You begin to get sales, and that allows you to move on to the final step, and that is... 5. Measure and test, measure and test. This is one area where we all fail at one time and another. Most businesses fail at it all the time. But this is one of the most crucial area (if not THE most) of any marketing plan. We all, generally, have multiple thrusts in our marketing. Internet, radio, newspapers, etc.
But which one is bringing in the sales, what's it's ROI? Without measuring and testing you'll never know, and you could be throwing money away. How so? If you don't know where your sales come from, you don't know where to spend MORE on marketing email list (the big drawcards) and where to spend LESS or none. Spending $10,000 a year to get $150,000 in sales is better than spending $1,000 a year to get $5,000 in sales. Simple math - 1500% return versus 500%.
There are many ways to measure and test, but the easiest way is ASK PEOPLE! When you get a sale, ask, "Where did you find us?" That can be at the sales counter, over the phone, or on an internet form. It's the marketers equivalent of McDonald's, "Do you want fries with that?" Ask it; every single time. Then record it, and chart it. Then be prepared to adjust your strategy.