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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
15 January 2003
Small Business Owners
Fear Being Unknown
The most important marketing problem for small business owners in Australia and New Zealand is they are not known by enough potential customers, according to a recent survey by consulting firm Marketing Nous.
Marketing Nous director Stuart Ayling said that 88% of respondents claimed "low awareness" of their business was a problem. This factor was also nominated as the most important sales and marketing challenge business owners faced.
"The survey clearly shows that most small business owners fear their business is not well known in the marketplace," Ayling said.
Other findings from the survey show that when it comes to using a marketing plan many businesses have yet to make a start, with 35% of respondents stating they do not have any marketing plan in place.
Although it's tempting to think the firms not using a marketing plan are the ones with concerns about low awareness, this is not always the case. Even business owners who have a marketing plan and are following it still claim low awareness to be their major problem, explains Ayling.
Interestingly, survey results identify the least important problem to be "low prices". This could indicate that most small business owners are more concerned about reaching a larger number of customers than they are about their pricing and profit margins.
Of the 50 small businesses surveyed over 75% stated they are selling services rather than products. This is in line with national statistics showing over 70% of Australian GDP is from services.
In summary, the majority of small business owners surveyed are selling services, they feel they are unknown by their potential customers, they are worried about doing too few marketing activities, and most are, at best, following a "rough" marketing plan, with one-third having no plan at all.
END
For further information contact:
Stuart Ayling - Director, Marketing Nous Pty Ltd
Telephone: +61 (0)7 3806 2238
Mobile: +61 (0)407 588 468
Email: press [at] marketingnous.com.au
Web: www.marketingnous.com.au
Local time = GMT +10
About Marketing Nous:
Established in 1999 by Stuart Ayling, Marketing Nous is a Brisbane-based
sales and marketing consulting firm specialising in marketing for service
businesses in Australia and New Zealand. Stuart Ayling has 20 years of sales and marketing
experience, holds a Bachelor of Business degree, and has taught at the
internationally accredited UQ Business School, University of
Queensland.
Selected survey data may be viewed in graphical form here: http://www.marketingnous.com.au/surveys/survey1_results.htm
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