Gene Stark

REALITY CHECK
communication

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

The perception your customers have about your business is directly related t o y o u r p r o f i t a b i l i t y. Wo r l d s m o s t f a m o u s b r a n d s are the most profitable. Pe r c e p t i o n i s Re a l i t y !

A comprehensive analysis of your marketing communication efforts, the Stark Reality Check provides you with a clear direction of how your business can increase the return on your marketing

investment an investment into the perceptions and hence the reality that your customers and prospects have about your product and service.

BENEFIT
Stark Reality Check

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

The Stark Reality Check is guaranteed to deliver at least one cost effective way that your business can increase sales or decrease costs. Specifically you will receive practical advice on how to improve:

1. Communication Efficiency How to better reach your consumers with your message 2. Communication Effectiveness How to improve the consumers understanding and retention of your message

GUARANTEE
Stark Reality Check

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

COMPANY NAME

What is the name of the business?

Does your name break the rules? In a cluttered marketing environment, names that just fit in with the rest are lost and very easy to ignore. Your name must stand apart from the competition. Will your name cause your competitors to grimace? A registered brand name is something they can never take away from you, so it must be powerful enough to make them wince every time they see it. The better the name, the more theyll want to steal it from you. Does the name make a promise or tell a story? The right name can be the cornerstone of a lasting customer relationship. It is an ultra-powerful marketing weapon. How do you communicate that story?

Is the name descriptive or does it suggest a feature or benefit? Great names suggest the most compelling benefit the prospects will need over the next decade or longer. There is no confusion about what you offer.

Great names differentiate you from competitors, make an emotional connection with your audience, and help to build a brand that ignites the passions of your customers.

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

PRODUCT/SERVICE NAME
What are the names of all your products / services?

How well do your product / service names support your company name?

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ARE YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES BRANDED?

See

Smell

Touch

Hear

Taste

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POSITIONING

What business are you in?

How do you define your Core business? Eg: Selling Mousetraps v Selling the absence of mice Selling Cosmetics v Selling Hope to women Selling a Shovel v Selling a hole in the ground

What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?

What is your Positioning Statement? (Creative interpretation of the USP) Eg: A Mars a day helps you rest work and Play Just do it

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

POSITIONING CONT.
Is your Positioning Campaignable / Sustainable?

Is your Positioning Credible? Defensible?

Is your Positioning Differentiating?

Is your Positioning focused and simple? What word do you own in the mind of your consumer?

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

CUSTOMER KNOWLEDGE
Customers can be segmented in many different ways: 1. Geographic Segmentation: involves dividing a market into different geographical units such as nations, provinces, regions, countries, cities Demographic Segmentation: involves dividing the market into groups based on variable such as age, gender, family size, family life cycle, income, occupation, education, religion, race and nationality Psychographic Segmentation: involves dividing buyers into different groups based on social class, lifestyle, personality characteristics. Behavioural Segmentation: involves dividing buyers into groups based on their knowledge, attitude, uses or responses to a product.

2.

3.

4.

How much do you know about your customers? Who are your customers influences?

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

CUSTOMER KNOWLEDGE CONT.

Do you know their Desires?

Do you know their Hopes?

Do you know their Aspirations?

Do you know their Concerns?

Do you know their Fears?

Do you know how much your competitors are spending on communicating with your target audience?

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

COMPETITOR KNOWLEDGE
Competitor Name 1:

Positioning:

Competitor Name 2:

Positioning:

Competitor Name 3:

Positioning:

Competitor Name 4:

Positioning:

Competitor Name 5:

Positioning:

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STARK COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES

Timed

Achievable

Realistic

KPI (Measurable)

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MEDIA STRATEGY

Marketing is Promotion. Promotion is Communication. How do you reach (communicate with) your customers and prospects?

How often do you communicate with your customers and prospects?

How many times do you communicate the SAME message? Once is nearly never enough?

Can your medium be the message?

How much do you spend annually on communicating with your customers and prospects? Is is at least 10% of your sales revenue?
Marketing Strategy 20%

80% Communicating with customers 80% of the Marketing effort is spent on Promotion Promotion is usually the only element marketers control.

Does your business invest 10% of its Sales Revenue into Marketing?

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

CREATIVE STRATEGY
What are you communicating and how are you communicating it? How does your message reinforce and leverage the brand of your product / service /company?

Are your messages compressed? Is the attention of your prospect / customer captured quickly? Attention spans are getting shorter every day!

Do your messages have clarity or are they ambiguous? Are the images simple and clear or dense and negatively mentally challenging? One readone viewone hearing

Are your messages immediately comprehensible? Is there too much jargon? Are your images typical or positively mentally challenging?

Do you have consistency across all of your communication? Brands like people have personalities and people dont really change.

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

SUPERIOR MARKET POSITIONING EXAMPLES

COMPANY / BRAND NAME Developed by Stark Reality

INDUSTRY / CATEGORY

POSITIONING STATEMENT

Info-Organiser / Pulse Transform Business Systems / TKO

Software , Knowledge Management Software , Business systems, Policies and Procedures

Profit with Pulse Transforming Busy into Business

Platform Interactive

Web Management Solutions, Content Management Systems

Driving Online Profitability

Linkware Technology Certain Wealth Group

IT Services, System Maintenance Wealth Building, Property Education and Sales

Taking Care of I.T. Our Knowledge Your Choices

Room To Improve (previously LJ Decorating) Bounce Back Fast Schoffered Tours (previously ECD Winery Tours) Undercover Entertainment

Home Services, Renovation, Decoration Renovate, Decorate, Appreciate

Personal Services, Resilience Coaching Tourism, Guided Wine Tours

Pressure Proof Your Life At your service

Entertainment, Corporate Music and Dance Home wares and Gifts, Website Portal

Real Performance

Agent Hunter

Creating New Sales Opportunities

Plan To Live Bayview Real Estate

Life Coaching, Website Portal Estate Sales

The Life You Want Working smarter for you!

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

NOTES

Copyright Stark Reality 2007

Are you ready for a new Stark Reality for your business?

M: 0411 989 309 E: [email protected]

W: www.starkreality.com.au