McDonald's sells fast food, Wal-Mart sells general merchandise, Microsoft sells software and electronic devices and General Motors sells vehicles, but in reality they are all very large marketing companies that sell products.
What do you see outside a McDonald's restaurant? You see the Golden Arches, McDonald's stylized M. It is a marketing symbol. Across the M is a red bar with gold writing stating "Over 40 Billion Sold." Another marketing symbol. McDonald's doesn't have the greatest burgers or fast food, but they sell more than any other franchise because of their marketing and their system. When you buy a McDonald's franchise, they sell you a system which is the marketing feature of the organization. Everyone knows that the system guarantees that you will become rich.
Wal-Mart is even more blatantly a marketing company. Most of their advertising revolves around their "Roll-Back" pricing. None of their products are remarkable, you can find the same things in a lot of different stores, but their pricing and their "price roll-backs" are unique and customer appealing.
Microsoft is another huge company that markets itself exceptionally well. Quite a few of its products have never lived up to their initial hype, but the company stills sells millions of copies and Microsoft grows bigger every year. Not because of their products, but because of their fantastic marketing.
General Motors vehicles are not remarkable either. There are other auto makers that have more reliable vehicles or more economical to operate vehicles. General Motors continues to exist because they are the largest auto maker in the world and they have more lines and models than anyone else, and that is how they market themselves. "Buy from the biggest automaker, we didn't get this big without being great."
Outback Steak House sells steaks, but they market the "Sizzle." By the time they finish their advertisement, you can hardly contain yourself and you want to rush to the nearest outlet to get one of those sizzling steaks. Do the steaks taste better than the steaks of everyone else? Probably not, but their marketing has you believing you have to have one. Not later, but right now!
As you can see, it doesn't matter what products you sell, what really counts is how you market either your products or your business. If you want your business to explode and turn you into a millionaire, you must either become a master marketer or hire one.
When I was a kid, which was a long time ago, the quality of your products and your excellent customer service are what brought the customers to you. Today, the quality of the product doesn't matter all that much. Customer service is still fairly important, but marketing is the new "gold standard" in business. Don't let yourself be left behind!
Gilbert Griffiths helped thousands of people during a professional career that spanned more than 35 years. He recently came out of retirement with a passionate goal to help one million people improve their lives. Would you like to be one of those people? If you would, go to http://www.rockettosuccess.com |
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