A Battle Of Products Or A Battle Of Perceptions?Written by Noel Peebles
Marketing is not a battle of products; it's a battle of perceptions. It doesn't matter if you have best product or service; it's what people think that counts. That is not to say that you shouldn't have a good product or service - it is a prerequisite of doing business these days. Customers expect it. Like it or not, it can be difficult to change a mind once it is made up. It can cost mega-bucks to blast your way into a prospects mind, because most of us don't like to change our minds. Once people perceive you one way, it can be very difficult and expensive to change this perception. They file you away in their minds as a certain type of business offering a certain type of product or service. To put it another way - it is better to be first in a
| | Use Your Sig for All Its WorthWritten by Susan Dunn, Coach
Permission is granted to reprint this article if bio line stays intact.Email is a unique opportunity when you’re marketing. It’s like being a business owner and having customer standing right in front of you, a captive audience. Treat this person as target market and make your signature block, your “sig,” work for you. It's part of branding. I don't recommend using an autoresponder unless you absolutely must. The Internet is very relationship-oriented, and more you can personalize your message more it will attract, and less it will appear like spam. In coaching, many coaches attach quotations to their sig lines and also use unique closings. Because coaching is a relationship, and based on a “fit” between coach and client, it's good to use every opportunity to broadcast who you are and to engage reader. You are into a relationship from first second you make contact, whether you acknowledge this or not. Unique closings also prevail. "Butterflies and sunshine," and “we’re all in this together,” as well as “joyfully,” and “vibrantly” have appeared in my email box. This tells you something about person that's unique right away! At same time, nature of quote coach chooses tells me much about their style and personality. Some are bold (“If you can’t see light at end of tunnel, stride down there and light damn thing yourself,” –David Wood). Some are tender, (“Beyond wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of universe,” –Max Ehrmann), and some are humorous (“The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in morning feeling just plain terrible.”) I'm getting more and more quotes from businesses as well, and I like them. While this form of closing may not be appropriate for your use with your business, be aware of potential of sig.
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