The most essential ingredient of any successful business is an effective Marketing Bridge. If you are unfamiliar with the term, “Marketing Bridge” refers to all the forces that combine to make a sale and create a customer for your enterprise. Every business has one. Some are in good shape. Some are in need of major repair and reconstruction. The inventor, designer, and creator of the Marketing Bridge, Norton E. Warner, also happens to be the founder of Marketing Firepower.
It has always interested me how many business owners tend to point fingers and cast blame when advertising expectations are not met. It could be the 3-day weekend sale that failed to deliver the anticipated traffic or sales results. It could be quarterly sales figures that fell short of the previous year. Or, worse yet, it could be a serious decline in the year-end figures. More and more often, the first area blamed is…advertising.
Actually, advertising may deserve some of the blame. It may be an improper use of a particular advertising medium. Expecting big results from too small a budget. Not allowing enough time for consumers to react in the desired manner. It could be poor timing. It could be a poorly designed offer that did not interest anybody. Maybe the weather was too bad…or, too nice.
It’s so easy to look for something to blame for poor performance, but I would challenge you to take a serious look at one particular plank in your Marketing Bridge – your Merchandising.
Is your store of office as neat and clean as it could be? What does the customer perceive when he or she first walks in the door? Are the floors and windows clean? Is the showroom neat and tidy? What perception do people get when they simply drive past your business? Does it look like you are successful? Does it send an inviting message to the customer? Does it look as good, or better than, the competition? Does it look like the trash man must be on vacation? Or does it look like times are tough and we may not be around much longer?
If you have a changeable sign in front of your business, do you keep it current and up to date? Nothing shows lack of attention like displaying “Happy Fourth of July” while people are driving past your business on July 7th.
What about product pricing? Is your merchandise properly marked? Or do people have to ask the price and wonder if it’s the same price for everybody else? Don’t make it difficult. Don’t be deceptive, or give the impression that you might be.
What about your website? Do you carefully monitor and update the information? Does it help consumers gather timely information about you at their convenience? Or does it show outdated information? If the customer perceives lack of attention on your website, they will also assume the same lack of attention when it comes to customer service.
I remember the story about a major airline (now extinct, by the way) that queried their passengers about the service they received. One of the discoveries showed that passengers who noticed a soiled headrest also perceived poor engine maintenance. So if that was the passenger’s perception, how likely do you think it would be to fly that airline again? The engines may have been perfectly maintained, but perception is everything. Perception is the customer’s reality.
Pay close attention to all the signals your business sends out, whether on purpose or by accident. Poorly executed merchandising will hinder your advertising and marketing efforts. Strong merchandising will help good advertising perform up to its potential. Take a look around you and make some improvements in your merchandising. Do it today. Do it every week.
Van is vice president of Marketing Firepower with decades of experience in helping small business succeed through the effective use of advertising.
