In Sickness And In Health

I recently drove by a business that had a sign out front that read "Closed due to illness". This meant that the cash flow would stop until the owner was able to return to work.Even worse, the business would not be able to generate revenue for the owner when it... Read More

Marketing on a Budget

A successful marketing plan doesn't have to include an athletic superstar, prime-time placement, state-of-the-art computer graphics or a massive budget. Being resourceful and smart can be just as effective. Business promotion doesn't have to cost a fortune. Often, it's the personal touch that seals the deal. Here are ideas... Read More

10 Powerful Marketing Tips

1. Print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your targeted market. People read postcards when the message is brief. A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your web site and generate a flood of sales leads... Read More

Customer Lifetime Value - The Key To Maximizing Your Profits!

The greatest asset to your business is your Customer, specifically, your Customer Lifetime Value.In my many years in Sales and Marketing, I've met many CEOs and business owners who don't have much clue as to what Customer Lifetime Value is, much less its importance and the impact it has on... Read More

Write Articles WITHOUT Writing!

Face it, writing any article can be a tedious and time consuming task for a beginner or even an expert writer. Here are four ways to make writing articles a lot easier: 1) Use My Articles - You could add your own name, resource box and web site link to... Read More

Five Mistakes Absolutely Guaranteed to Drive Away Your Best Clients

We all work hard to attract even one paying client. In fact, we work hard to attract serious inquiries. Yet amazingly, many business owners seem determined to drive away business! Every example cited here is based on true, thoroughly documented experiences, with both newbie business owners and five-star marquee players.1.... Read More

Turning The Casual Scanner Into A Buyer

The world is full of scanners. Most people simply scan the page to see if anything piques their interest, rather than reading the ads, sales letters, or web copy. That's why you should ensure that your copy is scanner friendly. That means placing headlines,... Read More

Direct Mail

Do you have a website? A Web Newsletter? A mailing list of e-mail addresses for customers? Do you track and test everything? You can use the web to get sales in lots of exciting ways which are dependant on technology that's available at the time. Whether you budget is £600... Read More

Top 10 Marketing Pitfalls

Ten Marketing Pitfalls By Stuart ReidIf you want to make it BIG in Internet Marketing you need avoid some common mistakes. Here's a list of the top ten Pitfalls that catch out beginner Marketers (and many established ones too!).The problem is you don't realise you have fallen into one of... Read More

What Does It REALLY Take to Be Making 6-Figures as a Service Professional?

Over the past 30 years, I've read so much on how to makemoney that I know I can write a series of books on thetopic, books that would cut through the junk and you don'thave to buy 101 things for each area. Most of the information repeats itself -- same... Read More

Large One?

Here's a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing your sales, immediately.All you need to do is add these 2 words to your selling system, and you're good to go.In fact, this trick's so good, I wish I could take credit for coming up with it, but the truth... Read More

Make More Sells With Colors

How Colors Effect Our Emotions?One of the most interesting things to me is how colors effect the way we think and feel. They effect us whether we are aware of it or not. Some colors effect us more then others but they all have their own individual properties that effect... Read More

The Fine Art of Relationship Marketing

The buzzword these days is "relationship" marketing. Just what is it? And why is it important? Relationship marketing is so much more than "networking. It's gathering support of your friends, peers, and business contacts. It's developing strong, lasting, unique relationships with your most valuable asset, your customer. It's what keeps... Read More

Focus...a Marketing Strategy

The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just the right marketing tactic for each of your businesses. The real problem that's experienced by many entrepreneurs--a damaging lack of focus. Plenty of entrepreneurs make this dangerous mistake. They try to market more than one business at once, or... Read More

Fern Reisss PublishingGame.com: Achieve Media Attention for Your Business

Do you want to be quoted by the national press on a daily basis? (How much would that be worth to your business?) In the past six months, I've been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, Entrepreneur, The Associated... Read More

Attracting Clients With Ease

Whether you are already running your own business, or still thinking about starting your own business, I suspect that deep down you know you have gifts and talents that can really make a difference to others. In an ideal world, you'd spend the majority of time doing the work you... Read More

Website Promotion Strategies For Targeted Web Site Traffic

If you're looking to drive more targeted traffic to your web site, you'll want to pay close attention to the website promotion strategies presented in this article. As an internet marketer, or a want to be internet marketer, you know that web site traffic is your livelihood. Without it you... Read More

Measuring the Return on Your Direct Mail Investment

In direct mail lore, there's a rule stating that you can measure the success of your efforts by a minimum response rate of 1-2%. In other words, if you send out 10,000 pieces, you'll have a successful mailing if at least 100 recipients respond to your offer. (One percent of... Read More

Postcards: Awareness Tool or Selling Tool?

Are postcards better for building awareness or for selling?In my opinion, the answer to the above question is, "They can do both jobs. It depends on what type of business you're in."My own perspective is that of the Web and graphic designer who must distinguish herself from the hordes of... Read More

Heres A Robust, Turnkey, Interactive. Best of Breed, Mission-Critical Solution to Kill Buzzwords

Fellow Publicity Insiders, what does this phrase mean? "We envision a center of excellence where our accelerated changeagents can maximize their core competencies." Huh? - or - "The company is a global leader in pressure-sensitivetechnology and innovative self-adhesive solutions for consumerproducts and label... Read More

A Quick Guide To Finding Reciprocal Links

Trading reciprocal links is one of the best ways to build traffic at your website. A reciprocal link is where two websites agree to host a link to each other on their websites. These usually are placed on a special, 'links page', but sometimes in articles or other areas.Often, people... Read More

The Silver Bullet For Success: Revealed

Looking for the magic formula or the whiz-bang approach that will unlock your business success? Are you willing to pay hundreds for it? How about thousands? Guess what, you are not alone. Just as people, for ages, have searched for the fountain of youth, entrepreneurs and small business owners around... Read More

Your Marketing Message

Your message is first among your weapons in the battle of perceptions.Your message allows you to accomplish many things. Your message can educate the masses, convert the non-believers or separate the wheat from the chaff. But not all three.Your first clue to your message comes from where in the Awareness... Read More

Target Your Market

Your market is not everybody, as so many small businesses assume. It is the people/organizations who need, want, have the money--and the willingness--to pay for what you are offering. Identifying them can be complicated and expensive, or it can be relatively painless and cheap.How much do you need to know... Read More

Nice Guys Finish First

Volunteering your services can be an excellent way to form new business relationships and raise your business's profile while lending a hand to a good cause. However, unless you take care, it can also become all-consuming, with little return (besides creating good karma).There is nothing wrong with good karma, or... Read More

Getting Paid to Promote Yourself

We all know we can pay a magazine or a newspaper to run ads for us. Businesses do it all the time. In many cases, you're obliged to advertise to survive. But wouldn't you rather promote yourself and your company in a number of publications, and get paid for it?You... Read More

Good News Travels Fast

This newsletter is full of opportunities staring you in the face. If you don't believe me, write and tell me so--and by doing that you'd be proving me right.That would make you a proactive marketer: spotting a marketing opportunity in an everyday activity.For instance: Something most of us do every... Read More

At the Speed of Light

How many times has someone you've called said, "Why don't you send me some information on your company"?Ask yourself, before you send anything: How will this be dealt with once it arrives at that person's desk. Aren't they already suffering from information overload? On the one hand, people say they... Read More

The Real Marketing Genius

I spend a lot of my time reading books and listening to tapes about business and marketing. I guess that's understandable.Many of the authors of these materials are known as experts, gurus or marketing geniuses. However, a few weeks ago I was listening to a discussion about marketing and one... Read More

Avoid the Duds: 10 Strategies for Selecting The Perfect Speaker

Today, more than ever, the success of meetings relies heavily on the strength of program content and presentation. Nothing can spoil a meeting more than hiring the wrong speaker. That's because speakers do more than just convey the overall meeting message. You look to them to provide insights, awareness, and... Read More

The Newest Marketing Course

Certainly the newest earth quaking event in Internet Marketing insider circles is the release of John Reese's New, Traffic Secrets marketing course. I say certainly because I suppose to know what for you as Small marketer is more important. The newest study made by DoubleClick.com about how much more considered... Read More

A Point in Every Direction is the Same As No Point At All

Ever try to be something for everyone and find no one wants it? Do you have trouble finding the time to focus on your business? Do you do so much for so many that you find it's difficult to make any financial progress in your business; much less make an... Read More

Looking for Sky In All The Wrong Places

Ever sit with a single puzzle piece of clouds and wonder how you will ever put the entire sky together? Life as an entrepreneur is often just like that-- lots of the little pieces, creating products, taking care of clients, wrestling with computers, finances, taxes, etc.-- and a whole lot... Read More

Most Wanted Response... How To Make It Work

"When I walked into the grocery store last Saturday, I was just 'browsing.' But... their MWR was obvious. Because,... I could smell the 'hot fresh baked bread' in the bakery department. They must have arranged to circulate that aroma all over the store. Yep... I knew at that moment, their... Read More

Determining Visitor Types

The trade show floor is full of different types of people with different agendas. Some people have specific goals for attending the show; others do not. As an exhibitor your observation and questioning skills will be your key to determining who may be a viable sales prospect. Familiarize yourself with... Read More

Adapting Blog Technologies To Corporate E-Newsletters

Every January, trade publications put out a list of predictions for the coming year. They discuss products, services and trends that they think will change the way business is done, labeling these "disruptive technologies." The idea of disruptive technologies comes from... Read More

Defining Moment

Do you know your audiences? I mean really know them. I've just been working on a project for a client to help him position his financial planning business and to determine who his key audiences are. Common traits and common media habits are a... Read More

Mission Statement Impossible

Dant dant da da dant dant da da. Dant dant da da dant dant da da. (That's the theme from "Mission Impossible"...)FADE IN.Your mission, should you chose to accept it is to create a fail-proof proclamation, a road map, that not only serves ALL your business needs but also provides... Read More

Are You Marketing Backwards?

Marketing is like rowing a boat. When you know how the pointed bow moves smoothly forward through the water encountering the least amount of resistance. Rowing backwards, the square stern of the boat pushes against the water, requiring more effort and increases the risk of having a wave come over... Read More

Testing Your Way To Prosperity

I have always enjoyed talking to a Realtor friend of mine about his Father-in-laws business. His business is Gold Mining and he has been involved in it full time for nearly his whole life. My friend has a good relationship with his Father-in-law and often spends time helping him in... Read More

A Questionnaire for Businesses

As best you can, answer the following twenty-five questions. There's no scoring. But you'll know whether you should be satisfied with your answers, or not. If you aren't, perhaps you have some work to do.1. What are the benefits you offer?2. What do you think motivates your clients to buy?... Read More

Cave Paintings, Baseball and Connecting

There's no such thing as a captive audience--any of us can tune out at will. It may surprise you, then, to know that keeping people's attention in this high-tech age takes the same know-how we had in neolithic days.The evidence of cave paintings points to our ancestors' grasp of the... Read More

Getting Into Marketing Momentum ... The Accelerated Way

GETTING INTO MARKETING MOMENTUM: The 5 Power Principles for Getting Your Business into High GearDo you know the #1 reason why most businesses fail and why you could become a fatal statistic as well?The answer is ... MARKETING, MARKETING, MARKETING.Marketing is the "life blood" of any business. Without marketing, there... Read More

Self-Promotion on a Zero Budget

Recently, I've received a few e-mails from people asking me for advice on how to get started in the writing biz. When I stop to think about it, maybe I've been lucky to accomplish this much writing in a short time. I have accidentally discovered a way to self-promote my... Read More

To Web or Not to Web?

Do I need a web site? That is the question often asked by business owners. The answer will usually depend upon the type of product or service offered and what the business is trying to achieve. Some products/services are more suited to the web than others. Plus, a well designed... Read More

Three Simple Keys Will Make Your Customers Stick

Do you spend a lot of time and energy courting prospective new customers, hoping to pump up your bottom line? If so, you're probably missing an untapped source of sales that exists right inside your company -- there's truth in the statement that your customer list is your most valuable... Read More

Eight No Cost Ways to Market Your Business

Are you trying to promote your business with a tiny marketing budget? Opportunities are plentiful for low or no cost marketing. Here are a few that won't cost you a cent. Publish articles about your specialty. "How-to" articles are always welcome. Ensure you include your contact information. Write letters... Read More

How To Use Humor Successfully In Your Business Communications

For generations people have been saying that laughter is good medicine. And now the scientists have taken an interest it turns out great-grandma was right. The boffins have discovered that laughter releases helpful goodies in the body which boost your immune system. In fact the therapeutic benefits of laughter are... Read More

Do Not Consider Running the Same Yellow Page Ad until You Read This

Grant Businesses have a love-hate relationship with the Yellow Page directory On the one hand, business owners know they need to be there - even though everyone they compete against is there, too. They rightly fear their ad won't get noticed. That's why questions like, "How big should it be?"... Read More

How to Critique Your Own Yellow Page Ad

Forget what you know about your business Your goal is to see your Yellow Page display advertisement the way a directory user sees it. You can't act like you know anything about your enterprise that isn't there, on the page. Look at your ad without pride or being identified with... Read More

Ten Reasons Why Most Yellow Page Ads Fail -And Yours Does Not Have to

Grant Directory users are ready to buy Yellow Pages have a major advantage over all other forms of advertising. It's used precisely when people have decided to buy. They open the directory to check out options and sources. The directory doesn't create their desire, but assists in finding the products... Read More

Independent Professionals: What Stands Between You and Your Artist Statement?

What Stands Between You and Writing an Artist Statement or Professional Statement?Is it a dry creek bed, or the Grand Canyon? A closed door, or the Chase Manhattan Bank vault? Or maybe, it's the whisper of many doubts: Artist statements are so predictably icky. What can you say about your... Read More

Good Marketing is Like a Bad Habit

You know those bad habits we get. Like raiding the chocolate biscuits during late night TV shows. Or slouching we when we sit. Or biting our fingernails. Before we know it we've let a new behaviour creep into our routine. Now we're a slave to the bad habit. It's... Read More

7 Ways to Evaluate Your Marketing Plan

Business owners often find it difficult to know whether their marketing tactics are working. This can be especially tricky when you use a combination of marketing activities simultaneously, or if using personal-contact tactics such as networking. No matter what business you're in, your marketing should be accountable. So here's a... Read More

How to Develop an Effective Company Profile -- and Why

What is a company profile? A company profile is essentially a resume for your company that you use to establish your credibility with the market you serve. Your company profile helps potential customers to understand your business as well as to understand... Read More

Do You Really Need a Brochure?

The phone rings. Good news... it's a potential client. You say, "Thanks for calling, I'll send you our brochure." But what should you really be sending them? I'm often asked to review brochures or asked about brochure design. But before I make any comments I always ask one question-... Read More

Take It To The Customer

In the past, purchasing ad space was the solution to every entrepreneur's marketing challenge. Then it was direct mail, followed by telemarketing. But with advertising and postage costs on the rise, these tactics have lost some of their appeal. Today the competition is fierce for a customers' attention. In... Read More

How Do I Define My Market?

