The U.S.P. Marketing Plan
19001
1. Put together the right message
2. Present your message
3. Pick the right targets
4. Prove your case
5. Put your best foot forward
6. Generate some free advertising
7. Start a trend-Become hot
8. Use “poor boy” marketing
9. Maximize total customer value
10. Fuel word-of-mouth advertising
11. Create short-term sales surges
12. Use new technology
13. Hire and fire the experts
Plan 1: Put together the right message
A good and effective marketing message will always have at least three key elements:
1. A Unique Selling Proposition (U.S.P.): which explains your positioning all competitors and summarizes your product’s chief benefits.
2. An answer to one question every prospective customer will always ask: Why should I choose your business/ product/ service instead of one of your competitor’s similar products or services?”
3. An irresistible offer to take immediate action
One way you can develop your marketing message is to use a modular approach. Take some blank 3″ * 5″ cards and put one fact, feature, benefit, customer promise, offer component or marketing idea on each. Once you’ve written out a number of ideas, organize them in order of most likely importance to your prospective customers. Then select the top three to five, and work out how you can incorporate those ideas into your marketing message. As you do that, also bear in mind what your direct competitors are already doing. Choose elements or components that will enable you to stand out from competitors.
Plan 2: Present your message
A productive marketing message:
1. Is well organized
Before anyone will take action, they have to be led through five distinct steps;
1. Become aware of a need or desire
2. Learn what will fulfill that need or desire
3. Find a source for that solution
4. Accept the price asked by the source
5. Find a reason to act immediately
Good marketing walks customers through those steps.
2. Ignites the interest of the prospect in some way
In other words, presents the information in ways that are interesting and attention getting. There are numerous ways this can done: with before and after pictures, through dramatic stories, by quoting shocking statistics, etc.
3. Asks for action
Good marketing not only asks you to take action but also provides a rationale and reason why you should not delay taking immediate action.
4. Touches all the bases every time
With marketing messages, results are achieved only when the entire package comes together. There are no shortcuts, just every element every time.
Plan 3: Pick the right targets
Even if you have a great marketing message, it won’t generate results until it is presented to people who are in a position to buy, That’s essence of targeted marketing–to deliver the message the right people rather than delivering it to everyone and hoping the right people find it.
The three best ways to target-market are:
1. Geographic targeting
Select a zip code and advertise only in local newspapers or other advertising that reaches that zip code and possibly the adjacent zip codes. You can enhance your results by having salespeople working for you who live that same area and by totally dominating whatever zip code works for you.
2. Demographic targeting
It you collect information about your present customers, you’ll be able to identify factors all your customers seem to have in common. You can then approach mailing list brokers or publishers to rent lists of people who have those same demographic factors in their profiles. The better you know your customers, the more demographic factors can be used in future marketing.
3. Affinity or association targeting
Identify all the trade associations, business or civic groups or community organizations your clients belong to and rent their mailing lists. You can then put together a very specific package that will appeal to the people normally found in that group. This is particularly effective if you personally are in these organizations and understand what the common concerns are.
Plan 4: Prove your case
Whether you like it or not, most people won’t believe anything you tell them while marketing. The best marketers understand that natural tendency and address it by providing a “preponderance of proof” –so much evidence that ultimately the customer gets won over.
How do you achieve that? It usually requires a mix of:
Plan 5: Put your best foot forward
If your marketing is designed to get people to come to your business, take the time to make certain that what the client will see at your store or office is aligned with the image you create through your marketing.
Specifically, a good retail store:
1. Will be staffed by people who are dressed in a way that projects professionalism and order
2. Conveys a congruent, deliberate message that is appropriate to the products being offered
3. Presents goods in a logical, organized way
4. Helps the customer think creatively through the use of effective point-of-sale demonstrations that show the products in action
5. Takes the opportunity to educate the customer as appropriate–through videos and live demonstrators
6. Utilizes all the resources available–such as wall space–to promote, advertise and educate customers
If the in-person experience of interacting with a business differs markedly from the impression created by the marketing materials, customers aren’t very likely to encourage their friends to have the same experience.
Similarly, smart businesses also make a point of being seen as good corporate citizens. They align themselves with non-controversial, nonpolitical and highly respected nonprofit or charitable organizations. By doing that, they enhance their visibility and create a profile that is in line with the marketing approach they use or want to use in the future.
