Marketing 101 for Business and Life Coaches

 

As a coach with 25 years in marketing I keep wondering why coaches don’t see how consistent effective marketing is with the best coaching offers. I know many coaches feel there’s something inherently misleading in marketing techniques and messages. You’ll be happy to know that’s false; good marketing does not call for any practice that’s seductive, misleading, or inappropriate for who you are and what you offer. So here’s something a bit different from the usual ‘how to’. I want to help you feel good about the practice of marketing. It’s a necessary activity for your business to thrive and if your feelings about marketing are negative – that it’s truly snake oil – you’ll subtly sabotage your efforts, ultimately failing your business.

We’ll review:

- 4 critical concepts necessary for effective marketing to occur.
- A magic question, the answer to which must always be provided
- The difference between features and benefits

Believe me, this is not rocket science. And, as coaches, we have a head start with these concepts – they are truly consistent with those we apply in our work with clients. My goal is to help you see that marketing is a coach’s natural ally.

What is effective marketing? I define it this way: communicating the availability of a specific benefit to the audience that has identified it wants that benefit. It occurs through a variety of events: identifying, attracting, selling and satisfying clients. And, ultimately it’s that last piece -satisfaction that a client experiences with your services - that will prove the effectiveness of your marketing. Because if you communicated the availability of a benefit to an audience that wants that benefit and they enjoyed that benefit when they purchased your services - you’ll have gained the most powerful weapon any marketer or coach can hope to achieve – referrals. And that means: no misrepresentation is allowed in effective marketing.

There are 4 essential components involved: customer orientation, focus, consistency and persistence. And it’s these 4 that are the hallmarks of effective marketing. Let’s review them now.

CONSUMER ORIENTATION

Did you ever have a friend or relative who's always reminding you of things they've done for you? Things they've given you? And one day, you reply with: "Hey, I never wanted ABC; I wanted XYZ!"

It’s a blessing to give yet if you offer what you want to offer, not what others want to receive, you don’t have a sale – you have good intentions! In marketing, as in coaching, it’s critical to hear what your client tells you is important to them and then communicate that you ‘get’ their priorities and respond to those in your marketing messages.

It’s wonderful to be poetic about the many specifics of your service offerings (a 5-step program you've developed or your e-zine) but unless you can answer one single, magic question “What's In It For Me?”, then who cares? Benefits are what your coaching clients want as a result of your assistance: the path to satisfying careers, the ability to find love, the key to understanding and satisfying needs, enhanced communication skills, more joy in their lives. Features are tools you use to help deliver those benefits: one-one coaching, tele-seminars, your CD set, an assessment, etc. Make it a habit to talk about desired benefits, not features.

Here’s an example: You meet someone, engage them in small talk and discover 2 important points that send your antennae way up - they're perfect for your practice! You start telling them about your training, your affiliations, your enjoyment working with clients like them. So what? Have you delivered a message that tells this person you get what they’re talking about? No – because everything you’ve said is all about you; not about them and that’s all that counts. A potential client doesn’t care if you’ve been coaching for 25 years or 25 minutes if you can convey your ability to provide a solution for them!

A more customer-oriented statement might be: "Based on what you've told me, I can say I have worked with 3 clients who faced similar challenges. Would you be interested in hearing how we created solutions?" This tells the prospect:

1. you’ve heard what they’ve communicated,
2. you’ve dealt with a similar circumstance and
3. you have a possible solution to their pain.

All very oriented to their specific sought benefit.

FOCUS

Now, to craft your marketing messages with a customer orientation, you need to know who your audience is. This is 'focus' for marketing purposes: knowing your target audience. Some coaches prefer to be generalists, serving a broad swath of humanity. Doing this dilutes the power of your marketing efforts and makes it harder for a prospect to believe you’re the right one for her/him. It also makes it harder to gain referrals (a holy grail of marketing) because your name does not immediately come to mind when an opportunity for which you’d be exactly the right match comes along.

In reality, you can't be all things to all people. Forget the business problem of this; think of your own integrity: can you really be equally useful to every prospect who comes your way?

The questions to ask yourself are: Who can I serve best? Who will I enjoy working with? What sliver of this 'coaching prospect pie' will be most satisfying for me? Who brings out my best work? All legitimate marketing questions and crucial to be true to yourself as any good coach will tell you.

The more focused you are on a specific market, the better you can serve that market. The smaller the market, the easier it is for you to research, understand and meet its needs. The added bonus is that it is also less expensive to find and market to a specific niche.

There are many niches out there and it doesn’t matter what you choose as long as:

- you’ve got the right credentials to have credibility for your target,
- you can identify the ideal client who conforms to your definition,
- you can find them through directed marketing messages.

CONSISTENCY

When we stand for something specific, we create an image to go along with it. If you are trying to reach a specific target, initially, they’ll know you ‘get them’ by the image you convey – your personal presentation, promotional literature, affiliations, placement and content of our messages. As coaches, we are the primary representation of our business and want to ensure what we convey is consistent with our message and consistent with who we are. Whether talking about coaching or marketing, consistency is an important part of enhancing the value of our service and the ease with which we connect with clients.

Therefore, when considering your ideal client, good marketing calls for you to examine who you are. Because, if you have to twist yourself to fit into the appropriate image matching the needs of your identified market, you’ll be uncomfortable, not believable and ultimately, not effective. Again – as true as this is for coaching, it’s just as true for effective marketing.

PERSISTENCE

If you’ve found your niche, and you know your messages and approach are all appropriate and consistent for your audience, the last element you need is persistence. Marketing, like coaching, calls for a relationship. It's an ongoing series of 'touches' that gradually shifts with a natural progression from stranger, awareness, willingness, intention, follow-through. (seem familiar?)

Just because you’ve got it all right, doesn’t mean people are prepared to buy – now. Timing is on the side of your prospect and something you cannot control (although you can influence it by minimizing risk attached to working with you). Therefore, persistence is key to making the rest of your work pay off. And that’s also why coaching requires time, support and commitment to work.

So, do you feel more comfortable with the idea of performing marketing on behalf of your business? Do you see the clear parallels with coaching? Believe me - if you'll stop being influenced by people who perform marketing badly (those cheesy, hard-sell messages you may have heard too many times) and consider what effective marketing is really designed to do - match up a bundle of benefits with an audience that truly wants those benefits - you'll discover a world that's not only consistent with coaching principles and intention, you'll discover a series of techniques that can help you succeed at what you love - being an effective coach.

Andrea Feinberg, M.B.A., graduate of Coach University and a Certified Strategic Business Leadership Coach, is the president of Coaching Insight. Andrea’s clients identify and maximize the untapped potential in their underused intangible assets so they enjoy enhanced marketing outcomes, more productive and engaged employees, effective goal setting and, occasionally, time off. For more information, please visit http://www.coachinginsight.com She welcomes your comments at 631.642.7434 or andrea@coachinginsight.com

 

Exhibition Stands and Trade Show Booths

Trade shows have long been established as a favored way to feature and display your companys products in front of buyers from existing, new and potential customers.

Buyers do not have much time, they have an agenda and want to see as much of the trade show as possible. It is, therefore, imperative that you make a good first impression. This is where having visually pleasing exhibition stands is a must – they must be eye-catching to instantly capture the buyers attention.

Exhibition stands come in all shapes, sizes and forms; from leaflet dispensers to pop-up stands and standing at around 2.2m high, a pop up exhibition stand can make an impressive feature in any display area.

Most good suppliers offer an in-house design and print service that will allow you to customize the exhibition stands to your own specifications. As a result your booth should be able to stand out from the other exhibitors and provide you with a professional backdrop proudly, or subtlety, portraying your corporate identity with the use of color, graphics and logos.

To further enhance the look and usability of your trade booth there are a wide range of exhibition stands, display boards and accessories available that combine both traditional and new, innovative materials. Plinths, podiums and workstations, with circular or square work tops, being some of the more popular accessories.

These should all help you engage a buyers attention and draw them into your stand for further investigation, after all that is one of the major goals at trade shows: to gather potential leads so you can follow up at a later date.