Your market is who you want to reach. Your customer. Who is your average customer? What is your estimate of total market size? What territory do you intend to serve? Will you offer a variety of products or services? The more specific you are, the better definition of your... Read More

Fair Measures Corporation

A case study in online "thinking outside the box" The Fair Measures Corporation Web site, at http://www.FairMeasures.com contains over 500 pages of free in-depth legal information and analysis, provided for both employers and employees. It includes a monthly e-newsletter, and an "Ask the Lawyers" page where visitors can... Read More

Gaining Business Intelligence

A white paper on how companies should analyse customer data to gain better business intelligence and how they can use that knowledge. In an increasingly competitive world, using your client database smartly, to gain a better understanding of your number one asset ? your customers ? can make or break... Read More

So You Want To Cut The Crap And Get Into The Money?

So, you´ve been around for a while, and maybe even made a few bucks, but you still need something... well here are four magic tips: 1.The purpose of your webpage is to get leads, forget selling, the one reason you want your webpage is to get leads, so that becomes... Read More

Will Googles Gmail spell trouble for Email Marketing.

We wait with baited breath for the anticipated launch of Google's Gmail - a fre*e email account, capable of storing50,000 short, text only messages. That was not a misprint.Your inbox would be a full gigabyte (1000mb's) of emails. Hot on the heels are Google's rivals: Yahoo www.yahoo.comand Hotmail... Read More

How to Get the Right Clients and Avoid the Wrong Ones

If you are like most service professionals and small business owners one of your primary concerns is generating as many leads as possible. And that may be your biggest mistake, resulting in wasting time on unqualified prospects and working with too many clients you wish you didn't have to. Bill... Read More

If You Do No Other Preparation

Far too often we see small businesses rush into doing things without planning and preparing. Unfortunately, marketing is a great case in point. Many small businesses set up shop and then hurry to get a brochure made up, develop a web site, and get out and start networking without much... Read More

Do You Get Attention With Your 30-Second Introduction?

I went to a networking event the other day where the meeting leader said, "We're going to skip doing the 30-second introductions today because mine's so bad and it doesn't work that it nauseates me." I thought to myself, WOW! I'd skip the next networking meeting until I'd worked out... Read More

Want To Be A Stronger Marketer? Work Your Marketing Muscles!

You want to be more flexible? You have to stretch your muscles. Want to be physically stronger? You have to find a way to workout and build your muscles. Want to be a stronger marketer? You've got to work your marketing muscles.Just as an athlete needs to workout to stay... Read More

Notable News - Its Not About You!

You enjoy what you do. In fact, you love your product and want to tell everyone about it. Well, I hate to tell you this, but no one cares! Think about the last major purchase you made?maybe a car ?did you buy it because you met a car salesman... Read More

The Real Path To Big Bucks On The Internet!

"Instead Of Wasting Time Trying To Hit The Lottery Of Internet Riches, Focus On Building Your Business One Sweet Income Stream At A Time!" Eric (one of my JV partners) experienced an epiphany yesterday. He had one of those rare moments of insight that can forever change your life. In... Read More

How Prince Connects With His Target Market!

While Internet legend (and young pup) Frank Kern would have you believe that I'm so old I should be confined to a wheelchair, I'm still on the good side of 100! And I can stil enjoy a good concert from time to time. My daughter - Rachel, my wife and... Read More

Twelve Places to Buy a Mailing List

©2004 Jeffrey DobkinThere are two types of lists, determined by their origin: compiled lists and response lists.Compiled lists are a common source of names and records that have been gathered, collected, and entered into a database. The names may have been acquired through public records such as vehicle owner registrations... Read More

Roping In Loyal Customers While Making An Extra Profit!

You've probably bought a book or two at one of the major chain bookstores. When you're checking out, you get asked if you have the "discount card." The card is not free. It usually cost 10 bucks or so. But you get a 10% discount on most of your future... Read More

Marketing Through Associations

©2004 Jeffrey DobkinIf you're in direct marketing, you're continually looking for new list sources - everybody's tired of mailing to the same lists. If you're not in direct marketing and thinking about putting a mailing together, here's something a little different: take a look at marketing through associations.Why would anyone... Read More

Top Five 2004 Required Marketing Tips Needed to Succeed

When marketing your practice, as well as designing yourbrochure, web site, business card, flier, advertisement, orother marketing effort, we recommend investing the time andeffort needed to effectively address all these tips. Notone of them can be omitted. Tip 1. MARKET FOR YOUR DESIRED PROSPECTS, NOT YOURSELF What looks good to... Read More

Give me a Referral any Day - the Power of Networking

I nearly panicked recently! Well, maybe a slight exaggeration but here was a situation I had not been in for some time. The freezer had broken down and the dilemma I faced was ? a speedy solution was necessary BUT I did not know anybody who repairs freezers. For the... Read More

Quick Postcard Design Tips

TIP #1: Avoid the "Too Much Information" Syndrome I've seen many a marketing postcard that just has too much information on it. Too many words set in tiny type is an all too common problem. And the poor recipient, who only has limited time in his/her day,... Read More

Two of the Biggest Hurdles

As I was preparing for a presentation recently, I was trying to figure out why small businesses have trouble marketing themselves consistently. If we know we need to be marketing, why don't we just do it? Is it for a lack of planning or that we're just not sure what... Read More

Eight Steps To A Great Marketing Plan

Step 1: Where Am I Now? Before you decide where you want your marketing plan to take you,you need to find out where you are now. How have you positioned your business in the market? How do your customers see you? You may want to ask some of them for... Read More

Importance of Endorsements And How To Use Them

Customer endorsements are an inexpensive and easy sales tool, particularly for someone just starting out. Here are some tips on how to get them and use them: Send follow-up letters. Two to four weeks after working with a customer, send a survey letter or postcard. Be sure to leave space... Read More

Budgeting for a Postcard Mailing

If you've never done a postcard mailing, you're probably wondering, "What should I budget for?" Here are three items to account for: 1. If you're a designing woman (or man), then you'll need to get that great postcard design out of your computer and into the hands of the postcard... Read More

After Your Postcard Mailing: Follow Up with Finesse

I've heard a lot of people lament the fact that they just sent out a big postcard mailing, and, alas, no one called. Hey, it's happened to me. I've sent cards that I thought were so good that I was sure my phone would start ringing off the hook.... Read More

After The Mailing Is Done, What Happens Next?

If you're doing any sort of marketing effort, whether it's getting news coverage or sending a postcard, you must be prepared for what happens next. If you're sending postcards promoting your business, and you have people working for you, tell them that you sent the card. There's nothing worse than... Read More

Marketing Gurus : Do You Need One?

Its become fashionable to bash marketing "gurus" nowadays.There are some for whom the prospect of even looking at someone as a "guru" is a sin. They believe in being free-thinkers, unfettered by the bonds of guru-dom.Then there are those who try to score points by "proving" gurus wrong. They think... Read More

Get FREE Web Tips From Your Competition

I knew this one would get your attention. How can you, the savvy business entrepreneur, get FREE ANYTHING from your competition? The answer is simple: Google!Yes, there are many things that Google can solve. As listed above, they are providing their users with endless utilities to help you in your... Read More

Put Your Marketing To The So What? Test

Want to get Better at your Marketing today?For many service business owners, marketing can be a real mystery. We don't really know exactly how it works. We're not real sure about what works best for us. And probably because of some past frustrations, we're not even sure where to start.Most... Read More

Take the Logo Litmus Test

Here is your C.I.T.T. (pronounced "kit")[Color ? Illustrate? Type ? Test]COLOR. Color plays a major role in influencing particular moods and feelings about your company. Don't believe me? Look at Dove? soap. You'll find the shampoo bottles are white. White conveys purity, simplicity and a sense of cleanliness. It's strategic... Read More

You Must Get Going If You Want To Get Growing

For many of service-based businesses out there, it's not that you don't know you should be marketing or don't want to get better at it. It's just that you don't.For some, it might be that you don't really know what to do, so you're doing nothing. And that includes not... Read More

Are We There Yet?

Small business marketing is not like taking a family vacation.Did anybody take a family vacation this summer? Do you have children of your own, or do you remember what it was like when you were a kid taking a trip somewhere?I can still remember the family vacations as a youngster... Read More

Target Your Share of the 50-Plus Market

It's quite apparent that Americans are living longer--- and as people age, they request and require many more products and services than ever before. Now, as aging Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) are coming of age, the fifty-plus population is over 77 million people and growing... Read More

The Illusion of Print Mail Services

If ever there was a lazy way to easy profits in mail order it hasto be the concept of letting someone else do all the work foryou. In theory, it works like this: You send a camera-ready circular or ad to someone who advertisesa print/mail service and they will print... Read More

The Dare-To-Be-Different In Marketing Checklist

There is a big payoff in being different. When you accept "what is" you place yourself in the category of "sameness," and people don't buy sameness. Why should they? They can do sameness themselves. If your prospects aren't seeing the value you offer, you may be coming across as the... Read More

How to Expand Your Target Markets

Are your products or services geared towards only one target market? You can increase sales and profits by increasing your target markets. Below are some creative ways to increase your target markets by using your existing products and services you're selling right now. REDESIGN You can increase your target... Read More

15 Ways to Promote eLearning Programs

Pre-note: In this article, teleclass is an example used to illustrate one type of eLearning market. The tips work the same for other eLearning programs, including, but not limited to, teleseminars and ecourses.In the mid-1990s, the teleclass format began and was named, distance learning. During these early years, learning institutions,... Read More

Nine Advance Networking Skills for Seasoned Networkers

A seasoned networker knows the real meaning of networking -- being organized, efficient, effective, and, of course, work the event to its fullest. Attending networking groups after so many years can tire and drain anyone's excitement. Especially since these situations are not social events. It is easy to have one... Read More

The Anatomy of Hype

On a copywriting board I frequent, someone expressed bafflement that several respected marketers criticized the tone of a sales page he wrote. "Why did they apologize to their subscribers while linking to my pitch? This approach sells," he said.Hype was the problem. If you use the following tactics, many educated... Read More

Business Marketing Strategies

For many small business managers, finding the time and commitment to develop business marketing strategies is difficult. There are so many other obligations vying for our attention it is tempting to push formal strategy development to the back burner. Giving into that temptation, however, means putting your business at a... Read More

Do I Need an RSS Feed?

RSS has been around for more than 10 years but has only recently become popular. RSS provides headlines and summaries of information in a concise and standardized way.Benefits for Publishers1.) Avoid Spam FiltersStatisticians estimate that 70% of the email transferred each day is spam (unsolicited email). With that statistic, even... Read More

A Simplified Marketing Plan that Works!

When I started my first business in 1981, I researched business plans and marketing plans. I looked at all of the formats and read a lot about the purpose of creating a business plan. But I never got enthused enough to do it. When I launched my speaking business in... Read More

The Marketing Funnel: Simple, Effective Marketing Strategy

No matter if you're publishing your first book or producing your first invention, you need a simple, effective marketing strategy. So, hiring a marketing agency to develop and implement that strategy will bring raving fans flocking to stores or your website to buy your incredible offering, right? Well, maybe. Maybe... Read More

How To Start With Absolutely Nothing And Create Wealth online in 30 days or less.

Without a doubt, if you asked me, Shane if there was only 1 marketing strategy that you could use on the Internet, what would it be? Without hesitation I would say joint Ventures. Joint Ventures are easily the most lucrative Marketing Strategy ever invented and if you learn to do... Read More

Build your Trade Show - Virtually

Virtual trade shows are gaining momentum as a way to encourage participation in the event - both live and online. Here are a few ideas to help you expand your trade show - virtually. 1. Provide a map of the show floor that matches the live show. Link each booth... Read More

Behold the Power of the Tip

You are an expert. You have lots of content - even more than you deliver from the presentation platform or in your consulting engagements. But how do you package that content for the web, without giving away the store? One of the most effective methods for delivering your content is... Read More

Want To Impress Customers, Win Clients and Influence People?

Remember the baseball cards kids traded while chewing their way through kilos of noxious bubblegum, all for about a nickle a pack? No? Then ask your Dad. Are you familiar with the latest digital CD Cardz that... Read More

How To Make More Money

The biggest crime in small businesses today goes unnoticed by most outsiders. It is not reported in the media. There are no police reports filed and companies do not even mention it on their websites. People don't talk about it on the street and employees often overlook it. Even though... Read More

Blowing Your Own Horn

Opportunity Assistance Business Resource Center http://www.opportunityassistance.comAt first you must think that with a title as above that this article must be about something other than marketing; however, what this article is about is marketing, specifically affiliate marketing.Affiliate marketing is much more than signing up for a free affiliate... Read More

Marketing Is A Long-Term Investment

"Dig your well before you're thirsty" is the title of a wonderful book by Harvey Mackay. It is smart advice for investing your money, "Save your money before you need it", or growing your business, "Market today for tomorrow".When times are tough some businesses stop marketing. They reason, 'No one... Read More

7 Cheap & Easy Ways To Get Prospects

Here are some quick techniques you can put into place on your web site or in your advertising to gather new prospects. There is practically no cost for most of these strategies yet they have proven to be extremely effective in any number of different venues. Use one, two or... Read More

Are Keywords Destroying the Flow of Your SEO Copy?

With all the shuffling that's been seen in the search engine world within the last year, the issue of obvious optimizing has become a hot button. The current line of thinking is that most engines (especially Google) are on the lookout for sites that purposely make an effort to optimize... Read More

The Power of Thank You

Sometimes we loose site of the small things in life that are incredibly important. As a child growing up in America, most people are taught from a very young age to say Thank You in appreciation of a courtesy extended by someone.Your parents, your teachers in school, your minister or... Read More

Why Your Sales Copy Should Be Written As If It Will Never Be Read At All!

What is enthusiasm?Well, consulting good ol' Mr. Webster, you could stake a claim that enthusiasm is "an absorbing possession of the mind by an interest, study, or pursuit; [an] ardent interest."Isn't that a typical Webster's dictionary for you? It gives you the literal meaning of the word, but fails to... Read More

Explode Your Sales With Free & Exclusive Content

Offering free and exclusive content to ezine publishers and webmasters is one of the best ways you can increase exposure for your products and services. There are several effective methods you can use to employ this marketing tactic and subsequently boost your sales.I personally suggest exploring the following two methods... Read More

Five Tips to Make Your Marketing More Creative

Same old same old just doesn't sell anymore. To make your marketing stand out, you need to get creative. Below are five tips designed to get your creative juices flowing. Some are brainteasers or are what Michael Michalko in "Thinkertoys" calls Linear Thinkertoys. Others fall under intuition or Intuitive... Read More

Three Ways to Put Fresh Spins on Old Marketing Concepts

Are you struggling to find a new twist for old advertising or marketing campaigns? If you're a small business owner or a copywriter/coach/other creative professional, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Having to come up with new ideas for a long-term client (or even... Read More

5 Steps To Help Fail-Proof Your Growing Service Business

Business startup and failure rates are scary...In The USA...- Every Year Over 1 Million People Start A Business- By The End Of The First Year 40% Of Them Will Be Out Of Business- Within 5 Years More Than 80% (800,000) Of These Businesses Will Have Failed(Source: The eMyth Revisited, Michal... Read More

How A Tiny 10 Year Old Girl Can Throw A 20 Stone Man - 3 Key Lessons In The Gentle Art Of Business

Half my immediate family trained in Judo and excelled in competition. I was always fascinated by the way in which my younger brother and sister (who were small for their age) were able to throw much bigger opponents with seemingly little effort.I remember vividly watching a training session where my... Read More

19 Ways To Attract Higher Paying Clients

Some people have little difficulty attracting and maintaining clients who have higher discretionary funds to spend for solutions. Others can't get to first base. If you are one of those and want clients that can pay more and you currently aren't attracting them, here is a list of 10 barriers... Read More

Creating Assets: Spark Your Thinking With These 16 Comprehensive Questions

Here are some questions to get your thoughts and cash flow moving that will also keep your product creating aligned and focused. Find your gold mine in your surroundings by looking at any promotional literature you have created, audio or video tapes you have produced, press releases or articles about... Read More

Knock, knock. Whos There? Your Target Market, Are You Listening?

