The Savvy Entrepreneur

Guest Post: Marketing At its Worst – 3 Marketing Mistakes You Must Never Make

December 30th, 2009 by Cristina Favreau

http://www.flickr.com/photos/twenty_questions/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

We live in a world where there is a plethora of options – we are deluged by products, gizmos and gadgets, some of which we don’t really have any use for and most of which tend to get obsolete in no time at all. So if you’re a marketer, you must know how to sell your products effectively so that customers know what they stand to gain by buying and using them. A successful marketer avoids making fatal errors, mistakes that could kill their chances of success. There are many marketing don’ts, but the most important of them are:

Being too intrusive: No matter how badly people want to buy something, they’re not going to buy from you if you’re too intrusive. I hate callers who ring my doorbell when I’m busy and refuse to go away; I get irritated with cold calls from salespeople who gain access to my mobile number through mass marketing lists that they purchase and hound me at all hours of the day; and I find pop ups that block the web page I’m trying to view a big nuisance that I must close immediately. So when you’re intrusive and in your customers’ faces, you don’t start off on the right foot or make a good impression on them. You tend to drive them straight to the arms of the competition at times. It’s hard enough earning a good reputation, and your job is made even more difficult when you have to overcome a bad one.
Treating the customer badly: Some salespeople and marketers believe they are above certain customers and don’t treat them well. Remember Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Woman? The man who refused to attend to her because of the way she was dressed had to eat dust a little later. So don’t prejudge your customers or assume that you know what they can or cannot afford. Your job is to sell your product and so your focus must be on closing the sale alone.
Failing to offer follow up service: Your job is not over once you’ve sold a product, and if as a marketer you think it is, you’re making a huge mistake. Very often, people become repeat customers because of the after-sales service you offer – no one wants to buy a product for which they are forced to put up with shoddy service and maintenance. When I buy a car, I want to know that maintenance is going to be a hassle-free experience and that spares are not too expensive. If I feel cheated after the initial promises made at the time of the sale, I’m certainly not going to buy from the same company again or recommend it to my friends.

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of accelerated online degrees . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com .

Category Articles, Guest Post, What not to do | 48 Comments »

Anonymous

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Anonymous

It is always important to make sure that you are giving the best service regarding with your business or product
Anonymous

This is good solid advice especially the first one which I have experienced many times. As a novice marketer I find your articles very helpful for women who want to start their own business.nnLana http://www.beamilliondollarwoman.comnna herf=”http://beamilliondollarwoman.com”>women who want to start their own business
Anonymous

Thank you for this post. All three points are important and ring true from personal experience. It is critical that we all continue to remember these points as we continue in our business lives.
Anonymous

I agree, especially with point # 1. Here’s some further elaboration.rnrnOn being too intrusive. If a prospect really wants something bad, the marketer would not be perceived as being intrusive. Most often it’s considered intrusive, because the prospect has no interest or desire for the product.rnrnIts a gigantic waste of the prospects time AND the marketers time to try to bully someone into buying. Besides the fact the initial sale does nothing then to build a long term relationship…the life blood of a business.rnrnSales people are usually the most guilty of this because smart marketers know about lead generation and customer attraction, rather than archaic methods of cold calling.
Anonymous

So true!
great to read this post. I have also experienced some of the above and really hope that I can give better service.
Thanks for posting!
Anonymous

Absolutely awesome blog with only top quality information.rnrnI firmly believe you have done the right thing posting this article because if the people reading can now see the mistakes they are likely to make it may just help them avoid them.rnrnMark McCulloch
Anonymous

I really have to agree with you, because personally I’ve experience what was mentioned on the article. Nice read. Thanks.
Anonymous

Another often-made mistake in marketing, particularly when pitching to the media, is over-selling your product rather than offering tips relevant to the journalist’s story first. Hold your marketing speech till the end. Once you master this, join a free site like my company’s PitchRate.com where you can connect with journalists easily for publicity.
Anonymous

