When I started my business, I decided to time and money by
paying for marketing support. Here's what I wish someone
had told me before I reached for my credit card.
1. Hire a coach who knows your product and your market.
Coaching, animal behavior, organizing, marketing and
weight loss services are not marketed the same way.
Don't accept a canned list of tips, tricks and techniques.
What you need is an understanding of your customers and how
they buy.
2. Ignore the coach's "here's what I did" stories unless
you, too, are a marketing coach.
A marketing coach uses different strategies from other
kinds of coaches, let alone other businesses.
And some marketing coaches don't understand their own
success. One coach admitted she had never seen her own
web site statistics. She had no idea whether clients came
from the ads she recommended or from search engines.
3. "If it ain't broke, don't fix."
Without a basis of comparison, you can't evaluate your need
for help.
You may feel discouraged by your numbers, but you
may actually be doing better than others who have been in
business a comparable length of time.
4. Just because a lot of people are doing something doesn't
mean it's working.
One coach recommended a tactic that "a lot of people in
your field are doing."
"True," I said, "but can you find me one person who has
earned real money that way?" He was silent.
5. Calculate expected results in dollars.
"Double your ebook sales" sounds good -- but what if
you've just sold one for $20? Sell two and the coach
kept his promise!
You'll need a hundred years to recover the coach's fees.
6. Your coach should read and analyze your materials before
each meeting -- not during the call.
You need thoughtful insight, not impromptu, top-of-mind
ideas.
7. Insist on a results-based guarantee.
An idea may sound terrific till you implement it.
Don't thank the coach or offer testimonials till you get
results. You may want your money -- and your
testimonial -- back after three months.
8. Get an idea of what process the coach suggests.
There's no magic in marketing. Generally you need to
network, give talks, identify benefits, and
make calls. If you already know what you need, but can't
or won't do it, why pay a coach?
9. Anyone can get great testimonials from clients. If you
can't get a referral from someone you know, pay for a single
session.
Try out a few ideas. Allow enough time to see results.
Then, and only then, schedule follow-up sessions.
10. You can lose more than the fees you paid.
One marketing consultant said, "I charge $100 to
evaluate your website and I guarantee my work. There is no
risk!"
Wrong. If you follow bad advice you can lose clients and
business for months and you may never recover.
And there's the rub. You hire a consultant because you
feel clueless -- but blindly following advice can do serious
harm. The most successful business owners I know haven't
paid a dime for marketing help. They follow their intuition,
which is not for sale. They may hire someone to implement
their ideas, such as a web designer, but they know their
market well and won't let anyone else create strategy.
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Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career
coach who helps mid-career professionals make a fast
move to career freedom. Visit her
website
http://www.movinglady.com. Free ezine:
http://www.movinglady.com/subscribe.html .
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