By Ivana Taylor Habit. Routine. Discipline. Compliance. These are the magic words of marketing success. Just take a look at any successful, profitable business and behind the curtain is truly a master musician; a business owner who understands what it takes to win: focused intent followed by disciplined action, repeated daily. The distinction between these words is subtle but powerful. It all has to do with the level of thought and intention that goes into the work being done. Habits require little thought; they are an automatic response triggered by an event. In many ways, habits drive you instead of the other way around. Routines are slightly more intentional and flexible. They can be consciously adjusted or skipped without too much of an impact. Discipline, on the other hand, is fully intentional and doesn't require triggers, or even flexibility. All that discipline requires is an awareness of regulations and a desire toward an outcome. It's this desire that drives you to create a routine that ultimately becomes a habit. In short—to get the bottom line results that you desire, you've got to be disciplined, create routines, and develop habits of thought and action that you do DAILY. 3 Simple Steps That Lead to Profitable Habits Bad habits seem to have no problem insinuating themselves into our lives. It's the good habits that will take us to where we want to be that we struggle with. In their 2010 book, "Switch"[MJM1] , Chip and Dan Heath discuss the inner conflict between our logical brain and our lizard brain. As it turns out, it takes some conscious management of the conversation between these two brains to successfully put new habits in place. Break your goal up into easily achievable small pieces. Then, find and show your brain that it has been done before -- by many people. If they can do it, you can do it. Then give it specific instructions. Your lizard brain is like an impulsive toddler; when you are ready to create a new habit, make a list of simple tasks or instructions your brain can follow. 10 Marketing Habits That May Lead to More Profitable Customers Here are some simple marketing habits that you can easily incorporate into your day. Do not attempt to do all of them at once. Instead, choose one at a time, give yourself 30 days of practice, and then move on to the next. In a year, you could be flooded with profitable, loyal customers.
The key to implementing new habits is to create structures in your life that make it easier for you to do the desired behavior. Take any of the habits on this list and rework it as part of your daily routine. You may put it in your calendar as an appointment, or create a trigger instruction such as, "Whenever a customer checks out, give them a card and ask them to give us a review." Growing a profitable business doesn't have much to do with marketing magic. It has everything to do with taking personal actions that create new customers every day.
About the Author: Ivana Taylor is the publisher of DIYMarketers.com. She ranked #21 out of 30,000 influential people on the Internet in Fast Company. Ivana is also one of D&B Top SMB Influencers. She is the book editor for Small Business Trends, a contributing author to AMEX Open Forum and has appeared on MSNBC. Source: http://www.paychex.com/articles/marketing/10-marketing-habits-small-business-owner-should-have |
Marcus Guiliano
Catch up on my current posts along with industry articles Archives
March 2020
Categories |