The Christmas wishlist seminar: How to build a business without marketing

Particularly relevant if you believe in Santa Claus, ghosts and the Tooth Fairy

 

Sorry, the How to Build a Business Without Marketing seminar no longer exists.

Neither does the workshop: How to Make $100,000 a Month* Without Selling Anything.

They disappeared not because we stopped running seminars and workshops, but because the Christmas wishlist got cut down to topics that can actually be delivered.

If you believe the inference to be true – that a business CAN be built without marketing; that you CAN make $100,000 a month without sales  – I hope Santa Claus brings you lots of presents this Christmas.

No, wait… Santa Claus is also an imaginary being.

*Yes, I realise you could inherit a very large bucket of money, but that would kinda destroy my theme…

To make an omelet you need to break some eggs. To build a business you need to be marketing and selling your products and services. If you aren’t, you don’t have a business. You have a hobby. And if the thought of marketing (or selling for that matter) fills you with dread or revulsion, let’s look at some on- and off-line marketing tactics you COULD be doing, but probably aren’t.

7 active marketing tactics

1. Active use of telemarketing to selected prospects
   The most common mistake is making the to-call list too big, so you quickly become discouraged.
   Instead, identify 25 top tier prospective firms and use the phone to establish contact.
   Persistence and a thick skin are needed
2. Active use of direct mail
   Ideal when you know who your audience is and where they live. Create a database of mid-tier prospects and write
   them a letter. Patience, a decent budget and a great offer are needed
3. Active use of a lead generation program
   For those people who don’t yet know you exist. To reach bottom tier prospects, every low- or no-cost
   tactic applies goes. Content and information pieces, blogging, guest posting, social media in all its
   forms are ideal
4. Active face-to-face networking
   Join your BNI chapter, the local CofC and attend every available business gathering. If talking with
   strangers is off-putting, Toastmasters can be a huge help. A cheesy ‘elevator pitch’ is not required.
   A genuine interest in other people’s business problems will go a long way
5. Active use of public speaking
   If your personal networking efforts are successful, use the contacts you make to secure speaking
   opportunities. Your CofC and local service organisations are always looking for willing speakers
   for their regular meetings. Let them know your topics of expertise
6. Active use of advertising
   Print ads, Google AdWords, Facebook network, trade magazines, the list is long. Lots of traps for
   young players, so you want to get the basics right: the right message to the right audience in the
   right media in the right frequency. Repetition is key, so don’t skimp on budget
7. Active use of SEO
   If Google can’t find you, you don’t exist. Ensure your website is kept up-to-date with regular new content.
   If you can’t or don’t want to write stuff, get someone else to do it

Note the common thread here. Incidentally, if anyone tells you MUST do any of these things, run away. Fast. If someone is trying to sell you on a blog being mandatory or a social media presence being the minimum requirement for business success, hurry in the opposite direction. While it’s true there is no marketing activity you specifically HAVE to do, the one specific thing you absolutely must do is … something.

It’s said that in order for a business to shift from startup (no revenue) to upstart (measurable traction), the business owner needs to spend 80% of her time on marketing. That’s 6 hours 24 minutes of every working day spent devising strategy, implementing tactics and measuring results.

And that doesn’t include the time you spend actually delivering the service you are being paid for!

You agreed earlier there is no business-building option that doesn’t involve marketing, right? And for your business to make money you have to sell something, right?

For many reluctant marketers, taking action boils down to gritting teeth, girding loins and doing the thing that causes least discomfort. Pick one or more activities from the list above. Try out the ones you loathe less than the others. Give the activity your complete attention for 6+ hours each day for a month. Of course, seek advice if you need it, but not more than one of those hours per day can be spent “learning.”