I've mentioned this before and I'm so sure I'll drill it into you again and again. This is single most important part of Marketing. NICHE! Stay focused on your niche, people and market around it. When it comes to your business you 'should have "Tunnel-vision", centering your efforts on only one purpose. Don't waste precious energy trying to create different markets for this one product or service.

I'm not saying that you should have only one product! Much to contrary. One purpose or market can be fulfilled by many products and services, but don't let your product line or variety of services dictate your marketing efforts. Show audience your one, single, primary purpose for existing, to serve their specific need with a specific solution. Your company should be a narrowing road leading to a single destination.

Take time out "Right Now" (and I mean RIGHT NOW!), close your eyes, and imagine you are part of an audience, and your business is on a stage performing it's debut act. Never before seen by you.

You as audience would be targeted consumer. The play on stage is your business on an average day. Is play in progress turning out way you imagined it would and should?

Is your business performing a slapstick comedy, when you expected to see a drama unfold? In other words is your business in harmony with what you expected to see? Be objective and critical. Go ahead, Take a look through my eyes..at your business!

Re-educate The Mind There is an old saying, "you never stop learning" and it's true. If you are willing to make a personal commitment to perpetual re-education you'll reap rewards. Allocate an annual budget (maybe 1% of your turnover) for personal and staff re-education. Consider training courses, seminars, workshops, audio-tape programmes etc.

Become A Case Study Consider approaching a local University or polytechnic that runs business courses. Offer your business as a case study in return for feedback from students.

Become A Surfer There is a wealth of information on Internet and most of it is free. Search other areas of business rather than just your own as you might be able to adapt a totally unrelated idea.

Read And Subscribe You can often find ideas in most unlikely places. Business, fashion and trade magazines are all worth a browse. These days it's easy to subscribe to any number of overseas newspapers, magazines, newsletters or ezines.

Travel Opens Your Eyes Visit similar (or even unrelated) businesses overseas. You'll be surprised at how freely many of them share their knowledge, after all you are not a threat to them. In my travels I have made it a point to visit factories that make strangest things, huge shopping malls, numerous small businesses and international marketing companies. Each time I seem to come home buzzing with ideas. "The only purpose of a business is to bring in a customer; and there are really only two ways to do it... through Marketing or Innovation." Noel Peebles