You should also not that, when not in use many modern exhibition stands have space-saving features that allow them to condense down and fit into wheeled transit cases that can easily into the boot of a car.

All of which goes to make exhibitions stands a versatile yet powerful marketing and promotional tool that can make your booth stand out from the crowd and pull in the customers!

Charles Ferrars writes about Exhibition Stands for RAL Display - one of the Uks leading specialists & suppliers of portable exhibition stands, pop-up displays, banner stands and accessories.

 

Marketing Your Ideas To Businesses

Whether you work for a Fortune 100 Corporation or you are a one-person consulting person working from home, you have three main ways of marketing yourself or your company whenever you speak.

1. Credentials/position/title

2. Topic/subject matter/process

3. Results you get for people

All three are important; they make up three important legs of a stool. But the problem I see with most speakers is that they spend a disproportionate amount of time on credentials and topic/process and very little time on results. Audiences, whether they are investors, voters or customers, tend to care primarily about results.

For example, if I am the Attorney General of North Dakota and I tell voters that they “should vote for me because I was re-elected by 89% of the voters last time and was voted top Attorney General of the nation for 2006 by Governing Magazine,” then I’ve covered #1, credentials. If I then say, “And I re-wrote the entire criminal justice system of North Dakota and persuaded the legislature to pass it and the governor to sign it into law,” I’ve covered #2 the subject/process.

But if I stop there, I won’t convince voters of anything. Why? Because I haven’t told them of the results of my actions. After all, it is possible to win an award and pass a law, and violent crime could have exploded by 1200%.

I’ve got to make the final leg of the argument, “and that’s why violent crime is down 50% in our state and why you and your family are safer in your homes and your communities today.” Those are the only results voters are about.

Even though my example is political, there is nothing about this process that is specific or unique to politicians. Everyone selling a product or a service needs to tell prospects and customers about the results your product or service will create. If you speak about your results in a compelling manner, your message is much more likely to be remembered and acted upon. If you focus all of your time on credentials and process, it is highly unlikely anyone will remember anything you had to say, although they may take away a general fuzzy notion that you are smart or competent. But if you are serious about selling your services, products or candidacy, you should want to achieve more than a fuzzy notion, you should want real communication to take place between you and your audience—so tell them the explicit results you will achieve for them.

About the Author: TJ Walker is the worlds leading speaking coach, author of "Presentation Training A-Z." and "Media Training A-Z." He is the current host of http://www.Speakcast.com and http://www.SpeakingChannel.tv and can be reached at info@speakcast.com. You can read more of his presentation and media tips at http://www.tjsinsights.com.

 

Know Which End of Your Business You Are Marketing

There are two distinctly different ends of your business for marketing purposes. To successfully and profitably market your business, it is critical you fully understand both ends and continue to operate them effectively and continuously. I will refer to these as “front-end” and “back-end” activities. Each requires different activities. The two need to be kept separate and must never be confused. Before we go on to consider these concepts more fully, I would like to explain the term “Lifetime Value”.

Understanding Lifetime Value Lifetime value is the accumulated value of your customers to your business, over the duration of the customer relationship. For example, we will assume that your average customer produces £100 of profit per year and you keep them on average for 5 years. Then lifetime value of each customer is on average £500.

Once this is realised, this can become a revelation and can be instrumental in driving your business forward substantially.

With each marketing activity, by being aware of this factor and marketing to lifetime value instead of immediate profit, your business will take on a completely different shape. You will be prepared to invest appropriately to maximise responses.

Front-End Activity This involves marketing for customer acquisition purposes. Even the largest and most successful of businesses require new customers on an ongoing basis. If you are not constantly and actively marketing for new customers, the size of your customer base will decline with time. Circumstances change, people move, people die, competitors attack and your customer base will decline. This is not an area to be complacent.

The biggest mistake that many business owners make in this area, is attempting to obtain maximum profitability from the first sale with a new customer. The fact you are acquiring a new customer is valuable in itself to your business and you will not attract the maximum numbers of customers unless you are offering something of tangible value in return. Here is a list of some of the activities you can do to produce the best response:

· Make irresistible offers to lure new potential customers

· Just break-even on the first sale

· Offer money back, no quibble guarantees

· Communicate the unique benefits of your offering

· Explain the reasons why you are making the offer available

· Limit the offer to a targeted, finite group with a deadline date

Back-End Activity This is where you maximise the profitability from your ongoing customer relationship and ethically create a pipeline of profits. In order to do this you MUST communicate REGULARLY with your existing customer base and make worthwhile offers available to them. Monthly communications is a good target to aim for as a minimum. Segment your customer base into loyalty groups. Loyalty can take account of factors such as, sales revenues, frequency of purchases, servicing “hassle factor” and potential for growth.

By continuing to educate and inform your existing customer base and offer meaningful value to them on an ongoing basis, the more you will benefit from back-end profitability. You need to develop a “conveyor belt” of offers and communications that nurture your customers to greater fulfilment of your products and services. Some of these activities may include:

· Establishing a customer loyalty programme

· Sending out regular newsletters

· Asking for customer feedback in a survey

· Taking select customers to visit suppliers/manufacturers

· Making a customer referral programme available

The Importance of Keeping Records In order to monitor and refine the responses you receive from all of your marketing activities, requires you to code and track each element. Make sure every advert, flyer, mailer letter etc has a response mechanism and make sure you code each element with a unique reference. Keep records of responses and continue to look for ways to increase responses.

By combining front-end and back-end activity on an incessant and effective basis you ultimately cannot fail to attract maximum number of customers and maximum rewards for your efforts.

Brian James.

Brian James is published author of the breakthrough book “Don’t Work for Your Business – Make Your Business Work for You” with an Amazon.co.uk 5-star rating and credited by the Chamber of Commerce. Brian is creator of the breakthrough Triple M™ marketing methodology and founder of the Sales & Marketing Academy, an expanding membership programme for ambitious business owners providing ongoing advice, coaching and mentoring support. Brian has worked with blue-chip and small to medium sized companies across many sectors. Some of the larger organisations he has worked with include the Prudential Group and British Telecom. He currently operates as Chairman of the Brian James Group a business advisory Group for owner managed businesses ISBN 0-9548916-0-0

 

The Hard Push Technique....Turn On or Turn Off?

A common marketing technique being taught by a number of different groups and marketing teams is the hard push tactic, where you give the prospect no real chance to refuse, create a massive sense of urgency and try and ensure they have no choice but to do as you wish.

I encountered this the other day with a member of the Dream Team marketing group. Now I am not in anyway trying to trash this course as I understand for some it is a good learning curve, however I have it on authority of another member that they do teach this technique.

For me it began with a couple of emails after I had enquired about the course. I was interested to see how they were teaching people to bring in 20 to 30 people a week into whatever business you were promoting. I asked that the person selling the course call me before 5pm to let me know more details. I didn't hear anything further until I walked in from being out in the wind and rain at 7.30pm, soaked to the skin and the phone rang. My dinner was in the oven and would be another 20 minutes and the cats and dog needed feeding.

The guy asked what I was promoting and of course said what a great company it was and how the course he was going to introduce me to could explode my business. He said there was a live conference call at 8.00pm that night. I explained that I was interested but that I couldn't really attend the call that night. The guy then got very pushy saying that if I was serious about my business I would miss by dinner and attend. I said I was not prepared to do that but would attend another call if there was one in a day or so. I was told that there was no further calls for a week or so and my place had to be specially reserved. I was basically told that I would never succeed in online business if my dinner came first and he hung up.

The next morning I emailed him to say I was no longer interested in pursuing the course as I had been totally put off by his attitude. I received a response saying he was sorry but that is the sales technique he had been taught on the course and it usually worked. Despite what he had said the day before there was another call that night.

