Presents…

M A R I L Y N P I N T OF O U N D E R O F S U C A S A

U S A

W H O L E S A L I N G , C O -

W H O L E S A L I N G , O W N E R

F I N A N C E , S U B J E C T T O ,

R E H A B S ,

B U Y A N D H O L D , R I S I N G

P R I V AT E M O N E Y.

HOW TO HAVE SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE

BUSINESS

Find Your Why, Grow Your Business

When was the last time someone else, particularly a

prospect or client, asked you – Why do you do what

you do? Or, even better, when was the last time you

asked yourself – Why do I do what I do?

Were you caught off guard? Did you not even have an

answer? Don’t feel bad as this seems to be pretty

common amongst busy professionals. It has become

so easy to get caught up in what we do or how we do

it that we often forget to ask the question that will

truly lead to our success and happiness.

“Making money” is not a why, think harder about what really drives you

I've observed that, of all of the successful people I have coached, the happiest and most successful are the

entrepreneurs who are in business for a reason larger than themselves. I believe that this is because they are

driven, not by fear or need, but by passion and desire; something much deeper and more meaningful.

Oftentimes, they discover their 'why' through the coaching relationship and things just seem to fall into place

once this awareness has occurred. It's rather amazing to witness.

GETTING TO YOUR 'WHY'

So what's your why and how are you fulfilling it?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

What does success mean to me?

What am I most passionate about?

In what way is my business an extension of my passion?

If I could make a difference for anyone or anything, what would it be?

What are some small steps I can take to begin to make that difference?

How can I support or contribute to a cause, organization, individual or

group that stands for something that is important to me?

Is my passion represented in my company culture, mission and vision?

Do you know your why? Please, share it with us here!

PERSONAL GOAL SETTING

PLANNING TO LIVE YOUR LIFE YOUR WAY

Many people feel as if they're adrift in the world. They work hard, but they

don't seem to get anywhere worthwhile.

A key reason that they feel this way is that they haven't spent enough time

thinking about what they want from life, and haven't set themselves

formal goals. After all, would you set out on a major journey with no real

idea of your destination? Probably not!

Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and

for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.

The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life.

By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you

have to concentrate your efforts. You'll also quickly spot the

distractions that can, so easily, lead you astray.

WHY SET GOALS?

Top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields all set goals. Setting

goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation . It focuses your acquisition of

knowledge, and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the

very most of your life.

By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of

those goals, and you'll see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long

pointless grind. You will also raise your self-confidence , as you recognize your own ability

and competence in achieving the goals that you've set.Starting to Set Personal Goals

You set your goals on a number of levels:

First you create your "big picture" of what you want to do with your life (or over,

say, the next 10 years), and identify the large-scale goals that you want to

achieve.

Then, you break these down into the smaller and smaller targets that you must

hit to reach your lifetime goals.

Finally, once you have your plan, you start working on it to achieve these goals.

This is why we start the process of setting goals by looking at your lifetime goals.

Then, we work down to the things that you can do in, say, the next five years,

then next year, next month, next week, and today, to start moving towards them.

STEP 1: SETTING LIFETIME GOALS

• Career – What level do you want to reach in your career, or what do you want to achieve?

• Financial – How much do you want to earn, by what stage? How is this related to your career goals?

• Education – Is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular? What information and skills will you need to have in order to achieve other goals?

• Family – Do you want to be a parent? If so, how are you going to be a good parent? How do you want to be seen by a partner or by members of your extended family?

• Artistic – Do you want to achieve any artistic goals?

• Attitude – Is any part of your mindset holding you back? Is there any part of the way that you behave that upsets you? (If so, set a goal to improve your behavior or find a solution to the problem.)

• Physical – Are there any athletic goals that you want to achieve, or do you want good health deep into old age? What steps are you going to take to achieve this?

• Pleasure – How do you want to enjoy yourself? (You should ensure that some of your life is for you!)

• Public Service – Do you want to make the world a better place? If so, how?

Spend some time brainstorming these things, and then select one or more

goals in each category that best reflect what you want to do. Then consider

trimming again so that you have a small number of really significant goals that

you can focus on.

STEP 2: SETTING SMALLER GOALS

Once you have set your lifetime goals, set a five-year plan of smaller goals that

you need to complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan.

