Page 20 - My Marketing Sucks Book

And that's where your "Outside Perception" comes into play.

We had a health club client whose revenue was flat for 5 years in a row prior to
partnering with us. We launched a member survey to get some insight into what
was going on. The surveys came back okay. They scored well on customer service,

variety, cleanliness, price, value and convenience.

As we read through the comments, we saw a pattern. Most members felt like the
club was fine, nothing wrong, and nothing great. But they never mentioned

anything that made the club better, different or unique from other gyms in the
area.

If your customers become complacent, they are wide open to anything New or
Different that comes along. This business spent all their energy replacing
customers who drifted away with new customers. That client recycling game is
exhausting and doesn’t lead to growth… just the opposite.

Your Unfair Advantage #1:

Understand That Perception IS Reality

We went to work on innovating to get beyond just churning members through the

club to get to the root of why our client was not growing.

The surveys showed us how much their members loved the club’s staff, personal
training and their group fitness classes. They also pointed out a number of areas

where the club could better serve them.

The survey results gave us a stake in the ground to help our client understand a

few critical marketing truths and what to do to get to the next level.

Take Your Pride and Stick It on the Shelf for a Minute

So congratulations! You have a business where your customer service is great and

your customer’s love you!
But none of that means squat to a prospective customer if (1) They don't know
you even exist as an option; or (2) They can't distinguish your value because of

your inability to market yourself properly.

They perceive that you are no better or no worse than anybody else.