I attended this apparent 'live' call to find it was a pre-recorded scripted call giving very little information and all hype and no real content. All I really discovered is that if I paid around $1000 for the course I could attend 4 live calls which would be at around 1am GMT, be taught how to get my own website which I already have and no real details of what the training entailed. I emailed the guy mentioned above to say I was not really interested as 'live' call had been a waste of time and totally uninspiring and that I did not think I would get anything out of it. His response - that I was a failure and would never succeed and I had wasted his time.

Now I have since talked to a couple of others involved in the Dream Team and both have been very friendly and pleasant but both acknowledged that the course probably wasn't for me and that the hard push tactic was one of the techniques taught (as well as memorising sales scripts for the phone etc).

This tactic and the guy's attitude totally put me off. This did not create a sense of urgency but left me feeling I was being bullied into something. I would think very carefully before using this hard push idea to gain sales...yes try and close the sale but not by bullying your prospect.

Rachel Gawith runs her own home based business website which recommends a good online business, has ebook reviews, software reviews, resource reviews, an article dircectory, link exchange and free classified site. Pop over and have a look at http://www.computerincome.net

 

8 Top Tips For Building Powerful Persuasive Messages

All business is personal, and even the biggest deals, orders, projects, sales and contracts come down to two or more people making a connection. If the 'profit' you seek is wealth, you must realize that all the money you will ever earn is currently sat in someone else's pocket. If your 'profit' is more influence, respect, clients, support, challenge, reputation or excitement, you must go through other people to get it. Being more is a cornerstone of ‘getting through’. Here are eight of my favourite strategies for ensuring people buy you, your arguments, your excuses, your services and your products.

1. Make The Difference Dramatic!

All of your prospects probably have another bank, another law firm, another accountancy firm, another existing provider of your services in place. If they’re going to come over to you, they have a right to ask you two very tough questions;

1. As a prospective client, why should I choose you?

2. What added value do you bring to me or my business that I cannot get anywhere else?

This is sometimes called the Tyranny of Choice, and all of my work is dedicated to helping you find the answers to these two questions. As a matter of fact, that’s where my TRIP strap line, Turning Relationships Into Profits, comes from. So what is so distinctive and memorable about you and your product? Where are the dramatic differences between you and everyone else who does what you do? Why should people go for you over and above your competition?

If they don’t see it, understand it, value it, or remember it, you’re dead in the water and it’s almost certain they will turn you down. You’ve got to emphasize the dramatic difference between you and your rivals. You do this by illustrating and demonstrating rather than asserting and claiming. You have to differentiate through war stories, case studies, testimonials, quotes and real life examples they can relate to. They might not need you today, but things change in business, and when the time comes and ‘the wheel falls off their wagon’, they will DDD for you – Discern the Difference, Decide the Deed and Do the Deal!

2. Educate Yourself on Their Education!

Whether you’re approaching a new prospect or cross-selling or up-selling to an existing client, you need to know what they know before you pitch. How much does your potential client already know about you and what you do? What prior knowledge do they have? It’s crucial you ascertain where they are in their education. If they already know plenty, there’s no need to oversell by going over all of the benefits again. Experts need more detail. If they know less, home in on the benefits, not the detail.

3. Realise When Enough is Enough!

When people go into graphic detail about things, we sometimes say ‘that’s way too much information!’ This also applies to you, my friend! Have you ever ‘over sold’? You knew they were ready to buy, but you went on too much and actually talked them out of it! I learned the hard way when I was selling private medical insurance for BUPA. Talked my way out of a lot of good commission until my low bank balance taught me to shut up!

Master persuaders have a strong feel for how much information to give someone. Kevin Hogan, one of the world’s leading experts in this area, says this is based upon whether the person you are communicating with is likely to mentally process your information peripherally or centrally. Let’s explore this.

When people are considering, pondering, analyzing and thinking, they are centrally processing your message. When they rely on other cues your appearance, your expertise, your status and your company reputation, they are using peripheral cues that often have little to do with your actual message. The more information people consider, the more they evaluate and the more information you need to give them. The less information they want, the more likely you will elicit a negative response if you go over the top on detail.

How much is too much? Hogan gives this advice;

“The more expert a person is in a given area, the more features (not benefits) that person needs to make a decision. They are going to match your message to what they already have stored in their memory and mind. If you come across as not knowing the actual working details of whatever your idea or proposal is, you lose. If you have quality information, you engage them and optimize your chances of making the sale.

When a person is not an expert in a certain area, less information is generally more likely to be processed more quickly and favourably. And because in this case, less is better, you want that message to be very different. You want to share benefits and not features with this person. When they are not an expert, peripheral cues become crucial.”

4. Use the Power of Arousal!

Arousal is simply getting people excited, happy and enthusiastic. It’s changing the mood. It’s creating an atmosphere or enjoyment. Anyone who has studied NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) will know that getting people to laugh or think good thoughts are classic ways to influence mood. When hairdressers ask you where you’re going on holiday, they know that thinking about such things puts you in a terrific mood (and open to the luxury shampoo and the big tip!)

Without getting too technical, arousal decreases central processing in the brain, and increases peripheral processing. If you want someone to be persuaded by central cues (the core message, the benefits), you will need to keep arousal to a minimum. If you get them excited, they’ll miss the message and be more guided by emotion!

If you want them to be persuaded by peripheral cues, be the hairdresser and use subtle strategies to arouse them and open them up to your peripheral cues.

5. Repeat as Necessary!

Remember the old news motto - tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them? Master persuaders know that the simple repetition of key thoughts, ideas and concepts can lead to big results. They apply the knowledge the advertisers use; that people need to hear a message several times before they consider buying. In my business life, I have waited years for prospects to turn into clients, and kept in contact through KIT (Keep In Touch) Marketing outside the transaction.

Your job is to deliver your message in easily repeatable ways. Hogan uses the term memes - a message that can be easily replicated. Memes are ideas that pass from person to person to person via word of mouth (or sometimes called viral) marketing, and can be very powerful. One way I do this is to state what I’m going to cover on meeting agendas. Then I cover it and then I recap. That way they get the message three times, all in slightly different ways. And each time it goes deeper!

6. Exercise Your Authority!

Everything being equal, people will buy from those they consider to be the most credible source. In my Personal Branding Bible, I give plenty of examples of how you can become, and make it known that you are the source, the expert. I actually like the GTG phrase – the ‘go to guy’ or ‘go to girl’.

Beware that these days, everyone claims to be an expert, and this can create competition in the mind of your prospects. The trick is to hold that mantle long term, through article writing, speaking, radio and magazine appearances, sitting on influential boards and having sound opinions.

When people are not experts and you know more than your audience, it is not always the message that matters. They listen to you more than what you say. There is a consultant in my field who charges up to $25,000 per day for his services. His message is not radically different to mine in that he advocates building relationships to sell. It’s just that he’s written a few very good books and held a position at Harvard. That’s positioning and I’m working on it!

7. Look Good for Best Results!

This one is simple but overlooked. Robert Cialdini’s book, Influence – Science & Practice, highlights how your physical attractiveness makes a difference when you communicate. When you’re simply focus on numbers, statistics and details, physical appearance is less of a factor. But in conversation with other experts and key decision makers, research shows it can help considerably if you look your best!

8. Remember It’s All About Them!

Hogan uses the phrase "paint people in the picture of your presentation." It is sometimes called ‘self referencing’. Your prospects will give far more weight to your suggestions and proposals if they are encouraged to see themselves using your product or service. They will also remember more and buy more as a result.

Self referencing is a peripheral cue. If you address someone who has significant prior knowledge of your products and services, any time you spend on putting them in the picture is wasted. However, if you are the expert and they have marginal knowledge, then self referencing is a powerful peripheral cue to hit on. This especially holds true if you can see they already have some motivation to use you. Obviously, if they have no desire to make use of you, all the self referencing in the world won't make the sale! So say ‘you’ a lot more than ‘I’ and ‘we’ to make them feel it’s all about them. The more people self reference, the more likely they are to buy, and the more likely they are to remember you and your services.

Now go out there armed and dangerous to make the most of your persuasive powers. Work on one or two at a time until you nail them well enough to have them all in your tool box!

