Full Steam Ahead!: Become Someone People Know, Like, and Trust | Travel Research Online

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Full Steam Ahead!: Become Someone People Know, Like, and Trust

“What business do you think you are really in?”

Full Steam Ahead! by Ken Blanchard and Jesse Lyn Stoner, page 29

I have heard many answers to this question over the years. “I am in the travel business.” “We are dream-weavers.” “We are in the business to sell cruises.”  “Our business is to make money.” If you happen to be a Peter Drucker fan, you probably have heard yourself say that you are “in business to generate customers.” No, no, no, no and no.

I’ll tell you what business you are in, and I expect many of you will stop reading once I do.  You are in the marketing business. I say this for a number of reasons, and I believe that once you hear me out, you will not only become a first-class marketer but will begin enjoying your business more… starting today.

By definition (my definition), marketing is the series of events that culminate in having potential customers know you, like you, and trust you. The unwritten result is that their next step is to buy something from you.

Click on the book to grab your own copy of "Full Steam Ahead!"
Click on the book to grab your own copy of “Full Steam Ahead!”

Let me remind you of something you have already heard no fewer than a thousand times before. You can’t be all things to all people. This infers that focusing on a targeted market is an obvious choice.

Once you have identified a group of potential new clients, it is time to knuckle down and address the events culminating in the results listed above.

How do you get people to know you? As far as I am concerned, your biggest problem is that not enough (of the right people) know you are alive. Visibility becomes your #1 challenge. There are no fewer than five thousand ways to accomplish this task, but there are a few ways that are more acceptable than others. Emails, letters, articles, and blog posts immediately come to mind.

The secret here is to be consistent and not just shoot off an email now and then.

How do you get people to like you? A sure-fire way to get people to like you is to get them talking about themselves. Once you show a sincere interest in others, they will begin to find you most interesting. You must first show interest in others.

How do you get people to trust you? This is easier said than done. Trust takes time and you can’t accelerate this step in the process. More often than not, what you can do is destroy trust right from the giddy-up. Therefore I want you to focus on the Big Three: (1) Look people in the eye; (2) Do what you say you will do; (3) Do not interrupt people; let them finish their thought.

You are in the marketing business and you need to focus on ways to get more people to know you, like you and trust you.


Mike presents a business-building webinar on the third Thursday of every month sponsored by AmaWaterways. To receive monthly invitations send Mike an email with the words “business training” in the Subject Box. You will also receive a link to the recorded version.

For information on Mike’s Fourth Annual Training Cruise, email Mike at mike@mikemarchev.com with the word “cruise” in the subject box.

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