relationship or lose you an opportunity.
  6. The decision to avoid the costly detours, which come disguised as shortcuts to success.
  7. The decision to do something every day, which your future-self will thank you for. Make a connection, improve your diet, take a step toward the attainment of a major goal, etc.
  8. The decision to offer exceptional customer service and exceed expectations, rather than do what’s required.
  9. The decision to place a huge value on your time. As my mentor used to say, don’t major in minor things.
  10. The decision to measure your progress every day. This allows you to quickly spot if you’re off course and swiftly make the required correction.
  11. The decision to give your business the resources it needs. Nothing starved of the resources it needs can survive.

I hope you found this useful. More importantly my friend, I hope you put at least a few of these daily decisions into play.

On reflection

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Someone emailed me with a question, which I’d love to share with you.

She wanted some free advice, on how to “deal with the losers” who ask her for free advice.

The lesson here? It pays to look in the mirror before we’re critical of others. With a little reflection, we may learn something about ourselves… or avoid looking silly.