About The Author Rob Brown can help you network more effectively, build your personal brand and Turn Relationships Into Profits. For a host of great articles and resources on networking, personal branding, and referral generation, visit http://www.rob-brown.com.

 

 

Website Marketing - Pixel Page Advertising - The Hottest Advertising Craze on the Internet

What is next? I’ve been in marketing for many years, and just when I assume I’ve seen it all, I get shocked all over again. Every new trick I see causes me to laugh at the beginning. But then results come in the picture. You get to believe it. I’m talking about Pixel Ads.

So, what is pixel page? Or what is pixel advertising? Or what are pixel ads? Pixel Ads, sometimes referred to as Micro Ads, are little advertisements that only slot in the space of a pixel on a web page. These ads range anywhere from a penny to a dollar per pixel and several sites are offering free Pixel Ads.

“Selling the ads on the front page of a site has been easy because they are attractive to watch and easier for site owner to get lots of traffic towards his site”, InnovativePixelPage, one of the companies selling pixel ads said. If an advertiser buys a 10x10 pixels or block or slot, it appears as a small square in the grid of small squares on the site's front page.

It is kind of strange. The site also makes advertising fun, instead of a "big, serious thing." IPP. It’s no secret that banner advertising has been gradually declining in popularity and effectiveness, and everyone has popup blockers installed to keep those annoying popup ads from screening. Pay-per-click advertisers are becoming increasingly frustrated with click scam, the high rate of unqualified clicks.

In pixel page, when visitors click on the ads that link to the advertiser's Web site, they are on these sites for hours. Already, the guys that bought the ads are reporting fabulous amount shifts.

Crazy Advertising Schemes

You’ve all probably seen innovativepixelpage.com by now; this is a website where pixel ads are displayed free in for site promotion. The site uniquely features pixel ads, periodic theme change, free monthly site status or report, new mouse rollover option to boost site rank, categorized advertisement, faster site loading supporting jpg format instead of other time consuming picture formats, real time site clicks, etc.,

So enjoy pixel site, happy surfing!

Ken John interviews several 'guru's' on online advertising tactics and even made them available online for free.

 

Marketing In The Moment (Consciously)

It's really all we have... the "Moment". Think about it, the past is only a memory and the future is a speculation. The "Moment" is where it all happens. If we master the "Moment" everything else will fall into place. There are 4 keys to mastering the "Moment" that insure marketing and sales success.

1)Passion- Passion for your product or service, passion for your company and/or passion for what you are doing. It can be any of these. Be careful on this one, because you can't fake passion. Passion is more than intensity and enthusiasm, passion is a love for something.

2)Honesty- Honesty is not a lost art. Honesty is in our true nature and honesty in the "Moment" is a breath of fresh air. It brings down barriers and builds long term relationships. It's a spontaneous commitment to truth in all situations that come at you.

3)Vigilance- Vigilance in the "Moment" is the silent witness. Vigilance allows passion and honesty to flourish while keeping thoughts of past & future in perspective as points of reference only. Vigilance keeps you present.

4)Presence- Presence is total openness to all and anything that comes at you in the "Moment". Presence absorbs the problems that come up, the good, the bad, the happy and the sad, the challenges, the disappointments. Presence armed with Vigilance, Honesty and Passion allows clarity in thought and clarity in decision making.

Marketing In The Moment (Consciously) simply means being present. And the "present" is the gift.

Barry Volk is a former producer/staff songwriter for ABC/Dunhill and Screen Gems-EMI Music Publishing, 20th Century Fox solo recording artist, Musical Director for the West Coast Theater Company and National Director of Marketing for Metro Networks/Westwood One. His San Francisco Bay Area music production company, Barry Volk's Sound Advantage, creates and produces musical identities, jingles and comedy spots for radio & TV advertisers worldwide from small market to international in scope. “Some of the best creative I’ve ever heard…” Lynne Anderson, Sr. VP, Radio Advertising Bureau 1/12/05

 

 

Five Unstoppable Tactics for Demonic Viral Marketing

Does marketing your start-up company petrify your checkbook? Tri-media advertising does wonders for corporate brand building but it's not the only way to spread the good word. With non conventional promotion, you avoid costly tri media expenses and create an almost demonic cult-following for your new product or service. All you need is a bit of unconventional thinking.

Let's get down to brass tacks.

Since 1999, I've been launching successful start-ups. Most were pure online initiatives, but two are click-and-mortar hybrids. Today, each business unit makes enough to pay the utility bills, indulge in fancy dinners, and fly off on exotic vacations. Just key my name in google and you'll have an idea of my different passions.

Skyrocketing my pursuits to niche dominance doesn't take a Ph.D degree. Allow me to bare my secrets:

1. ESTABLISH A PRODUCT-CENTRIC ONLINE COMMUNITY. eGroups, yahoogroups and google groups allow the establishment of virtual families where people of like minds converge. WIth just a group of twenty active participants, you create a massive product buzz that eventually snowballs into unstoppable viral marketing.

My earliest endeavor revolved around business NLP, mind advancement and dating. Coaching was my passion and TV advertising would have cost a bleeding arm. I tackled the challenge by deploying an eGroup account and posting free self-help articles. At the 10th post, curious websurfers began signing up and participating. They left comments, added suggestions and invited other friends to jump in. The forum then grew exponentially and I witnessed a living, organic group of 8000+ members. People traded stories, joked, passed on tips and even flirted outrageously. For me, this meant a goldmine of targetted advertising: I would post one product announcement every quarter to a community already avid on the subject!

2. GIVE THEM FREE LUNCHES. Everybody loves a freebie; I snap up product samples at the mall or grocery store. When I get home and try that free shampoo sachet, I'd eventually come back and buy a bottle at a bloodcurdling $19.95. Mall owners were on to something!

Free eBooks, articles and mp3 recordings are hot downloads on the web. To target the army of freebie addicts, I jumpstarted Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Audition. Every month saw me marching out armadas of pdfs and mp3s. They were my eager footsoldiers, poised to strike at at freeware download sites.

So how did this benefit me? Each pdf and mp3 is armed with a resource segment containing my URLs and services. As these marketing warriors circulate the web, they stir up a storm of awareness... and direct traffic to my sites.

3. GIVE LIFETIME MONEY BACK GUARANTEES. What would do if you saw a product that trumpted "Unlimited Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee?" Of course you wouldn't think twice about buying it. There's no risk on the part of the buyer... after all the product can be returned ten days-- or ten months after purchase. Let your confidence in your product show by backing it up with unconditional guarantees.

4. TREAT CUSTOMERS LIKE FAMILY. Avoid canned responses. Reply immediately. Offer solutions, not qualified excuses. Throw in value-adding surprises such as unannounced freebies and 24/7 tech support. Friendly gestures might cost a bit of money, but it goes a long way in building warm customer relationships. You want to create friends out of your clients.

5.PRAISE THE COMPETITION. You may be the best at what you do, but if you bad mouth the competition, you cast a pall upon your reputation. Share the glory with others by giving praise and credit where they're due.

In my businesses, I prominently advertise the competition on my websites. I empower my clients with CHOICE. Don't worry about lost sales; customers will naturally appreciate your impartiality and quickly realize that you're after their welfare.

-- Business isn't always about making money. It's about nurturing relationships and building social networks. Once word of your superb business practices spread, revenue will follow.

An expert at persuasion influence, Joseph R. Plazo offers intense leadership executive coaching so people can find great jobs and build careers. Joseph achieved financial independence at 22, authored five NLP books, mentored hundreds and indulges in his passion for radionics. Always to take the initiative, his battle cry is "Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt."

 

7 Keys To Make Your Mark In Marketing

A career in marketing is one of the most personally and financially satisfying. The marketing profession has seen enormous growth in both size, status and remuneration in recent years.

But what can you do to make your mark if you have just secured a new job in marketing? If you are either an aspiring or experienced marketer, making a difference in a new job in a competitive, crowded or noisy marketplace can be difficult.

