In this issue:

1) Tip of the Week

2) FEATURE ARTICLE: Are You the Prime Source? by Marty Foley

3) CLASSIFIEDS

4) FREE Resources

5) POWERQUOTE

6) MARKETING MINUTE: Don't be the Best. Be the First! by Michel Fortin, Ph.D.

If you'd like to read previously ran tips and features, go to http://netcheckspayroll.com/newsletter.html

"Tip of the Week"

The author of today's Marketing Minute outlines several strategies for attracting customers through implied superiority...not just saying you're the best but being the first one your customer thinks of when they need, or want to refer, a particular product or service. As Dr. Fortin says, "go the other way" and be the first to cater to a specific target market or cater to a market in a unique way.

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Are You the Prime Source? (C) 1999, Marty Foley

A common thread among a large percentage of successful entrepreneurs is that they have control over at least one of their own products or services.

Following are some significant advantages of being the prime source:

* You get all of the profit from sales of your own products, compared to generally only about 40-50% from other people's.

* If you deliver solid value, giving your customers their money's worth (and then some) many will want more of what you offer, putting you in a better position to develop repeat business.

* Control over your own products and services gives you control over prices, supply, policies, and so on. The less you have to depend on other suppliers (who may not always be as ethical, reliable or efficient as yourself), the less related problems you'll have.

* If your product is unique, and especially if you have exclusive rights to it, you have your own little "monopoly." There is no direct competition with others selling the same thing, unless, of course you set up a dealer or associates program. People must then still go through you - directly or indirectly (through one of your dealers or affiliates) - to obtain it. Either way, you profit.

Now, I'm not condemning reselling the goods and services of other prime sources, but I highly recommend that you make becoming the prime source for at least one of your own proprietary products or services one of your primary goals, if you haven't achieved that already. And if you've already achieved it, why not add more to your line?

An ideal situation would be to have a line of several of your own products and/or services. Realistically, however, it usually takes time to research and develop (or otherwise acquire) them. Some types of products or services can be developed in a relatively short time, others may take several months.

Although the barrier to entry may be a bit higher than exclusively focusing on marketing the goods and services of other prime sources, once you've conquered it the potential rewards can be much greater.

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"Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Questions to Ponder

How closely do I listen to my critics?

Do I have people around me who encourage me towards my objectives?

Copyright the Discian Group from the Powerquotes ezine. See http://discian.com/powerquote.htm for more information.

Don't be the Best. Be the First!

By Michel Fortin, Ph.D. Copyright © Dr. Michel Fortin

Often, many businesses build their entire marketing strategy around a particular brand and its "better" qualities. Claiming superiority smacks of being untrue and is indeed a very risky endeavor. In other words, if you claim that you're the best, your statement will seldom be credible.

A mentor once said to me that "Implication is more powerful than specification." It is much more effective to imply superiority--and to be perceived as being a superior company--than to simply being (or outright stating that one is) superior.

So, how do you get others to perceive you as being the best? How does one imply superiority without stating it outright? The following are a few pointers to guide you in that direction.

BE THE FIRST If you're the first in some category, you can usually invent your own position, which makes it tremendously difficult for competitors to copy you. If you're the first and if your competitors do copy you, it will only help to remind people of you. In fact, being the first in the marketplace is not as important as being the first "in the mind" of the marketplace--the mind hates change!

Working with cosmetic surgeons, I've personally experienced this undeniable truth. A particular hair transplant doctor is one of the first surgeons of this type. While superiority in this field is a matter of artistic ability and not historicity, he is still widely recognized as the best surgeon there is--even if he still uses outdated techniques.

No two bodies can occupy the same space. If you get to a position first, you will have to be removed before someone else can take over. But if you're the first, it will be impossible for others to remove you. Hence, by being the first your position is virtually guaranteed!

It doesn't matter who is technically the first in the marketplace or first to offer a product or service. The first to get a company, product, or service in the consumer's mind will own the position and thus be perceived as being the best.

When you're the leader in your field or category, people will automatically assume that you're the best. Uniqueness is therefore the key and immensely more effective since it separates you from the rest rather than compares you to them.

CREATE YOUR OWN CATEGORY For instance, Jack Trout, in his truly wonderful book "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing," proves this point with a simple question. He asks, "Who was the third person to fly over the Atlantic in a solo flight?" If you're not a history buff like me, you will more than likely be stumped. Most people remember that Lindbergh was the first because, being the first, he comes to mind immediately.

However, if you were asked "Who was the first 'woman' to fly over the Atlantic in a solo flight?" which is the very same question but rephrased in a different way, you will probably know the answer. It's "Amelia Earhart."

Many people try to "compete by comparison" and may even get some recognition as a result. But where they often fail is in creating lasting top-of-mind awareness by drowning their image in a currently known category--or ladder, if you will.

Everybody knows who is the first in some category or another, but rarely do people remember who's second let alone third. If you market your company as a better firm with a better product or service at a better price, you are merely reminding others of that which you are better than, which is your competition.

So, if there's no category you can be first in, create one. Having your very own category is powerful because it is impossible for your competition to beat you. Being the first, your place is therefore guaranteed and you will thus be perceived as the leader--which in fact, by being the first, you are!

GO THE OTHER WAY 7UP floundered until it announced that it was the "Uncola." As a result, the more Coke and Pepsi advertised, the more it helped 7UP. On the other hand, Coke, which was touted as being "The Real Thing," was known to be an old company with a 100-year old recipe locked in some secret safe. Pepsi decided to go the other way and proclaimed that it was for the "New Generation."

Avis did poorly until it finally conceded that it was No. 2. The "We try harder" campaign focused on its underdog attitude that turned the size of its bigger competitor, Hertz, into a negative. Domino's Pizza was surely not the first pizzeria. But by being the first to deliver its pizza "in 30 minutes or it's free," it went from a small restaurant to a multimillion dollar franchise operation.

Be the first to cater to a specific target market or be the first to cater to a market in a unique way. Be the first to customize a general product or service to a specific market, or be the first to offer an alternative to an existing product or service.

For example, you might be a travel consultant selling business trips to financial institutions. If you're not the first, you might then market yourself as "the first to serve the financially inclined" or "the first travel agent for the 'busy' financier."

In other words, don't be the best in some category. Be the first in one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michel Fortin, Ph.D. of The Success Doctor(TM) is an internationally-acclaimed business development consultant, speaker, author, and copywriter. If you like the ideas expressed in this article, then get a FREE copy of his complete book, "The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning: Magical Marketing Strategies for Creating an Endless Stream of New, Repeat, and Referral Business" by visiting http://members.home.net/success-doctor. You can reach him at mailto:success-doctor@home.com or (613)748-1624. You may also subscribe to The Success Doctor(TM)'s FREE weekly e-zine, "The Profit Pill."

Copyright © 1998 Dr. Michel Fortin

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