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Yes, this is another article about marketing you. So what's different? The difference will be in the way I ask you to view yourself. There's a strong possibility that your view of self-promotion (marketing) may be a lot like the railroads did in their glory days. And if it is, you risk getting the same results.
The idea for this approach came from an article in the Harvard Business Review (1960) by Theodore Levitt entitled "Marketing Myopia." It described how businesses looked at themselves and their products traditionally and how they should look at them in the future if they want to survive.
One of his primary examples was the railroads.
The railroads did not stop growing because the need for passenger and freight transportation declined. That grew. The railroads are in trouble today not because that need was filled by others (cars, trucks, airplanes, and even telephones) but because it was not filled by the railroads themselves. They let others take customers away from them because they assumed themselves to be in the railroad business rather than in the transportation business. The reason they defined their industry incorrectly was that they were railroad oriented instead of transportation oriented; they were product oriented instead of customer oriented....
Think about that again. Before you begin marketing your professional services to potential customers make sure you understand this: YOU ARE NOT SELLING YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS; YOU ARE SELLING YOUR SOLUTIONS TO THEIR PROBLEMS!
For example, if you are a civil engineer and a municipality hires you to construct a bridge over a local creek, they do not hire you because you need a project, they hire you because they have a problem that you can solve! FedEx doesn't sell its delivery capacity, it sells "Business Solutions"
Let's take a moment to look back and see how the modern concept of marketing evolved.
First came the Production Concept. It was the age-old view that consumers will prefer products (or services) that are widely available and inexpensive as a result of mass production. ("Engineering services are a dime a dozen. I'll go through the yellow pages and see if I can find one that's hungry enough to take a low price for our job.")
That evolved into the Product Concept that believed consumers will favor those products that offer the most quality, performance, or innovative features. The danger here is the producer will become so enamored with his product that he assumes customers will beat a path to their door because of the very nature of the product. (Remember the fallacy of the railroads from the previous section?)
However, if consumers perceive they can get comparable features in another product that is priced lower, they will flock to that. (Stay focused on the customer!)
Then came the Selling Concept. It is the idea that consumers, if left alone, will not buy enough of our product (or services) to sustain us: therefore, we must encourage their purchases by selling to them. This is why a particular soft drink brand is so large today. They felt customers wouldn't buy enough product if left alone to make their own choice, so they sold the product to them to encourage them to make the correct decision.
Finally, we come to the Marketing Concept - it emerged in the early 1960s - coincidentally with Levitt's article entitled Marketing Myopia - as businesses become more customer centered by thinking, "let's sell what they want" instead of "let's sell what we have." Many studies have shown this to be the most successful approach.
The customer-centered approach gradually morphed into relationship marketing where providers of goods and services (you, we hope) realize the value of developing long-term relationships with customers, suppliers, distributors, vendors, and anyone else with whom the seller comes into contact.
There is a key element of success here: Build an effective network of relationships with key stakeholders (others who gain as you have success), learn what they need, and tailor your skills or services delivery to that.
Remember, don't be like the railroads, PROVIDE WHAT THEY NEED, NOT WHAT YOU HAVE!
Richard ("Dick") Grimes has used his 30+ years experience in training and operations management for private and public organizations as a foundation for his company, Outsource Training.biz LLC.
Human Resource professionals can earn pre-approved, re-certification training hours by visiting his website, http://www.outsourcetrainingonline.com/. If they send an email to him after taking a course with the word "Ezine" in the subject line, they'll get a $25 REBATE on the course.
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