Duct Tape Marketing Consultant

Concentric Offerings

kmtharakan — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:00:39 +0000

Almost everyone has heard of the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule. In marketing the principle could be applied as 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers, and that 80% of your profits come from 20% of your products. If we expand on this rule we can arrive at a strategy for increasing your sales and profits called “Concentric Offerings.”

Briefly stated, your marketplace can be viewed as a series of concentric circles. The outer circle is the marketplace for your product or service. Let’s say that you will be able to transact a purchase with 5% of this marketplace. You have thus IDENTIFIED from a mass market a series of SUSPECTS, qualified them as PROSPECTS, and finally transacted them as CUSTOMERS. The entire process nets you a sales result of 5 people out of 100. If you stop at this point, your entire effort has only generated a return of 5%.

The most expensive part of the marketing process is this identification of customers and the processing of a first-purchase transaction with them. If you only do this much you have conducted a very expensive promotion, and not fully realized the profit potentials of your market. The Concentric Offerings strategy simply states that you must now make a more exclusive offer to these 5 out of 100 people, as they are the most interested and likely people to become the most profitable REPEAT customers.

Theoretically, through the more exclusive offer, you should now be able to convert a much higher percentage of these five people than just 5%. Perhaps the conversion rate is 60%. You are now at the third concentric circle, and you effectively have 8 transactions (2 people have bought once and 3 people have bought twice). The process doesn’t stop here though. You can now make a more exclusive offer to those people that have bought twice. If your conversion ratio is still 60%, you may sell two more items. You are now at the fourth concentric circle, and you effectively have 10 transactions (2 people that have bought once, 1 person that has bought twice, and 2 people that bought three times). This process could go ad infinitum, especially if you re-offer the original prospect list with another item.

Let’s use an example.

If you were a marketer of collectable porcelain figurines:

First Offer: 1 million direct mail pieces for the figurine set, “Southern Belles.” Price $29. Response: 14,000 orders.

Second Offer: 14,000 direct mail pieces for the figurine set, “Southern Gentlemen.” Price $29. Response: 8,400 orders.

Third Offer: 8,400 direct mail pieces for the figurine set, “Southern Manors.” Price $49. Response: 5,000 orders.

In this example, we have now transacted 27,400 orders with a value of $894,600* simply by applying the Concentric Offerings strategy. Theoretically, the inner most circle can be worth much more in profits (because of its higher profit margins), than all of the outer circles put together. By employing the Concentric Offerings strategy you can dramatically leverage your sales and profits.

*for simplicity of calculation, we have not included marketing or fulfillment costs in this example.

About Kurian Tharakan

I help companies grow sales and build markets. During the past 25 years I have consulted with hundreds of firms, reviewing their strategic plans, analyzing financial statements, interviewing management teams, and seeing first hand how their business models operate. This process quickly identified the winners, and clearly demonstrated which growth methods and tactics ACTUALLY work ... and especially what does not. Visit me at StrategyPeak.com to find out more.

3 Key Marketing Lessons From the Chief Underpants Officer

Kelly Weppler — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:00:50 +0000

“The brand is the amusement park, the product is the souvenir.” Nick Graham.

Build an experience that includes anticipation and long-lasting memories.

Nick Graham is the CEO of Fresh Happy People and Founder/Chief Underpants Officer of Joe Boxer. And, he’s a brilliant marketer.

These are the words from someone who clearly delivers on 3 key marketing lessons. Here’s what we can learn from Graham.

1. Building a unique and lasting client experience. Small business owners tell me all the time they can’t come up with any way to differentiate themselves, and I say hogwash. Developing and continuously building upon that client experience is the easiest way to deliver a point of differentiation and get people talking about your business. Think about Graham’s words. How does your brand create what someone gets from an amusement park? How do you build that giddy anticipation someone gets from planning a trip to an amusement park? How can you build a fond a memory into your experience for days or maybe years to come?

2. Incorporate some of your personality into your business. At the end of the day, people want to do business with people rather than companies. Adding an element of your personality into your business will help move prospects along the know, like and trust continuum faster. Our friend at the underwear company teaches us to use words in our business that inherently produce a smile and a chuckle, and who doesn’t want that? Fresh Happy People and Chief Underpants Officer–those words make me want to check it out and shop there.

