Back in high school, I had an English teacher who believed that the only way to become a good writer was by writing. A lot. She thought that research into the craft of writing was wasteful and would do more harm than good.
That’s how it is with marketing too. There’s a big difference between people who “do” marketing and those who study it or teach it full time.
If you study marketing instead of doing it, you might believe that there are levels of success that can only be reached through exhaustive market research, branding strategies, and well-rounded marketing campaigns.
I think differently. I believe in getting out there and finding your customers by being very active in your business community and on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
I think meeting potential customers face to face is far more valuable than spending hours at a time trying to master SEO or social media marketing tactics that are often outdated within weeks of publication (or sooner). But most of all . . .
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Rely on innovative product development to attract customers. |
| 2. Focus on building strong customer relationships and trust. |
| 3. Leverage word-of-mouth and referrals for organic growth. |
| 4. Emphasize customer feedback and adapt products accordingly. |
| 5. Creativity and personalized approaches can drive sales. |
1. Lose The Fear Of Selling
“Selling is an art that must be studied, practiced, and developed into a fine science. You cannot hope to master it through the reading of a few chapters or even by listening to one or two lectures on selling.
“What you need is continuous study of your mental processes while trying to sell people anything from yourself to your relatives!
“If you are a salesman, do not try to make all your calls at once; go over them slowly so that each call may be made with real thoroughness.
Begin with those who are closest at hand, and accept their suggestions for improvements in your goods or service offerings.
And then move on from there one step further away from home until finally all those who have been in contact with you will recognize an appreciable improvement in the quality of goods or services offered by [your company].“
Building a strong online presence doesn’t have to break the bank. Discover valuable tips for reaching 1,000,000 people on Facebook for free and expanding your business’s reach without hefty marketing costs.
2. Don’t Be A Pushover – Be Confident
If you’re looking to sell more without marketing research, this is the most important point. You must be confident in your product, service, and knowledge. Here’s why:
If you don’t believe in what you are selling then it will show. And no matter how good your product or service is, if they do not believe in what they are buying then they will not buy from you again (even if it was a good experience).
Your client will feel compelled to explain all the reasons why they should not buy from you because of this lack of belief on your part. This could lead them away from making an impulse decision which could have resulted in a sale for them (and therefore for yourself).
If someone does make an impulse purchase after hearing your lack of confidence about something then chances are high that the reason for this was because there were no other options available at that time.
Meaning that when another option becomes available later on down the line (such as price), they may go with that instead leaving both parties feeling like losers!
3. Use Good Customer Service To Sell More
Good Customer Service Is A Sales Tool
You can sell more by providing good customer service. Why? Because when you have great customer service, people will come back to your business and they’ll tell their friends about it. And that’s how word gets around that your product or service is good.
Good Customer Service Is A Marketing Tool
When you have great customer service, people talk about it and share their experiences on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, where other potential customers can see them too!
But don’t just hope that happens to make sure your company has an effective social media strategy so that people get exposed to the positive things being said about your company online (and not just the negative ones).
Transforming raw data into actionable insights is an art in itself. Learn how to master this art and make informed decisions with our guide on distilling data into actionable marketing insights for your business growth.
Good Customer Service Is A Retention Tool
It’s one of the most important tools for keeping customers loyal to your brand: according to research conducted by Bain & Company in 2016.
“Elite customer experience leaders” enjoy three times greater loyalty than average companies do among those same customers and this means higher lifetime value from each customer!
4. Apply The Platinum Rule In Your Business
In business, the Platinum Rule can be applied in several ways. For example, if you’re selling a product that’s intended for women and you’re a man, it makes sense to ask your female employees what they think of the product.
If you’re selling something aimed at younger girls, talk to some young girls about what they like and dislike and incorporate those ideas into your marketing materials.
The basic idea behind the Platinum Rule is that people want to be treated with respect and courtesy by others.
So if you go out of your way to give them that treatment in other words, if you treat them as they would want to be treated then chances are good that most people will feel positively toward your company or brand!
5. Be Competitive
Being competitive is a good thing. Competition forces you to be better, grow, and find new customers. Competition can help you to find new ways of selling your products or services and marketing them.
If a competitor has found a way to get more customers than you, then copy their methods or even hire the person that came up with the idea if possible!
It’s important that you don’t compete on price alone but also focus on other aspects as well such as quality, service levels, delivery timescales, etc…
6. Find New Ways To Add Value To Your Products
Here are some ways you can add value to your products without marketing research:
Offering a money-back guarantee can help you gain customer trust and start the conversation with new prospects.
Giving away free samples or workshops will make people want to buy because they see how much value they will get from using your product.
Free information is always useful, so offer a free consultation or webinar so that people can learn more about what you do before purchasing anything!
Experience is a great teacher, especially in the world of marketing research. Gain insights from someone who’s been there – check out what’s been learned about marketing research on the journey to understanding customer behavior and preferences.
7. Offer Customers What They Want, Not What You Want
One of the biggest marketing research mistakes is to offer customers what you think they want, rather than listening and asking them what they need.
One of the easiest ways to determine this is by observing user behavior: if customers are repeatedly searching for something specific in your store, it’s likely that they need it—or at least want it enough to go out of their way to get it.
You may not have thought about offering that product before, but if your customers are already looking for it online then there’s a good chance other people will be interested as well!
