Well, here we are - on the doorstep of 2009. But before you open that door, I want to give you one of the most important marketing tips you can have.

A tip that can make you stick out head and shoulders from the crowd in '09 - especially when the "band aids" on the economy peel off and reveal the gooey, puss-infected wounds underneath.

Anyway, here it is:

Focus on getting customers instead buyers.

I first learned this in a short, book called "The System Letters" by Ken McCarthy.

And it's one of the single most important business lessons I have ever heard - that radically changed the way I do business.

Why?

What's the big deal?

Well, think about it this way:

A BUYER is someone who buys ONE time.

He MIGHT buy again some day.

But usually, he buys one time and then moves on to the next bigger and better thing.

A CUSTOMER, on the other hand... makes it a "custom" to buy from you over and over and over.

So instead of a one-time sale, he buys from you multiple times - years into the future.

Plus, many of these extra sales are practically handed to you on a silver platter because of all the trust, and respect and loyalty they have for you.

I call it "selling in advance."

And it's by FAR the easiest and most reliable way to sell.

Because even if your sales pitch sucks or you break all the "rules" of copywriting, selling and marketing, it won't matter.

They aren't buying the "thing."

They are buying YOU.

The mere fact YOU are offering it is good enough for them.

It's the ultimate form of positioning.

And it lets even total "newbies" take market share quickly.

Anyway, I'm no prophet.

Heck, I'm not even a "Miss Cleo."

But I stand behind this prediction for 2009 and beyond:

The few (and there aren't many) marketers who go after "customers"... instead of "buyers"... will prosper BIG TIME.

They will have FAR more peace of mind and financial security as the economy explodes and most businesses start running around like be-headed chickens.

And when the dust settles, they'll still be standing.

By Ben Settle