A common belief still lingers that if you build a better mousetrap, people will beat a path to your door. It is true that being innovative or delivering a groundbreaking product might get you noticed; however, it will not guarantee a beaten path to your door. Even if you are best at what you do or what you provide, the key to success is your ability to market or be marketed.

Think of this, we live in a unique area known for its over three hundred wineries. Speak to anyone who lives in Niagara, and you will be offered an opinion on what they consider to be the best wine and the winery from which it came. The question is, is the best wine the one that sells the most or do consumers buy the one that is more cleverly marketed?

To thrive in business, you must be seen. You must be heard. People must talk about you, and they must know how to find you. That is the importance of marketing. It is all about awareness and value. The first step is creating awareness of your product or service knowing full well that they are already available from somebody else, quite possibly for less money. The only way for you to have people buy from you for more money is if they perceive that they’ll get more value when buying from you.

Value, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. You must believe wholeheartedly in your own value; if you do not, no one else will regardless of how good your product or service.

DON'T CONFUSE MARKETING WITH MARKETING TOOLS.

Marketing tools include advertising, promotion, cold calling, direct mail, e-coupons or e-flyers, taking prospects out for lunch.

MARKETING IS AN EXPRESSION OF WHO YOU ARE

• If a client phones you and no one answers, that is still marketing. In a negative way, you are sending the message that you have no interest in potential business.

• If your business card is wrinkled or damaged, the message you are sending is one of disrespect not only for the recipient but also for yourself. It’s an indicator of your disrespect to your own self worth.

• You market yourself in the way you dress. The way you present yourself should be tailored to the type of client and the business you are wooing. It doesn’t mean a suit and tie on a construction site or, conversely, dirty, unkempt attire when encouraging a potential corporate client.

It is safe to say that marketing occurs in a thousand different ways daily, consciously and unconsciously. It creates the perception of the value of who you are and what you do. It influences how you are seen; what people think of you and whether you are believable and trustworthy. And it ultimately influences a client’s purchasing decision to buy from you or someone else.

MARKETING COMPRISES EVERYTHING THAT EXPRESSES WHAT IS IS YOU DO

• You market by your products or services – by their quality, style, effectiveness and usefulness (value).

• You market by your service to meet your clients needs.

• You market through communication to others.

• Marketing is how you treat others. It is the relationships you build. It is your personal investment into your business.

How you think about your product or service, using all the factors above, conveys to others your integrity and reliability and will get you noticed. Remember the old adage “You tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends, and so on, and so on,” applies for every business. This is marketing at its finest.