Are you leveraging Business Problem Topology?

In this edition of Monday Morning Marketing Quote, we’ll dive deeper into Business Problem Topology; a method for developing a unique marketing strategy for your business. Today’s quote comes from Jim Kukral and his book, Attention! This Book Will Make You Money: How to Use Attention-Getting Online Marketing to Increase Your Revenue.

“Borrow an idea. Everyone thinks that their business is not like anyone else’s. The truth is that all of our businesses are more alike than different. Look at what others are doing in other industries and see how you can apply their ideas.” – Jim Kukral

Are you asking your customers for referrals?

Today’s Monday Morning Quote is all about maximizing your revenue potential and comes from John Jantsch and his book, The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself

“If you truly believe that your products and services offer world-class solutions, then you are doing your customers a disservice by not making it very easy for them to introduce these benefits to their friends. If you find yourself saying, “I believe you get referrals by doing good work, not by asking for them,” then I’m going to suggest that you’re not really sure of the value of your products and services. Remarkable companies always ask for referrals, not simply as a way to acquire new business, but also as a way to help the most people get the results they are after.” – John Jantsch

P.S. The web development company I referenced in today’s video is Emerge Inc., the same company that programmed the Carlin Ad-Speak Calculator.

Emotion is the driving force used by your nervous system to influence your decisions.

Feelings of fear and trepidation are triggered by the unknown. These emotions prompt you to invest your resources cautiously.

Feelings of trust, comfort and security are triggered by things familiar:  Family and friends.  Ethnic background.  Political affiliations.

Humans have long trusted the wisdom of groups as a survival mechanism. Neuroscientist Gregory Berns explains, “There is, of course,  great value in belonging to a group. Safety in numbers, for one. But there is also a mathematical explanation for why the brain is so willing to give up its own opinions: a group of people is more likely to be correct about something than an individual.”

In essence, your natural instinct is to follow the herd. And it’s counterintuitive for you to venture out on your own. That’s why many business owners continually look to their competitors for ideas and inspiration. But beware: this approach is littered with fool’s gold.

Here’s what you must always remember: A business revolution can never be the result of copying the strategy and tactics employed by your competition. Your success is directly related to standing out, not fitting in. And you must battle human nature if you wish to create a unique point of differentiation for your business.

Why is being unique so important?

Because marketing strategies are frequency dependent, which means the value of your marketing message declines as it becomes more common in the marketplace. The greater the number of copycats, the more difficult it will be for your customer to pick out the differences and choose among you. Once all competitors have adopted a similar strategy, no one owns the edge. The arms race continues. Which is why you must work even harder once you’ve achieved market leader status. (Hey, you didn’t think it would get any easier with that big, bright red target on your back, did you?)

Maintaining your status as a market leader requires that you continually raise the bar by improving your company’s value through product innovation, customer intimacy and operational efficiency.

Market leaders never rest. They relinquish no ground.

Remember, ‘safety in numbers’ dictates that your competition will emulate what’s working in the marketplace. Resting on your laurels is a surefire way to invite parity.

So, I have just one question for you: Do you have the courage to break from the herd and own the edge?

Up next… a technique you can use to create a business revolution in your industry.

Are you getting involved, or are you being left in the dust?

Today’s Monday Morning Marketing Quote talks about the importance of getting involved in social media, and comes from Frank Agin and Lewis Howes and their book, LinkedWorking: Generating Success on LinkedIn the Worlds Largest Professional Networking Website.

“When you become actively involved, you create the perception that you are a courageous, driven and optimistic person. When you become actively involved, others get the sense that you are caring and generous. When you become actively involved, people deem you as trustworthy and reliable. These things then combine and make it so that people cannot help but to know, like and trust you — which are the building blocks for every solid professional relationship. From here it is inevitable that your network becomes more productive – and opportunities are sure to follow.” – Frank Agin and Lewis Howes

Is showing part of your marketing strategy?

This week’s edition of Monday Morning Marketing Quote shares a technique for speaking more credibly with your customers, and comes from Steve Cohen and his book, Win the Crowd: Unlock the Secrets of Influence, Charisma, and Showmanship

“In my own work as an entertainer, I’ve found that the nonspoken suggestions help set the stage even before I open my mouth. Novelists use this technique extensively. When an author wants you to think something about a character, he doesn’t flatly write, for example, ‘John is sad,’ Instead, he may write ‘John’s shoulders slumped forward, his eyes red from crying.’ Based on this description, the reader gets a better impression of the author’s intentions. It’s the old adage Show, don’t tell.” - Steve Cohen

Today’s Monday Morning Quote discusses the relationship between Impact Quotient (Relevancy) and Repetition, and comes from Seth Godin and his book, Unleashing the Ideavirus

“It’s foolish to expect that one exposure to your message will instantly convert someone from stranger to raving ideavirus spreading fan. So plan on a process. Plan on a method that takes people from where they are to where you want them to go.” – Seth Godin

As I’ve said before in greater detail, the brain’s decision making machinery is amazingly fragile. Working memory has a finite capacity. According to psychologist George Miller, the conscious brain can juggle only seven pieces of data at any one moment. Heaping on additional information quickly capsizes decision making.