Then create a one-year plan, six-month plan, and a one-month plan of

progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime

goals. Each of these should be based on the previous plan.

Then create a daily To-Do List of things that you should do today to work

towards your lifetime goals.

At an early stage, your smaller goals might be to read books and gather

information on the achievement of your higher level goals. This will help you

to improve the quality and realism of your goal setting.

Finally review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want

to live your life.

FURTHER TIPS FOR SETTING YOUR GOALS

• State each goal as a positive statement – Express your goals positively –

"Execute this technique well" is a much better goal than "Don't make this stupid

mistake."

• Be precise: Set precise goals, putting in dates, times and amounts so that you

can measure achievement. If you do this, you'll know exactly when you have

achieved the goal, and can take complete satisfaction from having achieved it.

• Set priorities – When you have several goals, give each a priority. This helps

you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by having too many goals, and helps to direct

your attention to the most important ones.

• Write goals down – This crystallizes them and gives them more force.

• Keep operational goals small – Keep the low-level goals that you're working

towards small and achievable. If a goal is too large, then it can seem that you

are not making progress towards it. Keeping goals small and incremental gives

more opportunities for reward.

KEY POINTS

Goal setting is an important method of:

• Deciding what you want to achieve in your life.

• Separating what's important from what's irrelevant, or a distraction.

• Motivating yourself.

• Building your self-confidence, based on successful achievement of goals.

Set your lifetime goals first. Then, set a five-year plan of smaller goals

that you need to complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan. Keep

the process going by regularly reviewing and updating your goals. And

remember to take time to enjoy the satisfaction of achieving your goals

when you do so.

If you don't already set goals, do so, starting now. As you make this

technique part of your life, you'll find your career accelerating, and you'll

wonder how you did without it!

THE POWER OF BELIEVING IN YOURSELF

If you don’t think you deserve a better job, a

rewarding career or a successful business,

how can you achieve it? How can you reach

something if you don’t feel you can have it? If

I don’t believe in my business, then it’s not

likely that I’ll attract clients who want to work

with me. It’s also not likely that I’ll be

successful if I don’t believe it’s possible for

me.

TRUST IN YOURSELFEven though you may not be good at everything, take time developing what you need to learn and your world will

change rapidly. Never run from what you know you need to learn. Face your fears and doubts and new worlds will

open to you.

If you did not do well in school, or if you were not the most popular, or you’re not good at math, or whatever other

reasons you have to sell yourself short—none of it matters in the long run. Those so-called shortcomings only count if

you think they count.

For those of you who are considering embarking on your own financial journey of success, you may have some

doubts about your abilities. All I can say is: Trust that you have everything you need right now to be successful

financially.

Remember that the only person who determines the thoughts you choose to believe in about yourself is you. So, the

reward from the journey is not only the freedom that money buys but also the trust you gain in yourself. My best

advice is to prepare daily to be bigger than your smallness. In my opinion, the reason most people stop and turn back

from their dreams is because the tiny person with the loud voice found inside each of us wields more power than our

bigger person.

All it takes to bring out your natural, God-given gifts is your desire, determination, and a deep faith that you have a

genius and a gift that is unique and that the world needs.

THE INCREDIBLE AND LIFE

TRANSFORMING POWER OF BELIEFThe Power Of Belief, often referred to as Faith, is by far the most powerful and creative force in the

universe.

That's WHY it's SO IMPORTANT to understand the Power of Belief.

I'm certainly no "Einstein", but I've experienced The Power of Belief enough in my own life to KNOW that The

Power of Belief NEVER fails...EVER.

By utilizing your individual power to consciously, intentionally and purposefully choose your beliefs, you not

only can, but will, dramatically enhance the kind and quality of your life in ways that far exceed the

imaginations of most.

It works and the same holds "true" in all aspects of life, whether physically, financially, relationally, emotionally

and/or spiritually.

In fact it's your individually chosen beliefs or non-belief in a thing, whatever that "thing" might be, that without

fail is THE only determining factor as to whether you are able to accomplish a thing or not. Regardless of

the size or scope of the event or circumstance being considered and regardless of who you are, what

country you may live in, or what your religious preference (or lack of) might be, The Power of Belief...more

specifically the Power of YOUR belief, is behind it all.

