The Marketing Bridge

Business consultant Chuck Mefford of Lighthouse Communications teaches an excellent study on “the marketing bridge.” The marketing bridge includes everything that links the customer to the sale and everything that separates the customer from the sale. Mefford breaks down the marketing bridge into five basic areas.

First is your Competitiveness. How does your business compare with your competitors? Do your customers walk away satisfied? What competitive advantages is your business offering in the marketplace?

The second step of the bridge is merchandising. Do you have nice curb appeal? Would someone want to stop by simply by driving by? Is your location clean inside and out? Do you feel “invited in” when you walk across the threshold of the main entrance? How often are your displays rotated and do you have an annual floor game plan? Are your stores hours convenient to your customers or convenient to the storeowner? What about your signage? Can you spot your store sign easily from ¼ mile away? Does your sign reflect your image or the image of your sign maker? In a recent study, well lit merchandise sold 3-to-1 over poorly lit merchandise in the same store. How is your lighting? Your price tags must be easy to find and if you’re having a sale, even easier to find. Are your products season appropriate, can I buy swimming suits in the summer and snow blowers in the winter? Are your aisles wide enough to get through? Do you have a common-sense and relevant floor plan? Is the coffee next to the doughnuts at one end of the store and at the other end do you have the oil and the washer-fluid? Do you have a window presentation? Is it appealing?

The third step in the marketing bridge is Personal Selling Skills. Is there a relatively quick greeting? Is your staff cheerful and sincere? Is your staff trained to focus on solving customer needs? How is your staff’s appearance? Is there a consistency in their dress code? Is it obvious who is an employee and who is not? Does your sales staff use personal recommendations after using the products themselves? Are they able to paint a picture of how your product or service should be used for best results? Does your staff make accessory suggestions that actually make sense?

The fourth step in the marketing bridge is the Customer’s Perspective. Does your business represent quality product lines? Are you getting good word-of-mouth from your current customers? Do you give back to the community? Do you have a simple return policy? Do you always do what you say you will do? Do you take cash, checks, and the four main credit cards are there credit options and is there an ATM on site? Are your bathrooms as clean as they can possibly be? How many potential customers in your market have you on one of the top three rungs of the positioning ladder in their mind?

The fifth step of the marketing bridge is advertising. Are you branding or are you advertising an event? Is your message clear? Are you getting enough frequency? Are you advertising 52 weeks a year and getting enough consistency? Is your staff always aware of your promotions? Are you offering the public something only you can offer in your entire market?
If you consider your business a boat, you can row it yourself. If your boat has holes in it or if parts of your marketing bridge are missing, you are going to sink. If you strap on the motor of advertising without patching the holes, you’ll go down faster. Advertising only speeds up to what’s going to happen anyway. If you’re good at what you do, you will grow faster.

If you suck like a Hoover, you’ll crash and burn with amazing speed!