Posts Tagged ‘testing’

Focus group

Happy Labor Day!

May you all enjoy the fruits of your labors.

This week’s tip:

Let’s say you have a new idea. It’s a product, a service, a program. Maybe it’s even a new way to talk about your business. Whatever it is, it’s new. And you’re not sure if it’s going to work.

How do you know if what you’re planning will be appealing to your client tribe? Borrow a tactic from the big boys and focus group your idea.

Identify one or two or three people who exemplify your ideal client. Run your idea past them and take careful notes about their feedback. Purposely choose people who will give your their candid comments. “Yes men” completely invalidate focus groups. Then take the results and evaluate your idea. Any changes needed? Tweaks?

You might even “test” a workshop idea with a small group of ideal clients for free or for a reduced fee. If they like it, they’ll tell their friends — and help fill seats in your “real” event!

What’s Working?

The Kick Ass Mentoring definition of marketing is “the stuff you do to get your phone to ring.” Pretty heavy academic theory, huh? :-)

Thinking about marketing as all the activities you do to generate calls from prospective clients helps to demystify marketing, and — for some people — makes the whole thing so much easier.

And since the Kick Ass Secret To Happiness is “do more of the stuff you like and are good at, and less of the stuff you don’t like even if you’re good at it” (well, it’s actually Michele’s Secret, but she’s graciously lending it to us), now is the time to look at your current marketing efforts and ask:

What’s working? What’s making your phone ring, and your email ding?

How can you do more of what’s working, and less of what’s not?

And if nothing’s working, can you think of one thing you can do today to make your phone ring?

(Stuck? How about go on LinkedIn and find one person who is a connector type in your local community and ask them to coffee.)

Inventory your current marketing activities and rank them 1 to 5 with 1 being highly effective in getting your phone to ring.

Do more of those. Today.