Part 2 –Who’s the number one focus in your small business marketing?

If you missed the introduction to this 10-part series, you’ll want to read part one first to learn some critical requirements for making these laws work in your business.

If you’re following along in this series, let’s get right into the first two of the 12 Laws of Small Business Marketing Success.

Principle 1. All of your business, all of your marketing, all of your profits depends on your clients.

While this may seem obvious, if you consider the failure rate of businesses today, and the number of owners who are suffering with sub-par profits — the only thing that is obvious is that most small business owners don’t understand or apply this principle.

The true function of any successful business is to sell people precisely what they want to buy. To put it bluntly – the people in your target market don’t give a rip about you or your business. They shouldn’t be asked to. All they care about is how you can make their lives easier or better.

People in your target market want results. They want their needs met. Consumers don’t want to give you their hard earned money unless you can give them a legitimate reason why they would benefit by doing business with you over your competitor.

Once you fully accept this fact, stop thinking about your convenience, and start focusing ALL your energy on discovering and delivering what your clients really want – you’ll literally be able to watch on paper as your sales and profits increase month after month. We’ve seen some of our business coaching clients transform their businesses by focusing and expanding on this one law alone!

Principle 2. All your marketing efforts must be based on your USP

Your USP is your “Unique Selling Proposition”. It’s a simple statement of the specific advantages you bring to your clients that set you apart from your competitors. In keeping with the first law of Small Business Marketing Success, your USP must always be centered on your clients

Your USP must be concise, benefit focused, and easy to understand – for both you and your clients. A good USP will be between seven and 18 words. The bottom line is — your USP must answer the question “why should I do business with you instead of your competitor?”

A classic example of a nearly flawless USP is Dominos old USP. “Hot, fresh, delicious pizza delivered straight to your door in 30-minutes or less – or it’s free!”

When people would hear or read that USP they learned three things.

They knew exactly what they got.
They know how they got it.
And they knew what happened if Dominos didn’t deliver on their promise.

The only reason Dominos stopped using this USP is because of lawsuits against the corporation due to Dominos delivery drivers getting into accidents.

Another important benefit you’ll get with a well crafted USP is directly for you and your employee team. Your USP helps you clarify the precise nature of your business. It’s like a mission statement for your marketing. And once you follow the necessary steps for creating a high impact USP, you and your team will always have your focus on what your clients really want.

In the next installment of this 10-part series you’ll learn the #1 ingredient that’s crucial for making low-cost hi-impact marketing work for you.

John-Paul Micek is known as the “Click-and-Mortar Business Coach” by by business owners around the world thanks to members of the Business Owners Coaching Club. He’s a published author and weekly columnist for the business section of the Honoulu Star Bulletin, and a managing partner with the international small business coaching company RPM Success Group Inc.

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