Whether you’re selling a service, product or your ABWA chapter or Express Network, energy and enthusiasm increase your success rate.
Successful marketing boils down to connecting with people and presenting options, says Georgene Charles, a national member of ABWA and co-owner of the marketing consulting firm Charles Associates in Clear Spring, Md.

“People buy from people,” she says. “Developing communication with customers is part of marketing. So are sincerity, enthusiasm and energy.”

But marketing takes more than that. “Marketing brings the product to the forefront,” says Georgene, who has 25 years experience in sales and marketing, much of it in the hospitality industry. “Some people have a wonderful product but are clueless how to sell and distribute it. If you’re not marketing correctly, you’re not going to succeed.”
There’s no deep, dark secret. “If you have a true understanding of the product and know how to create the need in your customers, you’ll achieve your goal: selling the product,” she says. “If you have a true belief in what you’re selling, you can do it quite easily.”
Many times, Georgene says, marketing means listening to what customers want. “Some customers want the basics with no frills. Others say, ‘If there’s a bell or whistle, I want it.’”
Successful marketers understand where their customer base wants to be and how much they want to spend. “There’s no sense pushing a product on a customer who doesn’t want, can’t identify with, or isn’t prepared to pay for it,” Georgene says.
Still, once you understand the customer, you can often move her to the next plateau by offering give and take choices, “When I worked with brides planning receptions, I knew their budgets’ were limited,” Georgene says. “I’d encourage them to spend money on important items like photography that they’d have forever. I’d say, ‘You don’t need the fancy salad.’ I’d show them where they could cut corners and still get the event they wanted.”
Marcia Rayner Applegate, who belongs to ABWA’s Novi Oaks Charter Chapter in Novi, Mich., and works as the human relations/office manager for a manufacturer of exterior vehicle trim, approaches marketing by identifying an audience and increasing awareness of what one has to offer.
For example, her ABWA chapter decided it needed to reach more women. “It became obvious that people just didn’t know about ABWA or what we do,” Marcia says. “We needed to concentrate on publicity.”
The first step was identifying their target market and gearing programs to that group. “Our audience is changing,” Marcia says. “With the Internet, women have many avenues of information, and they also have many women’s organizations to choose from. Just as with any product, it is important to decide what makes our organization unique.”
The chapter invited Sheryl Walsh, manager of public relations for the City of Novi, as a guest speaker. She helped them put together a publicity plan with repetition as a key element. “We strive to have something in three different publications every month,” Marcia says.
“In the past eight months, we have concentrated on increasing the visibility of our chapter and ABWA in general by developing relationships with staff at the local newspaper and then contacting them when we have speakers and events coming up,” Marcia says.
Marcia developed a relationship with a staff member at one of the newspapers and now writes a monthly column. In exchange, the paper publishes information about ABWA. Another newspaper accepts articles from her chapter. The plan also includes posting information on a free women’s Web site in Michigan. “We have had guests because of this connection,” she says.
Marcia’s marketing advice to others? “Keep on getting the word out — even if you have done it 100 times,” she says. “On that 101st try, there will be a woman who picks up the paper and sees something of interest to her.”
Marketing is more than selling, says marketing consultant Georgene. “It’s a way of life. You’re marketing all the time, but may not realize it. You’re marketing every time you’re connecting with people.”
Marcia Rayner Applegate, who belongs to ABWA’s Novi Oaks Charter Chapter in Novi, Mich., displayed a great example of guerrilla marketing for her ABWA group. CHAPTERS AND EXPRESS NETWORKS
© 2007 ABWA.