Cutting Edge Marketing Strategies For Serious Entrepreneurs Today

In the old days of MLM, businesses relied on old fashioned methods of marketing such as telephone, mail shots, meetings, face to face prospecting and even word of mouth advertising. These were effective to a certain degree but these methods were not efficient use of time and resources. Just remember how long it took to prospect on a 1 to 1 basis, even at 5 minutes per phone call that is only a maximum of 12 per hour and that does not take into account the human element of answering questions, sidetracked conversations, lack of posture. Which means that 5 minute calls are often 15 minute ones. Prospecting ‘cold’ leads was a very time consuming process and generally an unproductive process.   How many of these ‘cold’ leads turned into customers and how much work did it take?  And probably more importantly how much damage did the constant rejection and negativity do to the mindset of the prospector?

The use of mail shots and flyers were sometimes targeted but were more often ‘shotgun’ approaches. They were not targeted and they cost money to produce and more money to distribute (not very eco friendly either).

Home meetings again took ages to arrange and cost money to host and the turnout for them was often pitiful. People do not want to have to inconvenience themselves for something they are not 100% interested in or motivated by. Historically marketing was grouped alongside sales, the pitch was to ‘sell’ – to ‘push’ your products/services to the customer in the hope that some would buy.

However, along came the internet and almost overnight businesses have transferred to the world wide web and the way we conduct business has been transformed forever.  The world wide web is a dynamic living breathing organism and it is constantly changing, evolving and growing and just keeping up with current trends can be stressful in its self.  Serious entrepreneneurs have had to be come web savvy.

Every business has now got a web presence or access to email. The web is instantly accessible, communication is instantaneous, we sort, search, select and find all that we need in just seconds. The decision making process has changed and we move faster than before. Marketing and attracting attention now has to be aimed at a window of just a few seconds whereas previously it might have been a minute or two.

In the early days of the internet it was just enough to have a company web site and email but as with any living organism evolution has taken place.  Entrepreneurs now need to use a variety of different methods of marketing emlpoying the cutting edge techniques of the day to attract potentail clients.  Social media is now the ‘hot’ tactic for creating a strong internet presence and following and there is now a sophisticated network of social media sites such as twitter.com, facebook, myspace, blogs, forums. There is so much valuable content out in cyber space that in the click of a button you can find information on almost anything you like.

What was once a ‘push’ strategy to push customers into the sales process no longer works. There is too much competition and choice and prospects can now quickly and easily shop around. The consumer now has the power to seek out and choose as never before. The emphasis has now changed as they come to us. ‘Attraction marketing’ has been born. Serious entrepreneurs have had to become ‘attractive’ and offer value before a sale is made.  The customer has a choice and why should they choose me rather than you?  The upside to this for the ‘seller’ is that they no longer have to do all the selling and telling because once the client has been attracted they are already qualified and ready to buy.

Marketing on the internet is a whole new ball game, the rules may have changed but the home business opportunity just got bigger and the serious players will be the ones who win the game.