Have you ever had a conversation with a person who wasn't listening to anything you said? This one-way communication experience is a big turn-off and many times frustrating to cope with at the time. Is this occurring in your marketing? Oops, no one wants to think of their business as... Read More

One-Two-Three Punch Marketing

Printed material is just as important today as it was before the Internet. With sp*a*m getting out of hand, it's a wise choice to rev up, update or create printed material, ads, catalogs, direct mail, press releases, letters, templates and the like. You will notice that I didn't add brochures... Read More

Slogans: Creating and Using Them In Life, Career and Business

Information is coming at us from all directions nowadays. This pace requires us to demand that we receive it fast and predigested in order to inch ahead of the game. This also requires a new filing system method for storing the bites and bytes. In this article, we will go... Read More

The 10 Cornerstone Principles of Marketing

There are four parts to a marketing system and they rest on ten cornerstones. Marketing results are only as powerful as your marketing systems. To build your marketing system you need to be able to do four things: attract, convert, leverage and retain. With these four accomplishments and the practice... Read More

Marketing Worksheet

Even the world's best marketing strategy won't work for you if it's not well-planned, and the best way to do that is to develop a customized work sheet for each client. Here's how to start: First, list each company's top executives, products, and services. Make sure your marketing effort... Read More

The Money Making Secret of The Toll Booth Position

I'm a marketing consultant and at one of my client-companies, acompany that, in less than 10 years, has gone from a $10 millionto a $100 million dollar business one of the people I work withfrequently has jokingly given herself the title, 'Vice President,Back-End.' Although that clearly opens her up to... Read More

A Jack Of All Trades Is Often The Master of None

You've heard variations of that saying your entire life. Consider: a marketer to all markets . . . is often a master ofnone. Personally, I take this risk: as a marketing consultant, I movefrom one market to the next frequently, and I am often involvedin "mass-marketing" - such as with... Read More

Marketing Tips 101 - Where Can I Get Clients From?

The following tips have come from a wide variety of sources; some from other successful businesses we know, some from our Home-Based and Small Business Support Group meetings and some we've developed by trial and error. Some of the ways to get clients are: contact previous employers; mailing lists; cold... Read More

Promote your Business and Products through Submitting Articles to Top Web Sites

Articles submitted to online publishers bring your site new visitors and increase your ezine subscribers. You can also get these benefits by submitting your articles to top Web sites that not only promote your products, but also your services. Here's how to get your articles on Web sites that have... Read More

Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions Five Ways - Part 1

Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written articles do you submit per week to opt-in online ezines? How often do you send thank you's and follow up messages to your different email groups? If you answered not many, then you need to re-evaluate. The answer to online... Read More

How Can I Get Name Recognition?

Some of the ways in which to get your "name out there" are to call your local television and radio stations, and ascertain whether there is a medium you can get your name in. A very good source are public stations that hold auctions, at which you can donate your... Read More

Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions - Part 2

Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written articles do you submit per week to Online ezines? How often do you send thank you's and follow up messages to your different email groups? If you answered not many, then you need to re-evaluate. The answer to online success... Read More

Your 30 Second Commercial

This tip is so simple, that many people we've talked with never bother using it, but it is highly effective. Prepare a 30 second verbal commercial about what your business offers. This should be 50 words or less, and practice saying it until it becomes second nature. End it with... Read More

Marketing Tips- Who Are You Competing With?

Before you can market, you need to know who you are marketing to. Who is your customer? How will you market? Will you cold call, mail, set appointments or employ a walk in approach? Be careful with the walk in approach as many businesses do not permit soliciting. You might... Read More

How To Get New Business

Market, Market and then market some more. So many small and home-business owners do what we call spot marketing. They market hard for their business, get a response then stop marketing. Marketing must be an ongoing process. Let's repeat that...Marketing Must Be An On Going Process. In addition, you... Read More

How to Discover your Primary Market and Where to Find Them

Whether you market online or offline, you already know the shot-gun approach to marketing brings few results. You will sell more products and services when you step back and set up a strategy to reach your targeted market. Approaches That Set you Up to Pull Customer Orders One: Develop... Read More

20 Tricks to Help Get That Envelope Opened

When your envelopes aren't opened, you can't make money! Beforeyou can get an order, the recipient of your mailing package mustfirst open the envelope. Unfortunately, many recipients ofdirect mail simply discard the material without opening theenvelope. Because of the high costs of printing, envelopes, and postage,your mailing package represents a... Read More

Writing Guarantees that Sell

"This offer is good but can you guarantee it."Why write a guarantee for your product or service? It reduces the risk in the eyes of your customers, enough to turn a cynical customer into a convinced customer.So, what makes a good guarantee? Besides the obvious, "I guarantee it," strong guarantees... Read More

Six Ways To Attract New Customers To Your Restaurant

Without new business, your restaurant won't be able to grow. You need a constant stream of new customers to replace those you lose as a result of customers relocating, switching jobs, or changing dining habits. Here are six strategies for getting more customers through your doors. 1. Market Your Restaurant... Read More

Seven Secrets For Building Customer Loyalty In Your Restaurant

Imagine how much your sales and profits would increase if each of your customers come back just one more time a week or a month. You would boost your sales by 50%. Getting your existing customer base to visit more often is easier than you think. This is because, unlike... Read More

Word of Mouth Marketing

'Word of Mouth' is still one of the most effectivemarketing techniques, online or offline.Joe arrives at your website and he likes it. In fact,he'd like to tell Fred about it. It's just the thingFred's been looking for. What if Joe could recommendyour website to Fred by sending him an email... Read More

Free or Not Free ? That is the Question

You may be in business for yourself or as a small company, but no matter what, especially if you just started this business, you need publicity! It's great that your spouse or best friend believes in you. You may even have total strangers tell you what a great idea you... Read More

The Beginners Mail Order Opportunity Guide

The "Mail Order" business is not a business of itself, but isanother way of DOING business. Mail Order is nothing more or lessthan selling a product or service via advertising and the offersyou send out by mail. Therefore, to start and succeed in a mail order business of your own,... Read More

Big Money With Folios

One of the easiest, if not the easiest, ways of getting startedwith a profitable mail order business of your own is through thepromotion and sale of money-making folios or reports. Generally, the beginner purchases a series of thesereports-complete with reproduction rights. He reproduces them inwhatever quantity and as often as... Read More

An Easy Start to Mail Order

Listing names of Big Mail Requestors, and sending out packages ofBig Mail is an easy way to get your start in the business ofselling by mail. There are a number of mail operators pulling in an easy, extrathousand dollars a month, by what you'd hardly call work--doingnothing more than receiving... Read More

Money-Makers Secrets to Renting Profitable Mailing Lists

As an entrepreneur involved in selling and/or promotion ofsomething by Direct Mail, you should already know that mostimportant aspect of your mailing have to do with the sales letteror circular you send out, and the mailing list you use. Withthese thoughts in mind, and assuming you've got what... Read More

How to Start a Big Mail Service

A BIG MAIL SHOULD CONTAIN:At least three to four Mail order Magazines Circulars containingoffers or interest to new mail order dealers. Circulars which theBig Mail Dealer has been to mail. Do you enjoy reading Mail Dealer magazines? Do you enjoy orderingand receiving "Big Mail?" Do you enjoy working with new... Read More

Meaning and Marketing - The Hurricane

I step outside my back door and look at some large limbs lying on the ground. They are all dead. We've had the remnants of Hurricane Frances and Ivan come through here the past ten days. We've had lots of rain with manageable winds. Even so, the storms have done... Read More

When, Why, and How to Use Mailing Lists

Mailing lists may be the cause of more heartbreaks than anyother single factor in mail order. A poorly chosen list, a weakmailing and the high cost of mailing to a list can tax theoptimism of a new dealer very, very quickly. Arm yourself withknowledge before embarking on a course like... Read More

How to Make Profits With a Commission Mailing Business

There are many mailorder publications that will list your nameunder this directory... "Commission Circulars Wanted"... List your name under this classification and dealers will mailbundles of circulars to you with a blank space at the bottom ofthe ad in which you stamp your name. You mail these out... Read More

How to Set Up & Organize Your Customer Mailing List For Optimum Results

Your list of customers who have previously bought from you isyour most important asset. These are the customers who willprovide you with return business, which is more profitable thanthe first sale. But, are you getting the most from your customerlist? There are some secrets you should know, so you can... Read More

Referrals . . .The Secret Weapon

Are you getting referrals from you customers? If not, you are missing a lot of sales. Think about many of the sites you visit on the web. Many of them will ask you to tell your friends, families and others who might be interested about them. For doing so, they... Read More

Meaning and Marketing - The Eye of the Storm

It's 1954. Yes, Mrs. Patricia Smith has been a good teacher today. She has remained on task and kept her Third Grade Pupils in line. But she doesn't have to work too hard at it. She weighs 200 Lbs and if she ever grabs you and shakes you, and you... Read More

The Beginners Mail Order Business Guide

No claim is made that the steps outlined would be successful for someone else. Each individual should obtain whatever professional advice may benecessary for his particular operation. INTRODUCTION The following is designed to provide a check list for new entrants into the mail order field. Each mail order business is... Read More

How To Get To The Top of The Marketing Food Chain

Are you tired of living off handouts from big-name marketers, earning meager affiliate commissions?If you truly want to live and breathe the rarefied air of the super-marketers, what you need is not a change in method, but a change in attitude and mindset.You need to start thinking like a top... Read More

Using Direct Mail

The advantages of using direct mail to promote your home-based or small business are: Selectivity-the ability to send your advertising only to people and organizations who can use and pay for your product or service. Flexibility-the freedom to use either the simplest or the most elaborate presentation, ranging from... Read More

A Forgotten Marketing Tool ? The Postcard

The postcard can be a very powerful marketing tool. Many of our customers and/or students use them in their business. The key is to set up the card to market effectively for you. Concentrate on a specific item or niche.When used correctly a post card can become very powerful marketing... Read More

Modern Marketing With Postcards

Postcards may be one of the best kept secrets of modern marketing. They produce even better results now than in the past. That's probably because postcards deliver information the way people want to get it today ...fast and with little or no effort.Use Postcards to Generate Website Traffic and Sales... Read More

Costly Web Copy Pitfalls

One secret to a site that sells: Look at your site from your customer's perspective. Another secret: Watch out for these common web copy pitfalls.Welcome to?nothingLook at your site's web copy. Does it begin with "Welcome to??" If so, get rid of it. It means nothing. It doesn't speak to... Read More

Five Steps to a Web Site That Sells

I'm always amazed that people would spend months to develop their web site, pay thousands of dollars to have it put together and then... they just let it sit in the cyber space without generating any new leads.Listen, if you hired a sales person for your business and they didn't... Read More

How to Market and Protect Your New Ideas

The intellectual property transfer market is now estimated to be worth over $100 billion. If you have a new idea, a patent or an invention, you may be able to license it or sell it for millions of dollars. Many Fortune 500 companies are now making their intellectual property available... Read More

How Your List Affects Postage Costs

HOW YOUR LIST AFFECTS POSTAGE COSTS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!The quality and accuracy of address information in mailing lists is one of the areas least understood and largely overlooked by most businesses using direct mail. To get an advertising message delivered the address must be correct! Many... Read More

Pre-Cleaning and Updating Addresses in Your Database

When you send a direct mail piece using the Addressed Admail reduced postage option, it can cost you anywhere from 60 cents to $1.25 or more for printing, mail production and postage. Items that cannot be delivered will be "recycled" by Canada Post resulting in your money going down the... Read More

Practical Advice to Generate Successful Campaigns Using Merged Lists

You could end up with poor results when designing a direct mail campaign that combines your inhouse list with one or more rented lists. Merging lists generates a set of conditions that you may not have thought about at the conception stage. It is better to face the challenges before... Read More

Write Better Web Content

If you're reading this article, chances are that you, like most professionals these days, understand the value of the Internet. It may be where you go to buy movie or concert tickets, browse restaurant menus, or plan your vacations. Most likely, you also turn to the Web to research business... Read More

Refresh Your Web Site

So you have a Web site. And so does most every business these days. But what you really need is a way to set your business apart from the competition, an online presence that will keep clients and prospects coming back again and again.As usual, outstanding content may be your... Read More

The Magic of Keep-in-Touch Marketing

Yesterday I received a phone call from an acquaintance that I've met once or twice but haven't seen in over a year. She wanted to let me know that she was referring me to a client of hers who needed help with his Web site copy. Although I hadn't thought... Read More

Why Direct Mail Advertising Works And How To Lower Your Costs

I met a lady who said she received a notice in the mail from a company offering plaques of various animals. She knew her daughter would love them as a gift and ordered them. This lady said, "I don't know how they got my name but I sure am pleased... Read More

Top Four Marketing Secrets of Building a Professional Practice

Building a coaching or consulting practice can be rewarding and lucrative. Sadly, many who get started on this path simply can't make it. Almost daily I talk to people who give up on their dream of "solopreneurship" and, resentfully, join the ranks of job seekers.What disturbs me the most is... Read More

Top Five Tips For Designing Marketing Strategies That Get Results

"But this won't work" said Steve. "I've tried it in the past and had no response." Does this sound familiar? My newer clients often resist implementing certain strategies based on past experiences. However, I usually find out that it wasn't the strategy itself ? but how it was implemented that... Read More

Planning Your Postcard Marketing Campaign

Before you create your postcard, do a little planning. Ask yourself:1. Why are you doing this card mailing? Do you want to get new clients? Or do you want to stay in touch with existing clients?2. To whom are you going to be mailing these cards? Which begs another question:... Read More

When Designing Postcards, Aim for Refrigerator Door Mindshare

If you want to design effective marketing postcards, then aim for "Refrigerator Door Mindshare." By this, I mean that you should create a card that someone would be proud to display on his or her refrigerator door.The image on the front of your postcard should be simple, but attractive. I?ve... Read More

Getting Ideas for Your Postcards

If you're going to do postcard marketing on an ongoing basis, it's a good idea to have a collection of cards to inspire you. In advertising and marketing circles, this is called a "swipe file."How do you start a swipe file? By watching your mail! Save all the postcards that... Read More