3. Go ahead and be different. To stand out from the crowd, you’ve got to take some risk. Sometimes that’s just some refreshingly different thinking. Graham and his company managed to innovate in a category of clothing we traditionally covered up into something we now want to show off. One of the biggest reasons we don’t show how we’re different is because we’re scared–we’ve got to overcome that fear. Sometimes, the more un-businesslike you are, the more you’re loved and remembered. When you’re a little edgy, you give people a little more to relate to. If your title alone can strike up a conversation or produce some intrigue–you’ve got something you can play around with.

We’re all looking to work with a company with edgy thinking and someone that gives us something we can talk about and tell others. How can you build that in your business?

About Kelly Weppler

Kelly Weppler is a Master Duct Tape Marketing Consultant located in Southern California. She works with small businesses to take the Mystery Out of Marketing. She focuses on building marketing routines--routine and consistency build momentum and business growth.

5 Differentiation Ideas from An Identical Twin

Randy Vaughn — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:00:30 +0000

Just about every serious marketing conversation challenges a business owner to ask, “how am I different than my competition?” Recently, one of my distinguished colleagues asked the question, “Can You Differentiate, Really?“ Differentiation is critical, but not always easy to figure out.

I am an identical twin – and yes, if you look at the bio at the bottom of this article, you’ll see that we even work together in our own creative agency. I know a little something about how important it is to know your unique identity. I think that most business owners struggle to discover what truly sets them apart from others.

Here’s a quick differentiation test: if one of your competitors would likely say that about themselves as well, then it’s not a differentiator. A radio spot for a certain car dealership in the Dallas-Fort Worth market actually has the owner claim that the reason they are the best place to buy a certain make of car, is that they are “simply better.” He touts “better pricing” and “better customer service” as his winning reasons. That’s a lousy marketing strategy because it’s a highly subjective claim. One client told me that the thing that set him apart was his “exceptional friendly service.” When probed about whether his competition would say they also have the best service in town, he admitted, “I suppose they would say that about themselves, too.”

I suggest 5 ways to really set yourself apart:

Unique product/service – Are you the only salon in town that sells a certain brand of hair care product? Are you the only mechanic that uses a special type of equipment that gives customers a more precise alignment? Are you the sole provider within 20 miles who offers a popular cosmetic dental procedure? If you are, make that claim. If not, what can you start providing to your customers that they simply can’t get anywhere else?
Customer service – OK, since we’re on the subject, let’s address HOW you make such claims about your service. The key is showcasing evidence that you provide amazing customer service. Stop saying it in bullet points on your brochures or on your website. That’s not going to win over a customer. What seals the deal for a prospective customer, though, is when other people say it about you. Hence, the importance of great online reviews on Google Place, Yelp, etc. In a recent article, another Duct Tape Marketing Consultant, Debbie DeChambea, shares her own reviews of several businesses during a recent business trip. Let your current customers do your bidding for you! Evidence makes your case.
Values – We all want to shop with businesses whose values closely align with our own. There is a rise of social-friendly businesses that allow you to purchase a product that is matched by the business and donated to a developing country or to help someone locally in need. Customers who hold certain environmental values dear will go the extra mile to find a business that practices according to this shared value. And rather than hiding under a bushel, businesses may choose to strike a cord with their target audience based on religious values. The key to this is nothing short of 100% authenticity. Placating an audience will never work and fraudulent practices will be exposed (you don’t need that PR nightmare on Facebook or in the Twitterverse). When it comes to values, be true to who you are, not to who you are trying to reach. Similarly-minded consumers will find you.
Make It Personal – Sometimes the business owner is the “face” of the brand and can hold the key to differentiation. A restaurant may serve similar food to the chains down the street, or the doctor services her patients just like every doctor should. But perhaps the owner is also involved in the local running club, an active member of his church, or she takes every Wednesday afternoon off to assist in her daughter’s Kindergarten classroom. If you ride bikes for charity, or if you travel on medical mission trips to Honduras – these things are worth sharing. Perhaps in humility you don’t wish to flaunt them, but they are worth noting somewhere on your website, in the waiting area of your lobby, or in your presentation. A chiropractor looks like every other chiropractor to most consumers, so what you are willing to share about yourself could be the one thing that strikes an instant “likeability” connection with a new customer.
Experience – Serve the senses! Provide customers an experience worth raving about. Surprise them with unexpected moments when they think you’ve forgotten about them or where they are least expecting you to show up. Perhaps every insurance agent sends out birthday postcards, but could you be the insurance agent who sends congratulatory postcards to the kids of their clients – all because you were paying attention on Facebook? Rather than playing boring elevator music, select a radio station selection that may surprise a few folks but one that will have your customers talking (especially in those critical online reviews). When there’s an opportunity to send your customers to your website for pre-registration forms, why not pleasantly surprise them with a fun, memorable video greeting? It’s the little things – often at unexpected moments – that give your fans reason to talk, and talk often!

