Another Five Things To Stop---But Only If You Want More New Business

Today we reach the halfway point on the list of 25 things to stop doing if you want more new business.

New additions to the STOP list are:

·      Imitating Others

·      Jumping To Conclusions

·      Mass Market Advertising

·      Mindlessness and

·      Overpromising and Underdelivering.

11. Imitating Others

Copying the marketing practices of someone else combines the worst of following the crowd too much and embracing one-size-fit-all solutions.

Not only does it lead to mediocrity, it ignores your best stuff.

Instead of showcasing your best stuff, you present yourself as weak imitation of someone else.

Think about that for a minute. As a consumer, would you rather buy a poor copy of something else … or would you prefer the real thing, the genuine article?

Never forget that given your unique collection of skills, experience and other resources, no one serves and satisfies clients the way you do.

What is to be gained by denying your own distinctiveness in favor of trying to be something you’re not?

12. Jumping To Conclusions

A major occupational hazard for service professionals, this practice intensifies as our knowledge and experience increase.

That’s because the more experienced we become, the easier and faster it is to identify issues and make decisions.

This results in jumping to conclusions, judgements and opinions on the basis of scant information.

But the problem is that relevant, supporting information is not always available early in the discovery or investigation process.  

Unguided, many people take longer to get to the point…if ever. 

Sometimes it takes time and effort to gather relevant and helpful information upon which sound decisions can be made.

 Jumping to conclusions is a little like saying: my mind’s made up—don’t confuse me with the facts.

13. Mass Market Advertising

Mass marketing is a marketing strategy in which the advertiser ignores market segment differences and appeals the whole market with one offer or one strategy.

The rationale for this approach is that broadcasting a message that will reach the largest number of people possible.

Think Super Bowl advertising: the ultimate in mass market advertising.

As effective as mass market advertising can be consumer goods and commodities, it’s little more than wasted money when it comes to promoting the personalized services of an individual service professional.

Ultimately potential clients will hire you because they believe you can help them … not because of some advertising sizzle on TV or other media.

14. Mindlessness

By definition, mindlessness is doing things without thinking them through in a careful way.

It’s jumping to conclusions, judgements and opinions on the basis of scant information.

It’s hearing someone talk…but not listening carefully to what they say.

It’s being asked a question and answering with little if any consideration for why the question is being asked or what the questioner wants, needs or expects.

It’s like crossing a busy street without looking both ways…not good.

15. Overpromising and Underdelivering

I once had a very successful business owner tell me that the secret of success is to under-promise and over-deliver.

That certainly makes sense. 

Think of the last time that some service was better, faster or less expensive than what was expected or promised. How did you feel about that service business? Would you be will to make repeat purchases and referrals?

On the other hand, how would you have felt if the reverse were to be true?

If the service-provider overpromised and under-delivered with the result that the service was worse, slower or more expensive than expected.

How about that repeat business … or those referrals?

Probably not going to happen.

Looking Back

Now that have passed the half-way mark of list, let’s do a quick review.

Here are the first 15 things to stop doing if you want more new business:

1. Bragging about yourself & your work

2. Cold calling

3. Delivering routine services in a boring way

4. Embracing one-size-fits-all solutions

5. Exaggerating or lying about the benefits of your service

6. Following the crowd too much

7.forgetting about your network of contacts & clients

8. Handicapping yourself with your fears and limiting beliefs

9. Hiding your light under a bushel

10. Ignoring your intuitive feelings

11. Imitating others

12. Jumping to judgements

13. Mass market advertising

14. Mindlessness

15. Over-promising and under-delivering

Which, if any, of these practices resonated with you?

If none did, that’s great—your marketing seems to be in good shape.

If however, you have followed one or more of these practices, which one do you think is most problematic?

What would it take to stop doing that?