People Do Business with People They Like

People do business with people they know and like! In my networking classes I have been saying this for six years. Can't say I was the originator of it, yet it appears people are catching on. Finally, people are referring to this... Read More

Shopping Comes Back To The Community

THE GREAT BRITISH TRADITION OF STREET MARKETS IS UPHELD AT STREETTRADERSUNITED.COMHammer Force Ltd, a Croydon-based online service provider offers people who enjoy an alternative to impersonal shopping malls a chance to access a site which lists more than 708 UK markets, arranged by region in an easy-to-use format.StreetTradersUnited... Read More

Four Super-Deadly Marketing Sins - And How To Fix Them

It seems nowadays every marketing guru and their brother-in-law has a "deadly sins and how to fix them" book, ebook or at least an article! But apparently nobody is reading this stuff! How do I know? Because nine out of every ten businesses continue making the same marketing goof-ups. The... Read More

11 Rock Solid Techniques For Generating Product Ideas Anytime Anywhere!

Whatever business you are in, either online or offline, you've got to constantly generate business/product ideas.If you've ever wondered how on earth those big corporations and companies generate wonderful and irresistible products plus powerful and revolutionary ideas, here are the 11 basic principle behind it all and the greatest of... Read More

Ten Crucial Questions

Ten Crucial Questions for Your Business Future I'm a business coach. I've worked with hundreds of small, medium and very large business, and over the course of the past eleven years, I've asked my business coaching clients endless questions which have helped them achieve much greater levels of... Read More

Why Cutting Prices Is Like Cutting Your Own Throat

Why cutting your prices is like cutting your own throat. It's the oldest sales tactic in the world? And one of the worst? Price cutting. Before you make your next price cut in... Read More

Thinking About More Business

What does an old Russian joke have to do with getting new business? Did you increase your business in the past 12 months? Don't discriminate between more new clients or old clients spending more money--count the increase either way. If you didn't, you really should be... Read More

Marking Your Territory

We all know the familiar adage "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck..." it's nearly always a duck. The same is true with image, particularly when it comes to the images we portray of ourselves as writers. My e-book "Articles That Sell", teaches the how-to's of... Read More

Using Flyers In Your Business

If you are not using flyers in your business you are missing out. Flyers can be used to sell your product, promote your product, promote your services, and in a number of other areas. Our lease purchasing students learn very quickly the importance of using flyers. Flyers, however, are... Read More

10 Ways to Get Your Flyers Noticed

An inexpensive way to promote your services is to createvarious flyers and distribute them wherever you go -- pinthem to the bulletin boards at the library, bookstore,handout out at networking events, or playing tennis. Hereare 10 tips on how to get your flyer noticed and remembered. 1. Include your picture.... Read More

Mail Orders Most Common Mistakes

THE GREAT MAIL ORDER MYTH There are a number of totally unrealistic beliefs about the mail order business. To belive in any of them can be dangerous to your pocketbook. Here are some of the most common ones: 1. It is possible to make vast amounts of money in a... Read More

How to Create a Countdown Marketing Calendar

Just like there are reverse dictionaries, there is a reason to create a count down calendar. A count down calendar starts with Franklin Covey's philosophy, "start with the end in mind." The biggest advantage to a countdown calendar is that it makes you think and focus harder as well as... Read More

A Good Marketer: What?s the Measurement?

As a business owner, you know how valuable being good at marketing is. Yet, I have found working with business owners for the past 20 plus years that 99.9% of them have never defined what a good marketer is -- what it means in their terms. Let's take a moment... Read More

Features and Benefits Brainstorming

This is it what I use BEFORE I begin to write any marketing copy or launch any new product or service. You can complete this with the by-hand method listed here or use the form that I've created (available in the FORMS section of our web site, http://www.abundancecenter.com/forms/main.htm).... Read More

Renting Your Mailing Lists to Others

RESOLVING THE "PROPRIETARY" DILEMMA... SHOULD YOU RENT YOUR OWN MAILING LIST TO OTHER BUSINESSES ? Mail order dealers are always looking for more people to send their offers to. You'll find this out in your own business. Besides sending your offers out to people who answer your ad, you can... Read More

Marketing Lessons from Santa

If a nonexistent man can change the world and millions of people with a message of joy then his marketing plan surely works. Right? Then what has Santa been doing right all these years that we can learn from? Santa's message is short--joy. His target market-- children and the young... Read More

Keeping Your Mailing List Clean and Efficient

Your mailing list retains its value best if it is kept clean and efficient. This report will first talk about why you should maintain your list in this manner. Then, the procedures you can follow to update both the mailing and database information associated with the names on... Read More

Insiders Secret to Selling Mailing Lists

If you've got a mailing list of at least a thousand names or more, you're sitting on a gold mine. All it takes is for you to get the word out that you've got a mailing list for rent, at a competitive price, and you should be home free!First of... Read More

Creating And Maintaining A Mailing List

Starting to collect proper information to create a mailing list is not difficult, once you know how to proceed. In this report, uses for mailing lists are briefly described. The first steps in identifying the names that might be included on your mailing list are also outlined. Finally,... Read More

Benefits of Developing & Maintaining a Database

A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additional information, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.In this report, you'll see some examples of the... Read More

10 Important Steps to Mail Order Success

There are a number of difficulties a beginning entrepreneur may encounter that can "torpedo" his business almost before he knows it. But the wise mail order dealer can sidestep some of the pitfalls of operating his own business by recognizing and avoiding the following common mistakes. 1. Figuring that the... Read More

Marketing Strategy and Template for Independent Professionals

Having a marketing strategy and marketing approach is very important. Thus, instead of recreating the wheel, here is a short, sweet, easy-to-understand marketing strategy template to help you place your ducks are in a row in designing your marketing strategy. MARKETING STRATEGY FOR INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONALS ...coaches, consultants, accountants, lawyers...... Read More

Stop Your Marketing Leaks

Thirty percent of all the drinkable water that runs between the plant and your faucet is lost to leaky pipes. In marketing, thirty percent of our business is lost to leaky follow up. Even professional sales people have leaky follow up when they stop after one or two contact points.... Read More

21 Ways To Expand Your Subscriber List

Expanding your subscriber list, whether it be for your ezine, newsletter -- printed or electronic -- takes persistence, and commitment. Not to mention time and letting go of the frustruation of it all. Marketing Master, Catherine Franz, is sharing with you twenty- one methods, strategies, and ideas all located... Read More

Ten Amazing Ways To Increase Attraction at a Trade Show

These ideas are for anyone that has a small budget to work with or is just starting to expand into exhibiting at trade shows. You can even use these tips and techniques whenever you are speaking or presenting -- at Toastmasters, delivering workshops -- or even eLearning activities. ... Read More

Three Alternative Methods On Getting Quality Testimonials with Bonus

Here are three alternatives to increase your testimonial numbers or their quality. Create an online diary or blog, use an auto responder method, set up a form on your web site or set up a survey. 1 -- Set up an Online Diary Usually an online diary is a fun... Read More

When You Need More Than Magic To Keep Your Marketing Going

It is easy to focus on what remains outstanding and not seewhat you have accomplished or how you have grown over thepast year. Even marketing experts have difficulty nailingdown time to market. I too fritter away time at trivialtasks like organizing paper clips, shuffling paper from onestack to another, updating... Read More

How To Achieve Success With Your Own Money Making Newsletter

Writing and publishing a successful newsletter is perhaps the most competitive of all the different areas of mail order and direct marketing. You can still publish newsletter through regular mail. With Internet's help, you can publish your newsletter online. You can reach hundreds of subcribers without costing any postage -... Read More

Why Your Business Need a Website

Web Presence gives your business a distince edge over your competitors, especially when you want to expand your current customer base. For exmaple, if Jane wants to find a real estate agent but she does not know who is the best in her area. Then she goes to the yellow... Read More

What Is Multi-Level And How Should It Be Worked

Multi-level marketing is really a partnership. You go into business with someone that has the same interests and goals you have. You make a commitment to each other. You work with the same people. Working multi-level marketing correctly not only makes success easier, it eliminates many problems. The hardest... Read More

The Bare-Bones Basics Of Multi-Level Marketing

Multi-level marketing is the biggest growth industry in the 1980's. It is the industry that has made corporate giants of Amway, Shaklee, Mary Kay and Herbalife. It has been termed as the last true rags-to-riches opportunity left in North America, and its ability to bring enormous incomes to almost anyone... Read More

Smart Ways To Rocket Launch Your Profits

If you really want to pull more profits from your business, you really need take some of the actions listed here. 1. Advertise your web site with banner ads that are animated and include a call to action. You must grab people's attention and make them to click. 2.... Read More

The 30 Incredible Ways To Sell Your Products Now and Sell More

How to sell more and sell quickly online for your products and service? Here is the long list for your reference. 1. Turn your ad copy into a story or article. Your visitors won't be as hesitant to read your ad and will become more interested in your product.... Read More

How to Booste Your Profit Quickly

There are so many competitions by running business. So you must do something in a smart way. Check this list to see which ones you can use in order to pull more profits from your business. 1. Gain an advantage over your competition. You should find one benefit your competition... Read More

Build A Successful Business By Staying Connected

Over the course of your business life you'll come in contact with a number of other business people. They could be lawyers, business services, suppliers, customers, etc. These people are important to your business in more ways than one. If you hired them or they bought your product or service,... Read More

Meaning and Marketing -- The Links

You know who you are and what you want and what it means or will mean for you to be FULLY ALIVE and you also know that you can change it it -- your definitions. If you don't, you will. Just get on the road. That's all you have to... Read More

The Value of a Customer

The Driver of All Marketing EffortsYou need to determine what the value of a customer is to your company. Answer the following questions:How much will the average customer spend with you per year?A = _____________If you provide quality service and products, how many years can you expect to keep a... Read More

Freebie Seekers? Turn Them Into Clients and Referrers - or Turn them Far, Far Away

Many service business owners these days are "giving away" their business services ? and then wonder why people aren't hiring them in droves. In the name of "marketing," business owners are providing way too much information for free. Some shifts in thinking are necessary if these business owners expect to... Read More

The Advantage to Buying Promotional Products Online

Buying your promotional products and corporate apparel online provides five major advantages: a greater selection, better pricing, convenience, customer service, and faster ordering time.Manufacturers often display their entire line of products on the internet, providing you with a greater selection of products. With all of these manufacturers online, you gain... Read More

Why Great Companies Survey: Martian Logic!

If an alien civilization from Mars was planning a friendly takeover of our planet they would seek to make sure they understood our way of life and our way of thought.The only way they could accomplish their objective would be by asking questions which they could genuinely understand and then... Read More

Business In 2010: A New Face of Marketing

The term "internet marketing" was virtually non-existent a short 8 years ago, now it is a growing phenomenon that is raking millions every year. Because of this expanding industry, the internet landscape it changing. Where are the changes going to be? I fully expect a growth in interactive end-user experiences... Read More

Do You Have This Important Tool in Your Marketing Arsenal?

Many business owners do not understand the authenticity and validation that a simple toll-free number adds to their business presence.It is particularly important that any business owner whose market is not exclusively local consider beefing up the image of the business with a toll-free number. Even for a business whose... Read More

Meaning and Marketing - The Trigger

In previous articles under "Meaning and Marketing", we have learned about the verb "To Be" and that the name of God is I AM.Stephen Hawkings, the world's greatest mathematician, and author of several books on science and the Universe, was more or less a bum during his university years in... Read More

The Biggest Needle In The Haystack

Hello everyone! Have you ever been curious about something, and wanted to learn about it? If you're like me, I am a pretty curious fellow, I really like to learn.Where is the best place to start finding the information you are looking for? My choice for information gathering is the... Read More

Hello, My Name Is . . . What Your Name Tag Says About You

When you attend networking functions, what kind of name tag do you wear? One of those sticky things you scrawled your name on, or something a bit more sophisticated? For just a few cents to a few dollars, you can have a classy, customized name tag that will draw attention... Read More

My Product is Obviously Better ? Why isn?t it Selling?

The movie, "Field of Dreams" opens with a farmer standing in a cornfield. He hears a disembodied voice saying, "If you build it, he will come"?by the end of the movie the mantra has changed to "If you build it, they will come".The movie takes a religious theme and applies... Read More

Easy Marketing Methods with Letters, Post Cards, Referrals and Testimonials

Easy Direct Marketing Methods for Insurance AgenciesThis Month: Strategies for Letters, Post Cards, Newsletters, Testimonials, Referrals.Selling insurance is tough: too many agents selling too few clients, and ouch - trying to show value when all you are selling is a piece of paper that no one really thinks he needs?... Read More

Sponsorship: A Key to Powerful Marketing

Sponsorship is the fastest growing form of marketing in the U.S. It is still very much in its infancy, especially in the trade show arena. With this in mind, you can find unlimited opportunities to broaden your competitive advantage by increasing your credibility, image and prestige in sponsoring events attracting... Read More

Promotional Products

As a promotions director for a lot of super markets, one of my key responsibilities was finding promotional products for the events we make. I worked with distributors to order, design and customize these items to promote the super markets image to the general public.When it comes to finding Promotional... Read More

Every Days a Holiday!

You probably know that February 2nd is Groundhog Day. But did you know that it is also Kiwi Fruit Day, Laugh and Grow Rich Day, and Bonza Bottler Day(tm)? Each of these holidays was created by someone who wanted to commemorate or promote something. FYI-Bonza Bottler Day occurs each month... Read More

How to Save Thousands on Your Marketing

Marketing can be expensive. It doesn't have to be, but sometimes you will spend more than you should. Usually you'll realise this after you've done it. But here are two tips that can save you thousands of dollars.1- Make sure you really understand your market and your distribution channels.Sounds simple,... Read More

Developing a Contact List- Part One

One of the most essential things to successful networking is your Contact List. When you start a business, developing one is the first step in promoting and marketing your company. As you write your business plan, it is helpful to make this list to start to develop an idea of... Read More

15-Minute Marketing: Lots of Results in Little Time

Do you think you don't have enough time to market? Here's a solution that can help you get started on marketing, or any other task you've been putting off.Promise yourself you will spend 15 uninterrupted minutes working on one aspect of marketing. Edit the copy for your brochure. Update your... Read More

Making Networking Work

Several years ago, "networking" was the hot buzzword. Everyone was talking about building their network, because this was the secret to becoming incredibly successful. Well, yes, networking is a great way to build a business, but not necessarily the way a lot of people went about it.Networking is still one... Read More

5 Ways to Give Your Web Site a Big-Company Look and Feel

We all DO judge a book by its cover, and the same saying goes for Web sites. I've seen many entrepreneurs offer great information on their Web pages, but compromise their image dramatically with a few amateur mistakes that can be VERY unforgiving.If you want to attract high quality clients... Read More

7 Marketing Lessons I Learned From the Muscleheads at Golds Gym

Can I share a secret with you?I love working out. So much that several years ago I considered a career in fitness. I modeled for Reebok and Ironman magazine, made it to the final round for hosting a fitness TV show, and I moonlit as an aerobics instructor and personal... Read More

Avoid These 5 Web Site Blunders!

The Web is intended to help people find information quickly and easily. So why do so many sites make it difficult for users to get what they need? While neat design can add impact to your message, make sure the message itself doesn't get lost in the mix.As president of... Read More

Have You Captured Me Today?

