… Marketing? Unfortunately Marketing isn’t like one of those kitchen gadgets or late infomercials- You know the ones “Set-it and Forget it”…. Many people take that approach to prospecting and lead conversion but most of the time that DOES NOT WORK-

Marketing must constantly change. I was recently reminded of this on a business trip to San Diego. I had a great time, I was able to spend several days with some of the nations top marketing and sales minds… We had several closed door no invitation, no nonsense- just work – mastermind sessions…. It was very useful and the relationships made during those days will last a long time!

There was great information shared amongst these top minds but…. The lesson at hand was not learned in any of those sessions… As a matter of fact it was quite odd when I realized it…

I usually don’t get to enjoy these business trips- being away from my wife and son, makes it tough but- this time I decided to ask them if they wanted a quick weekend in California… The answer was obviously yes…. and they understood that, they would be on their own most of the time… however during some of the time that we did get to spend together- Is when this great realization of marketing came about…

We took a visit to the San Diego Zoo… One of the most extraordinary attractions in the country…  But enough about that-

The bottom line is – you have to adapt to your client base and your prospecting base… The same ad’s and types of ads that you did last year, or even last month might not be effective today…

Your message might be the same but the media might have to change… In the credit repair business you have to be especially concerned about your advertising dollars…. Keeping a budget and remaining in the budget are crucial to success… I always suggest highly targeted marketing rather than exposure marketing. I like to refer to it as “sniper” marketing instead of “shotgun”… In the Credit Repair Business a good example of sniper markeing is targeting individuals who have recently been denied credit for an auto loan, home, loan or credit card- whereas an example of shotgun would be to target all people in a certain neighborhood.

The neighborhood approach might be good if you’re a Pizza delivery or a lawn service but- if you’re a specialized business you need to have a targeted sniper approach… With the sniper you attack less people but you can spend more $ per person because you know that they need your service…. It is better to send 10 marketing pieces to the same client that you know needs your service than it would be to send 20 random pieces….

So, I’m sure your wondering what made me think of this at the San Diego Zoo????

What do you think of this use of advertising dollars???

WOW!!!  That could be your ad dollars being destroyed… I guess they figured since they don’t use it- find a use for it-Many people will have the same response… That’s right… A “Perfectly Good” advertising medium – (The yellow pages) is being used for filler in a cage!

Yellow pages used to be the premier advertising solution….. Think for a second- when was the last time you opened one? Does your target market open the yellow pages? Do they shop on the internet? Do they rent? How old are they?

Regardless of ad type- and I don’t mean to pick on the yellow pages, (they’ve made me a lot of money over the years).. My message is – Know your clients and constantly adapt your marketing around them… There is NO “One size fits all” and certainly no “Set it and forget it)…..

If you target via the internet, understand there is a whole world beyond pay per click… If you do direct mail, there are ways to get double digit response rates…

Study your market!

Good Luck,

Your friend in the credit business

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