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In your role as a businessperson providing products and services, there are only 3 reasons for anyone to do business with you:

1. To identify if your product or service meets their needs (then they will buy from you).
2. To benefit from your products and services (then they will return again).
3. To feel inspired by your products and services (then they will refer others to you).

That's it. Period.

Everything you do and say, everything prospects, customers or clients see, perceive and read should be focused on one or more of these things.

Why?

Because there's nothing else that is more important to building your business.

Do you need your prospects, clients or customers to be impressed with you?

Do you need them to like your picture in any ad?

Do you need them to like your website or brochure?

Do you need them to think your BMW is a nice car?

If you do, when it comes to successful marketing you're concerned with the wrong things. Though appealing -- impressions, cars, and attractive photographs are non-income producing concerns.

Does revealing your latest degree accomplish any of this?

All these things are FLUFF compared to what's really important to effective marketing. Quite simply, there are only 3 important criteria: Revenues, Return on Investment (ROI) and Referrals generated.

You single goal is to get them to take action in one of these three critical areas in your business. Beware striking out swinging at the wrong balls!

You want people to seek you out for the products, services and expertise you offer, now and in the future.

That's it. Pure and Simple.

Marketing guru Dan Kennedy often speaks of the Disney philosophy. The Disney philosophy is ingrained into every Disney employee's brain: The only thing that should be on a guests' mind when they leave Disneyland or Disney World is this:

You've Done What You Do So Well That People Can't Resist Telling Others About You!

Have you ever heard someone talk about a visit to Disneyland?

They talk about the incredible cleanliness. They talk about the incredible rides.

They talk about the incredible exhibits, the courtesy, the efficiency of hosts. They talk about the magical experience they had. They talk and talk and talk about . . . everything.

And, they do this without encouragement, inducement or provocation. Everyone talks about how great their vacation was, and how you must plan to go to Disneyland too.

Is everyone talking about your business like that?

Is everyone so amazed, so filled with satisfaction that they continue doing business with you, even when no one asks?

Are you so focused on the 3 things in your clients/customers/prospects minds that everything you do and say furthers these goals?

Why work on anything that doesn't lead you to the 'top-of-mind mindset' that Disney has?

So how do you accomplish this? Ask yourself each and every time, 'Will this action meet any or all of the three things on my clients/customers/prospects minds so they can respond accordingly?'

If the action you're considering moves you forward, do it! If it doesn't, forget it.

It is easy to get caught up in what everyone else in your industry is doing in marketing. But unless it leads to these 3 critical elements of success -- forget it.