There are many Web sites I visit every day and will probably never return to again. It's not that I didn't like the site, or that I wasn't interested in the topic, services, or products offered. It's just that I wasn't ready to take action right now. So I clicked... Read More

Make Your E-Mail Signature File WORK for You!

You're probably familiar with e-mail signature (or "sig") files - they're the few lines of contact information that many of us put at the bottom of every e-mail we send. Most e-mail software programs allow you to create and use sig files - even the newer versions of AOL.I've heard... Read More

What You MUST Understand About Your Web Numbers

Two years ago, when I first started selling online, I focused on doing what I did best: generating useful content that people would want to pay for. But I quickly learned that selling a product online required me to have to learn about ......my Web statistics."Yuck! Why should I have... Read More

Why You Dont NEED a Marketing Plan

If you pick up a copy of the November 2003 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, you'll see my Web site listed on page 10, along with a good amount of promotional copy.How did I get featured in a major, national magazine?Do I have a great PR person? Did I know someone... Read More

10 Awesome Ways To Attract More Orders

1. Create a free ebook directory on a specific topic at your web site. People will visit your web site to read the free ebooks and may see your product ad.2. Turn part of your web site into a members only web site. Instead of charging for access, use it... Read More

Customers Are Like Vampires

No, customers aren't bloodsuckers (well, maybe a few are!) and they don't come out only at night. According to legend, vampires don't come in until they are invited. And that's true of customers, too.You may think you've invited your customers. After all, you put up signs identifying your store, got... Read More

Developing a Contact List- Part Two

In a previous installment, we spoke about how to come up with a list of persons you currently know. Although everyone on that list will not necessarily become your client, everyone can lead you to clients. In this section, we will talk about how to get referrals from all of... Read More

Using a Contact List Profitably Part One

In previous articles, we discussed the generation of a contact list. This time, we look at one idea on what to do with that list once you have it.The SurveyYour contact list can be used as a great source of information, especially about the importance and need of specific products... Read More

Using a Contact List Profitably- Part Two

Besides a survey, your contact list can be used to generate sales directly. Some of the following ideas must be done one-on-one and others can be done to large quantities of prospects at a time. They all have varying levels of effectiveness. A general rule of thumb is:The more personal... Read More

Choosing Networking Functions

Time is a concern for all of us. We only have so much of it to give to our work, and then some to our families, our churches and some to ourselves. In today's business climate it is essential to spent our time wisely to maximize our productivity and satisfaction... Read More

How Would You Handle This?

We have been talking about choosing groups to participate in that meet your needs and goals as a business professional. Once the decision is made on which groups to belong to, then a certain level of participation is required in order to achieve the individual goals set by the business... Read More

10 Effective Ice Breaking Questions

Whether you go to a Chamber of Commerce event, a PTA meeting, the racquetball court, the local health club, or practically anywhere else, opportunities to network present themselves constantly. But there are fears which present themselves as well. For example, we ask ourselves if we are in a situation where... Read More

How Can I Break Into Cliques?

Have you ever gone to a networking function and seen THE person who you feel could help you most there, except that person is surrounded by people ALL the time? Have you ever tried to enter into a conversation with that circle of people, only to have gotten the feeling... Read More

So What Do You Do?

Once you have the attention of a business prospect, at some point in the conversation, the prospect will ask you, "So what do you do?". In most cases, you will only have 60 seconds, to catch the interest of the prospect. Therefore, your response to this questions needs to be... Read More

Networking the Media

The media is a business's absolute best friend. It is THE source of information distribution to the masses. Even "bad" press has been known to stimulate business.The media is a "business" just like any other business. It has a "product" (air space, print space or television space) and therefore must... Read More

Networking Events ? Lose the Fear and Gain the Benefits

"Kevin, are you saying I need to go to Networking events? I hope not because I hate them."No, of course you don't have to go to them. You could stay home or sit in your office. But if you choose to not go, you won't have the chance to learn... Read More

Marketing to Success on a ZERO Budget

TOP 10 TIPS TO GET YOU MARKETING TO SUCCESS ON ZERO DOLLARS!I come across so many people that absolutely freak out when they think about having to market their business. Heaps of questions come up like, 'Where do I start?', 'I hate selling', 'How do I market my business when... Read More

Four Keys For Successful Foundation and Corporate Fundraising

Earlier in my career, I worked for a training and technical assistance service provider with significant revenue from foundations and corporations. What was the key to success? It was targeted fundraising based on the needs of the donors.Unfortunately, many organizations take another approach. They send a shower of requests hoping... Read More

Creating a Marketing Plan for Your Website

Have you created a marketing plan for your Website? If not, it is time to think about developing one. An Internet marketing plan helps you make the right day-to-day and long term decisions. Without a marketing plan, it is more likely your Website will be a drain on finances rather... Read More

Brainstorming Techniques as New Product Development Strategies

When developing new products and strategies, coming up with unique ideas is often a struggle. It is one of the reasons why, in any industry, there is so much repetition. One way to generate new ideas and "get the creative juices flowing" is by completing brainstorming exercises using props. There... Read More

10 Tips to Grow Your Business Plain & Simple

"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value." Albert EinsteinRecently I heard a statistic that the majority of businesses operate at 60% of their potential. While I was unable to obtain the source of that statistic it seemed rather accurate or maybe... Read More

Identifying, Creating and Using Your USP?

What's your USP? Don't know, or worse still, you've never heard of it.USP is an acronym for Unique Selling Proposition. It's vital for every business to identify its inherent USP or if it can't identify it, to create it.If yours is a firm that sells gold coated widgets and there... Read More

Two kinds of Advertising for a Marketing Strategy

Advertising is the lifeblood of any business. If you do not learn how to advertise your products and services both efficiently and effectively, you won't be in business long. While the Internet has lessened or eliminated many of the costs normally associated with starting and running a small business, and... Read More

SWOT Analysis -- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

When conducting strategic planning for any company -- online and/or offline -- it is useful to complete an analysis that takes into account not only your own business, but your competitors' activities and current industry happenings as well. A SWOT is one such analysis.Completing a SWOT analysis helps you identify... Read More

5 Steps for Developing a Marketing Tag Line for Your Product, Business, or Website

A marketing tag line is the one or two line descriptor that often comes after a product logo or company name. It is one of those things that looks simple but isn't. Large companies pay advertising agencies a lot of money to develop tag lines for their companies and brands.Many... Read More

Todays Definition of Marketing. Has It Changed?

With the continued proliferation of the Internet, the meaning of the word "marketing" also seems to proliferate. Cyberspace has opened up a whole arena of new marketing technologies, techniques, and twists. Amidst the online exuberance, it seems each online marketer or salesperson changes the definition of marketing to suit his... Read More

What to Include in Your Marketing Plan Write-Up

For those new to marketing planning, the thought of completing a plan from start to finish may feel daunting. It need not. The level of detail you choose to include in your marketing plan will depend on your resources and situation. If you have extremely limited manpower or other resources,... Read More

Guide to a Profitable Marketing Mix

You may have heard the term Marketing Mix used in connection with marketing planning.Marketing Mix means the combination of promotions, products, places (distribution channels), and prices you chose for your business. Including both short term and long term strategies in the marketing mix can make for a more profitable business.Long... Read More

Let Your Survey Write Your Business Plan

Most entrepreneurs first write their business plan and then develop their services or products. This causes them to generate and fulfill a marketing plan that requires them to swim upstream using the backstroke. To save the stress, consider placing the business plan on hold until first completing a few customer... Read More

The 4 P s of Marketing: Effective Marketing Programs Depend On Them

There is no shortage of marketing programs, many with great profit potential. The challenge is to sift through and choose the ones that are right for your situation -- the ones that have the greatest potential to grow your business.A key to knowing which marketing programs to choose involves thoroughly... Read More

How to Add Warmth, Color & Texture to Your Advertisements

"?A powerful agent is the right word?" --Mark TwainAnd what true words those are! Your marketing efforts have the ability to succeed?or to fail?based on the words you choose to represent your products, services, and yourself in your ads.You have the ability to choose any words you desire. The problem... Read More

Marketing Success Defined

How do you personally define success? High income? Substantial net worth? A fine home? Peer recognition?On a personal basis, there are likely almost as many definitions of success as there are people in the world.In marketing, though, there are just four measurable elements of success:Profitability, Market Share, Customer Satisfaction and... Read More

Marketing For Just Cause

Cause marketing is a relationship between a for-profit and a nonprofit that brings in money and resources for the nonprofit, while providing credibility and goodwill for the business.According to the IEG Sponsorship Report, this category grew to $733 million in the US in 2001. There are a number of reasons... Read More

Create a Blueprint for Your Success

Having a strong foundation enables you to build a thriving, profitable life and business. A simple method to create this foundation is with Discovery, Vision, Planning and Benchmarking, the four cornerstones of your life as well as your business.Discovery is defined as examining where are you now and where are... Read More

Network Your Way to Success- 12 Tips to Jumpstart Your Business

Lots of people network but few reap the rewards of zeroing in on their potential when it comes to networking. Here are some tips to help fill the gap between where you are now and where you can be.1- Be Generous- Give without expectations and you will be surprised at... Read More

Real Estate Investing - Writing Killer Postcards to Attract Motivated Sellers!

So many of you have been telling us that you're ready to get started investing, but "you can't find any deals! and what are the steps and secrets to finding great deals?" Some of you have even written asking us if there still ARE any deals left? OF COURSE there... Read More

URL Everywhere? Offline Marketing For Online Success

Your URL (www) should be everywhere and more.I know many of you are going to think this is common sense, but how many of these are you using? Your web address should be on every piece of anything your business does, period.Your customers can come from anywhere, at anytime. Yep,... Read More

CD ROM Business Cards - Offline Marketing For Online Promotion

It's a great concept, - and it has a 'cool factor' of 300%!Many people will pop these into their drive just because of image appeal alone. What's really neat is when one is so well done, so informative, so interactive, that everybody wants one.This type of viral marketing can be... Read More

Competitive Research and Google

It all started out with an email message: "I am starting a new one of a kind company ... at least I think I'm one of a kind ... how do I find out who else out there might have beat me to the punch? And how do I build... Read More

T.E.A.M Profit

As you network and meet other business owners, keep this philosophy in mind: "Together Everyone Achieves More Profit"Remember this when you meet someone with a business that serves your target market. Think about how each of you can work together to achieve more and grow your businesses.The following case study... Read More

Flesh Eating Spiders And Other Marketing Horrors

After a friend was bitten by a spider, I decided to do some research to find out more about the spider.I came across a website that decided to create a marketing message that focused on fear based selling and over the top lies.To emphasize the fear based factor, the website... Read More

How To Go From Under Dog to Top Dog by Unleashing The Power Of a Postcard

The Tale of Two Dentists...Dr. Namel and Dr. Ivory are two Dentists located across the street from each other in a high traffic area that is surrounded by affluent neighborhoods.Both Dentists were certain that having the right location would mean automatic success for their businesses. To their dismay, patients were... Read More

Cook Up Something Special: How To Create A WOW Experience For Your Clients

My niece recently graduated from high school, and my family spent the entire morning, evening, and night celebrating this wonderful once in a lifetime event with her.Our final celebration was dinner at a restaurant chosen by my niece. Since this was our first time at this restaurant, we didn't know... Read More

Resume Writing Service Marketing

Marketing A Resume BusinessWhen starting a resume business, your marketing campaign is the most important aspect of your business plan. Without clients being able to find your services, you will not have orders! We suggest starting out with local advertising. Get one-line ads in your local newspapers, colleges, unemployment offices,... Read More

Top Web Site Blunders by Coaches, Consultants and Experts

Of all the web sites belonging to coaches, consultants and experts that I have reviewed, more than three-quarters shared a very serious marketing blunder: Their potential clients wouldn't understand from their home page precisely what they do. Jargon gets in the way.Many specialists believe that they need jargon to communicate... Read More

How to Handle Jargon at Your Web Site - and Why

If you sell a technical product or service, you probably know you have jargon at your web site - specialized terminology that the average person doesn't understand. While jargon does help you communicate precisely with peers, it seriously gets in the way if potential and actual customers aren't as conversant... Read More

Learn How to Market Your eBusiness in Real Time: Dissect, Study, Emulate

Everything you will ever need to know about internet marketing is plainly available to you everywhere you go on the internet. All you need to do is dissect, study, and emulate these methods and you invariably will become just as successful as the people who created them.How do I know... Read More

How To Perfect Your Marketing Message!

When it comes to your marketing message, the little things count. Trouble is, you'll never come to respect how much, until you make a commitment to science.Let me ask you something. Do you practice Kaizen?Kai what?Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning gradual and orderly, continuous improvement. Sound like you?Or do... Read More

What Are People Buying Online?

Benefits, that's what!Whether you're selling in print or in person, it's a universal truth.And success in both worlds requires a counterintuitive approach.Allow me to explain.As human beings, we are all pre programmed from birth to behave in certain ways. And one of the strongest things that drive us is an... Read More

Networking: The Cost of a Connection

"Networking is a waste of time," said JoAnne, owner of a busy print shop. "Besides, I advertise in the daily paper.""Wow, that must be expensive," I exclaimed. "Are you getting results from that investment?""I sure hope so! My advertising budget is about $475 a month but I've never really tracked... Read More

Whats In It For Me?

Sometimes, one of the most difficult things to teach beginning sales professionals is the difference between features and benefits. All too frequently, sales people list their product or service features, without articulating how those features will ultimately benefit that prospect or customer. Unfortunately, your prospects or customers are not always... Read More

Survival Strategies

1. Do the moneymaking things first.For an entrepreneur, generating income is the most important job. Without income, your business will cease to exist.2. Develop a sales and marketing plan.What are you selling? Who is going to buy it? Where and how will you find them? Establish your sales goals, and... Read More

13 Lessons in Marketing, Super Bowl Style

Each year, the Super Bowl provides marketers opportunity to study and learn from the games' advertisers, players, and coordinators. Super Bowl XXXVI (February, 2002) was no exception. Foremost, of course, was The Game's appropriately patriotic theme. America's mettle and proud heritage were showcased to the world through this year's red,... Read More

Marketing Apathy Solutions: 10 Solutions for Overcoming Apathy Beginning Today

Are you suffering from feelings of indifference or a lack of concern when it comes to marketing your business? Do you lack the passion that's necessary to attract customers to your business?Marketing apathy, characterized by feelings of passiveness, disregard, and a lack of interest is widespread among today's businesses. This... Read More

Forward Thinkers Stay Ahead of the Curve

What is it like from a marketing perspective to be yesterday's news? We rely on what is tried and true in marketing because it is usually safe, tried, and tested. It saves us time, as well, since we don't have to put on our creativity cap to craft an innovative... Read More

Burnout

Today I want to share a question from a reader who writes:How do I keep from being burned out while cold calling? My job is to call current customers and also call new business prospects. I have a quota of 60?80 calls to make per day, but it seems as... Read More

Happy Hunting!

