The 4 A"s of Marketing

What are the 4 A"s of marketing?

I created the 4 A"s of marketing after modeling world class marketers over an 8 year period. The 4 A"s are the specific set of things they all did, and that made their marketing so different from everyone else's. It's also what makes them so incredibly effective.

The 4 A"s became the cornerstone of all my marketing consulting work and my 4 A marketing System. When I help small business owners and larger companies improve their marketing - I'm just helping them implement the 4 A"s.

Here they are then, along with a detailed explanation of each one and the reason for the " s in the title.

A1 - Advantage
A2 - A lot of leads
A3 - Additional back end products and services
A4 - AIDA - Amazing offers

* Yes, there's a surprise 5th A - see the descriptions below for details.

Also on this page are

The 4 A"s and the 4 P's
The 5th A - and why it's so important - also the " s explained
A special invitation for you to learn more

A1 - Advantage

The first A stands for Strategic Advantage.

The simple fact is, we live in a world of massive advertising messages and a lot of competition. It's no longer an option to stand out - you MUST stand out - and the secret is to have a phenomenal value proposition.

Simply put, a strategic advantage gives people a reason to choose YOU over anyone else, especially your competitors.

Most business owners don't have a competitive advantage - at least not a very good one.

It is astonishing what happens to a business when what they offer to their target group of customers - is simply the best choice out there. Sales often go through the roof.

Most businesses claim they are the best and that their product is better than the rest. But the claims are ridiculous. They are NOT any better.

The one's who ARE better - people remember!

Since so FEW businesses actually have a strategic competitive advantage, when you DO have one - you'll stand out without even trying!

And in THIS day and age . . . THAT is a big deal.

A genuine strategic advantage . . . which is a BETTER value package - a better bang for your buck from the customers point of view - a genuinely unique product or service people want and can't get any where else - will automatically generate word of mouth advertising, create a constant stream of referrals, catapult your reputation and BLAST YOUR SALES THROUGH THE ROOF.

And this applies to any product or service you're trying to sell. Period.

A2 - A LOT of Leads

Lead generation is an art. And it's an important one for business success. Most small businesses simply don't have enough leads.

One definition (my personal favorite) of marketing is this: marketing IS lead generation.

It's vital that you have many different lead generation systems, so your business doesn't hang on the effectiveness of just one or two.

Of all the things I help business owners do - this is one of the most valuable. It's simply essential that you have reliable ways - lots of them - for generating leads for your business.

Since I have studied hundreds of companies, been retained by public companies and paid top corporate dollars to model their marketing, sales and referral systems - I can tell you this:

Show me a company with one or two ways to generate leads and I'll show you a company that's struggling.

Show me a company with 7 or 8 or 9 ways to generate leads and I'll show you a company that's thriving.

It just doesn't get any clearer than this.

The secret is knowing how to get 5 to 12 lead generation systems working effectively. I can help you do that.

Multiply your lead generation. Add more ways to create interested prospects. Learn how to generate leads from the internet, from mailings, from call systems, from ads, from doing joint ventures and strategic alliances . . . and dozens and dozens of other ways.

I know and teach over 100 ways to generate leads. They took me years to learn, and they're worth their weight in gold.

Make up your mind right now to generate a LOT more leads for your business. It will do more for your bottom line than just about anything else you'll ever do.

A3 - Additional Back End Products & Services

The back end is where all the money is!

That's an important phrase to remember.

Your 'Back End" is the set of additional products and services you offer AFTER someone has made an initial purchase. Back end products and services are always priced higher because they deliver more value.

It's essential that you have a back end of product and services, along with a transitional sales process (complete with language and scripts) that elegantly lead your customers into purchasing more and more BACK packages from you.

It's been said - nobody gets rich selling a $20 e-book.

That's right. But many of the most successful online marketers sell $20 e-books that lead their customers to $297 and then $997 and even larger BACK end purchases.

Back end 'Marketing' includes:

A 4 - AIDA And Amazing Offers

Examine any state of the art marketing - and you'll see an offer that simply rocks!

Infomercials are a great example.

The Amazing Offer - is just the tip of the iceberg though. AIDA is much more than that.

Your presentation and your offer are the heart and soul of getting people to respond. And getting a response is the goal. A direct response to your proposition or "offer".

If no one responds to your TV commercials, or sales letter or web site - you don't get any leads.

Not good.

The offer is part of your copy and your copy is what compels people to respond and inquire. Thus - a lead!

The classic direct response guide is called AIDA. AIDA stands for

A - Attention - get your prospective customers attention

I - Interest - get them interested in what you have to offer

D - Desire - cause them to want it emotionally

A - Action - create a call to action - tell them how to respond

AIDA is a good beginning. But there is much more you can do to compel people to respond. Here are some of my favorites:

The 4 A"s And The 4 P's

So what's the difference between using the classic 4 P's of marketing, and using the 4 A"s of marketing?

Let's take a quick look:

The 4 P's are Price Position Place Promotion

The 4 A"s are Advantage A LOT of leads Additional High Value Back End AIDA and Compelling Offers

The 4 P's don't guarantee sales and revenue. The 4 A's do!
The 4 P's are based on theory - and are outdated.
The 4 A's are the NEW marketing model and are based on modeling.
The 4 P's are good - you still need positioning for example.
The 4 A's make you money - and are the street smart way to market.

My advice?

Know the 4 P's and use them to be thorough.

Obsess over the 4 A"s and use them to get rich.

What's with the " s

The extra ' in the title - The 4 A"s - is symbolic and important.

When modeling world class marketers - I discovered that there were a couple of things that the very BEST of the best did consistently.

One of them was to over deliver. They all gave unexpected bonuses, went the extra mile to make customers happy and so on.

You see this principle being used on the best infomercials out there today. The offers are so over the top sometimes, that you feel crazy NOT buying it. Have you experienced this yourself?

So the " in 4 A "s ... represents something extra - something more. There's an EXTRA ' in the very title itself isn't there?

And that leads me to MY something more (I'm always practicing the 4 A"s) and that is THE 5TH A . . .

The Surprise 5th A

Here's your surprise bonus. There's a 5th A!

If there is a singular thing that marks out that handful of BEST marketers from all the rest - it's this. This is an advanced achievement in marketing, so you'll likely have to work up to it.

The 5th A stands for AUTOMATION.

IT simply means to AUTOMATE your marketing and sales.

Lead generation can be automated so it's happening when you sleep. So can sales, and almost every other aspect of marketing.

When you get to this level, you will have genuine leverage at a level that few business people have or will ever have.

Want To Apply All This To YOUR Business?

I have a passion for helping business people market their products and services. It's why I created the 4 A" s in the first place and why I offer marketing coaching and consulting packages.

My 4 most popular marketing coaching & consulting packages are

1. The Marketing Foundation

2. The Marketing Makeover

3. The Marketing Breakthrough

4. The Marketing Quantum Leap

* A two day workshop-style Marketing Seminar in Colorado, reasonably priced for small business owners and managers.

Your Next Step

If you would like to look at what's in each of these packages and learn how they can help you market your products and services -

please provide your first name and email below and click the button.

There's no cost and no obligation - but there IS a lot more waiting for you!

Sincerely,

Alexander Van Buren
Alexander Van Buren
4AMarketingSystem.com