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Each week 100 or 1000 people visit your web site or read your small business marketing materials but only a handful of those are contacting you. You can double the number of people who buy your products and services and double your profits.

The biggest mistake made by small business owners is that they treat marketing as if it didn't need to follow basic rules of human nature. It's like trying to force feed broccoli to someone who hates vegetables or trying to get a vegetarian to eat roast beef. Similarly, it just doesn't make sense to try and force your prospects to do something they don't want to do.

I'm amazed at how many people throw away huge sums of money on a marketing strategy that continually frustrates them and doesn't bring in the sales they need to grow their business.

Here's the simple truth about small business marketing. If you want to sell to people you need to take into account basic characteristics of human nature. You can't just get your name out there or get the name of your product out there and expect clients to flock to your door. This marketing strategy doesn't work for small business owners and it won't work for you.

The good news is that it's not complicated or confusing to market your business successfully and close twice as many sales. All you need to do is understand a couple of obvious things about human nature and apply them to marketing your business.

Effective Marketing Is Based On These 3 Rules of Human Nature

First Rule Of Human Nature: People are attracted by solutions to their problems

Your prospects want to know what your product or service will do for them. They want to know if it will help them solve a particular problem.

Your marketing should lead with the product benefit and then go on to explain more about how your products or services help them and you ll capture their interest. Lead with pricing, obscure product names or too much technical detail and you'll l0se your prospects. Their overriding concern is how your products or services will help them.

The Second Rule Of Human Nature: People forget

Think about your own purchasing behavior. What do you do when you re looking for a new computer, a new lawyer, a new investment, or a new graphic designer? You may have seen an ad that attracted you or visited a web site that looked helpful, but can you remember where?

Most people take some time to make their decision, often weeks or even months. Even if they've read your marketing materials and even if you've got the perfect product or service for them, your prospects are most likely going to forget you exist.

80% of potential new business is lost because small business owners don't have a marketing strategy for following up with prospects. Each time your prospects hear or read about another similar service or product your information gets pushed further down into the recesses of their brain.

Eventually it just gets forgotten and you've lost the sale unless you have a strategy that helps them remember your products and services.

Third Rule of Human Nature: People want to be confident they are making the right decision

Whether you're buying a new car, a new computer or legal or financial services, you want to know that when you make your purchase you'll be satisfied with the products or services you buy. Your prospects are the same. So how do you help them trust you and your products and services?

Give them proof!

Prospects want to know if your products or services worked for others and if they'll work for them. When you use referrals, testimonials and 'test drives' you provide proof that helps them feel confident in making their purchase.

Common Sense Small Business Marketing It's common sense to base your marketing on these three rules of human nature. If you want to increase your sales, you need to give people the information they want and need to buy from you.

About the Author:

The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Strategy eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com

March 2006