Neuroscientist Jonah Lehrer observes, “Choices that seem straightforward – like choosing a jam in the supermarket – can overwhelm the prefrontal cortex. It gets intimidated by all the jam data. And that’s when bad decisions are made.”

But perhaps the most revealing insight into the paradox of choice comes from Sheena Iyengar, as the social psychologist brilliantly explains how perceptual reality shapes your view of choice. Watch video. It’s one of the best TED videos I’ve seen.

“In reality, many choices are between things that are not that much different. The value of choice depends on our ability to perceive differences between the options. Americans train their whole lives to play ’spot the difference.’ They practice this from such an early age that they’ve come to believe that everyone must be born with this ability. In fact, though all humans share a basic need and desire for choice, we don’t all see choice in the same places or to the same extent. When someone can’t see how one choice is unlike another, or when there are too many choices to compare and contrast, the process of choosing can be confusing and frustrating. Instead of making better choices, we become overwhelmed by choice. Sometimes even afraid of it. Choice no longer offers opportunities, but imposes constraints. It’s not a marker of liberation, but of suffocation by meaningless minutia. In other words, choice can develop into the very opposite of everything it represents in America when it is thrust upon those who are insufficiently prepared for it.” – Sheena Iyengar

Are you engaging your website’s visitors on an emotional level?

Today’s Monday Morning Marketing Quote shares a tactic you can use to boost the performance of your website, and comes from Steve Garfield and his book, Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business.

“Why Put video on the web? Video allows you to tell a much richer story than you ever could with just words or pictures alone. Video enables you to engage the viewer emotionally. It’s the same reason TV became popular — video stimulates more of your senses. As a longtime video blogger, I’ve seen viewers feel like they actually get to know you on a much more personal level than text or photos offer.” – Steve Garfield

Sadly, many business owners believe that marketing is about choosing the right tactics, or that social media is a panacea for a bad business. Complicating matters is the fact that you and I live in a noisy, over-communicated society, where it’s a struggle to reach customers with a persuasive message.

That’s why you need On Your Market.

On Your Market is an interactive learning environment that teaches you time-tested marketing and advertising principles. These persuasive principles are based on science – not dusty textbooks.

Sign-up for instant access today and you’ll learn:

• The 12 Most Common Mistakes in Advertising
• How to purchase word of mouth
• Three critical questions every page on your website must answer.
• How to tap into the mind of the female consumer.
• The Seven Most Common Credibility Killers in Marketing.
• How to accurately calculate your ad budget.
• Six currencies that you can risk or spend to elevate the believability of your marketing message.

On Your Market began as a collaborative effort from a small group of marketing consultants who share a common relationship through the Wizard of Ads, and wish to offer marketing advice to business owners who simply can’t afford to hire them as consultants. The instructors include Dave Young of Branding Blog, Michele Miller of WonderBranding, Craig Arthur of Wizard of Ads – Australia,  and yours truly.

Want to take a peek inside?

Sign up now and take a FREE “test drive” of one of the most important classes on the site, “The 12 Most Common Mistakes In Advertising.” You’ll have FREE lifetime access to that class. We’re betting you’ll like what you see, and you’ll purchase a lifetime membership and continue to grow along with us. This soft launch of On Your Market contains more than 11 hours of classes (supplemented with learning materials), with several additional classes in the works for future upgrades. You’ll never have to pay for the new material – once you’re in, you’re in for life.

So what are you waiting for? Are you ready to drive more traffic, sales and word of mouth?

Try On Your Market today.

Are you promising your customer the lowest total cost?

This edition of Monday Morning Marketing Quote discusses how to provide your customer with the best overall value. Today’s quote comes from Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema and their classic marketing book, The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market.

“Lowest total cost? It can mean lowest price, but it doesn’t always. What it does mean is that when all the costs to the customer of owning and using the company’s product or service are added up — costs such as price, time spent at the checkout counter, the inconvenience of untimely repair — nobody else’s deal is likely to be any better.” – Michael Treacy & Fred Wiersema