I was asked by one of my employees recently if I had a copy of the e-book I wrote years ago called Six Deadly Small Business Marketing Mistakes (and how to avoid them). So I went looking for it on my hard drive and found a full PowerPoint presentation I had done on the topic.

I decided to open it up and take a look at it. As I read through the PowerPoint, I came to the conclusion that I still believe these are the top six deadliest small-business marketing mistakes you can make — but now I also have a seventh one to share with you.

So after years and years of working with small businesses, here are the all-time top seven deadliest marketing mistakes. As you read them, think about which ones you are committing.

1. Not having a marketing plan. Statistics from a Harvard study showed that only 3 percent of all small businesses grow to become large corporations. The one common element with those 3 percent of businesses was that they had a written marketing plan they actively followed.

Enough said.

2. Not differentiating your business. In the world of small business, it’s not so much that you have to be good, but that you have to be different. Small businesses that create a different, exciting, unexpected or unusual experience are those that become extremely successful. Those small businesses that provide the same old, same old experience, get the same old, same old results.

3. Not having referral programs. The undisputed No. 1 marketing strategy for small businesses is, you guessed it, referral marketing. Successful small businesses don’t simply rely on word-of-mouth; they implement processes that drive referrals.

4. Not marketing to your customers. The biggest asset in any business is the customer list. Successful small businesses realize this, and instead of pouring all their marketing dollars into lead generation, they set aside money to market to existing customers. Marketing to your customers results in bigger orders, more frequent sales and more referrals.

5. Not targeting a customer group. There’s an old saying that goes “If everyone is your prospect, then no one will be your customer.” The fastest way to ramp up sales and service calls is to pick one target market and concentrate all your marketing muscle on penetrating that group of consumers. When you do this, your marketing produces more results with less investment.

6. Not realizing what business you’re in. Too many business owners fail to realize this one simple fact: Marketing is what drives your business. So instead of getting mired down only in the delivery of products and services, you should focus on getting more customers. As small-business guru Michael Gerber says, “Focus on your business rather than in your business!”

7. Not having a lead generation system. I know I told you earlier to focus on your customer list and generating referrals, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect having a system that generates fresh new leads. Every business should have a systematic process for attracting new prospects and converting them to customers.

TAKING ACTION

There are several ways to do this, and sometimes it depends on the type of business you have as to what marketing methods you use. Other than retail businesses, most companies will benefit from a two-step lead generation system.

Here’s how it works:

The first step is to get your prospects’ attention and then capture their contact information. You can capture their attention many different ways. Here are a few: trade shows, online advertising, door hangers, billboard signs, newspaper/magazine advertising, newsletter advertising, television advertising, and sponsorships.

The second step is to convert those prospects into paying customers by communicating, educating and inviting people to take advantage of your offer. You can also use these tools: direct mail, offline newsletters, webinars, postcards, seminars — live or online, and telephone.

Each tool has its own place, and they all work if you use them correctly.

The real key is to create a system that happens the same way over and over again and produces consistent results. Every business should have a lead generation and conversion system or systems.

One word of caution: A huge mistake is to rely on just one method. You should have at least two to three different sources for incoming leads. If one dries up or dies, your business doesn’t shut down.

CONCLUSION

There are a lot of things a small-business owner can do wrong, but these are the biggest mistakes that are made. Focus on solving these, and you’ll have a thriving, nonstop moneymaking business.