The Royal Flush of Marketing: Five Cards Every Business Is Holding

Every business is holding a hand. Most owners just never look at their cards.

Early in my radio career I learned something from Norton Warner that I've used ever since. Picture a bridge between what your advertising promises and what the customer actually gets. If the bridge is weak, the customer falls through. And they don't come back.

Today I teach that bridge as a poker hand. The Royal Flush of Marketing. Five cards. Miss one and the hand is nothing.

Four cards are the base. Advertising is the glue. You build from the 10 up and play the Ace last. Most businesses do it backwards.

10♠ Trust: the people

Friendly, helpful, and they do what they say. Listen first. Make the next step easy. Say thank you and follow up. Would a first-time customer feel taken care of, or processed? It's the cheapest card to fix and the most expensive to ignore.

J♠ Justify the Price: the presentation

Know where you stand. Low cost or high end, both work. What matters is that everything the customer sees says you're worth what you charge. Discount all the time and your regular price looks like a bluff.

Q♠ Quality: the product

The experience matches the promise, every time. Not the best in the world. Just consistent. Same great burger Tuesday as Saturday.

K♠ Know Your Business: the foundation

What makes you different, and exactly who you're for. Can you say why someone should pick you, in one sentence? If you can't, your ads can't either.

A♠ Advertising: the glue

Honest promises you keep. The right message, often enough. Strategy, not randomness. Is your advertising a plan, or a reaction?

Here's the part nobody wants to hear. If a card is weak, more posts won't fix it. They'll just tell more people about it, faster.

So look at your hand. Which card is costing you?

See you at the tables.