2. Focus

If you ask most business owners or sales managers what the primary purpose of their marketing activities is, most will respond with phrases like 'to make more money', 'to grow the business' or 'to expand into a more lucrative market or demographic'. These are all excellent goals for any marketing activities or campaign.

Unfortunately most businesses fail to remain focused on these primary goals when engaging in marketing activities, from product selection and presentation to advertising copy and media choice. Focus is everything and you need to constantly ask yourself, how will this activity help achieve our goals? A common example is a business that has always run newspaper advertisements at certain times of the year. They continue to do so, despite any evidence that it is working. Their focus has become doing what they've done before, rather than to grow or make more money.

You should be questioning all of your marketing activities.

Who is my target market?
Do they need or want this product or service?
Is it a need or a want?
If they do want or need it, what might be holding them back from purchasing?
If they have decided to purchase, what might be holding them back from purchasing from you?
What are your competitors offering?
How can you differentiate yourself from your competitors?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
How can your weaknesses be made strengths?

Be clear about the details and make sure you are always positioning your products and services in the best possible way for your target market.