The Four Principles of Marketing Strategy By Brian Tracy

There are four principles to effective marketing strategy. Each of these principles must be thought through carefully and then continually revisited as the business grows and changes. Any changes in any one of these areas can have an enormous impact on the sales of profitability of the business.

Principle One: Specialization
You must decide in exactly which area of your product or service market you are going to specialize. You cannot be all things to all customers. Too many businesses make the mistake of trying to offer too many products or services to too many types of customers at too many prices in too many ways. This is not the way to wealth.

Principle Two: Differentiation
This is perhaps the most important strategic marketing principle of all. All business success requires a differentiation of some kind. All business success requires that you be both different from and better than you competitors in some clear, distinct way.

Who is your competition? Why doesn’t your ideal customer buy from you? Why does your ideal customer buy from your competitor? What value does your ideal customer see in buying from your competitor that he or she does not see in buying from you? What could you do to offset this perception?

The only hope you have in acquiring customers is to focus most of your time and attention on determining exactly who they are, where they are, and what you have to do to get them to buy from you rather than from someone else.

Recession Proof Your Business
“Do You Have What It Takes to Survive The Recession?…”
Give Me One Hour and I’ll Show You How to Beat the Recession Hands Down…Guaranteed! After consulting with top business leaders and entrepreneurs like you it became blindingly obvious…

You need answers to your most burning questions about How to Survive the Recession. Discover what’s really behind all the doom and gloom and how you can thrive now and in the coming years. Learn more here >>

Principle Three: Segment Your Market
If you offer more than one product or service, you will have to divide your potential customers into separate market segments.

You will then have to identify the characteristics and qualities of prospective customers in each of these segments in order to advertise and sell to them effectively.

Principle Four: Concentration
Once you have applied the principles of specialization, differentiation, and segmentation to your products and services, and to your customers and markets, you now have to concentrate your limited resources.

You have to focus your time, energy, and money on those prospective customers that you have identified who are the most likely to buy from you the soonest.

Action Exercise
List three reasons why a prospect should buy from you rather than from one of your competitors.

Your World in Transition

”Wherever we are, it is but a stage on the way to somewhere else, and whatever we do, however well we do it, it is only a preparation to do something else that shall be different.”  -ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, SCOTTISH NOVELIST AND POET

But what is a perfect future? Well I’d say that a perfect future is different for me than it is for you and almost everyone else.  Too often people think it is OK to tell others what they should want based on their own values and beliefs.  In truth we all have our own map of the world, our own values and beliefs, our own personal experiences that have shaped us into who we are today.  What is good for someone else may not be good for you.

Brian is right when he says that the future may be uncertain, but  can he really assure you that the rest of your life is going to be the best of your life? I believe that we can shape the life that we want and by focusing on what we do want, setting goals and taking action and by finding out what it is that excites us and makes us want to get up in the morning, what makes us smile and what is most important too us as individuals is a great place to start.

Without doubt things are changing all the time, nothing ever stays the same.  We change depending on our day-to-day experiences, things that happen and how we respond to them, births, deaths and friendships all impact on us.  What we have to do is take control and manage the changes as they happen so as to keep stress at bay and avoid that feeling of overwhelm when suddenly things get too much.

As our lives change we need to take time to reflect back and look at the journey we have taken.  What situations and challenges have we had, how did we respond to them, could we have done something different and is there anything we could do to improve things now.

As we change so do our goals.  I recall when I was studying law and thought the most important thing was to be a solicitor and have all the greatness that would bring.  Did I feel I’d reached the end once I qualified?  No!!  Simply my focus moved to the next stage of my career.  Moving from one legal job to another business was one goal I achieved.  Another once married was to work part-time and my focus changed from being a ‘career professional’ to more of a ‘working mother with a good job’.

Perhaps the answers in your own life have changed over the years, maybe you are still aiming for a goal you set many years ago.  Could it be that you have goals you set many times but have taken no action towards them and are no further forward today than when you set them?

I think that one of the most common issues face by people is a lack of confidence and self-esteem.  I often hear from people that they wish they had the confidence to … change jobs, commit to a relationship, end a relationship, follow their dreams / ambitions, say no to others, speak up, be a bit more outgoing, be more in control … whatever it is to them it is important as to how they see and interact with the world outside.

I agree with Brian that many people go through dramatic changes in the different stages of family formation.  For myself it  was leaving home, getting  married,  becoming a parent.  The birth of my daughter totally changed the dynamics within the house; what, where and how things are done.

I am future-oriented and goal focus, I spend a lot of time looking at how I’d like my future to be.  It is not that I refuse to dwell on what has happened and things that cannot be changed, it is not that I dont have regrets (I do) but I have learned over the years that there are many factors that are NOT under my control and  but what is under my control is the actions that I can take to create the kind of future I want. A future that I believe is right for me and my family.  I want to believe that I can to a large extent control my future and create a compelling future.