These are just a few categories where I draw from when a client looks to me with wonder in his eyes, and asks, “how am I different?” Identical twins seem to look the same to most people, but as you get to know us, you’ll find unique things about us. In your business, what evidence do you showcase to help your prospective customers know your unique value?

If you have specific ideas that you’ve seen convince you to become a customer, please share them in the comments.

Photo credit – ladyalec

About Randy Vaughn

Randy Vaughn is currently Dallas-Fort Worth's only Certified Duct Tape Marketing Consultant. Living in Fort Worth, Randy loves to help Christian business owners grow their business and stop wasting money! Randy and his wife, Kelly, have 4 children. The most unique thing about Randy is that he also spent 10 years as a missionary in French-speaking West Africa. Randy is also an identical twin and works alongside his brother, Donny, in their creative marketing agency (see WEB below)

Engaging the Other 4 Senses to Create a Client Experience

Kelly Weppler — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:00:41 +0000

Throughout the Duct Tape Marketing Network, we always talk about the importance of differentiation because the last thing you want to compete on is price. But this is a challenge for many business owners. They often come back and ask about the ways that a business can show how it’s different.

One of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition is to create a client experience that people will talk about. And one of the best opportunities to build upon that client experience is to think about engaging the other four senses. More than 90% of our typical branding is visual so this is certainly a way to stand out from the crowd.

Below you’ll find some other ideas to help you engage the other four senses to create an experience to remember.

1. Engage the olfactory senses. This is a real opportunity for any kind of brick and mortar business to create an impression. For some businesses, this could simply be whether or not your office has coffee on when clients come in or fresh baked cookies in the afternoon. Some hotels and spas have taken to creating their own signature scents so that patrons can extend the experience and take it home with them to build an even stronger loyalty. And for car dealerships, we see them taking the opportunity to continue the new car experience by sending out a bottle of new car smell on the annual anniversaries for customers.

2. Touch. Think packaging. There are a number of creative things you can do with packaging to add to a customer experience. Jewelers are known for packaging items up in elegant, rich velvet bags and as a Duct Tape Marketing consultant, I often send items out in the mail in an envelope covered in duct tape. Companies can use packaging to demonstrate a commitment to the environment using brown bag designs and even reusable packaging.

Engaging more than just the visual to build an experience.

3. Taste. Direct mail campaigns are much more memorable when you add an element of taste to them. And they present the perfect opportunity to add an element of surprise with a food or drink item in a direct mail piece that creates a taste or aroma that reflects your business. Other confectionary items like jelly beans or red hot cinnamon hearts can also create a fun, yet curious situation.

4. Sound. The sound of certain music in your office seems like an obvious opportunity to extend the experience but don’t forget about the simple hold music you might use or even the voice mail greeting on your phone. The musical introduction to any online videos that you might be recording or the sounds and music that you might play at a workshop or in your trade show booth. The idea is to use sound to build out the brand and experience you want people to remember.

Engaging the senses other than visual gives you the opportunity to build your brand into your client experience and really make it more memorable. These are the kinds of things that people talk about and tell others about and it’s a huge opportunity to differentiate. What will you to engage the other senses to build a brand experience?

About Kelly Weppler

Think Your Story Stinks? Flip Your Script!

rosietaylor — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:00:42 +0000

All small business owners have a story to tell. The reason they decided to invest time and money and launch a company. Most think their story stinks. That people won’t care to hear it. I’m here to tell you to Flip Your Script! You may think your product is awesome and high quality. But let’s get real. Who doesn’t think their product is awesome? Who would waste their time selling a low quality product? So how are you different? It isn’t the high quality awesomeness that your website is talking about. It’s your story.

Consumers have a myriad of choices out there in the big blue world. We have millions of websites and access to thousands of opinions from reviews and industry bloggers. So how does your business stand out? By being different. One surefire way to show that difference: tell your story.

Think about those early days in your business. What brought you to your profession? What obstacles did you overcome to get where you are now? Where are you headed with your business? Your customers want to know. They want to see you as the person behind the company. People can relate to people not brands and cheesy marketing. Your story is the secret sauce that makes your business interesting and different.