Before you ever get on the telephone, send a marketing piece or set up an appointment with a potential customer, you must first identify whom that customer might be. To do that, you will need to create an "ideal customer profile"-a profile of who would be the best possible prospect... Read More

Assumption Based Marketing Vs. Fact Based Marketing

One of the most common mistakes in marketing is making decisions based on assumptions rather than fact. You think of an idea for a marketing piece and believe that it is a great idea.You start using the idea with no tracking mechanism that would allow you to measure the results... Read More

How to Turn a Marketing Calendar into Marketing Success!

Do you have a list of marketing ideas that you'd like to implement, but just never seem to get around to actually doing some of them? Who has the time?Creating a marketing calendar is the only way to make sure you stick to your plans. Take it seriously ? don't... Read More

Your Elevator Speech ? Have You Updated Yours Recently?

Do you have an elevator speech? Does it get people's attention? Do they ask you lots of questions when you tell them what you do?Every great elevator speech needs to answer these key questions:1. Who am I? (introduce yourself)2. What business am I in?3. What group of people do I... Read More

Fundraising: How To Avoid Three Common Mistakes

I'm a board member of a local nonprofit and we are about to launch our annual campaign. Like other nonprofits in our community, we are facing a very competitive funding environment. There are more agencies seeking more money from more sophisticated donors.It's enough to make you run for cover.The reality... Read More

Marketing and Advertising Techniques of Super Bowl Advertisers

Each year, advertisers with super sized budgets sink millions of dollars into Super Bowl advertising. While most of us do not have a large enough budget to advertise on the Super Bowl, the commercials -- both past and present -- demonstrate several marketing techniques we can apply elsewhere.Here are some... Read More

A Tool For Selling New Ideas!

Imagine tossing a pebble into a crystal clear pond on a still day, & watching the ripples make their way to the shore. A tiny cause has a massive effect.But on a windswept stormy day, you could hurl the largest boulder into the same pool, and the effect would be... Read More

Maximize Your Lead Generation Efforts by Recycling Your Leads

The basic lead generation process is pretty much the same from company to company. Inquiries come in?they're qualified?and then sent to the sales team. Some turn into customers. Some don't.Which means that, over time, every organization ends up with a pile of prospects that either disengaged during the sales cycle... Read More

8 Lessons in Strategic Marketing A La Daddy Daycare

I bet you thought the movie "Daddy Daycare" was a kiddie comedy, right? Wrong...It's a marketing strategy film! When Charlie and his friend Phil are fired as Product Development/Brand Managers for a cereal company, they decide to fill a need in their community.Along the way to success they demonstrate several... Read More

Create Your Own Rumors

A consultant new in the city asked me how I managed to get business so fast. Working for that marketing company definitely gave me a jump start. That's because I already knew about press releases. Only in business a few months and I already had been in two of the... Read More

Grow Your Business By Getting Your Customers Buying From You More Often - 35 Ideas

35 Ideas to Spark Your Creativity:There are 3 ways to grow any business. Just 3:- Get more customers- Get more from each sale- Sell to each customer more frequently.That's it - everything else boils down to some variation of these 3 activities.Most owners and managers want to grow their business.... Read More

Marketing Strategy 101: 10 Marketing Strategies I Learnt From My Oral Surgeon

This is how the conversation went on my follow-up visit to the oral surgeon, 10 days after he removed 2 lower wisdom teeth."Go down the hallway, enter the second door on the right and take a seat in the dentist's chair," said the receptionist after calling my name out to... Read More

Marketing Strategy - Spell Out Your Unique Value

I attended a "Sales Focus" seminar a few years back in which the speaker asked this key question. "Why, based on all the competitive alternatives available to me, would I want to buy from you?" What a great question.Most of the participants in the room couldn't come up with anything... Read More

Marketing Strategy - Shift the Focus

Most of the service providers I've worked for or with don't like marketing or selling. In fact, a lot of them will say they "hate it." At the very least, they'll tell me they don't think they are very good at it.If you ask them why it is they feel... Read More

Marketing Planning - Preparation and Accountability

We all know the saying, "Failing to plan (prepare) is planning (preparing) to fail." I truly believe in this statement and I hope you do as well. Building your service business, including marketing it must be planned and does take work.I don't happen to believe that there really are magic... Read More

Marketing Strategy - Whats Your System?

Where Do Most of Your Clients Come From?Is it from your marketing and sales system?When I meet people for the first time and they understand that I'm a marketing consultant, I'm frequently asked, "Where do most of your clients come from?" Many times I believe the question is asked innocently... Read More

Sum of Its Parts

I just spent a week at the beach with my family and, as much as I vowed not to think about work, stumbled onto a highly relevant lesson for marketing professional services.It was actually my mother who inspired this lesson, thanks to the following beachy quote she had on the... Read More

Love My Dentist

I love my dentist! When is the last time you could say that about yours?True, dentists do tend to get a bad rap (remember Steve Martin's sadistic character in the movie, Little Shop of Horrors?). But even real-life visits to the dentist aren't high on the list of relaxing things... Read More

If My Work is Good Enough

"If My Work is Good Enough, I Shouldn't Have to Market, Right?"Don't you think that good work should speak for itself...that if you're good enough at what you do, you shouldn't have to hustle up business?I've been working with a lot of really Smart People lately. Physicists, Economists, Chemists, Electrical... Read More

How to Earn the Right

"How to Earn the Right..."Marketing your professional services is a lot like dating: you have to earn the right to be intimate.In both endeavors, you can't skip or rush through levels of intimacy for the relationship to work. Whether it's a new flame or a new client, you have to... Read More

Shine a Spotlight on Your Professional Service Firm

As a life-long dancer, I know a bit about the importance of good preparation before performance. Before a dancer is ready for the spotlight, she has to master the basics including alignment, strength, flexibility, balance, choreography, and artistry.The same is true for successful marketing. When you send a brochure, run... Read More

Why Smart People Dont Know How to Market

As an educated professional, your success is based on what you know, your education, your intelligence, and your creativity. Even if you're just starting out, you've achieved success just to get your many degrees and pass those licensing exams! Your clients return and refer because you apply your expertise and... Read More

Painless Marketing for People Who Hate to Market

Face it?you know you've got to do something to keep a steady stream of clients coming to your professional service firm. But when it comes to the m-word (marketing), you'd rather not. Do any of these statements sound familiar?If we're good enough, clients will find us or we'll get plenty... Read More

CRM: Strategic Engine or Just Another Tool?

CRM?strategic engine or just another technology tool? How would you answer this question about your company's CRM initiative? It depends on how honest you are in answering some other questions, including:Do your people have real decision-making power to provide great customer service?Do you have the right people with the right... Read More

How to Up-Sell Change

As Freud cautioned, it's insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. You know things have to change. Business as usual is a guarantee to fail. Your boss supports you, but is fairly lukewarm about resources and time commitments. Your staff agrees but then claim they are... Read More

The First Rule of CRM for Financial Services

Things have to change. Cross selling is not going to happen simply by installing new CRM technology. A corresponding movement from a transaction mentality to the underlying CRM principle of focusing on the long-term relationship is required. What does this mean for financial services? Stop pushing products and start building... Read More

CRM Star Wars: When Marketing is from Venus and IT is from Mars

Inherent tensions exist between marketing and IT. This is often compounded by lots of cross-talk, with each function on different channels. When tension becomes unresolved conflict, CRM strategy is impossible to execute. To avoid clashes, it helps to understand that CRM is not just about the exchange of information, it's... Read More

A Successful Solution: 10 Things to Consider

A provocation for the coming year, decade, century or millennium.By now, you've set a working direction for the year, established clear-cut objectives. Your first-iteration plan to reach them should be in place. This now seems like an ideal time to rethink the whole thing, doesn't it? After all, one of... Read More

Marketing Brain Trust

Rest assured that no matter how smart you are, you do not know everything about marketing. You don't even know anything about marketing your product! You can't figure everything out yourself, or see all the angles, or provide every bit of critical thinking.The solution? Create a marketing brain trust.Use the... Read More

Your Secret Marketing Weapon

As a professional service provider, you're paid for what you know. People come to your firm for the expertise you offer, first and foremost. Did you also realize that this is also your secret marketing weapon?By sharing what you know, you actually attract people to you and build their confidence... Read More

The M-Word (Marketing) Phase 2

Last month we looked at what you need to do before you spend money on marketing brochures, a website, advertising or even go out to network. During Phase 1, it's all about crafting your message. Key steps include getting clear about your market niche, developing a clear message about how... Read More

Differentiate or Die

Sounds pretty harsh, doesn't it? Well, I can tell you from personal experience with both my own business and with my clients, "differentiate or die" is not an exaggeration. Whether you're a small one-person shop or a large government agency, solvency and the future of your business rely on you... Read More

How to Profit from Your Expertise (Part 1 of 2)

Are you looking for a natural way to market your professional services? What if you could exponentially multiply the number of motivated, pre-qualified prospects you reach in a fraction of the time that networking and referrals require?Now what if you could be the person in a crowed room with whom... Read More

Like Brushing Your Teeth

What do the following things have in common: brushing your teeth, regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, paying your bills on time, cleaning your gutters, spending quality time with your spouse and kids??They're all forms of regular "self-care" that, if you neglect them for a period of time or take... Read More

Getting Your Services Used

Every day I talk with professional service providers who do great work, have a valuable service that really helps people?and struggle to get their services used as much as they'd like.They get a lukewarm response after an initial conversation while networking, the referrals come in but don't convert to real... Read More

The Role of Marketing for Boards of Directors

Small and emerging companies often do not put together a board of advisors or board of directors for many reasons. Some entrepreneurs believe that businessmen and women would not be willing to serve on their board of advisors for the little or no compensation that the new company can afford.... Read More

How to Put Law & Order into Marketing Your Legal Practice

First in a series of three articlesRegardless of your law firm's focus ? criminal, civil, corporate, family, business, etc. ? the greatest challenge most small to mid-size firms face is the lack of a strategic and disciplined approach to business development. Relying on referrals does not a strategy make! And... Read More

The M-Word

It was a real eye-opener to hear the perceptions people have about what it means to market professional services, as well as the anxiety the "m-word" (marketing) conjures up. It reminded me that, just because professional service providers have a lot of expertise in their chosen field, it doesn't mean... Read More

How to Leverage Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool

Second in a series of three articles:What if you could reach thousands of prospects, build fruitful, pro-active relationships with them, and stay top-of-mind with them on a regular basis?and not spend a fortune in the process?If this sounds too good to be true, then you've not mastered the art of... Read More

How to Take Your Law Firm to the Next Level

How to Take Your Law Firm to the Next Level Third in a series of three articlesSO you've done such a good job at bringing in new clients to your firm that you're swamped with business, your firm is large and growing, and all parts of your marketing system are... Read More

Effective Marketing

For any business to be successful whether on or offline it has to be marketing effectively. You are going to need more than a great looking site with fabulous products or services to obtain success. You will need to run an effective marketing campaign and for this you will need... Read More

Ten Effective Ways to Capture Market

1.Evaluation of Existing Products / Therapies2.Assessment of New Products3.Market assessment of products for the defined markets ofBF- RoW with the objective of providing insight and directionfor short term and long term business planning.4.Planning of the required Sales Force according to the ROI5.Optimize field sales force by providing motivational seminars and... Read More

More Scams! Do you Really Believe It?

Quit spreading those chain letters, nothing is going to happen to you if you don't mail it to the next person. However, there is a better chance that if you continue mailing, you may have the FTC on you. Chain letters are illegal even when they do not make a... Read More

Matrix Web Sites - Scam or NOT?

While I am not talking about the movie "Matrix", you may be wondering like many others if Matrix Web Sites are Legal!Before answering this, you may know that there are some wonderful deals offered on the net, that will make you want to jump at it. Keep your shirt on.... Read More

Are You Losing Business?

As a small business owner, you are grateful for all of your clients or customers. But did you know that small business lose over 62% of sales because they don't follow up? You are caught up in the business of running your business you don't take the time to follow... Read More

Too Much To Do: Four Keys to Effective Delegating

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. General George S. PattonMany people think they have too many important things to do, but thats not the real problem. The real problem is either 1) you are trying to... Read More

To Be Successful Sell to Wants not Needs

My mother used to tell me, tongue in cheek, that I never wanted anything in my life- everything I asked for was something I needed!! Think about it. We say, "I need a new car." "I need to go on vacation." "I need someone to clean my house." When was... Read More

25 Ways To Get More Business

Special Requirements for Reprint: we ask only that you include Pauls name and resource box, and keep all hyperlinks as live links. Complete Article with Resource Box at end: Need more business? Who doesnt? Thankfully, new business is pretty easy to get, but you do... Read More

Putting Your Website to Work

Websites have replaced the brochure as the "must have" marketing tool for businesses large and small. While virtually every business has a website, few are harnessing the potential of their websites and the Internet in general to promote and grow their businesses. So how can you be sure your website... Read More

Professional Marketing

Have you looked for marketing advice on the internet recently? There is no shortage of self-proclaimed 'gurus' from which to choose. But what kind of advice are they shilling out? Too often, it's over-the-top hype, blatant commercial ad copy and other tips designed for selling an inexpensive product to the... Read More

The Most Important Marketing Principles of All Time

As you have probably experienced there is a lot of hype in the business and marketing world. New concepts, revolutionary methods and the like land in our in boxes every day. But I'm going to confirm something you probably already know - the fundamentals of marketing haven't changed for decades.... Read More

How To Bond With Customers So That They Stay With You Longer

How many of your customers are loyal customers? More importantly do you know why they are loyal customers?Customer loyalty has been a buzz term in marketing for some time and with good reason. Estimates suggest it can cost 5 times as much to get a new customer as it does... Read More

Develop Your Curiosity And Increase Profits

If anyone was to ask me what my greatest strength was I'd say curiosity. The reason I would say that is because curious people learn a lot. On the internet there is stacks to learn. Curiosity will help you learn what you need to know.Here's some of the common things... Read More

The REAL Key To Successfully Marketing Any Product!

The REAL key to successful marketing of any product is building relationships. The most successful tools for this strategy are forums, communities, coops and the new form of media desktop software, i.e. "Your Easy Street's" new Media Pilot. In order to properly build product sales, you must gain trust and... Read More

Communicating Our Attitude

The goal of successful marketing is to create long lasting relationships with your prospects by marketing your business with passion. When you're not excited about what you're doing, no one else will be either. Our passion for what we do in business is communicated through our attitude. Our attitude comes... Read More

A Common - Yet Easily Avoidable - Marketing Mistake

December is a month in which many organizations make plans for the coming year. Now is a great time for you to look at your marketing systems for attracting and retaining customers.Although front end systems such as advertising, public relations, press releases, direct mail, sales letters and promotional items are... Read More

Secret of Strategy - Part 1

A step-by-step guide to creating a growth strategy based on your current situation and future possibilities. I'll bet you think you already have a strategy. And well you may, but strategy as a concept is just like love: much used and little understood. Many businesses (and that... Read More

Secret of Strategy - Part 2

How to Create Strategies That Work In Today's Markets. Of course you've heard that when you do what you've always done, you'll likely get what you've always got. In this case that means playing the tactical game: coming up with acceptable--or worse--comfortable options and executing them as time permits. Likely,... Read More

New Years Planning Critical Success Factors

New Year's is a good time for strategic planning or re-planning your business. But don't think that's the only time. If you feel the need to re-consider your strategic plan - by all means - go ahead. Whatever time of the year it is, you have probably set a working... Read More

Reverse The Risk And Boost Your Profits

As a business owner or marketer, if you don't reverse the risk in your product and/or service offerings, you're really missing out in what can be one of the most powerful weapons in your marketing arsenal.Risk Reversal DefinedRisk Reversal, in essence, means that you, the business owner, assumes all the... Read More

Misrepresentation - Through Silence!