In addition to customer data, consider whether or not your product aligns with your brand values and mission statement as well. Your company might have very strong beliefs about how products should be created and sold…
But if those principles are incompatible with who you’re trying to market them to (i.e., millennials), then there won’t be any audience crossover between those two groups because their values don’t match up either!
8. Stop Letting Clients Put Their Needs Ahead Of Yours
Your clients are important and their needs are important too, but your needs are just as important if not more so because they are the ones paying you to do the work in the first place. You need to learn how to balance the two and when to say no.
A client may ask you something that will require a lot of time or effort on your part, but if it doesn’t fit into your schedule or budget, then it’s better for everyone involved if you simply don’t accept the job at all.
9. Have A Plan For Closing Sales And Use It Every Time!
Closing the sale is the most important part of the sales process. You can’t close a sale without first getting a prospect to buy and make a decision. So, having a plan for closing sales and using it every time! will help you achieve your goals faster than anything else you could do.
To do this, you need to understand what happens during each stage of your sales process (which we’ll get into in just a minute). And when you have that picture in mind.
Then it’s time to identify where in your sales cycle closing opportunities exist so that you can begin implementing them into your business strategy and future outreach efforts!
Overcoming the initial skepticism and embracing marketing research can lead to game-changing discoveries. Read about the transformation from doubt to enthusiasm in learning to love marketing research and its impact on refining business strategies.
10. Don’t Let “No” Stand Between You And Success
It’s okay for someone to say “no.” It happens all the time, and that’s not a bad thing. The only problem is when you let it stop you from trying again with someone else.
This is a mistake that many businesses make when they get rejected by their first few customers of the day.
They think they can’t sell anything more, so they go home at 5 PM thinking they did good work by just getting those few sales closed even though dozens more people are waiting in line!
The truth is that every customer who walks away without buying something has something else on their mind: maybe they need more time? Or perhaps your prices are too high? Maybe what you’re offering just isn’t right for them? Maybe something else entirely…
But whatever it was that made them walk away without buying anything from you (or even giving any information about themselves), don’t let it stop YOU from selling THEM! You never know they might be coming back tomorrow with all their friends!
11. Don’t Assume The Sale Is Lost When It Is… Or When It Isn’t!
There is a saying: “The sale is never lost until it’s won.”
This means that you never know when the sale may come your way. The great thing about this saying, though, is that it can be applied to many situations in life. It reminds us not to give up and always stay positive!
Yes, there are times when a sale has been lost but there are also times when it hasn’t been won yet either! The key is knowing how to handle each situation properly so they lead you towards success.
The notion of expensive market research is debunked by strategic alternatives that offer substantial value. Find out more about these alternatives in our exploration of why you don’t need to pay a lot for marketing research while still achieving insightful results for your business.
Conclusion
Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen said it best when she made the case that good marketing research is not a merely necessary evil.
But rather something that can be used to improve the efficiency of your selling. What if there was a way to do marketing research on the fly?
We’ve been researching and writing about emerging trends in digital marketing for over five years now, and one thing we have noticed is that this space has changed dramatically in the past few years.
According to a report from Hubspot, 65% of marketers are doing less than 25% of their market research. This range varies by industry; email marketers, for example, only spend an average of 10%.
As we pointed out in an earlier piece, this should raise some red flags especially since research has shown that more expensive leads translate into higher sales for B2-B companies. But there’s hope, thanks to new tools and technologies.
We recently wrote about how Google Analytics can help you track your visitors’ behavior and identify where they might buy from you.
And not just Google Analytics; here at MarketingExperiments we have been using Onavo Optimum, a mobile analytics tool from Facebook, for several months now, which gives us far more insight into our users than Google Analytics does.
Onavo Optimum also allows us to see when our users leave our website or install our app; then we can send them direct messages (DMs) or push notifications with special offers on things like travel deals or discounts on subscription services like Spotify Premium.
These are all good examples of how data analysis techniques can be used effectively nowadays to get more sales without having to spend tons of money on data-driven marketing campaigns.
Involving surveys and focus groups. We thought it would be interesting to share these insights with you as well!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to explore the importance and benefits of market research:
Why Market Research is Important
Gain insights into the significance of market research in making informed business decisions. Read more at Cint Blog.
Unlocking Valuable Opportunities with Market Research
Discover how market research can help you identify untapped possibilities for growth. Learn more from Wolters Kluwer.
Top 10 Reasons for Market Research
Delve into the top reasons why market research is essential for your business’s success. Find out at MarketResearch.com.
FAQs
What are the key benefits of conducting market research?
Market research offers valuable insights into customer preferences, market trends, and competition, enabling businesses to make informed decisions and tailor their strategies for better results.
How does market research help in identifying new opportunities?
Market research helps in identifying emerging trends, unmet customer needs, and gaps in the market, allowing businesses to innovate and capture new opportunities ahead of competitors.
Can market research assist in understanding customer behavior?
Yes, market research provides insights into customer behavior, buying patterns, and preferences, allowing businesses to create targeted marketing campaigns and products that resonate with their audience.
Is market research only important for large enterprises?
No, market research is valuable for businesses of all sizes. It helps startups validate their ideas, assists small businesses in finding their niche, and guides larger enterprises in staying ahead in a dynamic market.
How often should market research be conducted?
The frequency of market research depends on various factors, including industry trends and business goals. It’s recommended to conduct regular research to stay updated and adapt strategies as needed.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
