Over the 32 years I've been involved in sales, marketing and management, I've discovered that there are two fatal marketing mistakes made by business owners. They are?

· Lack of focus

· Lack of implementation

There's certainly no shortage of ideas and information - the world is full of it - but what are you doing with it all? Let's do a quick reality check here and now:

· How frequently do you get in touch with your customers?

· How far up your hierarchy of buyers do you go?

· What actions are you taking to make next week, next month or next year better?

Pick one thing you've always meant to do and do it tomorrow to start marketing your business more effectively.

It may be to focus on a market sector, write an article to gain you more exposure as an authority in your industry or it may be to write a better Yellow pages advert.

The more you do now, the more you will have to do down the road. There are all kinds of lame excuses and I've heard most of them. Excuses like "I don't have time" or "Maybe when I'm less busy"

Here's a blinding flash of the obvious - the best time to market yourself IS when you're busy. Why? Because one day you won't be? You see, how you get less busy is by NOT marketing yourself.

To make sure you have a constantly increasing flow of customers, develop and implement marketing processes that you can put on autopilot. They run whether you're busy or not.

Of all of the things you've read or heard that you could or should do, how many have you actually done? You know what it's like - you go to a seminar or read a book and say, "I should do that" but you never do.

Successful strategies are based on solutions and information. Your customers don't really care about you or your company - what they care about is what you can do for them. Yet sadly, far too few companies bother to tell their prospects what they can actually do for them.

No, they're far too busy "getting the name out there" or "promoting our logo" If this is a little too close for comfort, consider this provocative statement:

"If you're advertising for any other reason than to generate leads or sales, you're wasting your money"

Run this checklist over your Yellow Pages advert and see how well it rates. Score 1 point for each Yes. Those points may save your ad from oblivion?

1. It looks like an article instead of an ad

2. It has a strong, benefit-rich headline

3. It includes a personal photo

4. It promotes benefits NOT facts

5. It uses testimonial(s)

6. It states your performance guarantee

7. It contains an irresistible offer

8. It has a strong call to action

9. The phone number is clearly displayed

10. The Company name and logo play a very small part

How many did you score? Six or more? Good, your advert might work for you. Less than four? Good luck?

© James Yuille, Brisbane, Australia, 2004.

About the author:

James Yuille is a sales and marketing consultant and trainer with over 32 years experience. He is based in Brisbane, Australia. His free weekly sales and marketing newsletter provides topical information for business owners and salespeople. Find out more at http://www.jamesyuille.com