| Good Work is not Enough |
 |
 |
 |
|
*******
A new family moves in, and very soon several neighbors stop in to introduce themselves. They learn that the new family has a young son who's interested in playing baseball, and the parents are concerned about whether they'd arrived too late to join the Little League. The wife has just been learning Asian cooking and wonders if there's an Asian market in the new community. The husband enjoyed playing racquetball where they last lived, but doesn't know whether he'll be able to take it up here or not.The first neighbor hears all of this and says, "I have just what you need," and returns a while later with a stack of newspapers and magazines. "Here's everything I have that might be of interest to you. It's the last two years of the city magazine and the last six months of the local newspaper. Everything you need to know is in here!" The second neighbor hears all of this and says, "I have just what you need." She returns a few days later with 12 pieces of paper upon which she has printed out the local little league schedules and rules that are posted on the Internet. She's got clippings from a news story about Asian cooking classes offered by an Asian grocery nearby. And finally, she has a magazine article about racquetball clubs, with pictures of local courts in the city.
*******
Which neighbor stands out? What makes your organization stand out? It's not just the information the neighbors provided, but the quality of that information, the fact that the second neighbor focused on the specific needs. They may have both expended the same amount of energy, but the second neighbor's efforts were more meaningful to the new neighbors. The fact is, there's plenty of good work and good workers around. For every opportunity there are usually several good, well-qualified firms to do the work. Ego may make you believe that you're the best, but it won't convince your client. They aren't just looking for someone to help, they're looking for the "best firm for the job." And that's not necessarily the least expensive, it's the one that provides the best value, that is, the most appropriate level of skills at the best price to get the best results. Some firms use the encyclopedia approach to marketing. They spend lots of money collecting everything they are proud of, and then deliver it all to the customer. Everything the customer needs to know about your firm is there, but they have to find it. Like the second neighbor, listening to the customer first is the better approach. Finding out what they need most and then providing exactly the information they are seeking is of greater value. And this is how we provide better value in our marketing - focus first on the customer. Spend your money where it will make a difference and avoid wasting money on activities that don't work. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Build a better mousetrap, it's said, and the world will beat a path to your door. Well, if that were so, we'd still have BETA in our VCRs instead of VHS, and we'd all be using Apple computers. Next page in the Magic of Winning Proposals | Marketing Manager | Proposal Manager | Marketing Team | Technical Experts | Proposal Coordinator |
Ricci Legacy
The Ricci family has been consulting and supporting success for hundreds of years.