I'm trying to put some numbers together to compare against my rational. I tried to put a little humor in it, but I'm serious about getting the results. If you feel you could answer the three questions, I'll tally the relpies through Friday. Please answer the questions first and then place comments at the end if necessary. Thanks
1. What is the best description of your marketing plan for the 1st quarter of 2002?
a. I wish that phone would ring. b. will paint for cash c. Build a better mousetrap. d. Targeted Customers e. R & D
2. Do you plan to change or continue your strategy?
a. continue b. change c. Leave me alone, I've got too much to do! d. Don't anser that, it might be the guy from the bank! e. Building For Rent
3. How did you develop your marketing plan?
a. What Plan? b. Just lucky, I guess! c. The Customer is always Right! d. Learned from the best. e. Trial and Error
Posted by Joe Rees (Member # 211) on :
Ok Santo, I'll have a go at it. My answers depend on my interpretation of the questions, which I have qualified below.
1. d (I think, see below) 2. a or b 3. e or d
Explanations; 1. The better mouse trap is all set, as it regards the product - if you mean the specific marketing tool, that is planned but remains to be tested. Marketing R & D is ongoing and will be adjusted according to the responses we get from initial marketing results. The best answer is d -Targeted Customers as I understand the poll.
2. a - 'continue', if you mean continue with the plan hatched throughout the span of 2001 and scheduled for implementation in 1st qtr 2002. . . Or it could be b - 'change' if you mean change from 2001's plan. This is a whole new concept from any previous year.
3. d - I'm basing my marketing plan on tips gathered over a long span of time from a friend who has had the kind of results I'm looking for implimenting plans for his own clients. After checking out his information with independent sources, I'm confident it's the right direction and will be taking his advice. However, this will still be trial and error in the sense that there are built in benchmarks to measure performance and I fully expect adjustments will be made on the fly - but since there IS a set game plan, I think d is the best answer.
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Thanks Joe. I'll be using the results and measuring them against a marketing textbook examples in the near future. I didn't want to get to specific or technical. Thanks for qualifing your answers.
Come on folks, I know you West Coasters are already awake! Are the rest of you waiting for the cool folks from down under to start this off?
[ February 18, 2002, 10:21 AM: Message edited by: Santo ]
Posted by cheryl nordby (Member # 1100) on :
OK Santo I'll play!
D B E
Pretty much I have 'let' quite a few customers move on. The 'how low can you go' game is not my idea of fun. I am targeting more on the larger sign orders such as condo and apartment complexes. Sandblasted signs etc.
Change is the name of the game.
I chose trial and error as my answer on this one as I have been in the sign business a long time and have definately learned from my mistakes. I have discovered the small 25.00 jobs are no longer beneficial. They take too much time....and do not allow me to focus on my larger orders. I am doing just as I did years ago, and that is getting out there and talking to people! Giving my cards and brochures out. Attitude is a big part of getting jobs.
Posted by timi NC (Member # 576) on :
Here goes,...
d a d
I have been lucky in as much as in the the early years of my business I found out it was easier to seek out a small group of clients with a large amount of work than it is to compete in the market place with all the other competition for the individual business' sign work.First quarter starts off slow but by mid feb. I'm usually booked solid for a couple of months getting ready for the Spring IHRA Nationals. In the past I have found first quarter the best to get in on special events such as sports arena's(baseball fields/racetracks) and starting construction projects,still in the early planning stages.The exposure often as not carries over to late spring as I do have to do most of my work on location & end up having a rather high profile with occaisional media exposure. Special events go on all year so often as not I get repeat business for second & third quarter events.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Our business is a little different than most. We rely on a few high end customers each year for the bulk of our income. Plus we are in large part our own customer.
But... 1).... d/e 2).... a 3).... e
-dan
Posted by AdrienneMorgan (Member # 1046) on :
b,c,a
Posted by Rob Clark (Member # 787) on :
d.c.c.
RobC
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Hmmm...
C B D
1. My "mousetrap" is already pretty dang good but ya don't progress unless you continue improving. I need to take on another person to handle the work I have now, but I'll need more work to hang onto that person. That very person is my mother and she's getting worn out being a Massage Therapist, gotta get her outta that deal and into something more fun, creative and easier on the body.
2. My overall strategy is staying the same except one big issue - branding. I've already got a brand name that's becoming well known - stickerpimp - but I plan on putting more emphasis on that brand name and dropping "DI Graphics" (which is my official business name) altogether. I have found that my customers and visitors to my website are more familiar with the "stickerpimp" name so that's the name/brand I need to stick with.
3. I learn from customers what they want.. ie: I LISTEN. I roll with the flow and pick up on trends, give them what they want yet improve it and go a little beyond what they expect. Make 'em say "WOW!" and they'll always come back.. and it doesnt take much to impress them.