It is due to the Power of Belief (or non-belief) which causes ANY condition, event, or circumstance, that you

experience in your life to manifest, and it's outcome is only dependent on whether you believe that the

thing can or can't manifest.

In other words...

The Power of Belief can and DOES work either way.

What exactly do I mean by that? Regardless of WHAT you may believe in, whether it be that you CAN or

CAN'T accomplish something, whatever that something may be, an outcome is ALWAYS, 100% of the

time, experienced based on the quality of the belief that you hold regarding it's outcome.

There is also modern day wisdom which says...

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford

"The person who sends out positive THOUGHTS activates the world around him positively and draws back to

himself positive results." - Norman Vincent Peale

“You can have anything you want if you will give up the belief that you can't have it.” - Dr. Robert Anthony

Or maybe you're the type that needs something a little more spiritually based to convince you. How about...

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from

here to there' and it will move." - The Bible, Matthew 17:20

Regardless of your methodology for validating the power of belief in your own mind regarding your life

outcomes, this validation whether derived through scientific validation, ancient age old spiritual writings

or through observing nature in it's constant and perfectly created process of manifestation will ALWAYS

lead you to the same conclusion.

This Power of Belief is in action continuously 24/7 and is constantly manifesting as quickly as you can think!

Everything that you experience in your life, regardless if you perceive it as good or bad, is a result of a

predominant thought, (or more specifically the emotion that was created as a result) that you have had at some

point in the past.

If you find your current results displeasing today you only need to put the power of belief to work for you and

change those beliefs from yesterday which made today your reality, and your results must change.

You are literally creating WHATEVER your outcomes in life are through your thoughts! (beliefs)

Any other possibility would go completely against Universal Law , put into place by the Source at the beginning of

time. In other words, "It Is Absolutely Impossible Both Scientifically and Spiritually!"

Here's The Scientific Explanation.....

Cause and Effect - "The law by which thought correlates with it's object." (for further study see Quantum Physics )

Here's A Spiritual Explanation......

"Whatsoever things ye desire when ye pray, BELIEVE that ye receive them and ye shall have them."

Or how about....

Now FAITH is the substance of things HOPED for, the evidence of things not seen."

(For deeper insight, please refer to The Law Of Vibration , The Law Of Attraction , and The Law Of Cause and Effect .)

The result is, that our belief systems are affected and become limited, many times subconsciously, based on these

traditional teachings, which we then "perceive" to be truth and eventually pass on to our children.

Some common examples of these early teachings by well meaning parents are......

1) You're a bad boy. (or girl)

2) That was a stupid thing to do!

3) Do you not have any common sense?

4) Why can't you be more like your brother?

5) You'll never learn!

Each of these statements, however harmless they are thought to be at the time, can have a dramatic impact on the long

term beliefs of small children during those most impressionable first years and can literally effect them for the rest

of their lives!

Although there are many possible scenarios, the above examples can and often do leave a child feeling unworthy, and

can stay with them for the rest of their lives unless they come to an awareness of the "real truth" and overwrite the

original "false" programming.

There are many parents who are aware of what a negative impact the above examples can have on a child and may never

use such terminology, but instead may say things like........

1) Being broke just runs in our family.

2) Money is hard to come by.

3) Life is meant to be hard.

4) Don't Believe It until you see it. etc. etc. etc........

Although each of these examples can have a huge impact on the power of belief, the last example (#4) can be especially

damaging because one thing that is an undeniable fact is that you will NEVER see any significant events in life until

you first believe that they can happen!

Many also learn falsehoods from certain circles of religion and theologies that can have a devastating effect on

implementing the power of belief to work in a constructive manner.

Such as...........

1) It's spiritual to be poor.

2) The less you have, the closer to God you are.

3) Money or wealth are evil.

4) You worship a judgmental God who will punish you if......

These statements, untrue as they are, can and will effect, in a very detrimental way, the power of belief in not only in

children, but adults as well!

The best and quickest way to accomplish riches, is to......

#1) Establish the firm belief that it is your birthright to have it. (In many cases you have to change your beliefs altogether)

#2) Become aware of your ability to attract it.

