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FAQs
Frequently
Asked Questions
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What is MICRO MARKETING?
How did MICRO MARKETING get started?
How does MICRO MARKETING compare to other programs?
What is the key to targeting the right market?
Why is alignment so important?
What's the key to message development?
What services does Leads Source offer?
What is Leads Source's key strength?
What is Leads Source's ideal client match?
What is Leads Source's ideal working relationship
with a client?
Can't my ad agency do this work?
How do we work with you?
How do you charge?
What if I'm not prepared to make a decision?
How do I learn more?
What Is MICRO MARKETING?
MICRO MARKETING is a smart little B-2-B marketing program based
on a simple working premise: If you align what you offer to the
real interests of a true buying market, you will spend less time
and money building new business and you will achieve better results
than you would with any other marketing method.
The Model
MICRO MARKETING is a closed loop system that means each step in
the process leads to the next step and all steps lead back to the
first step. With each new cycle, we improve alignment (and results)
by incorporating what we have learned from the previous cycle.
Systems Approach
Most marketing efforts fail because they are too complex and/or
time consuming. A systems approach achieves consistent results because
it is uniform in its activity and easier to execute. For example,
a McDonald's French fry tastes the same in Maine as in Mexico because
there is only one (Mickey D) way to cook the French fry.
MICRO MARKETING is a similarly simple system.
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How did MICRO MARKETING
get started?
MICRO MARKETING was started in 1992 as a marketing communications
firm offering marketing services. As small business underwent growth
and change, we worked with clients to create many of the MICROMARKETING
programs that have become standard-fare in industry today. This
knowledge of why things work the way they do is extremely helpful
as we create today's direct marketing programs using both the mail
and the Internet.
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How does MICRO MARKETING
compare to other programs?
The following steps will help you compare MICRO MARKETING to other
programs in terms of price and value:
- Verify the market potential for yourself. Call a mail list broker
and ask for a count of all the small businesses in your market
that you might sell to. Ask the list broker the cost of his list
on disk (about $400 minimum).
- Next, visit a local software store and/or search the internet.
Try to find a complete new business development program. Yes,
you will find many single-purpose programs - The Greatest 100
Sales Letters, or Marketing Plans Made Easy - but you won't find
everything you need in one program. Add up the cost of individual
programs - marketing plan, copy writing, tm management, etc. (about
$350).
- Call a copy writer and ask the charge for developing a new business
letter or new business postcard series or website content ($450
to $2,000).
- Call a telemarketing company and ask the charge for a telemarketing
call prep sheet, script and call tracking evaluation forms ($500
to $800).
- Call a business consultant and ask the charge for doing a basic
market analysis - market position, competitive comparison, market
segment sizes and potentials ($2,500 to $5,000).
The total charges (of the above) is what a small business operator
would pay to buy the same tools and services in each MICRO MARKETING
program package. And the customer would need to coordinate and integrate
all the individual pieces himself.
By any comparison, MICRO MARKETING is a well positioned and smartly
priced program in terms of cost and return on investment. Add in
its guarantee and MICRO MARKETING is a no-risk, high-return proposition
for a business seeking new leads, market growth or the ability to
enter new markets.
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What's the key to targeting
the right market?
Just as a crash-bang action movie may appeal to teenage boys but
not to middle aged women, so to your sales proposition will appeal
to some market segments but not others...which is why it is critically
important to define to whom you will speak, before you speak!
After we complete a simple analysis of your company's present market
position and previous sales history, we do an overview of your potential
markets.
We define and segment each potential market by industry, company
size, age and economic strength.
We then qualify each potential target market based on six "yes"-"no"
criteria.
In total, through our three step filtering, we can help you clearly
identify and target those specific industry groups who have a historical
need for what you offer.
Finally, using our database sources of over 18 Million businesses,
we license and purchase your new business prospect list one small
target group at a time.
Nearly every marketing effort requires the use of a database. Through
MICRO MARKETING's three step narrow casting, you'll save time and
money by focusing only on high potential prospect target groups.
You'll save additional time and money by only purchasing the size
list that fits your needs...not a list filled with junk records
to meet some arbitrary minimum order size.
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Why is alignment so important?
A forgotten key to smart marketing is alignment. You may have a
great product or service (the best in your industry) and you may
have a great potential market (prospects rich and ready to spend)
but if your offer does not align with your prospect's wants or needs,
you will not succeed in your sales effort.
Alignment - How it works
Imagine that you own a service business and I own a service business.
