Mistake # 1 Wrong perception of what business they are really in.
Most business owners focus on the technical part of their business. A person who loves computers might open a computer shop and view himself in the computer business. A restaurant owner might think she is in the restaurant business. A furniture retailer might think he is in the furniture business. The truth is these perceptions are wrong. Business owners should not see themselves in the ‘thing’ business (computers, restaurant, furniture, beauty salon, dentistry etc.) but in the business of marketing the ‘thing’.
The marketer of ANY business will be the one who achieves total financial freedom. The real money is in the marketing, not in actually doing all the tasks within the business. For example, a dentist might be the best dentist in town but what’s the point if no one has heard of him? An extremely important part of your job as a business owner is to market your business. I would go so far as to say it’s the most important thing you should do.

Mistake # 2 Working ‘in’their business rather than ‘on’ their business.
This follows from mistake number 1. Business owners are too focussed on working in their business at the expense of working on their business. If we take the example of a dentist, he might put all his energy into fixing people’s teeth (because that’s what he thinks his job is) but spends little time on marketing, designing and improving business systems, customer service, staff training and all other parts of the business that are vital to it’s success.

Mistake # 3 Doing image advertising.
This is the type of advertising that is done by multinationals like McDonald’s and Coke, also called ‘institutional advertising’. In this type of advertising the logo is placed in a prominent position combined with some nice graphics. There’s no sales message and consumers are meant to remember your business over time. Well let me tell you, doing institutional advertising can be disastrous for a small business owner. If you have the advertising budget of McDonald's you can afford to spend hundreds of millions of dollars putting the logo on a full page ad with the words "I'm loving it!" What you want to do - and only do- is emotional direct response advertising. That’s where the money you spend on marketing is measurable and accountable.

Mistake # 4 No customer database and no system for building one.
It costs 5, 6 or even 10 times more money to get a new customer than it does to keep a current one. Yet most business owners focus on getting new customers. Business owners should focus a lot of their energy on doing business with CURRENT CUSTOMERS. You should have a system in place where you systematically collect your current customer’s details like name, address, phone numbers, email address and complete purchase history. Over time you should be able to make a very good living from your current customer list without even getting new customers. The real money is made from your database.

Mistake # 5 No diversity in marketing.
Too many business owners depend on one or two sources to get new customers. I’m continuously amazed at how many business owners are still not aware of the vast number of different types of media that they can use cost effectively. Your marketing should be diversified and varied. The more sources of customers you have the better.

Mistake # 6 Lack of a strategic marketing plan.
I see a lot of business owners put out adverts once in a while without much thought and strategic planning. Marketing is not something that is done once a week or once a month. It is a deliberate, long-term process that is done continuously and is measurable and accountable. Lousy marketing leads to lousy results.

Mistake # 7 Thinking they are their customer.
This is a big one. Let me explain. Many business owners sell products that they love thinking that their customers will love them too. They later find out that their customers have completely different tastes then they do. For example lady might open a clothes shop selling really nice, funky designs with an Asian theme. She may be disappointed to find out that her customers actually prefer more conservative clothing. Another mistake they might do is to think that their customers are “too sophisticated” for certain types of marketing. This way of thinking, without testing, can be dangerous. You might be losing tons of money because you’re assuming your customers are like you.

Mistake # 8 Not using free publicity.
This a big mistake I see happening a lot. Remember that about 80% of the stories you see in the media have been ‘placed’. Meaning that they were not covered or researched by journalists but actually given to them from individuals, businesses, government organizations and charities. I personally have gotten tens of thousands of dollars worth of free publicity over the years. This was deliberate and strategic. Making the assumption that the media will seek you out is a big mistake.

Mistake # 9 Lack of focus.
The vast majority of businesses I’ve dealt with have made this mistake. They try to be all things to all people. To be successful at marketing you must have a clear understanding of who you are trying to sell to. All your marketing efforts should be targeted at that customer. You should know what the needs and desires of that customer are and show that you can fulfil their needs in your marketing messages. If you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll end up appealing to no one.

Mistake # 10 Too little contact with current customers.
This is a BIG ONE. In order to get your current customers to spend money with you, you must be in constant touch with them. Do you send out emails, newsletters, postcards and letters to your customers on a regular basis? If not, you are losing a lot of money! According to one survey, the proper frequency to contact your customers is every 20 days (!), and for every month that you do not contact your customers, you lose your relationship with 10% of them! So if you did not contact them for 10 months, you might have to start all over again in gaining their trust and business. You can never have too many contacts with your customers.
Are you beginning to see that marketing is the most important part of your job? But wait, there’s more! Let’s move on to the Top Ten Advertising Mistakes Business Owners in the Gulf Make.