| Every year, I sit down and write a marketing plan for my business with excitement and anticipation. I set sales goals for my products and services, and then I carefully decide which strategies are best suited to help me reach my goals. I do this at the end of December during the holidays, so that I'm prepared to hit the ground running in the new year. This past year, I had a change of heart. When I sat down in front of my computer, I looked at my marketing plan from a completely different perspective. You see, I've spent the last eight years studying the marketing behavior of small-business owners. Based on my observations in working with small-business owners across the country in a variety of industries, I've seen some major changes in behavior. These changes have forced me to rethink my marketing approach for my business and more importantly, to develop an entirely new approach to marketing, which helps business owners overcome the challenges that prevent them from achieving the greatest results from their marketing endeavors. In the early 90s, our economy experienced a tremendous amount of corporate layoffs. The market soon became flooded with jobless business professionals with over 20 years of solid business experience in a variety of industries. Many of these professionals became independent consultants, bought a franchise or started some sort of small business. The goal was to replace their income, which they had lost from the corporate world. At this time, the marketing strategy was very reactive. Most of these folks had never had to knock on doors to make money, or wear all the different hats that a true entrepreneur must wear during the course of the day. A few years later, in the mid-90s, things started changing. Many of these people who established their business out of desperation started enjoying their freedom as an entrepreneur. They began to see the joy of living a life that was filled with purpose and passion instead of spending hours each day following someone else's rules or a corporate mission. This led to a new marketing strategy. Marketing now became a form of communication in the marketplace. Entrepreneurs started evaluating who they were and how they could actively serve the marketplace. They started carving out their own niche in the marketplace instead of finding a niche to serve. This led to a whole new transition in the marketplace at the end of the 90s. People started to actively leave their corporate positions to pursue their own personal goals and passion. In many cases, they used the skills they had learned in the corporate world and applied them to an entirely different industry or application than their corporate background. In addition, the explosion of high technology offered new ways to communicate that were being accepted and used worldwide. Now business owners had a way to promote themselves internationally instead of just on a local or national basis. Dot.com companies started popping up and stories hit the marketplace of generation Xers who became multimillionaires overnight because of their newest inventions. Marketing now became a mission to incorporate new levels of creativity, ingenuity and technology into the business. And the small businesses that didn’t incorporate new high tech tools and strategies into their marketing plan worried they would lose business to their competition. This brings me to the new millennium and my new perspective on marketing. Today, the market is proliferated with Internet experts, computer consultants and Web designers who have convinced the marketplace that marketing is now all about high technology—websites with bells and whistles and instant communication with anyone around the world. Now, small businesses face new marketing challenges. They believe their success or failure is determined by their level of expertise in high technology and the size of their marketing budget. This is NOT true. That is not what makes marketing a success, nor is it what makes the difference for 90% of the small businesses in our nation. You see, high technology is only a tool and a strategy. NO marketing strategy will work for your business if you don’t apply the fundamentals of marketing to your marketing plan. Historically, marketing has been taught as being strategy driven. In other words, what has changed in the past century has been new methods, tools and strategies to communicate in the marketplace and to deliver the products and services. What hasn’t changed are the fundamental laws of marketing. And this is where I see the disconnect with small businesses today. They are now so focused on marketing strategy, they are ignoring the principles that make marketing work. After spending years working with small-business owners, I can assure you most entrepreneurs vocalize the same set of challenges ... lack of time, money, expertise and resources. They think the strategies are the solution to their problems. Not so. Let me give you an example to illustrate this. In 1916, my grandfather, a Russian immigrant, left the fifth grade to start his first business so he could support his family. He had no money, no expertise and no formal education. This was the first of many successful businesses he started including a millinery shop, an army surplus store, a tavern and ultimately one of the most famous and well-respected restaurants in Milwaukee, Wisc. It was my grandfather who taught me about the fundamentals of marketing success. I've boiled them down to 10 basic fundamental laws that you should follow to really make your marketing work. The first law is the foundation for what marketing truly represents. I call this Simple Attraction Marketing™. Webster defines marketing as the following: the aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer. I believe marketing entails a much bigger picture. The Simple Attraction Marketing definition is: the sum of activities and connections between you and your customer which lead to a sale. accommodation in YorkYou see this is the foundation for all marketing. It is the CONNECTIONS you establish as a business owner that ultimately lead to a sale. Everything you do in the course of a day ultimately affects your business in some way. If you look at the bigger picture, you can view this from a marketing perspective. For example, suppose you have an appointment with your accountant today regarding your taxes. Perhaps you view this as a necessary financial responsibility for your business. From a Simple Attraction Marketing perspective, this is also a marketing activity. Your accountant knows ALL about your business. This person is a wonderful referral source for you no matter what business you own. You see this person also has many other clients who could possibly be your customer. Do you see how this works? You're connected to your suppliers, your friends, your relatives, your employees, your business associates your networking groups ... all who could eventually connect you to more business. Does this take a specific strategy? NO ... this is the simplest of truth about the fundamental laws of what makes marketing work. It's developing a strong, positive relationship with all those people who you touch on a daily basis, so they become your champions. When I sat back to redo my marketing plan this time, I had to pay heed to the fundamental laws of marketing. It is through the simple truth about connections that is now the basis of my plan and the foundation for what I teach my clients. What ways can I make existing relationships stronger? How can I turn every connection into a positive experience? How can I attract clients who share the same business philosophy? After all these questions are answered, my strategy unfolds. And yours will too, when you understand that you're marketing every time you smile at a stranger, shake someone's hand, meet someone at a networking function or even go to the dentist. Think "connections"and you will never have to worry again about a lack of money, time or expertise. > See also Marketing, Advertising & Sales | 
