It always amuses me when I approach new clients and am told, “Our marketing strategy is great, we don’t need you”. I always have to bite my tongue and come up short of saying, “Yeah, well prove it”.
It is a tired cliche, but still a truism: The proof is in the pudding. Any restaurant owner will tell you their pudding is the best, but if they never see it leave the kitchen and never chat with the customers, how do they know?
All too often folks assume that because they have a marketing strategy or have hired someone to do it for them they are covered, the job is done. However, without any form of tracking you never really know.
Many non-marketing savvy air charter companies believe that they keep track of how they get clients, yet ask them where they found a specific client and the answer is something extremely vague. More often than not, there is no way to look up the source of this contention and, worse yet, there may not be a connection as to why this would matter.
Successful businesses not only measure, but they combine all measurements to give a solid picture. Through measurement and analysis, we can articulate our success and growth- whether positive or negative- and determine that our marketing dollars are well spent or are being sucked into a black hole. Measurement and tracking means we know who our best customers are, where they came from, how we got them, and, most importantly, how we can get more of the same.
Take a few minutes to do a self audit. Ask yourself:
- What tools am I using to track and contact my customers and prospects?
- How do I know which marketing dollars are most effective?
- Where did my best clients come from and where do I get more of those?
With fuel costs breaking new records daily and belts being tightened, we no longer have the luxury of spending unchecked. Historically, we have all made sure that our mechanics are keeping our aircraft viable, that our pilots are properly trained and certified, and that the accountants have our finances in order. Its time we took the responsibility of distilling our marketing information ourselves or finding someone who can do it for us.
The greatest of hunters don’t shoot blindly in the dark hoping for a kill, the meticulously identify their prey, track it, take careful aim and bring in the big game- its the difference between bagging a beaver or a buffalo. So the question is: Are you hunting or are you hoping for the perfect client?
–Dan Graham
p.s.- To find out more about my day job tracking “big game” click here.
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