Plan 6: Generate some free advertising
In practical terms, free advertising is generated by positive and favorable media attention and publicity. Naturally, free advertising is highly beneficial and desirable. How is it generated? There are several potential ways:
If you carefully choose a charity that is highly visible and aggressive in its promotional activities, by aligning with them you can use them as a lever to generate media awareness.
Commission a poll or survey or some kind and announce the results. Then by prepared to explain and analyze those results in public. Before too long, you’ll come to be considered the expert in your field of business.
Radio talk shows are always looking for experts to take up some air time. Take advantage of that, and develop a list of previous appearances. With any luck, you’ll be able to parlay small appearances into progressively larger venues.
This is the bread and butter of the PR industry. The press kit is simply a collection of basic information about your business, product or service. The news release is something topical about why someone should care. Many businesses have generated millions of dollars of free advertising using nothing more than press kits and news releases.
Plan 7: Start a trend–Become hot
Every marketer wants to handle products that are “hot” — in line with the current consumer trends. In practice, there are just seven ways to get hot and stay hot:
1. Get some prestigious recognition: from newspapers, broadcasters, publishers or industry groups
2. Release a new product: which is interesting, exciting and offers features never before available
3. Start offering a new service: which is new, better and different from what everyone else is doing
4. Align with trends and news events: by being aware of the general news environment and attempting to “enter into the conversation already taking place in the prospect’s mind”
5. Tie into seasons and holidays: which is another variation on the idea of getting involved with whatever people will already by thinking and talking about
6. Link with the release of movies of movies or entertainment events: which can not only be a lot of fun but can also generate loads of visibility (so long as it’s not for the wrong reason)
7. Piggyback on fads: by noting what is popular at present and doing something smart. For example, when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were big, a dentist bought a collection of stuffed toys. He displayed them in his office and sent out an offer that each child who came for a special $9.95 exam could take home the turtle of his or her choice free!– while supplies last. The offer was highly successful, and similar marketing offers can be developed around any fad that may currently be in vogue.
Plan 8: Use “poor boy” marketing
Surprisingly, the most effective marketing strategies don’t always involve huge expense. Some of the most productive types of marketing will cost little, if anything. And yet many businesses overlook or ignore these opportunities.
To generate new business without necessarily spending money:
The point is that many people have a one-track mind when it comes to marketing– spend money. Sometimes that’s necessary, but often there are loads of things that can be done inexpensively to enhance the impact of your marketing. Make certain you take up these opportunities first, so then if you invest large amounts of money later, you’ll get the most out of it.
Plan 9: Maximize total customer value
Customers are the most important asset of any business, and they will leave any business that treats them with indifference or makes them feel like they are not appreciated. To avoid that:
1. Greet customers as welcome and honored guests
2. Answer the customer’s questions knowledgeably
3. Never say “That’s our policy.” Instead, use empathy
4. Handle complaints systematically and well
Plan 10: Fuel word-of-mouth advertising
There is no better new customer for a business than someone who is referred by a happy customer. Yet, despite that fact, few businesses have a proactive plan for stimulating referrals, choosing instead to simply take referrals that come along gratefully.
The three steps involved in getting more referrals are:
1. Earn it: by delivering great and exceptional service to your existing clients.
2. Ask for referrals: not only directly but also by doing other things like.
3. Recognize and reward those who provide referrals: with free gifts, coupons, certificates, prizes, competition entries, cards, discounts, thank-you notes or whatever is appropriate to the circumstances. Remember, the greater the reward you offer, the more passionate your clients will become about referring their friends.
Plan 11: Create short-term sales surges
What are the marketing excuses that can be used to offer an exceptional savings opportunity? There are loads, including:
Once you’ve got their attention, there are also loads of different ways marketers can structure special offers:
Plan 12: Use new technology
Good marketers are always on the lookout for new technologies that can be used to enhance marketing effectiveness. Some of the marketing technologies now becoming available include:
Plan 13: Hire and fire the experts
In the final analysis, nobody knows your business better than you. Never let a “marketing expert” or “consultant” talk you into doing something you feel is wrong. And never delegate 100 percent of your marketing to an outsider–it simply won’t mean as much to them as it does to you.
To hire good advertising or marketing professionals:
Avoid any marketing expert:
Marketing begins not with any particular media or strategy; it starts with putting together the best, most promotable message possible that truthfully represents the goods you’ve got.
