Imagination Technology

Marketing and Selling are Not the Same

Selling is more about the offering of goods and services, where marketing should be a focused plan to find and contact specific prospects. Selling focuses on the needs of the seller, where marketing focusses on the needs of the buyer. If you find yourself talking to a prospective client and you're talking about yourself or your business, chances are good that you're selling. Instead, describe your products and services in terms of how they benefit the buyer. This is true for every contact with a potential customer whether you're talking across the counter, placing an ad or sending out a postcard.

Why is Market Research Important to Your Business?

Market research will help you nail down exactly what is important to your customers. And if it isn't important to them, it shouldn't be important to you.

Market research lets you know what the competition is up to as well. If your competitors are doing something in the marketplace, shouldn't you be figuring out a way to do that very thing just a little bit better?

The more important element in figuring out what your unique selling point is (often called your unique selling proposition), is to figure out a benefit to your products or services that your competitors are unable to offer. This sets your business apart from the crowd.

The investment in market research doesn't often pay off in the short run, but it can pay off big in the long run.

So what might you want to research? How about new products or services your direct competition is not offering? How about new places to be seen in the media? How about new markets for your existing products? Or new technology that will help you better deliver your existing products or services? How about new partnership opportunities. If you're selling shoes, somebody's got to be selling socks, right?

If you're ready to meet the competition head on, but aren't ready to conduct the market research yourself, visit Imagination Technology at www.imaginationtechnology.com.