Committment... The Most Forgotten Word in Marketing

Marketing includes all of your customers' and prospects' experiences - the way you answer your phones; how quickly you respond to their requests; how well you help them solve their most pressing problems and your attitude, demeanor and reliability... Unfortunately, however, many entrepreneurs forgo these and rely instead on less effective, and more costly, tactics.

Marketing is about relationship building... with customers, prospects, suppliers, and employees. Small business owners often concentrate on "sales" and fail to deliver on their promises. When they do so, their credibility suffers and their customers and prospects take their business elsewhere.

Remember, no amount of advertising – no matter how slick – will make up for such things as shoddy workmanship, rude employees or hucksterism. It's like building a house of cards… it may hold up for a while, but will eventually come tumbling down.

Would you like to learn a very big marketing secret? A secret that is guaranteed to improve your profits and not cost you a dime?

An underground tip that will help catapult you into a very small but elite group of like-minded – and extremely successful – businesspeople?

Even better, what if you knew it wouldn't cost you a thing?

Well, you're in luck because I'm about to let the cat out of the bag…

Drum roll please!

Ready?

Sure?

Okay, okay… enough fun.

The secret is…

Do what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it.

I repeat…

Do what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it.

Huh? Is that all? I must be kidding, right? Wrong.

Reflect back on your own experiences as a consumer and try to remember what occurred right before you exclaimed, "I will never do business with that company again, let alone recommend them to anyone else!"

Was it the roofer who showed up three weeks late?

Or was it the real estate agent who has yet to return your calls or emails?

Or was it the attorney who left you waiting for over an hour?

Or was it the electrician who dropped out of your life after promising to fix your ceiling fan?

Or was it online supplier who failed to mail your "next day air" package?

Or was it the real estate agent who stopped communicating after they received your listing?

Or the thousands of others who have disappointed you?

Unfortunately, we've all been there. And sadly, these behaviors have become the more the norm, than the exception.

So, when people or companies actually deliver what they've promised, we are pleased and happy to spread the word to our friends, family members, co-workers, and even complete strangers! This type of positive word-of-mouth advertising is one of the most effective and affordable (it's free!) ways to end up with more business than you know what to do with!

But remember, the reverse is also true… when you let people down, they'll tell four people who will tell four more who will tell four more…and pretty soon you're reputation – and business – will be shot.

As the noted American author and motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, said, "Time will either promote you or expose you." I hope you choose the former.

Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Eule Scarborough

Article Source: http://www.myaddirectory.com

Ms. Scarborough is the co-author of two books, ("The Procrastinator's Guide to Marketing" and "Mastering Online Marketing"), former mktg. executive, award-winner speaker, and certified Guerrilla Marketing coach. She holds a BA in English from the Univ. of MD and a MS in marketing from Johns Hopkins University. Log onto her website: www.StrategicMarketingAdvisors.com for free articles, templates, tips, tools and more.

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