There are three main criteria of a viable target market. First, it needs to be clear. As a prospective client, I should know immediately if I’m in that group or not. Second, we need to be able to find those clients. There should be hubs. Third, there need to be enough of those clients who can […]
What if the people I most want to help are broke? Read More
I am struck by how many things I learned from the good Dominic Canterbury. He and I co-led a marketing workshop in Seattle many years ago – maybe 2007 or 2008. The notions of niching, hubs, and paths came from him. As do the three notions in this blog post: Relevance, Credibility and Value. Your business
Relevance, Credibility & Value Read More
“Come and learn the possibilities (and the limitations) of holistic nutrition.” These remain one of my favourite sentences ever penned in marketing. I remember reading it, on a poster for a workshop on holistic nutrition at an organic grocery store in town, and being struck at how much more credible and trustworthy the workshop it
Admit Your Limitations Read More
I went to see a therapist the other day. It was my first time making an appointment with her. I arrived early to the old house, renovated to be a clinic where my naturopath is also housed, and was offered some tea while I filled out the intake form. Some of the questions were straight
Intake Forms & Earning Trust Read More
I recently went to see a holistic health practitioner in town about whom I’d heard good things. I arrived at his office and was welcomed to sit down. He opened his laptop and asked me for my email and then for my wrist. “We start with taking your pulse,” he explained. So he took my
I Don’t Care How Good You Are At What You Do Read More
I didn’t need more spices. I needed a spice rack. I figured they might have one. Or know where to find one. I walked in and asked a woman who worked there. She apologetically shook her head and told me they didn’t carry any racks and had no idea where I might find one in
The Marketing Mistake The Spice Store Made Read More
Authenticity is not a goal. It’s a byproduct of something else. It’s not something you can put on like a coat. It’s not a strategy. It’s not something you can posture at. It’s not even the goal. It’s the result of something else that you’re doing. There’s the old story of the archer who misses
Stop Trying To Be So Authentic Read More
It’s happened a number of times to me now. I meet someone or some across a business which provides a product or service that I see as needed and that I might want to recommend. And then they go out of business. Or they stop doing that thing. And it’s often before I’ve really had
The Power of Sticking Around Long Enough Read More
I’ve met so many people who come to my workshops and, at breaks, speak to me in overly familiar terms about how they already know this stuff and how many books they’ve read and marketing courses they’ve gone to. Everything they’re saying gestures to my flip chart notes covering the walls towards the end of
The Four Most Dangerous Words an Entrepreneur Can Say Read More
A few years ago my friend Brandy Burdeniuk said something to me that I’ve repeated many times since. “Easy is the new free.” Are there a lot of free things out there on the internet these days? Sure. But while that might save you money it could be very expensive in terms of your time.
Easy is the new free Read More