Australian marketing expert, John Dwyer, says Hunter businesses, particularly small ones, are missing out on thousands of dollars in sales every day because of poor marketing.

John is the man who got Jerry Seinfeld to front the Greater Building Society’s advertising and provides marketing advice for businesses of all sizes throughout Australia. He is sharing his “Wow Factor marketing ideas” and valuable insight with local Hunter businesses during a 1-Day Seminar at Wests, Lambton this Friday, 27 March from 9am.

He says that marketing doesn’t have to take busy small business people a great deal of time, they just need to avoid common mistakes and use simple, practical, easy-to-implement marketing tips.

He laments the fact that there are empty retail shops right throughout Newcastle and that businesses in the industrial and manufacturing sectors in the Hunter are finding things very tough.

“It doesn’t need to be this way,” Joh said. “If business owners simply grasped the principles of sound marketing tactics, they can protect themselves from economic downturn.”

“Marketing expertise can provide any size business with a sense of comfort through any hard economic periods.”

John quotes the Hunter real estate industry as a classic example of businesses that should be marketing savvy, but sadly are not in most cases.

“I was speaking at a real estate conference recently and asked over 200 agents in the room if they agreed that their job could be described as marketing homes?”

“Everyone raised their hand and everyone was embarrassed when I then highlighted that none of them had any real marketing qualifications.”

“All agreed that they wouldn’t trust a doctor who didn’t have a medical certificate, yet they were purporting to have the expertise to market homes ‚Äì but no-one had any marketing qualifications.”

As a general observation across various Newcastle businesses, John says there are glaring marketing mistakes across the board.  Examples of such mistakes are:

• Businesses not collecting a database and exploiting it.
• Ignoring the important 80/20 rule and therefore not targeting the most profitable customers.
• Not creating urgency in their marketing.
• Not creating a magnetic appeal so that they benefit from repetitive trade.
• Not using powerful customer testimonials.
• Not understanding the huge value of storytelling in their marketing communications.

He says there are three key steps that businesses can take to double or triple their sales.

• Using Wow Factor marketing techniques, such as free bonuses and rewards.
• Collecting customer data both offline and online.
• Fixing their website

John strongly advocates that Hunter businesses need to employ a strategy, which he calls “gravitational marketing”.

“I have dealt with many Newcastle businesses and very rarely does one come across as a trusted advisor or expert.”

“Business owners need to appreciate that people gravitate to experts, so it’s important that you demonstrate your expertise and promote yourself or your business as an expert.”

John Dwyer is an “ideas man” who has been providing marketing advice to Australian businesses for more than 25 years. His clients have included Coca-Cola, McDonalds, 7-Eleven, KFC, the Nine Television Network, the NRL Rugby League, News Limited and Caltex.

He also developed the very successful “Get a Home Loan and Get a Free Holiday Offer” and the Jerry Seinfeld campaign for the Greater Building Society.

• What | “Explode Your Sales” seminar for any size business
• When | Friday, 27 March 9am to 5.30pm.
• Where | Wests, 88 Hobart Rd, New Lambton
• RSVP | Online