So what should you do in the first 90-days in the new job when those who hired you will be judging your personal performance?

Here are 7 Tips For Success in Maximising Your Marketing Effort:

1. Clarify your mission

What is your role and responsibility within the organisation? What can you control and what is out of your direct sphere of influence? Focus on areas where you can make a difference!

2. Have a plan and set some goals and strategies for the next 90 days.

Make sure your goals are SMART - Specific, Measurable, Attractive, Realistic and Time-Framed and they are aligned with the vision, mission and objectives of the new company you are working for.

3. Know your strengths and build on these.

What are you good at? Branding, positioning, relationships, Public Relations, or sponsorship? Work to your strengths and focus on the 80/20 rule. Eighty per cent of your effort will provide maximum return on investment for time and money. Chasing after perfection and the final 20 per cent will be a waste of time, money and effort.

4. Identify and talk to your customers.

Everyone knows the importance of market research. But it doesn't have to be expensive. Many coaches and consultants use the following strategy and it is working well for me. Listening to an online interview with fellow speaker Matt Church CSP reinforced for me the impact of this simple yet powerful technique. Ask prospects three questions - what is keeping them awake at night, what is the cause of this and what is the solution? Make sure your marketing efforts focus on the solution.

5. Always provide three options when providing a solution.

One of my personal mentors, Alan Weiss taught me the value of this strategy. I've implemented it in my business and it has made a huge difference because it gives people a choice to suit their circumstances.

6. Market on value not price.

Again more wise wisdom from Weiss distilled into my own words. Never discount. Always look to add value as a key differentiator. Ask what value can we add to our customers?

7. Let people know about your product or service using consistent messages, symbols and branding in all marketing communications.

It is more important to be clear and consistent than original.

Put these seven secrets into practice and your marketing career will soon take off.

But don't forget to tell others of your success to increase your visibility within and external to the organisation you work for. Nothing builds a success spiral faster than telling others about the difference marketing has made to the growth of an organisation.

Want help cracking Da Media Code? Book here for our code breaking seminar Writing and Pitching Winning Media Releases in Perth on Wednesday June 28th. Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com

 

Marketing Tips - On a Budget

I don’t know about you, but when I started my business and even today with a son in college and two kids at home who love to shop as much as mom, I don’t have a lot of money to spend on marketing. I need to make sure that every penny I spend is spent wisely, very wisely. So when I market my business, I need to make sure that I’m creative and use all the tools I have available that don’t cost money. Here are some tips that I have found that worked for me.

Radio/Media - It’s not that hard. Have a plan of action and stick to it. Each week decide to send out so many press releases, contacts to radio stations, local media, etc. Look to woman’s networks, work-at-home networks, and others who actively look for guests.

Stay in tune with what’s currently happening and see if it’s something that you can share about. I’ve found that having an angle works. Once you have that angle write and pitch your angle hard.

Also consider starting your own radio show. Jill Hart and I do a weekly podcast and it’s a great way to network. Check it out sometime at http://www.cwahm.com.

Forums / Listserves - Being active in forums and listserves is so beneficial to your business. You establish yourself as an expert and also you gain friendships and alliances with others. Plus, it’s a great way to promote your business. Naturally you never want to blatantly advertise your business, but when you answer questions and show your expertise, people listen. I know I’ve found many a subcontractor this way. Take advantage of these. Remember you also establish those friendships that can last a lifetime. And then when you get the opportunity to meet them in person, you already have a bond.

Writing Articles - Submitting articles is an excellent marketing tool and I highly recommend it. Make sure you submit to your targeted market. Write on topics that you are familiar. Don’t just write for publicity --Give something back. Make sure that your topic and information is of value. Write articles using “The Top 5 or 10” or “The Best 5 Ways To Do Something.” Think about the magazines you buy at the stores, don’t you normally gravitate to those articles. I know I do. Get those keywords in the title. That’s where they count.

Also, plan, plan, plan. What are you going to do today that is going to gain recognition for your business?

Marketing a business doesn’t have to be expensive if you just remember to network and use all the tools available to you. In fact, it can be fun as you get to meet new people and develop new ways to sell you and your business.

Diana Ennen, author of Virtual Assistant: The Series, Become a Highly Successful Sought After VA and accompanying Workbook, etc., and President of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com Also, publisher of the fiction thriller, Sledgehammer, http://www.pauloreyes.com

 

(International) Marketing = Magic Formula?

One of the most attractive regions of the world surely is Europe – with its 480+ million inhabitants, especially also Germany with its 80+ million thereof.

Insofar it is the 'world market' pure and simple (due to market sizes, buying volume, number of inhabitants, etc.). And it becomes for very many entrepreneurs more and more essential (= their survival) to get into/stay in foreign markets – but, of course, very thoughtful.

Concentrating on the home markets only will ´restrict – especially SMEs – to their ‘limited’ market places back home. Even if these are huge markets like e. G: USA.

Nowadays the sharp price competition needs companies/owners who strive to be ahead of their respective markets segments – not necessarily with regard to pricing but surely with regard to competitive advantages/customer ´benefits. (The marketing guru Prof. Kotler even argues a bit tougher: „We should get out of markets where we can’t be the first …”.)

If we do not concentrate on the clients’ needs and sell ‘our fingerprint’ (plus whatever such clients ask for !) which is always different even from the toughest competition, as well companies from Europe as from other parts of the world (especially SMEs - who still stand for the majority of a countries’ GDP) would only have a shadowy existence, which - due to their number of inventions and technical solutions - would not be justified.

On the contrary they should open themselves for new foreign markets and/or find foreign collaborators in order to broaden their market existence/shares.

Hereafter I touch therefore only four aspects - which in no case, however, cover the whole field of marketing of a specific company - which can give the entrepreneurs some idea though how to 'better place the enterprise' in the markets and by this initiate a better present and long-lasting 'starting position'.

We are on a 'buyers' market', where it is important to have a detailed view and perspective for the own enterprise and the products produced - especially as the recession seems to be over soon and the economical development is seen 'quite bright' by the various institutions. So, what can be done by an individual company - now ?

• I. Analysis
In my eyes that is the necessary starting position in general.

It has to be found out how the enterprise - with its present products - is accepted in the market place, where it is less successful than the competition, where the positive points are to be found (price, delivery - logistics timing -, quality, service, etc.) or simply: "How the company for the time being is represented to its clientele and how it is valued"

Parameters for this situation are the own selling results, the profit-situation for all products, the total production/import/export statistics of such products in the area looked at, the buying structure, the advertisements/sales promotion done, etc.

Such an analysis should - normally - be executed by somebody not belonging to the company as then procedures followed so far are questioned, which may be existing without real reasons and/or new selling ideas can be elaborated/ added which are available due to the experience from other industrial fields - and being a consultant even from other companies where similar proposals reached good results.

• II. Targeting
The analysis has to be followed by a segmentation of the markets which are supplied by the company.

This segmentation has to lead to the question whether the company already supplies its clients on the best possible ways in order to really reach all segments in a way as accepted by the respective clientele and in the best possible manner, avoiding any unnecessary frictions.

• Possible catchwords are

• - core abilities -
Due to the multitude of different suppliers who all deal with various technological solutions but with just one problem (e. g. the IT-market, the automotive industrys, etc.) it is extremely important that a company finds/defines its 'core abilities' (the ‘fingerprint’ as said above) which are available - in this combination - only with them and that it concentrates on it and 'markets'/cares for them. Only in this case a kind of 'sole selling position' can be developed which in-turn leads to a sharper profile in the 'market places'.

Now, many people may say that this is not relevant/true for them, but my experience says that it is - in many cases - just a matter of creative justification and formulation to reach such a target of 'sole position'.

• - research -
of the total quantity of prospective clients per segment/market locally and/or foreign, in order to define implement the strategic/ operational targets and control mechanisms in order to verify the results compared to the targets

• - sales routes multiplication -
i. e. that we have to find out if and when it may be advisable to sell our products (perhaps slightly changed in form/colour/packing and/or execution) to the different market segments following different sales routes

• III. Definition/implementation
- of procedures for the various market segments with a view to the various foreign markets/representatives/distributors, etc.

