Relationship marketing is concerned with developing and strengthening your relationship with both your current and prospective clients. It differs from other marketing schemes as it aims to value the long term contribution that your customers ultimately make towards your business.

Admittedly with the development of the Internet and sites such as Facebook and Twitter, relationship marketing in a sense has become easier for small and home based business. However it is imperative that you recognise the value of these mediums and use them to their full advantage. Focussing on an overall strategy to tie in your website and other avenues to promote your products and services but keeping the focus on your customer is invaluable.

Relationship marketing requires more than just an overall knowledge of business marketing. It requires you to have a broad awareness of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), social media, customer service, blog development and public relations.

The mistake many businesses make is that they use such marketing opportunities to reach out to potential clients by way of a strong sales pitch. But with the ease of being able to opt out of such things as newsletter and Facebook updates, the focus on meeting clients’ needs is stronger than ever. We as consumers are being constantly bombarded with things to try and buy, therefore unless you take a more intelligent approach, your efforts will be wasted.

Permission based marketing is one such facet of this type of marketing which as it suggests, requires a customer’s permission before they can be approached. This type of approach allows you to nurture your prospective clients and bond with your current customers. And thanks to technology advancement, we are now able to track newsletters, learn what our customers’ preferences are and what products and opportunities whet their appetite.

Blogs are another aspect which allow you to connect directly to customers and provide a means for direct feedback. Facebook, Twitter and other social media options as well as participation in forums and publication of lenses and intel also allows for this direct communication stream.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the most complicated aspects of relationship marketing. It requires a direct focus on search engine keywords, article management and article submission to develop much needed organic links back to your website essentially raising your visibility on the major search engines. SEO gives the business owner more control over the way in which a prospective client will encounter your website and which website page they will land on initially. A relevant article which sparks interest may be just enough impetus to gain a new subscriber rather than just a link to the home page.

Research has long shown that relationship marketing is a much more affordable approach in terms of a company’s budget as it focusses on current customers and clients rather than to blindly blanket individuals who may have no interest in the service or product you provide. Customer loyalty particularly to a small business is key to a company’s survival so it makes sense that this is of main focus.

Bauhinia Solutions support business owners with their computer related, business administration needs. Relationship marketing is about connecting and communicating with your current and prospective clients; it’s more than advertising and promoting your products and services.

Dear Mr / M/s xxxxxxxxx

I have researched your organisation after seeing the recent news item about your new product launch / licensing agreement / contract win / Joint Venture etc. What I see is a very good opportunity to grow your company fast and this is why I would like to meet with you to leverage my track record in similar circumstances to the ones you now have to help you do this. Here are a few examples of the successes I have achieved at aaaaaa and which I know I can now achieve again for you.

� At xyz ltd, I grew sales from £ 20m to £ 34m over a four year period in an increasingly competitive market and during one of the worst downturns the industry has seen in recent times.

� As a result of my introducing a new strategy at xyz ltd to reposition the brand, the company has been ranked in the top one hundred most innovative and fast growing organisations in the country by ( an association, trade body, newspaper etc ).

� Prior to my joining xyz ltd I spent three years at def ltd where I reorganised the Sales and Marketing division to quadruple the company’s growth rate and deliver a massive eight times increase to the bottom line.

I have repeatedly outperformed in start up, turnaround and growth scenarios. This has given me the chance to provide vision, strategic direction and develop my own breadth of experience in a unique way.

I would relish the challenge that your present opportunity affords and will ring you on Monday 5th at 8.30 am to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet.
Yours Sincerely

( name and direct contact number + email address )

P.S. I enclose the transcript of a recent paper I presented to the Marketing Directors association on ” Developing brand value in today’s competitive market ”

The above letter can be longer if you think necessary, but above all it is a mail shot and it is designed to capture interest very quickly and deliver a hard sales message to the reader who is suddenly confronted with an immediate answer to the problem / opportunity uppermost in his / her mind. Direct mail has and always will work. ( ask the DM companies ) and the principles can be applied to the job market as for any other market.

Since 2006, ACN has been endorsed by multi-billionaire and Celebrity Apprentice Executive Producer, Donald J. Trump. He has gone on to speak at several ACN International Training Events at which he has praised the company’s founders, direct-selling business model and digital video phone. A natural progression of this relationship was ACN’s appearance on Donald Trump’s Prime-time reality show The Celebrity Apprentice. This appearance was an opportunity for ACN like none other in MLM history because it gave national and international exposure to a company that does no media advertising with the sole purpose of saving it’s customers money.

Now that we have brought up saving money, let’s talk a little about how ACN is able to accomplish this huge undertaking. ACN is a long standing and respected member of the DSA (Direct Selling Association). The DSA recently awarded ACN with a prestigious success award for “Reinvention”. This award came about with ACN creating a comprehensive set of new business tools for it’s sales force. ACN also created a TV channel on a corporate website which aided in the cultivation of the celebrity endorsement of Donald J. Trump. Because of Mr. Trump’ international notoriety this TV channel has become a valuable tool for all Independent representatives. The results of the three-year reinvention program are an increased sales force size, record setting growth and a dramatic increase in quarterly event attendance.

ACN’s direct selling business model is very simple and it is their competitive advantage. ACN by-passes all traditional forms of advertising (i.e. media advertising, telemarketing, mass mailing) and passes the savings on to the end consumer. Relationship marketing can be a powerful tool when used to save friends, family and acquaintances money on essential services they already use every day. As Donald Trump says ” Marketing is a powerful tool, and network marketing can increase that power, provided you are self-motivated.

If you have recently started your own direct sales business, you may find yourself suddenly overwhelmed. Knowing that you are fully responsible for your income can be quite stressful and, if this is your only source of income, the stress can be even more difficult. The key to your success is to take a deep breath and start working on your marketing.

Marketing your business should be one of your more enjoyable tasks. In fact, most of your marketing can be done online and should be, as this is where you are going to be able to reach the majority of your target market. Of course, you will also find that many of the methods that you can use are quite easy.

One of the best ways to promote your new business is with article marketing. As many individuals want more information before they join you in their venture, you will find that writing and publishing articles online is a great way to give it to them. If you find that you are unable to write quality articles yourself, it is a simply matter of finding a writing service to help you.

Another great opportunity to promote your business is with pay-per-click advertising. With this method, you will want to create some great ad copy to put in front of your target market. Survey companies will help you to place your ad in front of the people who are going to be interested in it and you will only have to pay them whenever someone does view your ad.

Last, you will also want to consider social networking sites to promote your business with. These sites will allow you to get to know your target market and deliver to them what they want. Of course, you will also want to link these social sites to your article marketing strategy, as it is a great way to get more readers.

Marketing should not be complicated or stressful. It is a simple matter of figuring out which way is going to put your opportunity in front of the most people. If you are not an expert in marketing, do not worry. There is a lot of great information to be found online, as well as many affordable classes on Internet marketing.