Whatever the  average life span it could all end tomorrow, we never do know what is in store, at least I know that when my time is up I have done what I can to live my dream life and not sat back and let life happen around me.

Reinvent Yourself and Thrive in 2010 | Brian Tracy’s Blog

Your World in Transition ”Wherever we are, it is but a stage on the way to somewhere else, and whatever we do, however  well we do it, it is only a.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How You Can Start, Build, Manage or Turn Around Any Business (briantracybusinessguru.wordpress.com)
• Everyone’s A Salesperson by Brian Tracy (briantracybusinessguru.wordpress.com)
• Counterattack! (briantracybusinessguru.wordpress.com)

Adam Smith, in his important book The Theory of Moral Sentiments, wrote that excellent people have three primary virtues: prudence, justice, and benevolence, in that order. Each of them is essential to the others and to the living of a full life in society.

Prudence

The virtue of prudence refers to your developing the habit of providing well for yourself, your family, your friends, your co-workers, and your company. This requires that you think intelligently and honestly about the very best course of action to maximize your opportunities and minimize possible danger and threats.

The habit of prudence means you investigate every investment carefully, think ahead about what might happen if you were to take a particular course of action, and take intelligent steps to guard against setbacks and reversals of fortune. The most successful people are those who are prudent in the conduct in all of their personal and business affairs.

Justice is Blind

The second habit for you to develop is the habit of justice. This refers to your commitment to the establishment and maintenance of laws in society that protect the person and property of every individual. The American republic has endured for more than 200 years because it was carefully established by the founding fathers on the basis of law, not men. At every level of our society, specific laws are prescribed and laid down that are applicable to all people, regardless of wealth or station in life. “

John Rawls, the Harvard philosopher and author of A Theory of Justice (Belknap Press, revised edition, 1999), once presented a question to his class that has been repeated often through the years. Imagine that you could write the laws and create the circumstances of your society.

You are given the power to prescribe the economic, social and political relationships that would exist in your country throughout your lifetime. There is only one limitation on your power. You would set up this structure without knowing into what sort of family or situation you would be born.

You would not know in advance what sort of physical condition you might be born with. Whatever system of laws and customs you decided upon, you would then be required to live by them for the rest of your life. What kind of structure would you design in this situation? The answer to this question is the very essence of the concept of justice. The statue of justice, holding the balances and scales in her hand, is blind folded. True justice is therefore applicable to all people who live under a certain system, irrespective of their background.

When you make the habit of justice an organizing virtue for your own character, you will insist that, whatever the relative power of the parties, everyone be treated fairly and justly in the resolution of any difficulty or dispute. The habit of prudence is essential for personal success. The habit of justice is essential for the creation of a society within which a person can pursue his or her own best interests with the greatest of possibilities. The rule is that you should never want or demand anything from anyone else that you are not perfectly willing to accept for yourself.

Benevolence

The third quality you must develop is the habit of benevolence. This is one of the hallmark characteristics of the truly superior person. Aristotle referred to it as one of the eight essential virtues, that of “generosity.” Most people are psychologically and emotionally structured in such a way that they are only truly happy and satisfied when they feel they are doing something that serves and benefits other people. When you give freely and generously of yourself to others, whether it is to members of your family or to members of the public, you feel more valuable and happier inside. When you dedicate yourself to serving your customers with the very best quality product or service of which you are capable, not only do you feel a deep sense of personal satisfaction, but you also put yourself on the side of the angels when it comes to personal and business success. You remember the principle: “The more you give of yourself to others with no expectation of return, the more good things there are that will come back to you from the most unexpected sources.” The regular practice of prudence, justice, and benevolence leads naturally to feelings and actions of kindness, compassion, and tolerance toward other people. You become more open minded and flexible. You develop greater patience and understanding. You are less judgmental or demanding of others. You become a better and finer person.

Action Exercise

Imagine yourself to be a person of complete honesty and impeccable integrity. Is there any behavior of yours that you would change?

 
By Brian Tracy

When you-know-what hits the fan and the survival of your business is endangered, you must begin thinking like a military commander in battle. Often the situation is so serious that you have to step forward and make hard decisions, and make them immediately. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Military Strategy

 
Top military leaders have been studied going back to 600 B.C. Over the centuries, several principles of military strategy that lead to the victory of defeat have been identified. They are now taught to student officers in every military school in the world. By applying these principles of military strategy to your life and your business, you can often turn the situation around and achieve extraordinary results.

Be Clear in Your Objective

 
The first principle of military strategy is the Principle of the Objective. It requires that you be perfectly clear about the goal (or goals) that you want and need to get through a crunch point. In business, the practice of this principle is usually focused on goals related to sales, revenues, and cash flow. You need plans, schedules, and the right people doing the right jobs to achieve your most important objectives. Everyone should be absolutely clear about what they are expected to do, and they must be committed to success, to victory, no matter how serious the crisis.

