You Can’t Win With the “Build and They Will Come” Strategy

“Build it and they will come.”

This famous quote from the movie “Field of Dreams” may work in the movies but it rarely is the basis of creating a business.

I recently met with an entrepreneur who has spent countless hours and a load of cash remodeling a building to open his dream business. He called me to design a logo for him because that’s what his ideas of marketing is – a logo to “get the name out there.”

At the end of our meeting I asked him a simple question that resulted in a puzzled look on his face…“Do you have a marketing plan?”

He admitted that he didn’t have one and said, “I’ll do fine. Were the only game in town and I’ve talked to a lot of people who will do business with me when we open.”

How many is a lot? Fifty…a hundred…five hundred? My guess would be around a hundred.

I then asked him if he had a strategy to turn those people into repeat customers who buy on a regular basis. He said, “No, our product s so good that they will come back again.”

To which I replied, “What happens when you get an unhappy customer and they tell their friends about their bad experience?” He answers, “Oh well, I guess we’ll have to find another customer.”

I could have gone on but it was very clear that he doesn’t understand he must play the marketing game.

This is a classic example of the “Build it and they will come” trap.

The business owner is so in convinced that his dream is so wonderful that people will beat a path to his door without any marketing effort. He is sure that he has a large group of prospects that will purchase out of the goodness of their heart over and over again.

They also believe that no competition exists in their market. There’s always someone to compete with! It may not be in his industry selling the same product or service, but there is another business that is trying to get their attention. If he doesn’t put forth any effort in attracting them, how will they find his business?

And finally, if he lose a customer and has no marketing system to replace them, how can he sustain his business? Marketing is the only way to ensure that he has a sustainable flow of new prospects entering his doors and buying his products.

Yes, he can build it and they may show up when he opens, but the only thing that will keep them coming back is marketing. And without a marketing plan the chances are pretty good that he is not going to be around very long.

“Build it and they will come” works in a fantasy movie, but in the real world of business it’s a strategy that has no chance of winning.

To get out of the fantasy world and focused on real life marketing solutions - click here to discover a valuable tool that shows you how!

To all your marketing victories,

Coach Ron

Dedication, Hard Work, Persistence: The Stuff of Champions

What does it take to become a champion in your market? The same as it take to win the Stanley Cup.

As a resident of Michigan and a Detroit Red Wings fan, it has been a thrilling week. The Wings brought home the Stanley Cup to Detroit for the 11th time in their history.

I've been fortunate to have witnessed four of them and also have seen other championship trophies be hoisted by our local heroes - 2 by the Tigers, 3 by the Pistons and several by the Wolverines and Spartans.

So what does this have to do with marketing? A lot!

The lesson is this: It doesn't matter what you are trying to win, there are many critical factors involved that put you on top of all of your competitors. But, there are three factors stand above the rest: Dedication, Hard Work and Persistence.

This year's NHL champs had a huge supply of each of these qualities. A typical small business owner must also possess large quantities of all three. Most businesses don't go through a defined season that begins at opening day and ends with a trophy presentation. Instead, they compete in a never ending competition each and every day to score sales and win profits.

Every entrepreneur must be dedicated to their business success. Like hockey players, there's a lot of sweat and blood that goes into reaching the top. It's not easy to come out on top with all the hurdles and obstacles that are put in front of you. Being dedicated to your vision and working with a sense of purpose is indispensable to consistent sales.

Hard work is usually the difference between success and failure. As a football coach, I could tell plenty of stories that show a less talented player achieving success because of their work ethic. It's no cliche that hard work is rewarded in business and life. However, hard work must also be teamed with working smart to truly lead to a championship.

Persistence is the most vital intangible in sports and business. Handling adversity and refusing to give up on your goals is critical to winning anything. At heart of persistence is an unwavering belief in what you have dedicated to yourself to. Without this belief, there is little chance of reaching an goal.

Marketing your business must be built on dedication, hard work and persistence. If you lack in any of these three qualities your business will suffer and not achieve the status of being a champion.

You may never get to hoist the Stanley Cup, but as a marketing champion in your industry you could hoist a big, fat wallet full of cash instead.

Go From Underdog to Marketing Champion!

To go from underdog to champion in your market you must master the fundamentals and develop the skills of marketing better than you competitors.

Chances are you are good at what you do. You have the technical knowledge and experience to make the products or perform the services that make you money. But do you know how to market and sell them effectively and consistently?

To do so, you must have a winning marketing system that is designed to dominate your competition!

As a marketing coach, I can help you go from the position of marketing underdog to marketing champion in your industry. I would like to provide you with what you need to win the market game and dominate your competition.

For a limited time, I am offering you a FREE Tryout Membership to my TOUCHDOWN MAKERS LEAGUE.

This is a two month membership which will start you down the path of a marketing champion.

As a league member every month you will receive, valuable tools, techniques and resources that will help you develop the four action areas of your marketing – your game plan, your strategies, your tactics and your execution.

Here’s are the FOUR league member benefits you get with your FREE Tryout Membership:

• League Member Benefit #1: Two issues of the “Marketing Champions” newsletter.
• League Member Benefit #2: Access to my "ChalkTalk Marketing Clinics" teleseminar.
• League Member Benefit #3: Receive by fax my monthly “Hot Marketing Play Sheet”.
• League Member Benefit #4: Access to my "Touchdown Makers Members Only" website.

Together, these four monthly tools will guide you through the fundamentals of the marketing game and teach you how to become a marketing champion. You will gain the knowledge, the skills and the confidence to take on the big, bad wolf in your market and come out on top!

But wait! There's more! (Sorry, couldn't resists.)

I also have four free gifts for you! Just like the four League Member Benefits listed above, these gifts are valuable marketing tools which will help you grow your business.

There is just too much to put on one single blog post, so to learn how to get all of this great marketing information. Click on this link now - TD-Marketing-System.com/freetryout

Somebody is going to win the marketing game in your industry. Is it going to be you?

The place to start is here - with your free league tryout.

To all your marketing victories,

Coach Ron