The marketing system that guarantees success, Pt. 1

The marketing system that guarantees success, Pt. 1

By Annette Bau
Managing Member and Founder, MillionDollarMarketingPractices.com
Featured Expert: Sales and Marketing Strategies


My entire life has been dedicated to studying and interviewing successful people. I have interviewed hundreds of multi-millionaires to get inside their head and learn what they do differently to achieve amazing levels of success. Not surprising are the differences that separate an average producer and a top producer, or a millionaire and a non-millionaire. While subtle, these differences are clearly critical to reaching the ranks of the upper echelon in business and life.

From my 20+ years of researching successful people, I define success as a person who achieves a balanced life consisting of wealth, health, happiness and peace of mind. While most people who want to remain seated would not sit on a four-legged chair that was missing a leg, you shouldn't focus on wealth at the cost of failed relationships or health. In studying people who have long-term success in their business and balanced lives, the importance of a solid foundation quickly becomes clear -- which includes a plan and a clear vision.

Step 1: Decide

The first step is to decide what you want. When are you at your best? What motivates and inspires you? Take time to clearly see your future. Once you are clear on your ideal future, then create both a visualization board and a visualization book. This is a collage of pictures that motivate and inspire you. Each morning when you rise and each evening when you retire, review your book. Put your board where you can see it during the day.

Step 2: Write out your mission

The next step is to write out your mission statement. It should be clear, easy to understand and you want to memorize it. For example, MillionDollarMarketingPractices.com's mission statement is: "We are a consulting and coaching firm that provides solutions and strategies to help advisors grow their business and increase their income while creating a wonderful life."

Sun Microsystems mission is "To solve complex networking computing problems for government enterprises and service providers."

The key is to clearly and concisely identify your desired outcome.

Step 3: Write affirmative goals

The next step is to write out goals in every area of your life, including your career, finances, family, relationships, health, spirituality and community. The most effective goals are positive, present-tense.

Examples:
o I earn $500,000 per year working with 100 non-traditional affluent women.
o I weigh 125 pounds, work out for 30 minutes four times per week and eat lean protein, fresh vegetables and complex carbohydrates.

Step 4: Create HVFDAs for each goal

A successful life is a balance between your affirmative goals and actions. I recommend that you identify two actions, which I refer to as high-value fixed daily activities (HVFDAs), for each goal. These are actions you must do consistently on a daily basis to achieve your goals.

For example, sample HVFDAs for the first affirmative goal above could include:

o I complete one community feeder workshop each week.
o I prospect and make calls each day from 10-2.

Putting it all together

It's important that your goals, affirmations, HVFDAs, and objectives resonate with you and motivate you. If you have a tendency to procrastinate, or find it hard to remember or find time to set goals, I encourage you to create a daily checklist.

Once you have created a foundation, determined what you want, written out your goals and HFVDAs you are ready to choose a niche market.

Top producers who also have a balanced life understand the power of identifying and serving a niche market. Creating a target market is critical to becoming a rainmaker, because it allows you to streamline your business, become a specialist, and increase your value to prospects and clients.

I recommend no more than two niche markets, but you need to determine what works for you. No matter how many you go for, I think it's a good idea to become successful in one niche market before expanding into another.

So how do you pick a niche market?

The first step in determining the best niche market for you is to determine with whom you are compatible. When you work with clients whose values and personality profiles complement your own, work becomes fun, clients feel more like friends, and success comes with greater ease.

The four main personality profiles I use to classify people are:

Doers get to the bottom line and make decisions quickly.

With doers, it's essential to stick to the basics and keep it simple. Because time and results are so important, they need to get to the bottom line as quickly as possible. Ask them about their morning ritual and they'll sum it up in one or two sentences. Examples include most businessowners, executives, and non-traditional affluent women. Expressives and other doers tend to work well with clients who are doers. Amiables can work well with doers, if they learn to not take the doers responses personally.

Expressives are talkative and outgoing extroverts.

They know everyone and everything that's going on. They need you to listen and ask them questions, but don't leave the questions too open-ended or they'll just keep on talking. Examples of expressives include salespeople of all types. Amiables can work well with clients who are expressives.

An amiable's goal is to be your friend.

They value relationships, harmony, and connecting, and will avoid confrontation at any cost. Amiables will tell you something you what to hear in order to avoid a confrontation. Examples include traditional women and caregivers such as nurses, social workers, and teachers. Doers tend to work well with amiables, who are often married to doers. Just be sure they get to talk on their own, without pressure from a domineering spouse. I would say something like, "It's important to me as an advisor to take turns with each of you answering the questions, so I really understand how you both feel."

Analytics are technicians who enjoy all the details.

They're perfectionists and value being right -- which they often are. To work with this personality type, you need to provide plenty of data and release your need to be right. Analytics may have trouble making decisions or coming to conclusions. They can also be viewed as difficult or boring, unless you're as analytical as they are. Examples include scientists, engineers, CPAs, architects, and researchers. Analytics tend to work well with analytics.

Obviously, these personalities exist along a continuum, and often you'll have to make allowances for specific clients. But knowing basic personality types -- and knowing how they mesh with your own personality profile -- can help you find work that's as enjoyable as it is profitable.

Now you want to list your clients (from most favorite to least favorite) and then determine their personality profile.

So let's say, for example, that you decide you're best suited to work with doers. The next step is to take the time to research groups and associations where doers congregate. Once you have a list put together, call and find out if these associations allow affiliate memberships for people who are not CEOs, entrepreneurs, etc.

Once you have determined the niche market you want to work with, the next step is to learn how to serve them successfully... guaranteed!