Take Bold Action

 
The second strategic principle is the Principle of the Offensive. It requires that you take action—that you move forward boldly to confront your difficulties and solve your problems. As Napoleon said, “No great battles are ever won on the defensive.” Since your natural tendency when you hit crunch time is to withdraw, cut back, and play it safe, you must resist this urge and instead dare to go forward, to seize control of the situation, and to attack your difficulties with firmness and decisiveness.

Crunch Point Mantra

 
Whenever one of my companies has experienced a cash crunch, my mantra is, “When in doubt, sell your way out.” You cannot cost-cut your way out of a financial crisis. You have to generate revenues, and the only way to do that is by selling something to someone. Always think in terms of generating revenues from sales. Become very aggressive and focused in this area. Every single company that has rebounded from a crisis, including companies like IBM in 1991, turned itself around by focusing single-mindedly on generating sales revenues. You should do the same.

Action Exercise

 
Discipline yourself to focus single-mindedly on this number-one target, resisting temptations to clear up small things at first.

“Could your time management skills get you laid-off this year?”

Brian Tracy has put together some of his most powerful time management programs for this timely training kit!

Business is harder than it used to be-people in every industry have to work smarter and harder to show that they deserve to be there.  If you don’t have the skills to perform for your company and prove that you are the best asset for them, you may be left behind.

Success is Predictable

Brian has been studying successful people for over 40 years. He has found that the number one thing they ALL have in common is that they have great time management skills.

This new training kit – based on the best-selling book Eat That Frog!-will teach the skills and techniques needed to not only survive in this changing economy, but also thrive.

• The Eat That Frog! Training Kit includes:
  Eat That Frog, 2nd Edition- 168-page book – Your most challenging task is the one you are most likely to procrastinate on — but it’s also the one that will have the greatest positive impact on your life.
• How to Master Your Time- 6-CD Program – Brian will teach the philosophy of time management, to help internalize it, and to help you develop a belief system that will make every minute of your day more efficient.
• The Life Planning Process- 44-page book – When’s the last time you actually wrote down what you wanted to accomplish, planned how to accomplish it and actually followed through? This workbook will help you do just that.

Eat That Frog! Training Kit
Upgrade Your Time Management Skills With Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog! Training Kit!

Upgrade Your Time Management Skills With Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog! Training Kit!

Make Every Minute Count

By: Brian Tracy

Time management is the central skill of success. Your ability to manage your time, to focus and channel your energies on your highest value tasks, will determine your rewards and your level of accomplishment in life more than any other factor.

Save Hundreds of Hours and Thousands of Dollars in Personal Advancement
Your mind is your most precious asset. You must be continually working to increase the quality of your thinking. One of the best ways is to turn driving time into learning time. Listen to educational CDs or audio cassettes in your car. The average driver, according to the American Automobile Association, drives 12,000 to 25,000 miles each year, spending 500 to 1000 hours that you spend each year in your car. That is the equivalent of 12 1/2 to 25 forty-hour weeks. This is the same as two full university semesters spent behind the wheel of your car each year.

Use Traveling Time as Learning Time

If you did nothing but use that traveling time as learning time, this decision alone could make you one of the best educated people of your generation. Many people have gone from rags to riches simply by listening to audio programs as they drive to and from work.

Attend Every Seminar

In addition, for personal and professional development, you should attend every seminar you can. You can often save yourself 100′s of hours of reading and researching by attending a seminar given by an authority in his or her field. You can learn ideas, techniques and methods that can save you hours, days, even months of hard work and research on your own.

Increase Your Earnings

Remember, to earn more, you must learn more. Your outer world of results will always correspond to your inner world of preparation. Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two things you can do to put these ideas to work in your life immediately.

First, purchase an audio program that can help you to be happier and more effective today. Begin listening to it immediately. Resolve never to listen to music in your car when you can turn driving time into learning time.

Second, seek out seminars and training programs given by experts in your field. Sit close to the front, take careful notes, and apply the best ideas that you learn immediately.

Eat That Frog! Training Kit
Upgrade Your Time Management Skills With Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog! Training Kit!

I often ask my seminar attendees, “How many people here are in sales?” It’s interesting to watch how people respond to that question. There are always a few people who will raise a hand at first, and then another hand goes up, and then another, and soon perhaps half the people in the room have a hand up, even though they may be in fields such as management, administration, finance and accounting.

I then smile and ask again, “Now, how many people here are really in sales?” At this point, virtually every person in the room has raised a hand. We all smile at the realization that each of us is in the business of selling every single day.

