by Gordon Graham

1. Get a grip on your customers.
Find out everything you can about your customers: age, location, job title, what really makes them tick. Then slant all your marketing towards them.

2. Position your product.
Know where your product stands. Is it the leader, the challenger, the cut-rate alternative? Is it the gorilla, a chimp, or one of the monkeys? Figure it out, then pitch from that position.

3. Turn features into benefits.
Don't just tell your customers what your product does, tell them why they will love it.

4. Sell the sizzle AND the steak.
Technical products need technical information. But don't let the specs crowd out the benefits.

5. Don't indulge in "chest-beating".
"Our company is the best!" = chest-beating
"You'll be the best when you use our product!" = sales!

6. Don't be afraid to be flamboyant.
Don't be meek, mild and overly technical when you write marketing materials. Be bold, be expressive, be emotional! Capture your customers' imagination, and you will capture their wallets.

7. Name your product something memorable.
The world is full of Model X-27As. Who cares? Come up with a product name that sings. And one that means something. Examples abound: RoboHelp. SoundBlaster. WinZip.

8. Design with care.
Design packaging and advertising with care. Watch out for words, symbols and colours that won't work--or could even offend--in other cultures, or other corporate cultures. (For example, bankers don't like red ink or "defaults".)

9. Use the Web effectively.
Even without spending a zillion dollars, you can post useful information on the Web to supplement your sales force. Use the Web to reach out to your prospects, help them trust you, and come back to you to buy.

10. When in doubt, hire a professional.
You'll get better results when you use seasoned pros to plan, write, design and illustrate your marketing materials. If you don't have the capabilities in-house, outsource. That will generate better sales, more customers, and more profits.

Entire contents
© 1999-2006
by Manuel Gordon
& Gordon Graham

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