Santa Claus is making his list and checking it twice, and it’s a good idea for your business to do the same. How did your company do this year with its marketing efforts?

When you see what worked and what didn’t, pay attention to which approaches were naughty and which were nice. The results may surprise you.

Naughty Marketing

Focusing on lost opportunities
Do you get stuck in a rut when you lose a client, fail to win over a prospect or achieve lackluster results from a marketing campaign? Obsessing over losses is counterproductive. Yes, you should examine why they may have occurred so you can adjust your strategy and move forward. But, as driving instructors teach their students, keep your eyes front and center, looking ahead, because where you focus is where you’ll go. Don’t drive your business off the road by focusing on the wrong things.

Being selfish with your skills, knowledge or experience
If you approach your business with the philosophy that people should pay for everything you give them, then you’re in for a frustrating ride. Smart businesses understand that the sales process is a time when you give away knowledge as a way of showcasing your expertise and enticing the prospect to want more. They also know that giving away little extras once someone becomes a customer is a surefire way to keep them happy.

Badmouthing your competition
You know that your products and services are better than the competition, right? You also know that your target market needs to see this fact in order to choose you, so you tell them any chance you get – in ads, postcards, sales conversations – that the competition stinks. Bad move. It makes you look unprofessional, unkind and dumb. There is enough business for everyone and the cream will rise to the top.

Communicating negative messages
Did you know it takes the human brain twice as long to process negative words than positive ones? If your messages include words like no, never, not and don’t, consider rewording them.

Nice Marketing

Focusing on client successes – and how to get more of them
By examining which proposals were won, which clients are most happy and which marketing programs achieved the best results, you can then focus on repeating those successes with other prospects, clients and programs. Concentrate on what’s going well and do more of it.

Delivering value during every customer interaction
While you should never work for free, it’s always wise to make every interaction you have with suspects, prospects, and clients deliver tangible value for them. Give them some tips, share a relevant article or book with them, celebrate their successes with them by acknowledging them with a call, card or flowers. People will remember these gestures and think positively of your firm when considering a purchase or making a referral.

Practicing gratitude
Saying thank you for every employee effort, every sales meeting and every sale generates a culture of gratitude in your business. We all want to be acknowledged and validated for what we bring to the table – our time, our talent, our business, our money. Sometimes saying thanks requires just a sincere, verbal recognition. At other times, it may mean a lunch, a gift or an award.

Giving back
It can be challenging to find the time to volunteer, mentor or serve on a non-profit board. But giving your time and talent will reap huge rewards if you approach it strategically and leverage it successfully. Choose organizations that make sense for your business and volunteer opportunities that maximize your skills. Then market your efforts in email signatures, i.e. Ambassador to the Chamber of Commerce, etc., on your website and in press releases.

Take some time this month to review your marketing for naughtiness and niceness. Your business will thank you.

Now isn’t that nice?