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Give away value.Several years ago I was managing a marketing consulting business that was gathering momentum despite its competition’s failure to do so. Our management seemed optimistic and excited about the future of the company. In contrast, similar businesses were complaining about “down markets” and their clients’ “lack of commitment to marketing.” So what were we doing that gave us the edge? Several things, but most importantly our business strategy involved “giving away value.” Whenever we signed a new client, we would brainstorm how we could add to the client’s positive experience of the company. For example, we closed a deal to create a campaign for a large insurance corporation. We knew that they wanted to make a big noise about their campaign because it had a social responsibility component to it. With this in mind, we told the client that they could have complete access to our PR company to assist them with the launch. We paid our PR company a small fee for their time and the client ended up using them several times again. The client was very impressed with our willingness to go the extra mile and invest our money into their success. They referred us to other business units in the corporation, which led to more work and some great portfolio case studies. Try creating a result that will keep the momentum going when you give away value. Even if you have a small degree of control over the result, you can probably create a positive outcome.

There are several ways for small businesses to give away value at little or no cost to themselves. In my business I generate loads of written material for my clients. Most of it can be easily rewritten into an article or a how-to guide. These elements can be emailed or included in newsletters without much effort. The key is when you make contact with your audience demonstrate to them that you are frequently giving away value. It might take five or ten times before they buy from you but they will notice you.

Educate your target audience.All successful executives know that the only thing more expensive than a good education is ignorance. If you are in a position to educate your clients, partners, vendors, or even your competition, then do it. Educating your competition can be a very favorable strategy if you are in an industry that is new and is trying to gain credibility and develop a market. By growing the industry you grow the market, and the spin-off is that if you lead the way you will become known as an innovator.

Running workshops, training courses, publishing guides, and hosting web conferences are simple and cheap ways to extend your knowledge to your constituent markets. In the early days of the Internet boom, there were dozens of new services but very few people knew how to use them to make their businesses run better. The companies that succeeded in getting their clients on-board were very often the companies hosting free workshops and training for potential clients.

Identify channels before you start creating new products.If you are growing a business, then there is a good chance you are adding new products, services, or value to your existing range. You may also be repackaging your existing products for newer markets. Many businesses often spend more time focusing on the product and forgetting about the distribution channels. Successful growth strategies are very often associated with distribution strategy. Think of Microsoft and Dell’s strategy to use partnerships or the Internet to ensure easy accessibility to their products. Understand how your products will reach the ultimate consumers who pay the bills. Try to understand the sales channel and use critical thinking; although your understanding might be imperfect initially, you can quickly refine the distribution model and make it work.
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You can contact Richard at www.freshtilledsoil.com


This Business article was written by Richard Banfield on 2/11/2005

Richard is an experienced marketing executive, entrepreneur, coach, speaker, workshop leader, writer and business development person. He has served in a broad range of positions such as Founder, CEO, CMO, VP of Web Channel, Director of Business Development and Sales Manager. Richard currently runs Fresh Tilled Soil drives growth in companies by building sales and marketing systems that continually generate leads and sales.
He also lectured on the subjects of marketing and online advertising and have authored guides to sales, account management, global business development and marketing strategy. His career as a communications leader started as an officer in the South African Defense Force and since then he has spent the last decade building and running businesses, including four technology start-ups in the online media, printing, and software industries. He has also raised institutional and private financing, started businesses from the ground up and coached others to do the same.
You can reach Richard at www.freshtilledsoil.com