Kick It Up a Notch Want to turn up the heat on your marketing campaign? Start by turning cold contacts into hot prospects.

Remember when you bought your last car? You probably didn'tmake the decision overnight. First, you started paying moreattention to car commercials and ads, and then you looked at a fewdifferent models. Perhaps you did some research on the Internet andvisited dealerships to check prices. When you were ready to buy,you completed the sale.

Your own business prospects move through the buying cycle inmuch the same way. At first, they know virtually nothing about yourcompany, but over time, they become familiar with the benefits ofyour product or service-and eventually, they're ready tobuy.

Every business owner needs a marketing program that involvescustomers from when they first start "kicking the tires"to when they offer their closing handshakes. And for mostbusinesses, the sales cycle requires eight or more contacts with aprospect before a sale is closed. So to create a successfulprogram, your sales cycle must be supported by continuous marketingefforts that reach out to prospects in three stages: cold, warm andhot.