Sure, you will get the occasional referral and do business this way, but be honest with me now. Is your business booming?
You see a lot of people try to use “my service is excellent” or “my product is better” as their marketing strategy. Bung! – people ASSUME that when they buy something that the product will be good and the service excellent. This is not a “marketing strategy” – it is what the client expects by default. You do too, what makes you think you are different to other consumers out there.
On the reverse side, if you supply a bad service or product you will get bad-mouthed so fast that you will have to do business further and further away from “home” until you eventually see your arse.
Now that you know what the target market does not want, here is what they do expect. They want to be supplied or serviced by someone they can trust, someone they can rely on if needed. They want the supplier to be knowledgeable in his/her field of expertise. They want to deal with someone they like – YOU! — If you can supply the above, you almost have a ticket to make your own price.
Jay Levinson, author of the famous Guerilla Marketing books said the importance of the buying decision is based on 5 steps and I list them from the most important to the least:
1. Confidence and trust in the company they buy from.
2. Perceived quality, and expertise the supplier shows in what he/she offers.
3. Service.
4. Selection.
5. Price. (Big Note! — see it is listed last)