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
Anonymous

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http://www.pitchrate.com Katy Nelson

Another often-made mistake in marketing, particularly when pitching to the media, is over-selling your product rather than offering tips relevant to the journalist's story first. Hold your marketing speech till the end. Once you master this, join a free site like my company's PitchRate.com where you can connect with journalists easily for publicity.
http://twitter.com/mainebusiness mainebusiness

3 marketing mistakes you must avoid: http://ow.ly/SoG0

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http://www.thegoldandoilguy.com/ Christina

I really have to agree with you, because personally I've experience what was mentioned on the article. Nice read. Thanks.
http://www.MarkMcCulloch.com Mark McCulloch Success Coach

Absolutely awesome blog with only top quality information.

I firmly believe you have done the right thing posting this article because if the people reading can now see the mistakes they are likely to make it may just help them avoid them.

Mark McCulloch
AlinePointsOfYou

Absolutely,
great to read this post. I have also experienced some of the above and really hope that I can give better service.
Thanks for posting!
kenhoffman

I agree, especially with point # 1. Here's some further elaboration.

On being too intrusive. If a prospect really wants something bad, the marketer would not be perceived as being intrusive. Most often it's considered intrusive, because the prospect has no interest or desire for the product.

Its a gigantic waste of the prospects time AND the marketers time to try to bully someone into buying. Besides the fact the initial sale does nothing then to build a long term relationship…the life blood of a business.

Sales people are usually the most guilty of this because smart marketers know about lead generation and customer attraction, rather than archaic methods of cold calling.
http://www.mylifepassport.com/ Alexandra

Thank you for this post. All three points are important and ring true from personal experience. It is critical that we all continue to remember these points as we continue in our business lives.
http://www.capitalizer.com/three-most-harmful-marketing-mistakes/ Three most harmful marketing mistakes « Capitalizer

[...] Savvy Entrepreneur lists the other two fatal marketing mistakes you should never make. var addthis_pub = ''; var addthis_language = 'en';var addthis_options = 'email, favorites, digg, [...]
http://DCincome.com/blog TJ Corruthers

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jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
jim gonzalez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there’s is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
timsanchez

Definitely agree with being too intrusive. It pushes people away and there's is nothing worse than that. Just being genuine is the key. I recently worked with Auto Shipping Network and they were amazing.
http://www.outsourcingtoindia.org/outsourcing/4882/ outsourcing Guest Post: Marketing At its Worst – 3 Marketing Mistakes You Must Never Make | Outsourcing News

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http://www.businessopportunitiesexpo.com Alexpapa

3 great points. To survive and thrive in a service based world, companies first have to realize who they work for. It isnu2019t the stockholder, or the CEO u2013 itu2019s the public. The customer pays all the wages from the top down! Nice to be reminded. Thanks. Alex
http://www.businessopportunitiesexpo.com Alexpapa

3 great points. To survive and thrive in a service based world, companies first have to realize who they work for. It isnu2019t the stockholder, or the CEO u2013 itu2019s the public. The customer pays all the wages from the top down! Nice to be reminded. Thanks. Alex
http://www.businessopportunitiesexpo.com Alexpapa

3 great points. To survive and thrive in a service based world, companies first have to realize who they work for. It isnu2019t the stockholder, or the CEO u2013 itu2019s the public. The customer pays all the wages from the top down! Nice to be reminded. Thanks. Alex
http://www.businessopportunitiesexpo.com Alexpapa

3 great points. To survive and thrive in a service based world, companies first have to realize who they work for. It isnu2019t the stockholder, or the CEO u2013 itu2019s the public. The customer pays all the wages from the top down! Nice to be reminded. Thanks. Alex
http://www.howtheydiditbook.com Entrepreneur Ideas

Sadly, I think we have all encountered customer service such as this. Your second “don’t” is unfortunately something that we see often in customer service, especially retail. Someone who is being paid to help a customer should never be seen rolling their eyes or heaving a big sigh when a customer approaches them with a question.