–Dan Kennedy
When you ask a group of businesspeople to list their assets, they quickly write down such items as equipment, furniture, leasehold improvements and inventory. Many never get around to listing their customers. This lapse is often reflective of trouble in their businesses.
–Dan Kennedy
Every business hits its own times of need when a sales surge is important. It’s always preferable to sell your way out of a financial problem than to borrow or to sell off equity. Often, that can be done.
–Dan Kennedy
There is only so much you can learn from other people’s experience. You can observe and investigate and research and consider expert advice, but there are some things you’ll never know consider expert advice, but there are some things you’ll never know about for sure unless you try them. Every business should assign some time and money to outright, unashamed experimentation.
–Dan Kennedy
The Ultimate Marketing Plan
Find your most promotable competitive edge, turn it into a powerful marketing message and deliver it to the right prospects.
(19000)
With that in mind, developing the U.S.P. marketing plan is a structured process by which you make certain your marketing:
In short, marketing is never about doing things that are aesthetically pleasing, or that win advertising industry awards. The only genuine yardstick for marketing is how well it generates sales. The world is full of interesting things competing for the attention and pocketbooks of the same consumers you hope to turn into customers. By developing and executing the ideas in your own U.S.P. marketing plan, you optimize the number of sales you make, thereby building the long-term future of your business.
No Matter What, Think Big. What You Dream about Is What You Do
(26310)
The simple fact is that no skyscrapers would ever have been built and no breakthroughs in science, technology or medicine would ever have been made if someone didn’t think big. Thinking big and then working towards achieving those big goals is at the heart of every noteworthy success.
As counterintuitive as it may sound, in a lot of ways it’s actually easier to do things on a large scale than it is to do small transactions. For example:
Now despite all these advantages, you may find it hard to believe that you can actually pull off some big deals. You may find it hard to even envisage yourself doing something big, impressive and noteworthy. That’s fine, but remind yourself that everyone who is big now had to start somewhere. They worked themselves up to the top, and if they did it, you can do the same.
So how can you mold yourself to think big?
Learn the art of forgetting. Move on and do not give a thought to the bad things that have happened to you. Do not be an idealist, wishing things were different, wishing bad things had never happened, and wishing you lived in a fairy tale world where everything always turns out right. Do not wait for everything to be perfect before you start taking action again. Be a realist. It will never be perfect. Just resolve to do better, then move on, forgetting the past. View every failure as a step on the way to ultimate success. Remember, persistence plus learning from mistakes equals success.
–Donald Trump
As president and founder of The Learning Annex, I have had the opportunity to observe hundreds of super-successful people firsthand, millionaires and billionaires who have risen above the ordinary to achieve amazing things in life. They all possess one very important quality: persistence. How many days do you feel like you can’t do it anymore? Can’t make the call or knock on the door. How many times can you get rejected, yet know you are so close? How many times do you have to ignore people hounding you for money, while you are moving heaven and earth to make you and your family’s dreams happen? We have all been there. It is hard, but the rewards are great, so we don’t stop until we achieve our dreams. It takes persistence to face the difficult problems that nobody can help you solve. It takes persistence to endure setbacks and come with the same level of intensity and enthusiasm you had before.
–Bill Zanker
All of the greats in every sport, in finance and in business, in the arts, and in government possess something special. A lot of people have it, but frankly, most people do not. Do you have what it takes to think big and kick ass? Virtually all self-made millionaires and billionaires, like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Walt Disney had the ability to think big and kick ass. The only way to get rich is to be realistic and brutally honest. You have to get out of the ideal fantasy world you read about in magazines and see on TV. It is not as easy as they make it look. It is tough, and people get hurt.
–Donald Trump
So you have to be as tough as nails and willing to kick ass if you want to win. Most people are not cut for this. You have to deal with a tremendous amount of pressure. You have to think large and be creative to solve big problems that scare the crap out of most people. People are going to try and steal from you and destroy you just for the fun of it. You have to stand up to them, fight back and kick their ass. Nobody is going to hold your hand and help you along. You are on your own. You have to bend but never break.
–Donald Trump
Anticipate Problems. Always Sign a Prenuptial Agreement
(26309)
Divorce lawyers sometimes state that marriages are “Made in heaven, settled in court.” As terrible as that may sound, the reality is that when you get married, the odds are against you. More than half of all marriages end up in divorce. If you go into a marriage without a prenuptial agreement specifying what will happen should a divorce come about, you run a terrible risk.
