This document provides tips and strategies for improving service marketing. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on service quality first before marketing. Surveying customers and narrowing your focus are key to understanding how your service is perceived and positioning it effectively. Creating a clear positioning statement is important to communicate your unique value. Planning should consider multiple futures and focus on execution over perfection. Effective communication makes the service visible and prospects comfortable.
2. Getting Started STEP ONE: First step IS your service Before you market anything, FIX your service! Assume it is bad: it will force you to improve Bad News: We’re competing with Disney Ignore industry benchmarks; create the possible service
3. Getting Started cont. Forget the excuses- Remember McDonalds… Those “You want it when?” cartoons aren’t funny.
4. Getting Started cont… Hire people that care Outstanding service does not mean ZERO defects; mistakes are opportunities Write an ad for your service; see if your service honestly meets the expectations
5. Getting Started cont… Your service is the HEART of service marketing; check your pulse. Don‘t think better… think different Create the possible service
6. Surveying & Research Even your best friends won’t tell you… So, how DO you improve your service? ASK!
7. Surveying & Research cont… 4 Tips for improving survey results 1. Have a third party do your surveys 2. The Letterman Principle: Unless you are convinced you can interpret written surveys, always use verbal surveys.
8. Surveys Cont. 4 Tips for improving survey results 3. Never ask… “What don’t you like”, instead ask “What would you like to see improved?” 4. SURVEY, SURVEY, SURVEY!!!
9. Positioning & Focus The more you say… the less people hear Have fanatical focus; stand for one distinctive thing that will give you a competitive advantage What is the hardest task to do? Work to become an expert at it!
10. Positioning & Focus cont. No two services are the same… look harder to find the differences Fear of positioning: To broaden your appeal, narrow your focus
11. Creating a “Positioning Statement” Your Position: A cold-hearted, no nonsense statement of how you are perceived in the minds of prospects. It IS your position.
12. Creating a “Positioning Statement” Your Positioning Statement: States how you WISH to be perceived. It is the core message you want to deliver in every medium to influence the perceptions of your service.
13. Answer Some Questions… Who: Who are you? What: What business are you in? For Whom: What people do you serve? What Need: What are the special needs of the people you serve? Against Whom: With whom are we competing? What’s Different: What makes you different from those competitors?
14. And a last one… So? What’s the benefit? What unique benefit does a client derive from your service?
15. Narrow the Gap Narrow the gap between your position and positioning statement Keep the steps small or people won’t make the leap Craft bold dreams but realistic positioning statements; people can’t make huge perceptual leaps
16. Reposition the Competition Develop a style and stand for it; not a little of this, a little of that Stress your advantages; responsive and caring and? Relentless focus; you can’t afford not to. Focus wins!
17. Planning A Quick Summary of common Fallacies… by Harry Beckwith 1. You can’t know what’s ahead; plan for several futures. 2. You can know what you want; 3 ideas Accept limitations of planning Value planning for process, not result Don’t plan your future; plan your people
18. Planning Fallacies 3. Strategy is king, execution rules! 4. Build a better mousetrap; execute passionately. 5. There will not be a perfect time; do it now! 6. Patience is a virtue; keep moving.
19. Planning Fallacies 7. Think smart. Think DUMB! 8. Planning is imprecise; mistrust “facts” 9. Beware focus groups; they focus on today less than the future. 10. Beware memory; in planning, beware what you THINK you remember!
20. Planning Fallacies 11. Experience: Have a healthy distrust of what experience has taught you. 12. Confidence: Beware of overconfidence bias… maybe they’re right! 13. Perfection: Don’t let perfection ruin good… don’t wait forever! 14. Failure: Start failing so you can start succeeding.
21. The Last Three! 15. Authority: The bumper stickers are right… question authority! 16. Common Sense: Common sense gets you only so far…for inspiring results, you’ll need inspiration 17. Fate: YOU GOTTA BELIEVE!!!
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23. Communicating & Selling First two rules of service marketing: 1) Make the service visible 2) Make the prospect comfortable Our First Competitor is Indifference!
24. Communicating & Selling If you say two things, people remember one; say one thing. Saying many things communicates nothing. Meet your markets need. Attack the stereotype- attack your first weakness (the stereotype the prospect has about you)
25. Communicating & Selling Good basic communicating is good basic marketing Build your case; create the evidence of service quality. NO TRICKS! Prospects buy how good you are at who you are! Convey that you are positively good.
26. Communicating and Selling Sometimes, it’s ALL in how you say it. Get to your point, or you’ll never get to the close. Don’t sell your service, sell your prospect. Focus on buying, not selling; make your service easy to buy.
27. Other Considerations & Presentations How to nurture and keep your clients. How many ways to say thanks to your customers. Quick Fixes: A short summary of quick win solutions. The Collision Principle: Get out there, get everywhere, let opportunity hit you .
28. Just Do It… Forward motion leads to forward motion… www.equipmentfx.com