We're back to the subject of ethics, more specifically, business ethics.But unlike ethical dilemmas we've discussed in the past - when people are confronted with bizarre, freak circumstances they had never planned for, and then face agonizing choices regarding how to react - I'm now talking about cases where people... Read More

How To Create Urgency So People Buy Now

..products or services now. They may not revisit your web site or see your ad again.How do you do this? You must use a limited time offer. Limited time offers stop people from putting off buying your products or services. It stops them from procrastinating.There are many different types of... Read More

Network Marketing Is Definitely A Relationship Business

Heavily branded websites like amazon.com are household names and carry an implied trust with visitors. However, the vast majority of websites are not well known and are found and visited as a result of search engine searches. In these instances, the visitor is probably arriving at the website for the... Read More

Marketing On The Cheap: Join The What?

Your local Chamber of Commerce.Now before you stop reading, I assure you this really works, and no, this is not an advertisement for the Chamber of Commerce although it may read like one.What seems now like a hundred years ago I owned and operated a company that was made up... Read More

Knowing When To Charge More and To Charge Less

More And MoreIt was notable that when I started my business twenty years ago, I came up with a certain "minimum" profit I wanted to make. Within a very short time I didn't feel that profit was enough and I gingerly started to charge more. Then more. I kept stretching... Read More

Metaphysical Marketing

The foundation of success is in your mind. You do not need to struggle, seek and strive to build your business. You can use mental and spiritual laws to create and attract all the elements that insure success. Wouldn't you love to set your business on "automatic pilot" and enjoy... Read More

Sell Your Name, Not Your Product

Do you know what the majority of people sell? I could not tell you what Michael Green sells, but if he does sell something, then I would probably buy it. His name is popular among the "Marketers".When you were in school you probably remember that some guys and girls were... Read More

Creating Your Own Lead Capture Pages

Having a downline can be golden. A downline is a group of folks who have either signed-up or have already agreed to at least look at what you send them.There are currently many ways to get a downline on the internet, and more coming all the time. For example, promoting... Read More

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing involves the use of surf-exchanges, and if you don't know what a surf-exchange is, its a site that you can join, often for free, and exchange web page views with other members.You submit the website you wish to promote, and then you usually get a 'start page' that... Read More

Using Purchased Leads

A little advice about using leads that you purchase from another source;These are not opt-in leads per-say, that you have gathered using lead capture pages.They might join your list, but initially this is a whole different animal.First, some basic advice;1.) Make sure these leads are 'fresh,' no more then a... Read More

Customer Retention with a Personal Touch

Personal contact with customers is a crucial element in the success of any new business ? and it's one of the most common casualties of growth. As a company grows, the president tends to fade away into his or her office. That can lead to loss of leverage right at... Read More

Is CRM Technology Living Up To the Hype?

Over the last few years the buzz about CRM (Customer Relationship Management) has grown extensively. It seems that every Sales & Marketing executive is talking about it. A study conducted by Jupiter Media Metrix found that U.S. businesses spent more than $5.2 billion in CRM technology software in 2001, a... Read More

How to Turn Your Marketing Into a Money-Making Machine - Setting The Stage For Successful Marketing

Powerful Marketing has become elusive to many companies seeking strong sales results and overall growth. The sad truth is that Marketing comes across as a rather frustrating process. After all, how do you guarantee the outcome of a campaign when it is unclear what will work and what will not?... Read More

How to Turn Your Marketing Into a Money-Making Machine - Preparing for Marketing That Yields Results

The usual complaint from companies is that Marketing simply does not yield as expected. So much effort, time, and money goes into campaigns, and yet the frustrations persist: Why aren't sales up? Why are we not growing? And the truth, sadly enough, is that no one can really pinpoint what... Read More

How to Turn Your Marketing Into a Money-Making Machine - Examples of solid Marketing

As Claude Hopkins presented in his Scientific Advertising many decades ago, there are scientific ways of tracking your Marketing and Advertising and determining clearly and unequivocally what works and what does not. Without knowing the facts about what is effectively increasing your leads, and subsequently your sales success, you might... Read More

Mission Position

Ahh, the mission statement. For some companies it simply describes their purpose for existing. For others it permeates the overall culture of the company. Some see its value, while others neglect to give it even a passing thought.Whatever your position on having a corporate mission statement, you should know that... Read More

Marketing Lessons From Apples iPod

Apple Computer just announced that their earnings from the last quarter more than quadrupled mainly due to robust holiday sales of the iPod digital music player. More than 10 million iPods have been sold since it was introduced in 2001.There are some important marketing lessons to be learned from all... Read More

An Example of Understanding Consumer Thinking

A church in my community provided me with one of the best examples of understanding the consumer, which I've ever experienced.Once a month a church in my community provides free lunch, open to the public. When you go into the dining area you are initially met by a man who... Read More

Developing the Unique Selling Proposition

The "Unique Selling Proposition" advertising campaign was developed by Reeves in 1961. Reeves proposed that marketers offer products different from their competitor' offerings by developing products that have a special formula, design, or feature. The product or service being marketed must be unique and important to the prospect. Finally, the... Read More

50 Benefits Of Joint Venture Marketing

What Is A Joint Venture?A joint venture is an agreement in which two or more businesses work on a project for a set period of time.Joint ventures can be long-term, like promoting a product together, or some can be short-term, like bartering (trading) products and services. Joint venture ideas are... Read More

The Sweet Aroma of Highly Effective Marketing

Highly effective marketing is accomplished when your marketing materials and marketing strategy work together to reliably move your prospects through your sales process.Have you ever caught a whiff of a tantalizing aroma wafting through the air as you walked down the street? With your senses suddenly alerted to something tasty... Read More

Are You Overlooking Your Hidden Profit Centers?

There are other names given to "Back-End Selling". You may think of it as follow through, or maybe VALUE added. Both are good terms. Let's take a quick look and see just how you can profit from this idea.For our purpose today, let's just key in on the benefits of... Read More

50 Unbelievable Benefits Of Joint Venture Marketing

What Is A Joint Venture?A joint venture is an agreement in which two or more businesses work on a project for a set period of time. Joint ventures can be long-term, like promoting a product together, or some can be short-term, like bartering (trading) products and services. Joint venture ideas... Read More

Fertilizer For Your Grassroots Marketing

Looking for a great way to drive traffic to your business? No million dollar ad budget last time you checked? The solution may be to harness the power of grassroots marketing.Grassroots marketing is simply taking the unconventional approach to getting people interested in what you offer. It's driven by creativity... Read More

A Different Perspective On The No-Call List

The other day I received an e-mail from an internet marketer who was bemoaning the fact that calling people on the no-call list is now illegal and that puts such limits on marketing. He is far and away not the only one with that viewpoint; I find it almost everywhere... Read More

The Future of Marketing Part 1

It used to be if you were a small business, you were at a distinct disadvantage with your marketing compared to the bigger companies.No more. Small business owners will actually have an edge over bigger companies thanks to the emerging marketing model.Yes, you heard right. Emerging marketing model. The old... Read More

Future of Marketing Part 2

In Part 1, I discussed how traditional marketing is no longer working the way it used to. This is happening for a variety of reasons -- people have too many mass media choices, they're bombarded with way too many marketing messages, the Internet is adding accountability to advertising, etc.So if... Read More

Quiz: Where is Your Marketing Message?

Wondering if your marketing message is dancing in the spotlight right in front of your target market or is busy cowering by the punch table nowhere near your customer base? Take this quiz and find out.1. Overall, you would describe your marketing as:A. Going strong. You consistently get lots of... Read More

7 Ways a Copywriter Can Help Your Business Succeed

Think you can't afford to hire a copywriter? Think again. Here are seven ways a copywriter can contribute to the success of your business.#1 ? Save you time. Chances are, you have more than enough things to fill your day with other than writing brochure copy or freshening your Web... Read More

Marketing Quandaries

Being in a quandary prevents you from moving forward in developing and marketing your business. When we're in a quandary, we are in a state of perplexity and doubt. We don't know how to move forward to accomplish those things that are crucial to attracting clients and growing our business.... Read More

Sowing and Growing Your Network

The N-word! We all know the value of networking and we feel we should be doing more of it. Unfortunately, for too many of us the very thought of attending an event where we have to mix and mingle with total strangers is enough to drive us into hiding until... Read More

10 Surefire Ways to Add Sizzle to Your Brochures

Businesses rely on brochures as their front line in communicating their products or services. Yet according to Shannon Cherry, APR, many find them not as successful because they underestimate the skills and resources necessary to publish attractive and effective materials."Most people forget a brochure is important because it represents you... Read More

8 BIG Benefits To Selling Big Ticket Items

Ok, before we get down to the benefits of selling Big Ticket Items, we had better define what a Big Ticket Item is. A Big Ticket Item is any product or service that sells for more than $500 or $1000. Or, at least, that's my definition. ... Read More

Get More Clients From Networking - Follow The Rules Of Dating!

If you're a business owner, you probably spend quite a lot of your time at networking events. In fact, it may be the main way you try to get new clients. But do you ever feel that you could get more from these meetings? Do you actually get the results... Read More

7 Tips for Successful Postcard Marketing

Simple low-cost postcards have become a valuable business tool for modern marketers. They can produce a surge of traffic to your web site or a flood of high-quality sales leads.The following 7 tips will help you get the maximum response from postcards at the lowest cost.Tip 1: Focus on the... Read More

5 High-Impact Marketing Tips

Here are 5 high-impact marketing tips you can use to boost your sales quickly. All are simple to implement and they involve little or no new expense.1. Promote Only One Thing at a TimePromote only 1 product or service each time you advertise. Many people have difficulty selecting one product... Read More

Uncover Your Hidden Markets

Want a simple, low-cost way to boost your sales? Just uncover the narrowly defined sub-markets hidden in your main market. Then create special versions of your advertising to focus on the specific needs of prospects in these hidden market segments.1. How to Find Your Hidden MarketsStart by evaluating your existing... Read More

Low-Cost Marketing With Postcards

Here's a simple way you can generate lots of sales leads ...or traffic to your web site. Use postcards. They're highly effective and very low-cost. Plus, postcards provide the following 6 unique advantages over most other types of advertising.1. Maximum Exposure for Your Sales MessagePostcards are delivered "ready to read".... Read More

3 Simple Selling Tactics

The following 3 simple selling tactics produce sales by responding to the way customers normally think and behave. They work for any business - regardless of what you sell, how you sell or where you sell it.1. Pay Attention to Getting AttentionCan you remember the last 3 advertising messages beamed... Read More

10 Important Marketing Tips

Each of the following Ten Marketing Tips is based on a highly effective but often overlooked marketing tactic. How many are you using? How many have you overlooked?Marketing Tip #1: Insulate yourself against the impact of change by increasing the number of products and services you offer ...and by using... Read More

How To Recover Your Almost Customers

You'll always need to find new prospects for your business. But don't overlook the prospects you already attracted. Many are close to buying. Use these four simple procedures to convert those "almost customers" into paying customers.1. Make A Memorable ImpressionCreate a reason for prospects and customers to notice you ...and... Read More

Voice Mail Can Be Your Buddy

Voice Mail is a classy name for "answer Machine". Problem is, people at home had answer machines long before most businesses. When the answer machine industry finally figured how work to their machines into business systems with more than one extension, they called it "Voice Mail"This article focuses on what... Read More

Three Simple Ideas That Increase Profit? FAST!

Are you spending more time trying to get new clients than actually working with them?If the answer is yes, then these three simple ideas will help you.First, have you ever asked for something and got something different to what you thought you*d asked for? Or have you ever thought you... Read More

7 Proven Tips To Market Your Cleaning Business

Marketing your cleaning business is something that you will already have an idea about when you start your business plan. Nothing is better for an emerging cleaning business than a really good marketing strategy. This is when all of your research will work to your advantage. Cleaning business or any... Read More

Financial Services Marketing Insights: A Marketing Compass

What we now call "marketing" began long before the name was coined. In the mid-1800s, traveling salesmen dressed "snake oil" and other tonics in fancy packaging and extolled their virtues to a gullible public. New marketing applications soon proliferated in the belief that marketing could make many new things possible... Read More

Build Lifelong Networks With Your Own Barter Group

I don't know if you have ever seriously considered bartering. If you haven't considered it, it's probably about time that you did. Why? Well, besides the fact that both parties involved in a barter leave feeling satisfied, it can also build lifelong personal or business connections. Building a network of... Read More

Name the Top Cable Network

When Cable began as Community Antenna Television in 1948, all it did was collect over the air TV signals and send them down a cable.When Cable networks began, so did Cable advertising. The fledgling new networks sold (or gave away) ads in their programs. Memories are etched in our brain;... Read More

What Does Your Business Address Say?

If you are operating a business from your home and your post office address clearly indicates a home address, you may want to re-think your marketing strategy.A Rural Route 2 address can plainly say your business might be in a bedroom at home, or worse, in the barn. Does 27... Read More

Whats Your Selling Sentence?

What's your Selling Sentence? If you have a business, you need a selling sentence.Sometimes called the Defining Sentence or the Secondary Statement, the Selling Sentence is the group of words that clarify and refine the the nature of your business when seen or heard with the name or logo of... Read More

11 Powerful Marketing Tips

Each of these 11 marketing tips is based on a marketing strategy or tactic proven to boost sales. How many are you using?Tip 1: Your customers buy your product or service to feel a certain way after their purchase. Keep this in mind as you develop your ads, web pages... Read More

Marketing Messages: Your 10 Most Important Business Principles

As a self-employed professional, you have two basic strategies for your marketing efforts: Writing or Speaking.No matter whether or not you do both of these activities or only one of them, you need to know what messages you want to convey to your audience.That's why you need to create a... Read More

Unique Selling Proposition - Your Competitive Advantage!

To capture a larger market share and be viable, sustainable and profitable, you absolutely need to differentiate or distinguish your business, products and/or services from your competitors.In other words, you need to make your business special in the eyes of your customers and/or prospects.You can do this by creating what's... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Create and Manage Opportunity

Most of us are used to the concepts of risk management or time management. Many of the same principles can be applied to creating and responding to opportunities. Instead of thinking of opportunities as just "coming along", you can actually increase the number of opportunities available to you, and there... Read More

Top 10 Dos and Donts for an Effective Business Referral Network!