Both our businesses are the best in our respective industries.
We both decide to expand into the biggest and richest market in
the country, Orange County, California.
Within months, you're rich and I'm broke. But why?
My service is the best in my industry just as your service is the
best in your industry. And the market is big and rich. Why did you
succeed and why did I go broke?
The answer is alignment.
You offer a pool cleaning service. I offer an ice skate sharpening
service. You have alignment with a warm weather market and I don't.
Alignment is what makes all the marketing program elements work
successfully. It is the top priority of every MICRO MARKETING program.
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What's the key to message
development?
Our strategy - every persuasive word we write - is developed from
your buyer's point-of-view.
We match the implications of your prospect's real needs with the
strengths and implications of what your business offers.
In truth, your sales message isn't a sales message at all. It is
a logical presentation of information based on your prospect's need
to know; not on a salesperson's want to tell.
Your marketing message must clearly and succinctly convey who you
are and what you can offer.
With experience from having written more than 200 business presentations
for some of the largest corporations in the country and from having
developed more than 500 small business marketing programs, we can
help you develop a message that will differentiate your services
from your competition and motivate your prospect to act.
MICRO MARKETING has helped over 500 other small businesses reach
their goals. We can help you in the same way.
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What services does Leads
Source offer?
Our core service is MICRO MARKETING, a key, new business development
program - which might represent a good, low cost marketing approach
for many small B2B firms. In addition we offer business and marketing
consulting programs on a project basis.
If you need a speaker at your next event, we offer several structured
presentations or we will create one unique to your needs. For further
information, contact us at: info@LeadsSource.com
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What is Leads Source's
key strength?
Leads Source strength is our knack of identifying the right solution
and integrating it into a marketing plan that leads to your greater
success.
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What is Leads Source's
ideal client match?
Clients with new business pursuit projects they would like to put
on autopilot (a continuous weekly basis) love us. They may also
have other marketing campaigns that are not as effective as they
would like, which we routinely straighten out. Time-crunched small
business entrepreneurs appreciate the way we handle everything with
their insight, but without the bother (so they won't have to).
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What is Leads Source's
ideal working relationship with a client?.
Clients who use us for on-going promotion of one or more products
get maximum value from our services. Often, we will promote products
for multiple years for a single client, building each new program
on the successes of the previous ones. And of course, clients who
use us as their sole direct marketing provider leverage this advantage
across many product types.
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Can't my ad agency do
this work?
While many businesses use advertising as their primary marketing
tool, at Leads Source, we use advertising as a part of the total
marketing mix to ensure greater effectiveness and reach. Please
note, advertising is just a small subset of marketing, and it may
or may not be appropriate for your business and the goals you've
defined.
Leads Source is unique in that we focus on developing practical
marketing programs with easy-to-implement strategies to ensure that
small business and individual practitioners are not overwhelmed
with the marketing side of their business, but can concentrate on
managing their overall business.
Unlike many advertising agencies who only pay attention to your
advertising, Leads source reviews your customer database, uses a
proven MICRO MARKETING™ methodology to find high potential prospects,
creates appropriate messaging showing how your solutions meet your
prospects' requirements and delivers measurable results on all our
marketing programs.
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How do we work with
you?
We've served over 500 clients and have used MICRO MARKETING from
coast to coast, and much of our work is done on the phone or over
the web, with on-site meetings only as needed. Most of our clients
actually prefer to work this way, because it saves them time and
expense.
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How do you charge?
When we are doing a client's entire annual marketing program we
invoice monthly. We provide an estimate up front including mailing
and other "cost of doing business" stuff. It's that simple,
and the results are guaranteed.
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What if I'm not prepared
to make a decision?
Marketing success depends on making decisions. The right decisions
in the end affect Leads, Purchases, Customer Loyalty, Up-Selling,
Referrals and Customer Lifetime Value. Fortunately, you don't have
to go at it alone. Leads Source is your strategic advisor to help
you successfully navigate through the myriad of questions that surface
when engaging in marketing. Leads Source offers effective marketing
solutions for small businesses. We exist to help you make decisions
that maximize results of all your marketing efforts. We help you
build customer relationships that build your business. Call us to
help you put your marketing ideas into motion.
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How can I learn more?
Just call us at 585.269.3800 (or email us at info@LeadsSource.com).
We'll be happy to set up a phone consultation to talk about any
initiative you may now be considering, or answer any questions you
may have. Or give you at least one good marketing idea. And of course,
there's no obligation.
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