The results of these examinations has to be part of the overall 'company planning procedure' like the financial aspects, the sales organisation (> marketing plan) and all relevant costing procedures.

Especially the last aspect is one of the most important, as the costing procedure (starting with the optimal purchasing (even world-wide depending on the use of raw-/ready materials), the logistics needed, the suitable way of production (not to mention 'lean-procedures>, the quality aspects, stock-keeping with the distributors, customer service, advertisement/sales promotion, etc.) will still be the finally deciding point for the pricing and this - provided all the rest is the same for different suppliers - will be decisive for the buying decision of our clients.

• Advertising/public relation
has to include nowadays an INTERNET-presence. That means, however, not only to have a site in the NET but also to publish it with relevant associations, client groups, etc., i. e. to ‘market’ it as a conventional means also but, if we want to be really successful it has – first and foremost - to be made-up in a way to lead the ‘searcher’ directly to HIS solution/the solution to HIS problem, i. e. following also strictly marketing procedures as necessary for the respective product/market segment.

• IV. Control and correction
This step belongs to the ones mentioned before like the baby to its mother as only if it is controlled if/how the targets have been reached a correction will be possible and only then we will 'answer the markets' to our best.

This refers to the sales routes as well as to the 'market presentation' via representatives, advertisements, fairs/exhibitions, pricing, customer service, etc.

And it is as well understandable as logic that these parameters differ from market segment to market segment, from country to country, and I can say form my practical experience that in most cases the results from a deviation of the targets in one market/market segment not only have a real influence on the internal decisions (referring to production, organisation, finance, etc. ) but also gives perfect hints in order to correct and define new marketing ways for the rest of the segments/ markets, which again leads to an increase of sales and a more positive view of the future.

As stated in the very beginning it is not the aim of this article to present final solutions for everybody.

This is absolutely impossible as one company differs from the other nearly totally (even when producing the same final product) and only the detailed individual study gives answers to this - which then again leads to a more positive development of the enterprise.

However, the steps mentioned before - perhaps partly adjusted by further steps, like out- sourcing of different internal procedures, targeted customer service like key-accounting, special service offers to a few good customers/ products, etc. - can be used in general by all companies and as such lead to an increase of turnover and/or profit.

More details are available here; www.marketing-und-vertrieb-international.com/en/marketing-and-sales.htm

Michael Richter - International Marketing- and sales consultant - concentrates for more than 35 years on marketing and selling of investment goods and long-lasting consumer goods to/in all 5 continents - since 1991 he works as an independent marketing consultant, especially for SMEs worldwide. Michael Richter Drehergässle 5 88499 Daugendorf/Germany http://www.marketing-und-vertrieb-international.com/en/

 

Persona Based Marketing: Powerful B2B Marketing Tools For Connecting With Prospects & Customers

Meet Bill, he’s the owner and CEO of a growing, mid-sized manufacturing company. Bill is in his early 40s, wears glasses and tries his best to squeeze in an early-morning workout whenever he can. He prefers to wear golf shirts and khakis, donning a suit only when he has to. Bill drives a late model SUV with a booster seat in the back seat for his four-year-old daughter. He’s harried, and worries about managing his company’s growth. He wants to leverage technology to increase operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, and to offset the rising costs of doing business, but doesn’t know where to start.

Helen is his director of sales. She’s 32, single, a competitive runner, and is partial to 80s rock. She drives a new BMW convertible. She struggles with managing a dozen salespeople, many who are 10 to 15 years older then her. Helen wants the company to invest in a new CRM system to replace the contact management they long ago outgrew, but wonders how she’ll convince Bill and the company’s CFO to spend the money.

Bill and Helen are not real people, but they're examples of one of the most powerful tools you can use to better connect with prospects and customers: persona-based marketing.

Persona-based marketing is part Hollywood characterization and part business analytics. It involves constructing a fictional customer—based on real-life data and intelligence—and then using that character as the touchstone for promotional and selling decisions.

Persona-based marketing goes beyond simple demographic data

Persona-based marketing describes who a prospect or customer is, by also answering questions about their behavior such as: what keeps this person awake at night? How does he spend his time? How does she like to be sold to?

This concept can help you, as a business-to-business marketer by creating a vivid, tangible picture of your best prospects or customers, and then sculpting a marketing message that’s pertinent to their concerns, and move them to inquire and buy.

Let’s get back to the example of Bill and Helen. Say you’re a systems integrator who is targeting mid-sized companies like Bill’s. Using what you know about Bill as a representative of the typical business owner, you can make some tactical marketing decisions.

Because Bill is pressed for time, he probably won’t attend an all-day seminar, or an evening dinner meeting—he’s got family responsibilities after work. But he would be interested in a 45-minute, executive-level Web seminar he could attend from his desk. He might also say yes to an executive breakfast briefing with his peers from other local mid-sized firms.

This fictional CEO can even help guide decisions about minute matters such as brochure or Web site design. Because you know that Bill is over 40 and wears glasses, you’ll make sure that the font is big enough for him to read easily. And because you know he’s time-pressed, you’ll break down key messages into bullet points he can scan quickly.

Helen, your customer’s sales director surrogate, meanwhile, will respond to an offer that speaks to her needs. She might raise her hand to a half-day seminar on “convincing your CEO and CFO to invest in CRM.” She might also request a white paper on “How to get salespeople to use your new CRM system.” Because she’s younger and has upscale tastes, she’d probably attend a lunch seminar at the hot new bistro in town. She’s also more likely to notice an ad or seminar invitation or other promotional materials that are designed in a modern and colorful manner.

Granted, Bill and Helen are composite characters, not real people. But referring to them as you formulate and execute your messages can make your marketing more effective. And it can prevent your promotions from becoming too generic to be noticed. Performed correctly, your persona-based decisions will stop being about “I think” and start being about “what would our customer or prospect think?”

How do you get started?

1. Convene a group of employees who interact with your customers and prospects. Bring in lunch and a white board and ask them to help you build a persona for each of your target customers.

2. Start by describing the customer’s role in their company: CEO, CIO, CFO, COO, sales manager, purchasing agent, user, and any other important influencers.

3. Next describe the kind of company they work for. What industry is it in? How big is it? How up-to-date is it? Does it have a lot of competition?

4. Then describe the person and their behavior: Give each persona a name, a title, an age, and describe how he or she looks. How does he dress? What kind of car does she drive? What does he do in his free time? What kind of educational background does she have?

5. Flesh out as many attributes as you need to give a full, rounded picture of who this person is. Then, turn to your persona’s problems and goals.

6. Think about what does this person’s daily calendar look like? What are his or her most pressing concerns? What product or service attributes would be most helpful in solving this person’s problems? Is he or she looking to roll up 20 databases into one, getting ready for an IPO, dealing with a new competitor who has just entered the market?

7. Then, when formulating your marketing messages, think about what path this prospect or customer might pursue to solve this problem. Will he or she turn to white papers or articles in trade publications or Web sites? Would this customer or prospect seek input from a speaker at a networking group of their peers? Let the personas steer the route, which you can pave with information that can help your prospect and customers move forward in their consideration and buying process.

If you’ve never used person-based marketing before, give it a try. It can be a powerful way to focus your business-to-business marketing messages and offers, driving more leads and sales.

M. H. "Mac" McIntosh is a business-to-business marketing consultant and an expert on the subject of sales leads. He is president of Mac McIntosh Incorporated, a sales and marketing consulting firm specializing in helping companies generate qualified sales leads and turn them into sales. For more information, or to request a free subscription to his newsletter, Sales Lead Report, please visit http://www.sales-lead-experts.com

 

Who Cares About Your Business?

Who cares about your product or service? I am not saying that to be rude, I am truly asking you, who cares?

If you don’t have an answer to this question then it’s time for you to stop and re-evaluate what you are doing.