#3) Put your thoughts and emotions in alignment with it's manifestation through meditation or visualization.

#4) Thank your Higher Power for it as if you've already received it.

#5) Detach yourself from the "when and how" it will manifest.

#6) Expect it, because if you've done the first five steps correctly, it will arrive VERY quickly!

You will personally experience the awesome and incredible power of belief in

action!

HOW TO BUILD A BUSINESS FROM SCRATCH

Trying to build a business? And I don’t mean just flailing in the wind with product ideas, half-hearted brainstorms and

trying to make a quick buck or two. I mean a real business.

Are you interested in building this kind of company?

If yes; then bingo — you’ve found the right place. But if you’re flailing and flapping, trying to strike it rich with the least

amount of work possible, perhaps you should reconsider your tactics?

Regardless of where you are now, you can be sitting in the driver’s seat of your strong company with 4 solid steps.

First, a word of warning though:

Yes — you’ll get 4 steps on how to build a forever strong company from scratch. But, these steps are not meant to be

done in one night. These are not the “4 Easy Steps to Brushing Your Teeth”.

You know; Step 1: Get your toothbrush. Step 2: Put toothpaste on it. Step 3: Stick it in your mouth and brush. Step

4: Spit and rinse.

No, this is deeper. These steps are simple, but far from easy. Why?

Because building a forever strong company is never easy!

Although the world wants to brainwash you with fairy-tales of instant wealth and overnight success, it’s simply a load of

baloney.

And when it does happen? It’s an aberration. A fluke. Like with Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger of Instagram. You have

a better shot of getting hit in the rear with a bolt of lightning than hitting a payday like this in such a short amount of

time.

But don’t fret. You can do it. You can build a solid business. So how do you

build one from scratch? Buckle up; ‘cause here we go…

STEP 1: HAVE 110% CLARITY AROUND YOUR

VISION, PURPOSE AND CORE VALUES.

clar·i·ty [klar-i-tee] noun = 1. clearness as to understanding; freedom from ambiguity.

Hopefully you’re closer on nailing this than some entrepreneurs I know.

Listen — get a clear understanding of where you want to go and why.

Not from a product viewpoint though. Think bigger picture. What is the higher purpose for your

company? What does your company (or you as the founder) believe? Why do you believe what

you believe?

Big vision, core values and higher purpose are the foundations from which great entrepreneurs build

great companies.

Look at Steve Jobs. His whole motto in life was “Think Different”. I mean have you ever heard the

guy? Spewing quotes much different than others. Thinking differently with bigger purpose and

vision.

That’s why Apple is different. Because of their founder; Mr. Jobs. Focusing on the why and their

bigger picture purpose, Apple pops out unbelievable products.

Now can you do the same? Yes. You can. You have to believe in your vision. See it. Trust in it.

And then just get clarity on it.

STEP 2: ONCE YOU HAVE ABSOLUTE CLARITY ON YOUR

VISION — TIME TO DO A REALISTIC ASSESSMENT.

Yes — now is the time to have a heart-to-heart with reality.

Reality of what?

Well, start with yourself. Your experiences, gifts, passion, life goals and areas of weakness. Seriously. Knowing thyself is the first place to start on your trek toward your vision.

Oh, and it’s no time to sugar coat things either. I know it hurts — but you’ve got to dig deep. Whip that shovel out and start digging.

Not only do you need to lay out what you’re good at, you need to spill the beans on what my grandma can do better than you. Meaning? Get it all on the table. Weaknesses too.

Next, you need to assess the resources available to you. Stuff like people, money, connections and know-how. Figure out what you have and what you don’t have access to. No man can build an island by himself with nary a resource in sight.

Finally, take a peek out the window and assess the world you want to play in. Your target market, the competition, and any other outside influence that will affect your ability to reach your vision.

And wow. Especially important is getting a grip on your target customer. Goodness, entrepreneurs should be sleeping, eating, drinking and taking showers with their target base. And yes, even helping brush their teeth.

Seriously, how else you going to learn their pain points? Always better to sell the cure. Which means you have to know their pain.

All this assessment adds up to a whole bunch of research, engagement and learning.

Asking questions of yourself. Asking questions of your target market. Asking questions of the world.

