May 20, 2009 Blog Entry

Want More Sales? Focus On Substance Over Style

I recently had a chat with a respected businessman in my local community, and I asked him how business was going for his firm these days.  He replied that while business could be better, he was excited because his firm had recently hired a design company that was going to revamp his company logo and come up with a short and powerful slogan to drive sales – well… at least make the phone ring more.  “They suggested our logo could be stronger if it were in green,” my businessman friend said with a fair amount of excitement in his voice.

The more the businessman talked, the more I realized it would be rude of me to abruptly dash cold water on these new concepts – these new expensive concepts. After all, he wasn’t the first businessperson to fall for whacky ideas pitched by a marketing or design firm. You see, these “design experts” charge big bucks for their little services, and they’re more than happy to let a businessperson get caught up in the excitement of a new logo and slogan. With all the integrity of that guy who sold the Emperor his new clothes some years ago, they go right on letting their customers believe a new logo and slogan will really change their business significantly for the better.  What a sad joke!

So, for the time being, I held my tongue and did not immediately ask the question that was burning inside me; ‘If logo color really is so important to a business’ marketing success, what color would K-Mart have to change their logo to in order to get you to shop there instead of Wal-Mart, Target or Macys?’  In this context it sounds pretty silly to think logo color would make a significant difference in your decision to choose one over the other, and yet I’m sure my friend, encouraged by his expensive design experts, will spend countless hours reviewing the myriad of Pantone shades of green for his new logo. 

This kind of marketing hogwash has been around for years, and smart business people keep falling for it because they’re so desperate to find the solution to slow or negative business growth.  Not only do they settle for weak marketing concepts, but by the time they’re done paying for their new logo, a new platitude-inspired slogan, and maybe a fancy new glossy brochure, there’s little money left to deliver their new “tools” in their marketplace. Mission UNaccomplished!  If you really want to change your business for the better, you better focus squarely on the things that are important to your customers and prospects – period.  Does your logo color fall into the category of things your customers are most concerned about? Certainly not, so snap out of it and get the old clothes back on the Emperor before it’s too late!

Hey, I’m all for making sure your marketing has some style.  I’m quite certain there is a color or two I wouldn’t want to combine to create the logo for my company, Merrill Marketing, but I’ll never let that style stuff drive my marketing efforts.  Much more important to your success is building a trusted relationship with your customers by communicating with them appropriately and often.  I tell many of my suppliers, especially the ones selling intangible services like insurance, “If I didn’t get a bill from you, I might forget I am doing business with you.” The point is, my suppliers might have really swell logos and slogans, but they don’t communicate directly enough with me to show me they value me.  This is a big fat common mistake that I am dedicated to helping business people correct.

It’s easy for me to tell you to become a better direct communicator in your marketplace, but who has time to do all the required writing, phoning and visiting?  Today there is inexpensive technology that can get you organized and make it all happen.  I specialize in a version of it called the SalesProActiv-ator System.  We automate your sales communication process so the work gets done with very little effort on your part, and your prospects and clients are drawn closer to you with regular direct communication that tells specifically why you offer the best deal in your marketplace. There are models for large sales teams and small businesses, even professional practices and one person operations. 

When you become a better direct communicator through a preplanned process, aided by easy to use technology, you’ll get in on more deals, close more business, get more referrals, insulate yourself from the claims of your competition, and resell your customers over and over again. Why, you can even have a “slightly off slime green” logo and still grow your business!