The 3 Most Important Marketing Questions Business Owners Need to Answer!

The key to success in any small business is marketing.  Without marketing your business is not growing, and most probably dying.  The best form of marketing is your relationships, especially those with your existing customer.  They can be a rich source of the best form of marketing: referrals. But what do your customers really think of you?  In any relationship you should ask yourself what does the other party realy want and expect from me.  If you can do that honestly you are on the road to success.

The key marketing questions are:

1. If you were the customer, would buying from me (you) be the clear and obvious best choice?

2. Why should I choose to do business with you as opposed to any other competitor in your category?  I suggest you put the question written boldly in a 200-x 300 metre card.  Have it laminated and tack it up somewhere you see it constantly.

3. Is your product or service a lot better than any other available in your category?  If not, why not?  If so, HOW is it better?

These are the BIG questions I ask every Consulting client and it may surprise you to know I rarely receive the answers I want to hear. However, sadly I get the answers I expect, meaningless and boring, vague and general.

Others stumble and mutter some corny slogan or come out with the old cliché; "my product or service is better than my competitors."  Look, it may be true but guess what your competitors say _the same old boring meaningless statement that fails to inspire him or her, the employees or importantly, the prospect or client.

If you can't answer these questions, and lets be honest no one can (rarely anyway), then you're probably not "sold" on the superiority of what you're selling and if you're not sold, you can't sell!

Acting with enthusiasm is no substitute for being genuinely enthusiastic because that requires good reasons.

You need to structure or restructure your business, product, service, idea or premise so that YOU are 'sold' on the superiority of what you offer! After that, convincing others is easy.

In order to convince others, first YOU must be convinced!