Are you the baker who started out sweeping the floor in the bakery when your grandfather owned it? Did you see a problem and then invent the solution in your kitchen? Remember those two guys who invented a little computer named “Apple”?

The story behind the company communicates what’s different and special about your product or service. It gives people a more compelling reason to stay interested and want to learn more about what you do. It starts the conversation and then keeps it going. So if you think that you don’t have a story, think again. Your story is there in those first months waiting to be told and shared with your customers. It what sets your small business apart from all those big brands and flips your script!

My story:

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. During the twists and turns in my own career, I did plenty of training and presentations for all sorts of audiences from large corporate settings to government and non-profit. I’ve also owned a few businesses myself along the way. After my experience helping organizations gain some visibility using marketing and public relations, I saw a bigger need for small businesses to take advantage of these same techniques. I partnered with Duct Tape Marketing so I can deliver a proven marketing system that’s practical and effective.

So here I am all these years later still teaching. What’s different now? This time it’s for small business owners instead of some stuffed animals propped up in my room. What’s the same? I’m still having fun!

About Rosie Taylor

Rosie Taylor is a marketing consultant specializing in working with small businesses, and a digital public relations practitioner with extensive experience as a webmaster. She has highly developed technical skills and an education in graphic design combined with a passion is for writing and teaching. With this diversity of experience and education she can help clients create sound business decisions that are innovative. Her love for writing has become a very valuable asset for content marketing and she is fascinated by the magnitude of communication made possible by Internet Technology and Social Media. Rosie has professional speaking and training experience especially on topics of technology, marketing and social media. She holds a CIW designation (Certified Internet Webmaster) and recently received a Certificate in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts. Rosie has a Bachelor's Degree in Business & Information Systems where she focused on Marketing. In 2011, she completed training to become an Authorized Duct Tape Marketing Consultant. Personally speaking she is a tame adventurist. She will take risks to follow her dreams, but always remembers to wear a helmet and have a Plan B on hand. She met the love of her life who was in Australia at the time and now they are happily married in the US. But that's a story for another time...

Fighting for Attention: What Keeps Them Coming Back?

Varju Luceno — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:00:36 +0000

During the current era of abundant products and services, loyalty is fading. This is especially true in overcrowded industries where very few are able to establish a niche or clearly differentiate themselves. As the playing field is being leveled by social media and low-cost inbound marketing efforts, companies who used to “buy” attention, struggle to come up with new ideas. They now dig deep into their Google Analytics data and other resources to understand their existing customers and to find ways to attract new prospects.

Recent 15miles/Localeze Local Search Usage Study conducted by comScore revealed information indicating that users have shifted from “white” or “yellow page” information searching behavior of “finding” listings to a behavior of “searching” and “shopping” to determine where to buy products and services. At the same time many businesses in small communities still gain new customers through referrals and word-of-mouth marketing. Accordingly, businesses need to continue strengthening their online visibility while discovering ways to increase customer loyalty through old-fashioned, but time-tested communications. Web analytics tools such as Yahoo Web Analytics and Crazy Egg allow website owners to see which content on their site visitors are reviewing most often, how visitors find their website and much more, but these numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Why do customers stick to certain products, services and providers but separate themselves fast from others?

Often, it is the whole ecosystem, the whole experience that keeps us going back to make another purchase. We like to interact with a hairdresser who not only makes us look 10 years younger, but with whom we can also have an engaging conversation. We are drawn to personal trainers who remember our children’s names and educate us beyond the time of our appointment with them. We stick with the car salesman who cares about our safety and meeting our specific needs. We appreciate dentists who turn the whole root canal experience into a relaxing event in a recliner chair wearing sunglasses and whose crown lasts a long time. We find our way back to a welcoming bakery with a great selection of pastries and a caring staff.

We all respond to experts who are passionate about solving our problems in a professional manner. The trick is to find the most suitable and balanced way to translate positive offline face-to-face experiences into online conversations that can be easily shared.

About Varju Luceno

Varju is a marketing consultant, writer, and a digital technology enthusiast. Varju also speaks on technology and digital marketing related topics and strongly believes in promoting innovative ideas and accessible technologies. Her content is practical and based on real world experience.

Is Your Business Really Different?

Debbie DeChambeau — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:00:33 +0000

Frequently business owners say that one area that really separates them from their competition is their focus on customer service. Unfortunately, most consumers expect exceptional customer service, so it really isn’t a differentiator. If you are going to say your customer service is what makes you different, you need to drill down and elaborate on what your ‘good’ customer service really means.