When a men and a woman who used to be in love fight in court, their open hatred for each other is often more intense than any kind of business litigation. There is an edge to the public airing of dirty laundry that is particularly distasteful. Having a prenuptial agreement avoids this scenario because everything is agreed in advance should a marriage fail.
The reality is that nobody intends to get divorced. Everyone assumes they have established a marriage that will last, but then real life intervenes. Broaching the subject of a prenuptial agreement might be difficult, but it will be nothing compared to the possibility of losing all of your money to the man or woman you’ve been married to for just a few years.
In your business, you always determine ahead of time what will happen if the business relationship comes to an end. It is the responsible thing to do. Why not do the same with your personal relationship? Sure, it’s not pleasant, but it makes a lot of sense to define how things will be divided if the two of you call it quits. A prenup can spare you most of the messiest, most unpleasant aspects of a divorce.
–Donald Trump
These days, a prenup is just as important to women as it is to men. I have seen many cases recently where a woman makes a lot of money and the man does not, and the woman ends up having to pay big money to the husband. The fact is, whether you are a man or a woman, you need the certainty. It is really important. You always have to expect problems. You can solve the problem in advance before it happens with the certainty of a prenuptial agreement. Settle while you are friends, not enemies.
–Donald Trump
Many people start with big goals. Yet after they run into a few problems or get distracted by other things that compete for their attention, they lose focus. To keep your goals, you must take action every single day for at least two hours. No one should care about your money and your success more than you do.
–Donald Trump
There are many people I do business with on a handshake. I trust them and they trust me. We still write down what we have agreed to, even if it is just an email. We write down the basics of the agreement so that neither of us will feel taken advantage of, confused about the relationship, or resentful that the other person forgot an important term. I call that an ‘email handshake.’ The reason is that it is so easy to forget what we agreed to. It is not that we are ever going to have a big formal contract that involves lawyers and has all the ‘what ifs’ and says which state law is going to apply if one of us sues the other.
–Bill Zanker
Focus. Never, Ever Rest on Your Laurels or Believe Your Own PR
(26308)
To stay successful, it’s essential that you keep doing all the things that got you there in the first place. Don’t ever get distracted by all the trappings of success. Keep doing the basics.
As soon as you start believing everything you touch turns to gold, you’re headed for trouble. That’s what happens when your early successes are talked up excessively. You stop focusing on doing what’s required to succeed in the future and start resting on your laurels. This is not good.
To avoid that:
In the 90s a lot of good people went bankrupt. I never went bankrupt, but I went through hell. My company owed billions and was much too heavily leveraged. I was in debt personally for $900 million. Someone once asked me, ‘What was your mind-set when you owed billions of dollars’? I answered, ‘My mind-set was the same as it is right now.’ Actually, my mind-set was very positive. I started negotiating new deals even though I was in no position to do them, because it made me feel good. Remember that. If you ever get into deep difficulty, always focus on the things that make you feel better. Sure, handle the bad stuff you have to deal with, but do not let it demoralize you or distract you from pursuing your goals. Realize that it is only a moment in time, and it will pass. Keep your sights set on a better time in the future, which will certainly come if you stay focused. Things cannot and will not continue downward forever; they always turn around. That is how I was able to make a comeback from the brink of utter failure. I got super focused. I went back to work and never worked harder, ever. I am still working, and I love it.
–Donald Trump
Rich people are rich because they solve difficult problems. You must learn to thrive on problems. CEOs of big companies are paid huge amounts of money because they solve problems that nobody else can solve. Some are good at what they do and some are terrible and overpaid. I face problems every day. It is one of the things I do best. If you want to be in the top 2 percent, you must become very good at finding creative solutions to what appear to be impossible situations.
–Donald Trump
Wealth comes from big goals and sustained action every day.
–Donald Trump
Think big, but keep your feet on the ground and your fingers on the till. You’ve got to know what you can do. There are always forces at work that can bring you down, jealous bureaucrats, greedy lawyers, cheating contractors, weak-kneed bankers. Do not get so caught up in your big dreams and daring ideas that you forget about the basics. You need to always remember to provide all a quality product, and make sure you have safeguards in place to make sure you get paid. Think big, but take care of the basics.
–Donald Trump