Marketing tips and advice for small business from expert Eric Gilboord

Lists like this one are usually made up of financial reasons for the failure of a small business. There are also many sales & marketing reasons why a small business can fail. Fortunately there is a positive step to be taken for each one that will increase your chances for success.

1. Face Your Weakness. Failure to face up to your weaknesses and a lack of effort to take advantage of your strengths can keep a business in a no growth mode. Take 2 pieces of paper and list your company strengths on 1 page and the weaknesses on the other. For each strength note what you can do to communicate this information to your staff, customers, prospects and other business associates. On the weaknesses page identify a next step to correct the problems. Discuss the points with your staff and develop timelines to address these issues.

2. Take Action. Talking about the great marketing program you have been developing and following through with that program are 2 very different actions. Implementation is the key to marketing success. Plan all you want, but be prepared to act on all the steps you have identified. Don't be surprised to find that there are some steps you hadn’t initially considered.

3. Learn the Difference Between Accountability and Responsibility. Understand the difference between accountability and responsibility. Make sure your staff and suppliers recognize that by accepting responsibility they are accountable to you and the rest of the company. It is now their job to get the assignment completed.

4. Don't Play at Business. Don't play at being in business. It is not a hobby or a pastime. Think about the message you are sending to your staff, suppliers and customers. A genuine commitment to the customer and the success of the business will get you through difficult times. It will also pave the way for much success in the future.

5. Avoid Ad Hock Marketing. Struggling along from 1 idea to another without thinking your complete marketing story through, will typically end in one failure after another. Prepare a program for the year, or at least for a complete season. Build on previous efforts, to ensure continuity.

6. Seek Employee Buy-in. When your staff does not support a marketing program you are usually destined for failure. Get them involved early in the planning process and incorporate their ideas.

7. Appreciate Every Customer. A total disregard for the customer is a sure sign of failure. There is nothing more irritating than walking into a business or past a booth at a trade or consumer show and seeing that the person behind the counter is having a personal telephone conversation or reading the paper. Immediately you are made to feel like you are interrupting. Customers should be welcomed into your business and greeted with your full attention.

8. Spot Trends. Recognize trends, changes, marketing mistakes etc. Recognizing a new trend different from your particular product or service offering is a terrific opportunity to present something new to a customer. New ideas refresh your staff as well.

9. No Egos. If you suffer from the ‘not invented here’ syndrome, get it fixed right away. Great ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. Limiting yourself to ideas created only at your company is viewing life through a very narrow lens. Seeking outside assistance and then not listening is equally dangerous.

10. You Don't Know It All. Assuming that all your ideas are right just because they were ‘invented here’ is equally dangerous. You may know your business better than anyone but you don't know it all. Seek outside help.

11. Control Sales Staff. Lack of control over sales staff will result in missed opportunity and wasted man hours. If your sales reps have little direction or support they could be selling to whoever they choose. This usually means spending much of their time with existing customers and missing large new opportunities. Develop specific sales plans with your reps and review them regularly.

12. Create Tools. Not creating proper sales and marketing tools for your staff will make their job that much more difficult. Arm them with well thought out selling tools and train them to use the tools effectively.

13. Keep Tools Impressive. If the sales tools you do have are unimpressive, out of date, poorly conceived, lack strategy or focus, they are damaging sales opportunities. Work with your staff to prepare useful selling tools.

14. Prepare A Realistic Budget. Don’t force your Marketing group to live with a low or non-existent budget. Be realistic about your expectations and provide appropriate funding to increase your chances for success.

15. Don't Try To Spend Your Way To Success. On the other hand, if you spend too much on marketing, you may not get value for your investment. Carelessly spending dollars against marketing does not always guarantee sales. You may need to rethink the media and promotional offers that currently make up your marketing program.

16. Promote Your Website In Traditional Media. A key lesson learned recently by the big participants in the Internet is the need to go outside the Internet to traditional media. After producing a well-thought-out web site, the key to success on the net is to let your target group know where your site is located. Add your web address to all your communication materials: business cards, letterhead, invoices, flyers, etc.

17. Answer The Telephone Properly. Not answering the telephone properly or having an uninformed person answering for you can be damaging. Customers and prospects become frustrated when they can’t get an answer to their questions. Train your staff well and equip them with the most up-to-date information. If they shouldn't be answering the telephone don't let them.

18. Don't Lose Orders. Losing orders or not completing them on time is an easily resolved problem. Create a step-by-step fulfillment process with checking systems to make sure that an order is controlled from beginning to end.

19. Promote Yourself. Some business owners believe that the product or service they offer should be as irresistible to others as it is to them, and that customers should just come to them without promotion. Not promoting yourself will only serve to keep your business a secret.

20. Encourage Others to Promote You. It is just as important to encourage others to promote you. If someone else has a clear understanding of what your company does and who your target group is, they can help to promote you. Develop a quick statement that identifies who you are what you do, who you do it for and why you are different from competitors. Make sure anyone who may be representing your company to prospects understands this message.

21. Face Negative Word Of Mouth Head-On. Negative word-of-mouth statements can have a devastating impact on your sales, and goes far beyond one or two unhappy customers. Solve the problem quickly and win them back. They will be your best salespeople.

22. Use Resources Around You. Failure to use resources that are readily available is a waste of opportunity. Seek out government self-help offices, associations, consultants, Internet sites, and libraries. Talk to customers and suppliers, and study your competitors.

23. Be Better Than Competitors. Don’t just try to be as good as the competition. Be better, offer something different, provide better service, etc.

And That's According to Eric