On a recent trip to Kansas City for a Duct Tape Marketing training, I experienced some excellent customer service. I share these with you not as testimonials, but as specific examples of what good customer service can be and how it should be used as part of marketing.

When I checked into the hotel, I was told that my reservation was for 3 nights, not 4 and they were completely sold out for the 4^th night. Panic set in for a moment, but they handled it beautifully by saying they would ‘see what they could do’. They suggested I go ahead and check in for the 3 nights and said they’d get back to me before the end of the day. Within an hour they were knocking on my door letting me know that everything was taken care for the 4^th night. The staff ‘made it happen’…They could have said sorry, you’ll have to find another hotel for the 4^th night, but instead, they fixed the problem. This is a specific example of over the top customer service and something they should be promoting.

On the way home from Kansas City, my flight with Frontier Airlines was delayed due to mechanical problems. We were more than an hour late departing and before we began boarding, they announced that every passenger would receive a $100 discount for their next flight. They are striving for 100% customer satisfaction and to make it happen, they have a guarantee! They also offered fresh baked cookies to every passenger, which were much better than the pre-packaged nuts that their competitors throw at you!

Does your business offer over the top customer service? If so, define it.

Do you have a guarantee? If so, make sure you talk about it.

Promote the unique elements you offer your customers…it’s a great way to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

About Debbie Dechambeau

Debbie is a Marketing Strategist, Business Consultant, National Speaker and the founder of Select Business Marketing, an organization that helps business owners with marketing. Using the Duct Tape Marketing System, Debbie helps her clients identify and implement proven marketing strategies. She conducts workshops on marketing, social media and is best known for helping clients increase business through networking and referral marketing. Prior to creating Select Business Marketing, Debbie was the regional director for BNI and Executive Managing Director for eWomenNetowrk. From high school through 1997, she sold business insurance. She is still a licensed insurance agent and Certified Insurance Counselor, although she does not sell insurance anymore, only consults.

Why Trust Matters and 3 Keys to Earn It

rosietaylor — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:00:29 +0000

Lately I have been busy speaking in front of groups of business owners just like you. Although the topics varied from email marketing to social media, the one thing that stood out for me was the number of business owners who struggle with communicating value for prospects and clients in order to build and maintain TRUST.

Without moving someone through Know, Like and Trust you can never get them to take a chance to Try and eventually Buy from you. Trusting your brand is the key to building a lasting customer relationship where you have an advocate that happily refers and repeatedly buys. It starts with the customer knowing the value is in your product or service.

Communicating value is mostly about clearly demonstrating your difference. Then that difference needs to connect how your business can meet a need for someone who knows, likes and trusts you. Here are three keys to help you get started:

1. Educate Your Customers
When you educate your customers about how to get more out of a service or product, you are raising the amount of value they are getting for their hard earned money. If I advise you to use social media in your marketing strategy and then teach you the basics of Twitter, I’ve given you a head start to taking action. The possibilities are endless if you think of the different ways that you can educate your customers to help them get the full benefit of your product or service. You can hold a short webinar, write a simple guide or hold an in-person workshop to teach your customers how to maximize their investment in your service or product. Show them new ways to get more value from what you do and they’ll see you as a resource not a vendor.

2. Create a Community
Use your social media to build a community around your brand instead of broadcasting your promotions. No one wants to be sold to and especially on social media. They want to learn more about how you fit into their world. What problem can you solve? What value can you offer? The information you can share with your online community helps establish you as an expert. Building a community also gives you a place to listen and keep in touch with what your customers need and want. Think of the possibilities for dealing with potential customer services issues in real time or having new features crowd sourced by the conversation around your business.

3. Go the Extra Degree
People appreciate the smallest details and the extra degree. Your process, your staff uniforms and even the way you answer the phone can help build trust. By paying attention to what your customer needs, you are making THEM the focus of a unique personalized experience that they will talk about to friends, family and colleagues. These happy customers will gladly buy from you again because you cared about giving them the most value while solving a problem.

I hope these concepts will help you get started on building trust and earning loyal customers who become advocates.

About Rosie Taylor

What’s The Secret for Business GROWTH?

Bill Doerr — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:00:24 +0000

If you’re a business owner in 2012, you’re an exceptional individual. You’ve survived one of the most challenging economic periods in history. Congratulations. You’re amazing.

At the same time, I bet that merely ‘surviving’ financially is not why you want to be in business. Business is (and, I’ll reveal my own bias here) about growth!

