Marketing for more

Please, Sir. May I have some more?

As a consultant, when discussing a client’s objectives, and asking what they look to achieve, in most cases it boils down to ‘more‘. This may be more sales, more leads, more margin, more clients, more visitors or footfall, more profit, more awareness, etc.

However before starting marketing for more, it’s important to really understand exactly what that ‘more’ is.

For the business that is looking for more sales, for instance, it’s a good idea to break down that what that means. Does it simply mean more volume of sales, or more of a particular category? Perhaps more high value sales are at the top of the agenda – maybe direct or third party sales?

For the entrepreneur who’s looking for more leads, is it actually leads or might referrals really be what’s needed? Do you want more clients? Describe those clients – if you can attract the right kind of client it might be better to have fewer but high spenders.

An analysis of your client base in terms of spend, profit and time spent servicing may be a better use of time rather than just chasing ‘more’.

‘How much’ and ‘by when’.

In pursuit of ‘more’ it’s useful to ask two more question – ‘How much more?‘ and ‘By when?‘

When I ask clients ‘How much more?’, often the answer is as. ‘As much as I can get!’ That’s understandable. But thinking for a moment about what would happen if you were to double, quadruple, or increase leads ten fold, can be cause for a pause. What would be the impact on the business in terms of resource, both human and financial? What about servicing the current client base? Is the business sufficiently capitalised?

This where the second question kicks in, and the two can be in lockstep. So, a plan to double sales, tomorrow, may be impractical, but over 12 months  it could be quite feasible. So, there are two dimensions to ‘more’ – how much and by when. Two levers that together control practicality and help make sense of marketing for more.

Bottom line

“If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he’ll probably ask you for a straw. When he’s finished, he’ll ask you for a napkin.”

Laura Joffe Numeroff – ‘If you give a mouse a cookie’

Of course, businesses don’t stand still. Just to keep up with the world, it’s natural, even vital, to seek more. Marketing for more has become the norm. But it’s important to be clear what ‘more’ you are seeking. (After years in business, many entrepreneurs find themselves in pursuit of more time).

We must also keep a close eye on whether more work translates into more profit. Measure if more efficiency might make better material gains?

Keep a close watch on the bottom line for the effects of more.