A few simple words say volumes about marketing. Just try a little word association. If someone said the word "cola," chances are you'd say "Coke." "Whopper?" "Burger King." When you sneeze, do you reach for a tissue or a Kleenex?
But if the term was brush chipper, tent or place setting, how many people would actually think renting?
Your biggest challenge as a rental center is educating the public. Marketing will put renting in consum-ers' minds.
Just ask the businesses that have made their brands household names. They use marketing every day to differentiate themselves from the competition, persuade potential customers they need a product or service, position themselves for more business and project a customer-friendly image.
Marketing can help you do all of these things for your own business, and you already possess an important tool for learning how to use it: your perspective as a consumer. You gain experience with marketing every time you shop and compare, looking for value and convenience.
Take a look at your own business through your "consumer" eyes. From the signage out front to the way your showroom is arranged, you are influencing consumers' perception of your business. This is also marketing.
But before we go further into what marketing is, let's establish what it's not: it's not just advertising. Market-ing is a process that involves every step in the exchange of goods and services. If you want to use it effectively, it's going to require some time, effort and money. Marketing is an investment - and necessary.
The first step is to understand the scope of marketing. It isn't just advertising or personal selling - it encompasses every aspect of the exchange of goods and services.
The American Marketing Association defines it as "the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create ex-changes that satisfy individual and organizational objectives."
Think of it simply as "creating a mutually satisfying exchange." The consumer wants or needs a product or service. Your business needs revenue. When you communicate with the consumer to let him or her know you can satisfy the need or want, the exchange takes place.
Marketing starts with two basic objectives: discovering consumer needs and then satisfying them. Sounds simple, but there are no guarantees that your efforts will get the response you expect. But you can use the response you get to shape your future plans.
Marketing depends on a well thought-out plan. Let's start with the help of a few tools - what marketing authorities call the "Six P's" of marketing:
Product - Do you have what consumers want?

Price - Does your pricing provide fair and competitive value?

Promotion - Are you reaching consumers and communicating?

Place - What are your means of supplying the product?

Planning - Have you thought ahead and committed to your objectives?

People - Do you have staff assigned to coordinate all of the above?

Profit - The reward for addressing all of these issues!

These factors will play a big part in your success. However, you may also encounter uncontrollable factors that act as accelerators and brakes on your marketing opportunities. Social forces continually shape consumer wants and needs. Technological advances could change the products in demand. The state of the economy drives spending patterns. And government regulations pose challenges. On top of all that, your competition is constantly taking actions that may work for or against you.
Although you can't control these factors, you can adjust your marketing plan to fit them better. If the economy in your area takes a nosedive, concentrate on promoting the ways you can save customers money.
Having a marketing plan is important; making it flexible is vital.
Now let's explore the three phases of the marketing process:

Planning
Step 1: Evaluate your situation. Try using a "SWOT" analysis to make a list of your:
Strengths to build on
Weaknesses to correct
Opportunities to seize
Threats to avoid
Step 2: Set goals. This could be as simple as making sure you have a clean showroom each morning or as challenging as increasing profits by a given percentage.
The important thing is to have set objectives toward which you can direct your marketing efforts. Use your SWOT analysis as a guide.
Step 3: Determine your target market. Construction? General tool? Party and event? Or a combination?
Is it consumer/homeowner-based or is it a professional market - contractors, public works agencies, meeting planners, convention centers?
Do you want to attract a new group of prospective customers? Or are you trying to increase business within your existing customer base?
Step 4: Make a commitment.
Step 5: Establish a budget. Your marketing plan will require both time and money. Set aside some of each.

Implementation
Step 1: Obtain resources.
Step 2: Set up organizational structures. Determine what you are going to do in order to accomplish your goals (add value, improve customer service, add inventory, modify your mix, change your pricing, advertise, improve your in-store image, etc.). Assign staff to be responsible for the different aspects of the plan.
Step 3: Create schedules. Dead-lines will keep you on track and help you plan for what's ahead, in terms of both financial and human resources.
Step 4: Execute the plan.

Control
Step 1: Compare your results with the goals you have set.
Step 2: Make adjustments in your plan to correct for efforts that didn't have the response you expected.
Step 3: Maximize/exploit those efforts that produced positive results.
Consider this outline - and the "Six P's" - as a starting point for expanding your marketing efforts. If it seems like a daunting or complicated process, take heart. Marketing is, at its core, just communication. And there are many vehicles available to you if you need help.
Those of you who are members of A.R.A. have many resources available to you in areas such as training, store design and business management.
Also, the American Rental Assoc-iation's new family of advertising programs offers a selection of ways to attract new customers as well as gain repeat business from the existing customer base you have developed.
For more information on A.R.A. advertising programs - or if you just want some helpful advice for your marketing plan - call Kragie/Newell at (888) TRY-RENT (879-7368) or (800) 752-2633.