There’s a Secret for Growing Revenues?
YES! Years ago, as a management consultant at a large international trade association, I was mentored by a Gordon A. Kratz, CLU. Gordon developed a process, delivered by myself and other consultants, that significantly increased the rate of growth for companies who used our process — relative to their peers that did not use our process.

Leverage Strengths by Reducing Limitations
No company is perfect. You have factors going for you (strengths) and factors going against you (limitations). The secret is to leverage your strengths by reducing your limitations.

For example, if you have a great product but an ineffective distribution system, you want to work on your distribution system. Improving your product, while easier, will not do as much to help you increase your revenues or growth.

Assume you’re able to generate leads, but your people aren’t servicing your customers. In this case, training your people to create an ‘exquisite customer experience’ will get people coming back –– with the higher margins for profit and growth their sales suggest. Make sense?

Knowing What To Address Is Just The Beginning
Once you’ve isolated the addressable (key word!) ‘limitations’ in your business, you want to set goals to eliminate them. For each goal, you want to build an action plan to make it real. That gives you what every business owner wants — control –– of your future.

KEY POINT:
Growth reflects a process that is best implemented with advice from a consultant outside of the management team that is engaged in the daily operation of your business.

About Bill Doerr

I'm a Markitect -- I help clients design the marketing plans for their dream business and find highly qualified contractors to build them out so my clients can 'enjoy the view'. As a Certified Duct Tape Marketing Consultant, I believe marketing is more about creating and maintaining a key relationship -- 'Client' -- than anything else. In fact, once you do that, all else tends to fall into place, doesn't it? '-)

Cultivating Know Like and Trust with Your Network

Dawn Westerberg — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:55 +0000

I am guilty of presenting the Duct Tape Marketing Hourglass concepts of Know, Like and Trust as if it were one word ‘KnowLikeTrust’ and one milestone.

Sometimes it does happen that way; in an instant, a prospective customer connects with you and arrives at Trust with the blurring speed of an Olympic 50 meter dash. But most of the time, the journey from Know to Like to Trust requires more time, more consistency and more proof.

A sound marketing approach is to provide ideal prospects with the information and consistency and engagement they need to move from Know to Like to Trust.

Are you providing enough content on your website, blog, and other marketing materials for people to Know you?
Are you making yourself available online through social media and email, and in person (maybe through speaking engagement and/or networking events) in order for people to Like you?
Are you consistent in your messaging, available for conversation, receiving referrals and 3^rd party endorsements so that people can Trust you?

Here’s an example of personal Know Like and Trust that I experienced that is probably more indicative of the timing of moving through the stages.

About a year ago, I met someone at a conference. Leaving the conference I could put a face with a name, I knew a bit about his business, and I knew what geography he served.

Over time, I observed his behavior – both on the phone and online. This guy was positive, helpful and I noticed an attitude of give to get. I could tell he was professional in his approach. And a few months ago, I began to like him. It wasn’t that I disliked him before – I simply didn’t have enough information to form any opinion whatsoever.

As a result, I began to observe more closely. When he had an update on social media – I read it a bit more carefully. When he posted a blog article, I was sure to read it and think about it. I began to see that there was consistency in his approach. I was learning enough to see that there was alignment in our philosophies and approach to business. This led to me commenting on his posts and he in turn acknowledged my comments and engaged me in conversation.

More time went by and when, about a week ago, he called me; first to acknowledge something that I had written on line, and secondly to present an idea to me along with an invitation to collaborate – I realized that I now trusted him enough to accept the invitation. I had moved beyond Know and Like to Trust. The evolution had taken a little over a year.

I’m fairly confident that as I was getting to Know, Like and Trust him, he was getting to Know, Like and Trust me.

As we look to grow our business, it helps to think about where a prospect is within the Marketing Hourglass stages of Know, Like, Trust, Try, Buy, Repeat and Refer. Just as it is important to have appropriate deliverables at all stages. We need to respect where the prospect is and be doing the kinds of things to gently help them in their progression and understanding of us.

Remember that it takes time. The sooner we begin to strategically build the Know, Like and Trust relationship, the sooner we will enjoy its fruits in Try, Buy, Repeat, Refer.

About Dawn Westerberg

Dawn Westerberg http://dawnwesterberg.com/ invites business owners to "fall in love with your business again" through sound marketing strategies that bring results and profits. An Authorized Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Dawn Westerberg serves clients throughout the United States and Canada. She publishes a blog on B2B Marketing http://feeds.feedburner.com/DawnWesterbergConsultingLlc.