Crazy as it sounds, most entrepreneurs skip this entire step. Why? I don’t know. But it’s a bad idea.

Don’t be like them. In such a big hurry to hit the lottery. Busting out the front door. Screaming from the house with idea in hand.

However, did you notice something? You’re in such a hurry to get there you’re running butt naked down the middle of the street with no clothes.

Now why in the world would you do that? Yikes. Do some assessment first, will you? If you look down and you’re naked; at least grab some clothes on the way out the door.

Oh, and a quick note on going through this entire step: Doing so may actually create the urge to change your vision.

Why? Because sometimes we discover things about ourselves and the world we live in to cause a shift. Makes us think differently. Wakes us up to a different vision.

And that’s okay. Since being crystal clear on your vision is critical — better to tweak it now than to discover you’ve been chasing the wrong vision for 10 years. Ouch. That one hurts.

STEP 3: STRATEGIC THINKING AND VALUE

INNOVATION.Sounds fancy, right?

Don’t fret, ‘cause it’s really not. However, it is important. But simple too. Like this:

Slap a whiteboard on the wall and get to work figuring out how to solve the pain of your customer in a unique and profitable way.

Simple; yes. Easy? No.

Basically, think big picture — where creativity, insight and wisdom play a huge role.

The cool thing here is you already know where you want to go (Step 1), and you’ve figured out where you are (Step 2). Now you just need to build some ways (strategy) to get from A to B.

You know, like if you’re in Minnesota and freezing your buns off (where you are now). And your vision is to escape to Florida (where you want to go) so you can thaw out (why you want to go there). Well, from Minnesota you can take a bus, car or plane to get to Florida (strategies for getting there). You just need to weigh the options and figure out the best strategy for you.

Now, creating strategy and value innovation for your business is a whole book unto itself. Literally. There are many types of process and methodologies behind strategic thinking and planning. But in essence, it comes down to this:

You know where you are; you know where you want to go; you now just have to list all the ways to get from point A to point B. Once you’ve done this, you then need to narrow it down to which way (or ways) give you the best chance of getting there.

Kapeesh?

And the other critical take away is “strategy” only comes into play after you’ve gone through defining your vision and assessing where you are today. If you don’t know where you want to go on vacation, and don’t know where you are now, best of luck to you in planning your getaway… ‘cause it ain’t going to happen. Unless you just plan to wander aimlessly all over the place.

What’s next? Perhaps the most difficult and time consuming of them all…

STEP 4: EXECUTION. WITHOUT ACTION, YOU

CAN FORGET IT.“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of

people have ideas — but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer — not a dreamer.”

- Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese’s.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks Nolan.

And this is what separates the men from the boys. Or I guess the ladies from the little girls.

You have to get up out of your chair; or crawl off the sofa; or jump up from the bench, and get into the game.

The bottom line? You can forget a forever strong company if you can’t execute the strategies you’ve outlined above.

Sorry to say; all your fancy ideas matter not: It’s whether you can make them happen.

The cool thing though? Once you have gone through the first 3 steps, execution is easier because you know what important tactics you must work on.

I think most entrepreneurs run around with a paper bag on their head smashing into walls and such. Trying to do way too many things at once and not really understanding what things they should be working on. You know — the high-value stuff? The daily tasks — as outlined in your strategy — which really bring you closer to your vision.

If you have clarity on your vision and purpose, and fully understand where you are now (assessment), and go through the strategic thinking process on how to best reach your vision, then you’ll know what steps to execute.

And always remember this:

Execution of a grand vision and purpose comes in taking the little steps.

You don’t just land on the moon because you want and have vision to. Took JFK and

NASA 10 years to get it done — after the vision. Successful execution comes by

completing the small, connected steps along the way. Make sense?

So there you have it. Four incredibly simple, but far from easy, steps you can take to

build a forever strong company from scratch.

Each step is critical, and each step works best when done in order. And the good

news? You can start this today. Doesn’t matter where you are as an

entrepreneur. Even if your company is several years old, you can still go through this

process.

And yes, you should.

Either way, just go for it. As Nolan so eloquently stated above; “…get off your butt and

do something”.

Be a focused entrepreneur and get to work. Got it? :-)

THE BASICS OF BRANDING

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, retail or B2B. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets. But what exactly does "branding" mean? How does it affect a small business like yours?

Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from your competitors'. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.

Are you the innovative maverick in your industry? Or the experienced, reliable one? Is your product the high-cost, high-quality option, or the low-cost, high-value option? You can't be both, and you can't be all things to all people. Who you are should be based to some extent on who your target customers want and need you to be.

The foundation of your brand is your logo. Your website, packaging and promotional materials--all of which should integrate your logo--communicate your brand.

BRAND STRATEGY & EQUITY

Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally are part of your brand strategy, too.

Consistent, strategic branding leads to a strong brand equity, which means the added value brought to your company's products or services that allows you to charge more for your brand than what identical, unbranded products command. The most obvious example of this is Coke vs. a generic soda. Because Coca-Cola has built a powerful brand equity, it can charge more for its product--and customers will pay that higher price.

The added value intrinsic to brand equity frequently comes in the form of perceived quality or emotional attachment. For example, Nike associates its products with star athletes, hoping customers will transfer their emotional attachment from the athlete to the product. For Nike, it's not just the shoe's features that sell the shoe.

DEFINING YOUR BRAND

Defining your brand is like a journey of business self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-

consuming and uncomfortable. It requires, at the very least, that you answer the

questions below:

What is your company's mission?

What are the benefits and features of your products or services?

What do your customers and prospects already think of your company?

What qualities do you want them to associate with your company?

Do your research. Learn the needs, habits and desires of your current and prospective

customers. And don't rely on what you think they think.Know what they think.

Because defining your brand and developing a brand strategy can be complex, consider

leveraging the expertise of a nonprofit small-business advisory group or a Small

Business Development Center .

Once you've defined your brand, how do you get the word out? Here are a few simple, time-tested tips:

Get a great logo. Place it everywhere.

Write down your brand messaging. What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? Every employee should be aware of your brand attributes.

Integrate your brand. Branding extends to every aspect of your business--how you answer your phones, what you or your salespeople wear on sales calls, your e-mail signature, everything.

Create a "voice" for your company that reflects your brand. This voice should be applied to all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, online and off. Is your brand friendly? Be conversational. Is it ritzy? Be more formal. You get the gist.

Develop a tagline. Write a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of your brand.

Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials. Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don't need to be fancy, just consistent.

Be true to your brand. Customers won't return to you--or refer you to someone else--if you don't deliver on your brand promise.

Be consistent. I placed this point last only because it involves all of the above and is the most important tip I can give you. If you can't do this, your attempts at establishing a brand will fail.

CREATE YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

Developing a marketing strategy is vital for any business. Without one,

your efforts to attract customers are likely to be haphazard and

inefficient.

The focus of your strategy should be making sure that your products

and services meet customer needs and developing long-term and

profitable relationships with those customers. To achieve this, you

will need to create a flexible strategy that can respond to changes in

customer perceptions and demand. It may also help you identify

whole new markets that you can successfully target.

The purpose of your marketing strategy should be to identify and then

communicate the benefits of your business offering to your target

market.

Once you have created and implemented your strategy, monitor its

effectiveness and make any adjustments required to maintain its

success.

This guide helps you identify which customers to focus on and your key

objectives in reaching them. It explains what to include in your

marketing strategy and how it can be used as the basis for effective

action.

KEY ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL MARKETING

STRATEGY

One of the key elements of a successful marketing strategy is the acknowledgement that your existing and potential

customers will fall into particular groups or segments, characterised by their "needs". Identifying these groups

and their needs through market research, and then addressing them more successfully than your competitors,

should be the focus of your strategy.

You can then create a marketing strategy that makes the most of your strengths and matches them to the needs of the

customers you want to target. For example, if a particular group of customers is looking for quality first and

foremost, then any marketing activity aimed at them should draw attention to the high quality service you can

provide.

Once this has been completed, decide on the best marketing activity that will ensure your target market know about

the products or services you offer, and why they meet their needs.

This could be achieved through various forms of advertising, exhibitions, public relations initiatives, Internet activity

and by creating an effective "point of sale" strategy if you rely on others to actually sell your products. Limit your

activities to those methods you think will work best, avoiding spreading your budget too thinly.

