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We are all customers of one product or another. How is it we always seem to buy or shop from the same place? What is it that these businesses do to keep us coming back and buying from them? A large portion of the selection process that a customer goes through is done through advertising - attracting and reminding customers through promotions.

Without doubt, the most effective strategy for retaining a customer is to provide excellent customer service, but you need them to sample your product or service initially. Once you receive their custom, you will need to remind them that you are there, willing and waiting for their next purchase!

How do you do this? COMMUNICATION. There are some basic tools that a small business or large business can employ to improve their sales with their customer. These include:

* Sales letters
* Sales promotions
* Email newsletters
* Advertising
* Customer service
* Telemarketing

You will need to find out what the best avenue for communication is for your customer. If it is an online business, emails and sales letters might be the best option. If you have an off-line business, then maybe sales promotions inviting customers to a special VIP evening for a product release might be your best option.

In reality, it is often a combination of communication tools that generates the most sales form your customer. You are constantly saying “Remember me? We were of great service to you last time, and are waiting to be able to provide you the same service again”. Begin making effective change in your customer communications today.

Mathew Tibble is the owner of Unlimited Ebusiness Pty Ltd, and operates its main site, http://www.BusinessPlanningMadeEasy.com A combination of sales and marketing experience over the past 9 years and a strong passion to help small businesses and charities improve their success, has led to the development and delivery of business and marketing planning services. For more information, please visit http://www.businessplanningmadeeasy.com or email info@businessplanningmadeeasy.com

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Many people are confused and miss their mark when it comes to mass communication. They believe that they are sending their message out to everyone. This is a recipe for disaster and a loss of valuable marketing dollars.

Even with mass communication, you must select your target audience. Mass means many people, but it doesn’t mean everyone.
If you think of the saying “if you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one”, this applies quite well here.

Every one has their own tastes, desires, goals and needs.
For example you wouldn’t try to sell a 2-seater sports car to a family of four or five looking for a 6-seater with plenty of storage or baggage room. Or try to sell and jungle hiking adventure to seniors with a walker.

No matter what your product or service is and whether you are trying to sell to many or just a few, it is important to know what your target market is.

I know that some people cringe at this, yet the most successful people always due their homework first and understand who would buy what they are selling.

Now you may state that the above examples are obvious and yes, but I was trying to make a clear point of why you should know whom to sell. However not all products and services are that clear.

Their have been many examples of people who have thought they knew who they where selling to and didn’t make a dime. Then when they received help and redirected to another market, they became very successful.

Yes, it takes time and effort. The more important question is, “just how successful do you want to be?” Most people would agree that they didn’t start up a business just to fail, yet without getting your foundation set, that is what many people each month are doing, failing.

So, figure out your target market and then, find out how they gain or get the information that they need.
Is it through direct marketing, television, newspapers, trade journals, magazines? Once again, it doesn’t do you any good even if you know your target market, if they never receive the information. Some professionals never read flyers and direct mail, but always read their trade journal.

The 3rd piece of the puzzle is that most people need to see your ad at least 3 times before it registers or that they are willing to buy. You can’t just advertise once and go well that didn’t work. You need to commit to seeing it through. So planning your budget for the duration is also important.

Mass communication can be very rewarding and give you brand and name recognition and increase your credibility. It just takes commitment, research and time to do it right.

P.S. If you like what you’re reading in this ezine, you’ll love the book,
“Overcoming Barriers to Communication.”
This manual helps you overcome the challenges that start with
Intrapersonal to Interpersonal and on to Mass Communication.
Overcoming Barriers to Communication

Maria Boomhower -The Master Communicator,
has won awards for excellence in her field.
To learn more go to: http://www.falconfreedom.com
Grab a free report on “The 7 Secrets to Communication Mastery”
Are you an author, check out:
Communication Mastery Articles

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Good business is about communication… not just what you say but…

Early Monday morning the phone rang in my office; it was very early for a business call. I answered “Good morning, Nancy Fraser” there was a short pause on the line and then a voice asked, “Is this Gloria?”. When I said no, she hung up. Good communication is also about listening.

Unfortunately this kind of interaction happens thousands and thousands of times a day and not always in situations like this where there is nothing to be lost. In fact, it’s a wonder business happens at all when you consider that we each speak using terms and jargon that may be common in our industry and unintelligible to our customers. Couple that with the poor listening skills we all have and it’s a recipe for disaster.

Do you ever wonder how much your customer really hears and what they think, how much they understand or care about?

When you are in business for yourself, you are in sales whether you like it or not. If you are not selling directly, you are selling through your marketing and advertising. As a business owner/salesperson do you listen to your customer or do you follow your own agenda? Does it sometimes seem that you and the customer are not participating in the same conversation? Do you ever blame them for not understanding what you are saying?

What’s wrong with this picture? How can we change it to our benefit?

1. We are all responsible for our communication. Express what you want to say clearly and succinctly, no jargon or buzz words.

2. Ask for the listener’s opinion, expertise or help.

3. Focus on what is being said to you, without thinking about what you will say next.

4. Match your body language and expression with what you are saying.

5. Speak at a similar speed and intensity as the person you are conversing with.

6. Relax, stay detached.

7. Ask for clarification if you don’t understand.

8. Don’t compete for talking time.

9. You may have a different viewpoint but show through your ability to listen and ask “on topic” questions that you are interested in understanding their point of view.

10. Don’t assume the other party has the same belief system that you do. They may draw different conclusions than you based on their previous experience.

Marketing is about being able to identify the wants and needs of your target market and provide solutions that your customer perceives are better than your competitors. Find out what motivates them to act and you will be able to form a relationship that works for you and your customer. Your ability to listen and understand what is being said is your key to success.

Best Buy is a great example of how well listening works with the success of the customer centric sales model they have implimented.

“Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.” –Plutarch Greek biographer & moralist (46 AD - 120 AD)

Nancy Fraser is the president of Nota Bene Consulting, a marketing and advertising communication firm specializing in building brands through the expression of a companies personality from logo to web to advertising and marketing materials. http://www.notable-marketing.com

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