Many business owners fail to create a thorough plan. They think that because they have a product or service to sell that someone will want to buy it. Sometimes that’s true and sometimes it isn’t but the question shouldn’t be “will someone want to buy this?” the question should be “who has a need for this?”

New business owners have the tendency to want to cater to everyone because they don’t want to miss out on business. This isn’t always the best thing to do. After all, if you are having a baby do you go to the dentist? They are both doctors right?

Let’s say you want to sell coffee online. That’s great but with 933,000,000 results for coffee on Google, you need to have a plan that’s more solid than “I will put up a website and advertise.”

You should consider what kind of people need to buy coffee online. Where do these people live? Why is buying online a better option than going to the store? What age group is most likely to want to buy coffee online? Are there certain occupations or industries that would benefit from this service?

These are all things you must consider.

If you start a business and you try to sell to anyone who will buy not only will you waste a lot of time but you’ll also miss out on increasing your revenue.

So I’ll ask you again, who cares about your product or service?

DJ Nelson is the author of “Jump Start Your Success: 9 Insider Secrets to Running an Online Business. If you are clueless about online business, out hundreds of dollars, you aren’t making a profit, and you are just about to throw in the towel visit http://www.9InsiderSecrets.com

 

Returns, How To Handle Them, And Save The Sale

When someone returns something (that you will refund on)....

The first thing I tell them is that I will refund their money. That sets their mind at ease, so I can find out what the problem is. Starting off by saying “We don’t give refunds” is the beginning of an argument. I’ve had people bring back machines the next day simply because the vacuum cleaner bag was way too full, and the vacuum stopped picking up dirt. Had I started off saying “We don’t give refunds”, we never would have found out that the problem is very simple to solve. Solving problems is always more profitable than arguing.

Also, try to let the customer leave happy. Every person is either the Hero or Victim of the story. Let them be the Hero. If you argue to prove a point, they leave unhappy. The only way for them to get even with you, is to tell anyone who will listen, that you are evil, and they were your victim. A hundred of those kind of stories about you can sink your business. I’ve seen it happen. Ads won’t work then, nothing will.

Assure the customer that they can get a refund, try to solve the problem, and make the customer happy. That's what successful companies do. And that's one of the reasons they became successful.

"Sign-up now for my FREE Retail Marketing course "Unfair Advantage Retail Strategies". About once a week, I'll provide you with valuable retail marketing strategies that have been proven and tested,(mostly by me). http://www.claudewhitacre.com

 

Make More Money by Marketing to Fewer People!

Focus on fewer people AND make more money?

This doesn't seem logical. However, it's true. If you dare to focus your efforts on a select group of people you will enjoy more success and it will be easier and more fun!

The key is to claim a niche -a select group of people whom you serve to the point where you become an expert. This results in being better known, getting great referrals, having greater success and making more money!

Just think for a moment about a favorite article. The one where you would swear the author was writing directly to you, as if he had a video camera into your world. That's what it's like having a niche.

Imagine the energy you'll have by only working with those ideal clients that make your heart sing!

Claiming who is your ideal client is easier than it might sound.

==============================================
Step One: Do the “internal research.”
==============================================

Discover your gifts. Know that you are a consultant with unique professional and life experiences and a way of being in the world that is unlike anyone else. And there are people out there who want it just the way you serve it!

Ask yourself:

• What am I passionate about?
• What do people say they love about me?
• When does it feel like I am playing?

Build your business around these strengths and passions, and leave behind those areas you don't love (but think you “should” offer). Build your business around what you love. It takes courage to focus only on the areas you are great at!

==============================================
Step Two: Imagine your calendar is filled with those clients who put a big smile on your face.
==============================================

What do they all have in common?

• List the top 10 characteristics of these ideal clients.
• List their top 10 dreams. What do they wish for in their lives as they sit and look out over the ocean on vacation?
• List their top 10 worries. What wakes them up at 3am and has them tossing and turning?
• And now, list 10 tools and resources you can offer them to make their situation better.

Utilize this information in creating and marketing your services directly to them. Just like that favorite article - your ideal clients will be saying, “Wow, she is talking to me! I've gotta call her!”

==============================================
Step Three: Create a vision story 5 years in the future.
==============================================

Imagine you are working only with clients who bring you joy! Write how you are doing this work and living your life passionately and with ease because you have found your gift.

When you dare to build your business around your gift and what's important to you, then you show up with radiance and vitality, and you become a client magnet.

==============================================
Step Four: CREATE a Niche.
==============================================

Once you've claimed it, then you CREATE it. Our challenge to you is to get clear about your niche, and for six months PLAY with it. Every time you write an article, lead a workshop, talk to others about your work, do it with your ideal client in mind. We guarantee your passion and clarity will be enrolling!

Have the courage to follow these steps and you'll propel your success AND love your business!

Laura Howard, CPCC, and Gerina Gaffney, CPCC, AICI, CIP, co-lead a six-month life- and business-changing telecourse called Entrepreneurial Success Skills for Image Consultants. For more information, see http://joyfulmarketing.typepad.com/entrepreneurial_success/. Laura Howard also leads a six-month program for business owners and entrepreneurs of all industries. Contact Laura at CoachLaura@JoyfulEntrepreneur.com for more information.

 

Making Money With Give-Aways

The guy who thought of giving away free rolls of film every time you have your films developed at his photo center - is a genius!

You know the rest of the story, and so do thousands of other photo centers around the world who copy this excellent promotion.

STRETCHING DOLLARS

A budget conscious market is always out looking for a free lunch. For this reason, you can build a marketing system that self-liquidates its associated cost, distributing gift certificates that offer free this or free that - all the customer has to do is pay a minimal shipping and handling charge.

FREE SOFTWARE

In Las Vegas, I met a poker player who sells software he put together for $29 and higher. To double the volume and reach other markets, he decided to repackage his software. He gave it a new name, made a new disk label, and offered it at a ridiculous price:

FREE

To receive the software, all you have to do is fill out the gift certificate and send it back to him with $8.69 for shipping and handling.

THEY WENT APE! He was giving the certificates to schools, businesses, and stores who give away the certificates as their own promotional gifts to their customers. Because the cost to produce and mail this disk is 60 cents, he was making $8 with every certificate that was redeemed for the free software.

$800,000 IN 27 WEEKS

Take a snapshot of this picture: Say, a total of 1 Million certificates were circulated. Let's say you paid half a penny to print and distribute these million certificates. Your cost is $5,000. If you generate a 7% conversion, you'll earn $560,000.00

NUMBERS GAME

If you give other people permission to make copies of and give away your certificates, your cost to circulate 1 Million certificates will go down. But your opportunity to make money remains the same.

1% response = $80,000

2% response = $160,000

3% response = $240,000

5% response = $400,000

10% response = $800,000

THE INTERNET

Now, if you do the same thing on the internet you will see similar results. One thing to note is that with the internet you don’t have the cost of normal advertising and you have a vast array of advertising venues. Here are just a few of the advertising venues that can be utilized:

Classified ads (free and paid) Pay per clicks (ie., Google adwords) Ezine advertising Co-op advertising Joint Venture advertising…

The possibilities are almost endless!

Another point to consider about going the internet route is that you don’t have to have an actual physical product to give away. Give ebooks, Special Reports, and the like that cost very little to produce or you can put the previously mentioned items on a CD and mail it to the prospect. If you plan to mail the item it should look very professional… remember, your reputation is on the line.

And last but certainly not least, your give away must have value, people do not want junk! Make sure your give away is valuable to the audience you have targeted.