From the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night, you are negotiating, communicating, persuading, and influencing — trying to get people to cooperate with you to accomplish the things that you want them to accomplish. So the pivotal question with regard to selling is not if you are doing it, but if you are good at it.

All top executives are excellent salespeople. All effective parents are wonderful salespeople. All effective employees use sales techniques to get their coworkers and bosses to go along with them and to cooperate with them in getting the job done. Everyone who is effective in virtually any area of life that involves other people is an excellent salesperson of some kind.

Unfortunately, over the years, a stigma has grown up around the selling profession. Many people feel that selling is a low-level type of activity and they don’t like to be associated with it — even people who are in sales! Virtually no colleges or universities have a “Department of Selling,” even though almost 15 million Americans make their living by selling something to someone. It is the largest single, identifiable occupational group in the United States.

Salespeople are the movers and shakers in every business and industry. They are the key people who create the demand for all the products and services that keep everyone employed at every other occupation.

The wonderful thing about selling is that it is a learned skill. No matter what level of selling ability you possess today, by continued practice, you can become better and more persuasive. And the more effective you are at selling, the more successful you will be in every area of your life.

It is amazing how many people don’t even realize that they are in sales.

Whether you’re selling your opinion or a vacuum, you are going to need the necessary skills to get your point across and influence people’s thoughts and decisions.

Listed below are Brian’s 3 top-selling “sales” programs to sharpen anyone’s sales skills…

The Psychology of Selling- 6-CD of MP3 Program

The Art of Closing the Sale- 75-Minute CD or MP3

Outselling Your Competition

You need to excel in your abilities, both in sales and in life, to stay on top of the game — Brian Tracy is just the person to teach them with these proven techniques.They will soon double and triple their sales and income, and improve their overall life.

Aly the Geordie Coach

If you haven’t heard about Brian Tracy’s new offer, “How You Can Start, Build, Manage or Turn Around Any Business,” you are missing out.

His staff is working around the clock to get all the orders out on time…

SO if you’re waiting for your order, don’t despair.

And, if you haven’t sent in your order yet, what are you waiting for?

Now when you reserve your copy of “How You Can Start Build, Manage or Turn Around Any Business,” you’ll also have the opportunity to split your already low investment into 4 payments.

What could be easier? I guess, in Brian’s initial excitement to get this product into your hands, he should have realized with the recession and everything that one payment might be a little stressful.

So he came up with the 4 payment plan to make it a no-brainer for you to get your hands on this great offer without having to lay all the cash out upfront.

Grab yours now before they’re gone.
Get Html

With the way the orders are coming in for his team, I’m not sure they’ll have anything left by the end of the week! Once the stock is gone, this opportunity will disappear in a puff of smoke!

If you’ve been looking for the “right moment” to jumpstart your dream of owning or managing a business, ramp up the sales in your business, or rocket your ROI off the charts?there will never be a better time than now.

With Brian’s 365-day, risk-free guarantee, you have absolutely nothing to lose by locking in these huge savings and turning your business into a rip-roaring success!

Brian’s team is standing by to ensure all your orders get completed without a hitch.

If you haven’t taken advantage of this amazing opportunity to claim your 5 profit-exploding resources free, do it before it’s too late.

Life rarely gives you a second chance. Don’t let this one pass you by again!

To your success,

Aly the Geordie Coach

P.S. As an extra special bonus just to entice you even more, Brian is going to give you 2 additional digital special gifts when you purchase…

Many years ago, Brian was doing a series of seminars for IBM. During this time, he met a sharp executive. He became a client of Brian’s and they stayed in touch for some time.

One day, he suddenly stopped returning Brian’s calls. When he contacted the man’s company, he was told the sad news that he had died in a plane crash while on a business trip.

This was a truly tragic event which should never have occurred.

Here’s what had happened…

The plane crashed on descent into the Dallas airport. According to the black box recording, the crew members were happily discussing their upcoming plans upon landing.

The flight engineer, a man with over two decades of experience, while chatting it up with the rest of the cockpit crew, had failed to review his checklist.

The result was, he forgot to do one small task when landing the plane… This one, seemingly small, mistake caused the plane to crash and burst into flames, killing everyone on board.

As you struggle toward your personal and business goals, remember to follow your checklist. Not following it could have severe results for you and your business.

If you have ever flown in an airplane, you know a lot of planning goes into the pre-flight preparation. Don’t lose everything you planned for because someone failed to pay attention to a small but critical detail. Follow your flight plan.

Brian’s best-selling book Flight Plan has just been re-released by the publisher. This energetic paperback reveals the secrets to making and following your own flight plan.

To celebrate this event, Brian is giving away some valuable gifts just for giving it a try.

To your successful flight,

Aly the Geordie Coach

P.S. When you have your Flight Plan, you will see your income soar as you confidently accomplish each task on your plan.