Have you been reading "Selling the Invisible"? There's some very good insight in that book. I just bought it last Friday and finished it the next morning. Books dont usually captivate me at all but this one is pretty good.
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Adrienne! Yo Adrienne! Are you playing or just playing?
Posted by AdrienneMorgan (Member # 1046) on :
Prayin' mostly....but I never lack for work....now if I ran this biz like a biz I'd have more money than I wanna give to IRS.....hmmmm.....I don't know what that means..... Hey, I don't want more work....jes more money A;)
[ February 18, 2002, 03:08 PM: Message edited by: AdrienneMorgan ]
Posted by Print Wright (Member # 850) on :
Hi We offer a complete graphic service, so what works for us may not work for others. 1. Combination of d+shotgun approach. Target particular work but also mention full list of services. Often services listed as an afterthought may yield the best results. 2. a. 3. c & e. We've tried a lot of different things and a variety of strategies over the years. Will be trying more in the future. There are things I'd like to do more of (I'm teaching myself how to paint simple stuff - windows, banners etc) but the competition pricing is far too low to make it worth while. The trick is to find what the customer requires that we can do at a decent profit. Kerry
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
It looks like I'm going to have to start counting in quarters.
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Santo,
D , A , D
Have a great one!
Posted by Chris Lovelady (Member # 2540) on :
1) C/D 2) A 3) D
we have determined that the kind of clients that we want to attract is Business to Business relationships(plumber, contractors,electrictions, realestate, artitects that sells signs in there drawings...ect).
we have taken the time in being involved in the local building Associations, Chamber of Commerce,ect.... there are so many ways to network in these inviroments and in the procces are give list of participateing members that are sent flyers and mailings, cold calls...ect.
my wife is a marketing major, so that is an advantage, and owns 51% of the business so she has also been registered in the state minority business vendor list.
[ February 18, 2002, 08:08 PM: Message edited by: Chris Lovelady ]
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Chris, I plan to compile the results and all the comments and use in a Marketing class that starts Thursday. I'll be using my own business as a project. I will send the results to all the participants. It looks like I'll have enough comments to make a best practices section. Keep em coming.
Posted by walldog signs (Member # 801) on :
D.B.E. Everything I know comes from error & trail( believe me I got it the right way around)LOL Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Please don't let this survey die!!! I've got a small group sampling, please fill it out to about 30+. I have 11 now.
Posted by faye welsh (Member # 2524) on :
i found in life, if you rely on D A D , you can't go wrong. mine never steered me wrong.besides,as a teenager, D A D, was liking having your own banker,attorney,architect,magician,comedian,counselor, and best friend. couldn't resist the play on words. i had the best dad in the world..good thought. have heart, santos.
Posted by B Daniel (Member # 11) on :
D, C, B,E
A home builder/developer is presently our best customer. Therefore I joined the local Home building association and have gotten a list from them.
I belong to BNI, a business networking group that meets weekly.
I plan to get out one day and concentrate on visiting printers to educate them what our edge machine can do.
I can think of lots of things to do to target market. The problem is finding the time.
I manage/design/sell for a four person shop and there is not enough hours in my already 50 hour week. I don't take full advantage of belonging to these groups because of time restraints. I am not as free as others to take a pass on the smaller jobs because we are a storefront owned by a newspaper corporation. I do know that would help level out out our workload and let me concentrate on the higher level/more lucrative work.
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Thanks, Faye and Beth. There are only 2 days left for the survey. Please complete if possible. Now I have to keep reminding myself of something, I told Cindy Draper in an E-mail. That the participation level based on the population of letterville, 15 or 16 was a very good number.
Posted by Linda Silver Eagle (Member # 274) on :
midlife crisis here heheheh
e b e
Posted by Talisman (Member # 1869) on :
D,A,E Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Last day of this survey. Midnight tonight CST I'll stop the counting and sut toget what I have. Your comments have been a big help. I'm going to go over these results with the instructor of a marketing class, I began yesterday. So there will be some experienced input from that side of things. I hope it sheds a little light on how we attract business. Added to the pricing and quality issues it may help me. I'll e-mail the result to paricipants.
Posted by Jim & Chris hetzler (Member # 1709) on :
1. d - Our business specializes in many things even doing marketing for other small businesses. While we offer their overall business look, signage, letterheads, etc... we can help develop a marketing strategy to go along with the whole package too.
2. a - We have many avenues for and we continue to build our marketing strategy as we see fit. Things change almost everyday and we have to be prepared to go with those changes and having a strategy mapped out with some flexibility built in is what makes it work.
3. e - Trial and error fits the best answer for us because we have over the years kept track of the projects that have made us money and the ones that have not....weeding out the ones that don't and setting the focus on the ones that do and continuing to build from there.
My wife and I make a pretty good team since we both have marketing degrees with my background in art and hers in finance. We have some pretty interesting brainstorming sessions.
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