To Your Success,

Ken Smith
www.lessons4success.com
www.powerteamsuccess.blogger.com

I'm married and the father of Three. For many years I have searched for and tried many Home Based business opportunities. Some worked some didn't. Many claimed "instant success with no money", "start on a shoe-string", etc., etc., etc., I admit that many of the programs and ideas would and will truly work and bring in tremendous incomes but most required a lot of out-of-pocket expense which I didn't have at the time. I had almost given up on the idea of having a home-based profitable business that could generate enough income to release both me and my wife from the J.O.B. and then I met Chris and Julie Chojnowski. Call (212) 461-2595 for a quick overview or visit http://www.lessons4success.com Chris and Julie have built a team with the fastest growing internet business of it's kind. I have seen, in the past few days, internet "big dogs", names I have been seeing for several years, joining this business and taking off like a rocket. It's all about timing. and the time is now. Join us as we journey to success http://www.lessons4success.com See You At The Top, Ken Smith http://www.lessons4success.com

 

Marketing Your Business With Case Studies

Finding business ideas is easy enough. There are endless possibilities that range from products to services which are in need of improvement or modifications. Producing new, improved products or services than those existing is an advantage over the competition. However, prospective entrepreneurs often forget an essential component of their future businesses. They neglect checking if their ideas are feasible to attract a large and sustainable market by conducting marketing research. As a result, promising businesses often crash due to the entrepreneurs' lack of business panache.

Marketing research for start-up companies and businesses are usually done in two ways: primary research and secondary research. Primary research entails the use of first-hand data in determining the existence of a market. Conducting surveys, focus groups, and interviews are popular methods of primary research. This means that personal contact between prospective consumers and the companies is necessary. Secondary research is a means to recycle and reuse filed data as a reference for improvements of the service or product.

Primary research is time-consuming but preferable for starting companies who intend to produce a new product or provide a new service. There are certain advantages in doing this type of marketing research. First, the feasibility of the product idea is tested. The appeal of the company's idea is tested on an extensive or particular market. For example, a start-up homemade ice cream business needs to test a homemade ice cream's appeal to an extensive or particular market. The survey is able to indicate preference for the product by different market groups: health-conscious gym buffs for its low-fat content, or homemakers for its freshness. This way, the company is able to identify what market to target or what marketing strategy to employ in order to attract the least responsive market. Second, the questions and research materials are modifiable to suit the companies' needs. To illustrate, if the company needs to determine what flavors of homemade ice cream to produce most, a taste testing and preference rating survey is best. This way, the company is able to determine the flavor that "sells" best and the one that ranks least. This method protects the company's capital by helping the company decide what flavors to produce or discontinue. Third, suggestions for improvement, competition advantages, and other factors are also available through primary research. Focus groups are usually preferred for this kind of study where consumers voice out opinions on the product's strengths and weaknesses.

Secondary research reuses filed data for other purposes. This is comparable to doing a library research where researchers sift through files and records to find the answers and solutions. This is advisable for established companies who have enough files in their data banks to supply subsequent marketing research. Otherwise, these companies pay researching firms for old surveys and data sheets for their research. This method consumes less time and is more cost-efficient. Old surveys about competitors are often used to improve the company's own products and marketing strategy. They usually target the competition's flaws and manifest their strength in that particular aspect.

If these sound daunting for starting businesses, there is no need to worry. The internet is a veritable tool for conducting marketing research. There are sites that provide detailed information how to conduct researches and even offer research software. Books and business journals are also worth checking out. Local business groups and organizations also offer seminars, talks, and workshops for future entrepreneurs. Always remember that there is no easy way to success, and that effort is necessary to see something to fruition.

For more valuable information on Marketing Research, please visit http://www.claritaseurope.com

 

 

Ensuring Success Through Market Research

Marketing is all about credibility, the more your customer believes in your advertising the more likely he is to purchase your service or product.

A great way to increase the credibility of your marketing is to let your satisfied customers sell your service or product for you. Case studies are a wonderful way to do this.

Case studies can be used as stand alone advertising or they can be embedded into longer manuscripts to increase their lead generating power.

Stand alone uses are as short articles and press releases. You can indicate in the text that a longer version, with more detail, is on your website and generate additional traffic.

Where case studies really display their benefits is when they are used to enhance marketing pieces like white papers, booklets, CDROMs, and websites.

You’ve created a great white paper defining your customer’s problem and educating them on how to solve it, then you start to tell them how your product meets their need better then anybody else’s product. Sounds like the perfect white paper, doesn’t it?

But is it? Wouldn’t it be better to show them instead of just telling them? Showing increases “buy in” from your readers. Case studies do just that. They show your customer how others used your product to solve their problems. They make your product claims believable.

Nothing your copywriter puts on paper is as powerful as the honest expression of a satisfied customer.

So how do you create a case study? First you need to talk to your customers and find out what they liked about your product. Interview them and get plenty quotes.

Don’t forget to get a signed release so you can use their comments in your case study. This is important. To get the maximum benefit you need to give full attribution in your case study.

For example, R. P. in Texas doesn’t cut it. Rick Parrott, Parrott Writing Services, San Antonio, Texas is much better because it puts a face behind the words. People can identify with Rick Parrott, who can identify with R. P. in Texas?

The structure of a case study is really simple and straight forward.

Case Study Structure

Step One: Tell your readers about your customer. Make them see her as a real person.

Step Two: Define the problem in terms that your reader can understand.

Step Three: Show the process your customer went through as she tried to find a solution. Make your reader identity with your customer. If your reader says, “Hey that’s happening to me!” you’re dead on target!

Finish step three with your customer selecting your product.

Step Four: In this step you will need to show your reader the process required to implement the solution selected by your customer.

This step is also a good place to discuss the results and benefits your customer received because she selected your product.

Step Five: Finally, have your customer tell how well your product solved her problem and if she would recommend it to others.

Most case studies seem to run between 600 and 1500 words. You want to use enough space to get the message across that your product does what you claim it does.

Let the document into which you embed the case study supply most of the details, use just enough in your case study to help the reader identify with the problem and solution.

One final thing, I find keeping the tone of your case study conversational is better. Who wants to read long boring text? Use your customers own words when ever possible.

*** Parrott Writing Services, a San Antonio Texas company specializing in white papers, case studies, ghostwriting, and technical writing for small businesses. http://www.rickparrott.com

 

Marketing Tips

I don’t know about you, but when I started my business and even today with a son in college and two kids at home who love to shop as much as mom, I don’t have a lot of money to spend on marketing. I need to make sure that every penny I spend is spent wisely, very wisely. So when I market my business, I need to make sure that I’m creative and use all the tools I have available that don’t cost money. Here are some tips that I have found that worked for me.

Radio/Media - It’s not that hard. Have a plan of action and stick to it. Each week decide to send out so many press releases, contacts to radio stations, local media, etc. Look to woman’s networks, work-at-home networks, and others who actively look for guests.

Stay in tune with what’s currently happening and see if it’s something that you can share about. I’ve found that having an angle works. Once you have that angle write and pitch your angle hard.

Also consider starting your own radio show. Jill Hart and I do a weekly podcast and it’s a great way to network. Check it out sometime at http://www.cwahm.com.

Forums / Listserves - Being active in forums and listserves is so beneficial to your business. You establish yourself as an expert and also you gain friendships and alliances with others. Plus, it’s a great way to promote your business. Naturally you never want to blatantly advertise your business, but when you answer questions and show your expertise, people listen. I know I’ve found many a subcontractor this way. Take advantage of these. Remember you also establish those friendships that can last a lifetime. And then when you get the opportunity to meet them in person, you already have a bond.

Writing Articles - Submitting articles is an excellent marketing tool and I highly recommend it. Make sure you submit to your targeted market. Write on topics that you are familiar. Don’t just write for publicity --Give something back. Make sure that your topic and information is of value. Write articles using “The Top 5 or 10” or “The Best 5 Ways To Do Something.” Think about the magazines you buy at the stores, don’t you normally gravitate to those articles. I know I do. Get those keywords in the title. That’s where they count.

Also, plan, plan, plan. What are you going to do today that is going to gain recognition for your business?

Marketing a business doesn’t have to be expensive if you just remember to network and use all the tools available to you. In fact, it can be fun as you get to meet new people and develop new ways to sell you and your business.

Diana Ennen, author of Virtual Assistant: The Series, Become a Highly Successful Sought After VA and accompanying Workbook, etc., and President of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com Also, publisher of the fiction thriller, Sledgehammer, http://www.pauloreyes.com