Sherlock Holmes and the case of the seventh P

As a professional marketer I learnt, very early, that there were four, key elements of a successful marketing strategy, known as the marketing mix, and that if you get the mix right, you’re on to a winner.

The mix was also known as the four Ps – product, price, place and promotion –  in layman’s terms;  your product or service, the price (and perceived value) of it, how you get it to the right people, and what you do to make sure people know about it.

Just to confuse everyone, an extra P was  then added to the mix – People.

I thought this was a great addition; making sure your colleagues, staff, internal stakeholders – whatever you want to call them - are on message, enthusiastic and motivated about what you offer.

Then, two more Ps came along, Process and Physical Evidence.

Process, refers to the actual experience of getting your product or service to the customer – do they have to fill in loads of paperwork? how quickly do they get a quote? what’s the level of customer care like? do they have to wait ages for their order to arrive? We can all sharpen up our processes if we think about it.

My favourite P – as a marketer of a service – is the seventh P – Physical Evidence.

If you’re marketing a service, no one can know how good it is until they buy it. But it shouldn’t take Sherlock Holmes to track down the physical evidence needed to give people a clear idea of the great service they can get from you.

You can show potential customers case studies, testimonials and free demonstrations that make it clear what you can deliver.

Don’t forget, though, physical evidence can be much more basic than that – and if it’s not right it can really scupper all your marketing efforts.

Make sure you look professional. Tidy up your offices and reception area; get the best china out; make sure your materials (including your website) are pristine.

When you’re busy running a business it can seem time consuming; collating testimonials, writing up case studies and putting all those boxes away – but if you do it as you go along, you’ll be surprised how much more marketable it will make you as a business.

Elementary, my dear Watson.