Marketing and Sales Basics

<p>Does the word marketing fill you with fear?<br />Do you dread the word sales in the same way and get stuck in that process?</p><p>Marketing and sales have been so over hyped and misrepresented in the online industry.<br />Let me begin this discussion by advising you that marketing is not sales although marketing is related to sales<br />And sales is not marketing although you need some kind of marketing effort to generate the interest required to make a sale.</p><p>Marketing means ‘bringing your goods and services to the attention of the market’<br />Think of the market as an audience that you are showcasing your products and services to.</p><p>What do they need to know about your product or service to be interested enough to want to know more<br />How do you let them know that their lives are enhanced by your product or service?</p><p>Note: you cannot market to people who have no interest in what you offer, no matter how much marketing you do</p><p>Example: vacations<br />5 kinds of vacation venues – all in one, cruises, hotels, adventure trips, camping<br />I am not interested in camping so I do not include those in my options<br />No matter how wonderful it may sound, I won’t consider camping.</p><p>That’s why information and education are the heart of your marketing. You'll quickly let people who have no interest in your products and services that you are not a good resource for them. And you will know who is and who is not your customer.</p><p>You can use marketing to create an interest when you focus on information and education first, instead of leading with your sales pitch</p><p>Sales is the process of offering goods for sale. Sales are an essential part of your business.</p><p>Your marketing begins the path to the sales form and the purchase process.</p><p>You market with eventual sales in mind but your marketing has to be honest, clean, and clear – no bait and switch. Listen to the example of how I got switched to a $500 per month membership from a $27 digital product (and yes, I demanded and rece