A key element often overlooked is that of monitoring and evaluating how effective your strategy has been. This control

element not only helps you see how the strategy is performing in practice, it can also help inform your future

marketing strategy. A simple device is to ask each new customer how they heard about your business.

Once you have decided on your marketing strategy, draw up a marketing plan to set out how you plan to execute and

evaluate the success of that strategy. The plan should be constantly reviewed so it can respond quickly to

changes in customer needs and attitudes in your industry, and in the broader economic climate.

Your strategy must take account of how your business' strengths and weaknesses will affect your marketing.

Begin your marketing strategy document with an honest and rigorous SWOT analysis, looking at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It is a good idea to conduct some market research on your existing customers at this point, as it will help you to build a more honest picture of your reputation in the marketplace.

Strengths could include:

• personal and flexible customer service

• special features or benefits that your product offers

• specialist knowledge or skills

• Weaknesses could include:

• limited financial resources

• lack of an established reputation

• inefficient accounting systems

Opportunities could include:

• increased demand from a particular market sector

• using the Internet to reach new markets

• new technologies that allow you to improve product quality

Threats could include:

• the emergence of a new competitor

• more sophisticated, attractive or cheaper versions of your product or service

• new legislation increasing your costs

• a downturn in the economy, reducing overall demand

• Having done your analysis, you can then measure the potential effects each element may have on your marketing strategy.

For example, if new regulations will increase the cost of competing in a market where you're

already weak, you might want to look for other opportunities. On the other hand, if you have a

good reputation and your key competitor is struggling, the regulations might present the

opportunity to push aggressively for new customers.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR STRENGTHS AND

WEAKNESSES

DEVELOPING YOUR MARKETING

STRATEGYWith an understanding of your business' internal strengths and weaknesses and the external opportunities and threats, you can

develop a strategy that plays to your own strengths and matches them to the emerging opportunities. You can also identify

your weaknesses and try to minimise them.

The next step is to draw up a detailed marketing plan that sets out the specific actions to put that strategy into practice.

Questions to ask when developing your strategy

• What changes are taking place in our business environment? Are these opportunities or threats?

• What are our strengths and weaknesses?

• What do I want to achieve? Set clear, realistic objectives.

• What are customers looking for? What are their needs?

• Which customers are the most profitable?

• How will I target the right potential customers? Are there groups that I can target effectively?

• What's the best way of communicating with them?

• Could I improve my customer service? This can be a low-cost way of gaining a competitive advantage over rivals, keeping

customers, boosting sales and building a good reputation.

• Could changing my products or services increase sales and profitability? Most products need to be continuously updated to

maintain competitiveness.

• Could extending my product list or service provision meet existing customers' needs more effectively? Remember that selling

to existing customers is generally more cost effective than continually trying to find new ones.

• How will I price my product or service? Although prices need to be competitive, most businesses find that trying to compete on

price alone is a poor strategy. What else are my customers interested in? Quality? Reliability? Efficiency? Value for money?

• What is the best way of distributing and selling my products?

• How can I best promote my products? Options might include advertising, direct marketing, exhibiting at trade fairs, PR or

marketing on the web.

• How can I tell if my marketing is effective? Check how your customers find out about your business. A small-scale trial can be

a good way of testing a marketing strategy without committing to excessive costs.

TIPS AND PITFALLSBefore looking at new markets, think about how you can get the most out of your existing customer

base - it's usually more economical and quicker than finding new customers.

Consider whether you can sell more to your existing customers or look at ways of improving the

retention of key customers.

Focus on the market

Your marketing strategy document should:

analyse the different needs of different groups of customers

focus on a market niche where you can be the best

aim to put most of your efforts into the 20 per cent of customers who provide 80 per cent of profits

Don't forget the follow-up

Approach a third party for feedback about your strategy - they may be able to spot any gaps or

weaknesses that you can't see.

Put your marketing strategy into effect with a marketing plan that sets out the aims, actions, dates,

costs, resources and effective selling programmes.

Measure the effectiveness of what you do. Be prepared to change things that aren't working.

Pitfalls to avoid

Making assumptions about what customers want.

Ignoring the competition.

Trying to compete on price alone.

Relying on too few customers.

Trying to grow too quickly.

Becoming complacent about what you offer and failing to innovate.

As a result:

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