Stupid Marketing Tricks Part III - The Unrealistic Marketing Plan
As promised I am going to discuss how an effective marketing plan is developed. We must start the discussion by asking what might at first glance appear to be a silly question.
This question is so basic to one's ultimate success that most people never stop to ask this question when attempting to take a product or service to market. This is why most people fail.
This question is so basic that it is easily pushed out of consciousness and is frankly often never asked.
Yet it is hands down the most important question one could ever ask.
Are you ready for the question? Get a pencil and some paper.
This question will be developed in three distinct steps. Ready? Ok, here goes.
Step One: Write down the name of your product or service
Step Two: Put a question mark AFTER the name of your product or service
Step Three: Before the name of your product or service, write the words 'DO PEOPLE NEED'
Now you have a question. It should look like this:
DO PEOPLE NEED (NAME)?
Now answer the question. And don't laugh. This is not the time for laughing - this is the time for brutal honesty.
I spend all day talking to people who are having a difficult time marketing their product or service. They have gone to all the trouble to set up a website, print up brochures, put together mailing lists, sent out direct mail, posted ads, sent press releases, done blog tours, developed newsletters, joined associations, put together affiliate programs, blah, blah, blah, blah on and on and on and guess what? No or low sales.
They then ask me why, after doing all of this, there are no sales. There are no sales because they forgot to ask the most important question:
DO PEOPLE NEED (NAME)?
This is not funny. You see, we get so excited about developing and marketing our product or service that we forget to ask if anyone actually needs the thing.
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