Marketing is one of the four corner-posts of a solid business. Knowing a few marketing tricks is great, but to be really successful you must be able to assess market place opportunities. Heres 13 points you should look at

1. It is necessary to understand the prevailing economic and industry conditions. Analyze the demographics of your customer base

2. What are the customers needs?

3. What pricing strategies can be implemented?

4. What is the activity of competitors?

5. What promotional strategies can be implemented (media, word-of-mouth referrals?)

6. What is your customers profile?

7. Understand your customers disposable income.

8. Plan promotional schedules around specific activities that are going to affect your customer base.

9. Develop a budget for each promotional activity prior to commencing on the promotional activity highlighting what you hope to achieve, what it is going to cost to promote and then analyze the performance against the budget expectation after the promotional activity is concluded.

10. You need to identify your unique selling proposition and center your marketing strategies round it.

11. If you are using media advertising or promotion, gauge the success of that promotion.

12. Checklist for maintaining sales.

• Increasing the number of customers can be affected by location, effective advertising, in store displays, demonstrations and special events.
• Exterior appearance identification.
• Effective hardworking employees.

  13. Hints on increasing average sales.

• Companion selling
• Selling higher quality
• Merchandising/display
• In-Store signs
• Stock mix
• Increasing repeat visitors by customers.
• Staff attitude
• Staff product/service knowledge
• Staff sales ability
• Stock range
• Business image/appearance/housekeeping
• Direct mail
• Birthday and Christmas Cards
• Newsletter

Kelvyn Peters

Kelvyn Peters is a renowned storyteller who has a vast experience in many fields having been a Railway Employee, Painter, Professional Boxer, Cane Cutter and Town Mayor. But then he started work when he was 13 years old in 1954 so he's had a long time to fill.

Kelvyn is a skilled educator and afterdinner speaker who loves to tell stories. Now he has been convinced to put some of them in writing.