Every business - particularly small, entrepreneurial or professional businesses - must have a powerful referral network. It is very unlikely (and terribly expensive) to "advertise your way to success". Without tons of capital, it can't be done. It is far more effective, and more fun, to create an effective network... Read More

Top 10 Tips To Market & Build Your Professional Practice

In building and running a professional practice (or any small business or a home-based business), there are many items that must be monitored closely. As a small operation, you can't afford to find out too late that a critical aspect of your business has gotten off-track! This list looks at... Read More

The Top 10 Ways to Market your Business or Professional Practice Without Networking

While focused, strategic networking is usually the most efficient way to build your professional practice, there are many other ways to market your business. Personal networking may not be appropriate in some areas, or for certain types of services, and some people simply don't like to do it. The following... Read More

The Top 10 Ways to Market your Business or Professional Practice Without Advertising

Every business and professional practice MUST be in the public eye. You need customers! Folks need your goods and services -- it's a mutual alliance for mutual benefit! But if potential clients and customers don't know you exist, or can't find you, you will go bankrupt! They won't benefit from... Read More

Marketing Without Ego

Our ego can get in the way of marketing our business. From our need to be right, to talking about ourselves incessantly; coming from an attitude of arrogance to getting attached to the outcomes of what we do, these are just some of the ways our ego can get in... Read More

Marketing Hesitation Costs Dearly

Timing is everything. Hate to be late? The early bird gets the worm.Hesitation, when it comes to marketing, can mean the difference between making a sale and walking away empty handed. Success in many things we do is dependent on how fast we can process information in order to do... Read More

Consistent Marketing Provides Big Rewards

Being inconsistent when it comes to marketing your business can be a recipe for disaster. Nothing is more irritating to a potential customer than inconsistency.When we consciously create consistent messages, brands, systems and communications, our customers begin to relax and know that we are trustworthy and reliable. This consistency enhances... Read More

Natural Marketing for Full Business Success

Is your mind muddy on marketing? Do you wake up each day and say, "I get to share myself and my great message with others" or do you say, " I have to market, or I will fail."Natural marketing refers to the action you take to get the word out... Read More

Top 7 Ways to Get Your Products in the Hands of Celebrities

Celebrities are the tastemakers that drive brand awareness and usage. Celebrities drive the direction of trends. For example there has been a huge resurgence in the Pabst Blue Ribbon brand. They are the second fastest growing beer in the US and they have not spent a dime on advertising. How... Read More

Are You Playing Checkers or Chess?

When you think about how to attract more clients for your professional services, are you playing checkers or chess?You're playing checkers when you...* Attend a networking event and expect it to generate business* Invest thousands of dollars in direct mail and expect prospects to eagerly call about your services* Treat... Read More

10 Proven Ways To Accelerate Your Profits

1. Make copies of your web site in many different languages. This'll allow foreign speaking people to read your web site and advertisements.2. Give your customers a surprise bonus for buying. When you give customers more than they expect, there is a good chance they will buy from you again.3.... Read More

Global Market in the Cyber world?Go and Get It !

With the Internet opening up the doorway to the global market, everybody is up and running to reap the maximum benefit of this widely used medium. Not only has Internet gained importance as an important medium of communication but also has given a platform to thousands of people to nurture... Read More

Celebrity Product Placement: A Primer

With more and more companies wanting to integrate their products into the lives of celebrities, now seems like a good time to take a closer look at Celebrity Product Placement, describe three common approaches, and outline what steps can be taken to guarantee results.The term "Celebrity Product Placement" is used... Read More

When The Stars Align - Choosing the Right Entertainment

Savvy event producers follow the Golden Rule: know thy audience. When they set out to create a special event, the first thing they do is slip into the shoes of a typical guest. Understanding their audience helps them choose the right location for the event, determine ticket prices, and select... Read More

5 Tips to Grow Your Business Globally

Entering into Global markets is a great way to organically grow your business. However, many small to mid sized businesses have a hard time, if they even venture to go global at all, entering global markets. Here are 5 tips for businesses looking to expand their business by entering global... Read More

Directional (Not Direct) Marketing

Those who believe the web is not a direct response medium should think again. A recent study conducted by AdKnowledge and published in their recent "Online Advertising Report" suggests that 60 percent of total website conversions occurs in the first half-hour. In other words, based on the study the bulk... Read More

Don?t Put All Of Your Eggs Into One Basket

I vaguely remember a particular story from my childhood. It had something to do with transporting eggs to market. The main character, a little girl who thought she knew more than she really did, put all of the day's eggs into one basket, and when she tripped and fell on... Read More

Use The Neglected Weapons In Your Marketing Arsenal

Business marketers have a lot of weapons in their arsenals but they often overlook some very important ones. So, let's do a quick inventory.Of course, you already have a company name, a positioning statement, logo, stationery, business cards and a website. Right?The next thing I suggest is an employee survey.... Read More

Top 5 Tips For Media Selection

Marketers have a wide variety of media at their disposal. Most of us think first of the advertising troika of newspapers, magazines and TV. But there are a number of other options depending upon what you are trying to accomplish.1. Create a sense of urgency. Direct marketing offers that contain... Read More

Why Insight and Flexibility is More Important than Perseverance in Marketing

Marketing successfully requires not only insight into how a product or service can be successfully marketed but also flexibility into the marketing of a product or service.This is one of the marketing principles that doesn't seem to be taught successfully. Too many times, the "marketing gurus" will promote a type... Read More

Online Magazine Subscription Services Make Shopping Online Fun For Magazines

If recreating the old experience of subscribing to magazines by filling out a subscription card is essential to the success as an Internet retailer, then MagMall.com takes top awards. The retailer has created a web site with all the ease of use of the original pop out cards through fast... Read More

The 7 Commandments of Marketing

Marketing is the key to success with any business, online or traditional. You can have a website or business location. You can have a great product. However, if no one has heard about your business or your product, you have NOTHING!Marketing is everything you do to promote yourself and your... Read More

Youre Halfway There!...Or Not Part 1

The year is almost over and the last half of this year will fly by just as fast as the first half. Are you on target for meeting your business goals for this year?If you answered yes, congratulations! Keep reading for ideas that will help you stay on track.If you... Read More

Youre Halfway There!...Or Not Part 2

Now that you have had a chance to create a game plan for accomplishing your business goals during the third quarter of this year, let's focus on the fourth quarter of this year.These last three months of the year are not only crucial for meeting business goals for this year,... Read More

Take a Leap! How To Take Your Business To New Heights

Take a moment to reflect on the current reality of your business. Is it everything you dreamed it would be or is it more like a nightmare?Regardless of the current reality, your business can always improve. But how do you grow your business from its current reality to the business... Read More

Spring Cleaning: How To Do It In Your Business To Make More Room For Success

With the arrival of Spring, I decided to get outside and into my garden. I had neglected to do some basic maintenance during the previous months and wondered if my plants suffered any permanent damage as a result.My flower bed was full of dead foliage and there wasn't a sign... Read More

10 Steps To Getting Paid For Your Marketing Materials

How many times have you heard the same sound bites come out of your mouth to your clients, prospects, and audiences, almost boring yourself to tears in the process? Imagine generating money directly from those sound bites, from those pearls of wisdom that effortlessly trip off your tongue. Yes, it... Read More

Simplicity In Marketing

In a world that is spinning out of control; with consumers being bombarded with hundreds of advertising messages per day in a variety of mediums, it is imperative to develop an understanding of the consumer's thinking to develop an edge in advertising.Consumer's get confused with excessive stimulus. Consumer's also become... Read More

Marketing And Patience

"Get your positioning and your programs implemented properly, and the numbers will come. But you've got to have some patience." ? Jack Trout with Steve Rivkin"The New Positioning. The Latest on the World's #1 Business Strategy"One of the biggest derailers of successful marketing is the process of continually changing your... Read More

Consumer Thinking And Search Marketing

12/20/04According to a recent article by ComScore Networks, about three-quarters of all consumer product research is initiated through a generic search term, such as "televisions" or "Adoption Services". The report goes on to say that in subsequent research efforts consumers tend to re-initiate the search with generic search terms.Consumers who... Read More

Consider Consumer Psychology

In your marketing efforts, be they on or offline, it's wise to consider the psychology of the consumer you are targeting. If you've done your homework you've developed a profile of your ideal customer and how your unique selling point speaks to them. Now, as you begin to develop a... Read More

Supply And Demand And Marketing

According to Dough McCormick, Chariman and CEO of iVillage, Inc, "Technologists focus on supply but they don't understand advertising is focused on demand. Just because we have an available ad doesn't mean we have to sell it."What in the world does that mean? It means not every product online is... Read More

Maslows Marketing Filter

One of the basics of all marketing and advertising training is a teaching of "Maslow's needs pyramid". This pyramid shows the different motivators and needs in a person's life and how they are built one upon the other. Supposedly this is presented to help the marketing student understand consumer motivation... Read More

Your Marketing Message - Could You Wring More CASH Out Of It With This Ancient Japanese Discipline?

When it comes to your marketing message, the little things count. Trouble is, you'll never come to respect how much, until you make a commitment to science.Let me ask you something. Do you practice Kaizen?Kai what?Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning gradual and orderly, continuous improvement. Sound like you?Or do... Read More

The Apprentice: 5 Lessons in Marketing

Donald Trump's hit reality show, The Apprentice is a godsend for marketers around the world.Why?Because all of the tasks that the prospective apprentice's go through each week and each season involves some sort of marketing skills. So, the Apprentice is a great media channel to show how important marketing is... Read More

Where Should I Network?

Building business relationships through networking is a great way to build your business. The caveat? It's a slow process.What are some of your options? There are many leads groups, different chamber mixers, other focused networking events and even online networking where you can meet people.What's the best route for you?... Read More

Discover 7 Hidden Profit Producing Secrets

Would you like to learn the lessons of the businesses that struggled last year without having to follow in their footsteps? I’d like to share with you seven of the mistakes that are among the most common that are made. This information is value critical if you intend to see... Read More

Time for Marketers to Clean Up Their Act!

Some years ago, a prominent Australian hi-tech company launched a product called Maestro that bundles community-building features like chat rooms, file sharing and instant messaging into one application. The company envisaged smaller Internet service providers (ISP's) as their main target market for the software. The company president... Read More

Attracting New Business on a Shoestring Budget

In a recent marketing workshop I attended, I discovered that most business owners rely on just two or three strategies to attract new business. Even well-established companies tend to rely on one or two strategies. However, there is a multitude of ways to drive new business to your door. Here... Read More

Marketing Strategy - Getting the Marketing Groove

Wouldn't it be great to have a year where your marketing efforts were streamlined and got the results you were after? None of us want to struggle with marketing, and yet this is the one topic that continues to be highest in the minds of small business professionals.Let's really consider... Read More

Whats In a Business Card?

Over the years as I have attended trade shows, networking meetings, chamber events and more; I have noticed a few things about the successful and the not so successful. First of all, do you have a business card? If you belong to a large corporation, you were probably issued... Read More

Wealth Knowledge & Power ? Lost Secrets From Ancient Masters

Behold! He with the light cometh!He shall light thy darkest night, illuminate thy muddled confusion, and he shall uncover all that hides from thou. He who holds the knowledge of the ancients comes quickly to you. Be not afraid, for he brings hope. Tremble not, for he will calm you.... Read More

Networking Magic

YES-- it is true that Networking is an art that must be mastered. However, for those of you that are new to the networking game and the art of mastering it, please READ ON. While you do not want to be in a position at social function of hanging with... Read More

A Seven Letter Word That Helped a 3 Month Marketing Newbie to Online Success

Who would have thought that a three month newbie and marketing dummy with no list, no product, no contacts, can actually make money online? Me neither.I had no idea what to do, how to do or why.Until I gained clarity.Clarity means:1. To know what you want2. To Know why you... Read More

The Six-Step Process That Grows Your Business

1. Examine your clientele and define your ideal client. Of all the customers you've served in the last couple of years, who are the ones you most enjoyed working with and found most profitable? Create a profile of the client characteristics that, for you, define heaven on earth. These characteristics... Read More

Online Mentorship Programs: Cash in on Your Expertise

Whether you're a former retail store owner known for your creativity, a championship bridge player, or a psychotherapist with a long current waiting list for openings, if you possess expertise that makes colleagues and aficionados want your pearls of wisdom, you can create a new income stream with an online... Read More

Writing Sales Letters That Sell

The most important part of any marketing you do is direct marketing. This includes letters, postcards, brochures, newspaper or magazine coupons, telemarketing, TV or radio direct response commercials, e-mails, and the copy on your web site.For any direct marketing campaign to be successful, you need to have a combination of... Read More

Web Site Marketing Strategy: 8 Ways To Increase The Perceived Value Of Your Freebies

It is a well known web site marketing strategy: To attract new customers and traffic, give out something for free: e-zine, ebooks, software, services etc.But as you already know, most people don't appreciate what they get for free because they will always suspect there must be catch.If not, why will... Read More

Attracting Clients With Incremental Marketing

Do you ask prospective clients to go too far?Must your new clients take a "leap of faith" when they engage you?Or do you gradually draw them closer using a series of pre-planned contacts designed to address their concerns and build their trust in you.Too many service providers wait for potential... Read More

B2B Marketing - Why it Should be Subtle

Subtle adj. Showing or making, or capable of showing or making, fine distinctions of meaning.How many times have you been told that: great marketing has to be "off the wall"; your message really needs to "knock-out" your audience; you have to be loud to stand out from the crowd.Consumer marketing... Read More

Marketing Strategies: What Choices Do You Have?

Most business people want to see improvements in sales and profits. But how do you get there? What choices do you have?To build your business there are four strategic options that must be considered:1) Sell existing products to existing customers.2) Develop new products to sell to existing customer groups.3) Expand... Read More

The Easiest Marketing Plan Youll Ever Find

When it comes to marketing there's simply too many choices. I often find clients are totally perplexed about which marketing tools they should use and how to use them.To help make your life easier I've created the simplest approach to marketing that you'll ever need. Use it to plan your... Read More

Getting New Clients - When Only a Few is More Than Enough

Many of the business owners I speak with are looking for a relatively small number of new clients. It isn't that they're not ambitious, it's just the size of their businesses doesn't warrant a larger objective. Typically they own service-based businesses with an annual turnover counted in the millions of... Read More

Attract More Clients by Raising Your Profile

One of the most common issues I'm asked about is how to raise the profile of a business to attract more clients.This is an important issue no matter how small or large your business may be.For example I'm working with a client in Brisbane who is well established in their... Read More

Marketing is More Important Than Expertise

Being a master of your craft, skill, or talent doesn't ensure the success of your business. You can be the greatest at what you do, and if nobody knows about you, you're quickly out of business. Yes, it's important that you deliver a quality service. But it's even more important... Read More

A Great Marketing Model ? Utilizing the Power of OPM

Staying ahead of the marketing curve seems to be a never-ending quest. Marketing doesn't have to be as complex as some people make it out to be. It's simply a matter of understanding who you are marketing to ? your ideal customers ? and then coming up with a system... Read More

It Takes Two - How to Cultivate Profitable Alliances

"Cross promoting with other businesses can give you a significant advantage over the competition, with many benefits and cost savings." -Heidi Richards-More and more competition in the marketplace is making it necessary for companies to find creative ways to connect with customers and prospects, to enhance brand identity and attract... Read More

Dont Let Your Business Cards End Up in the Trash

Business cards are such wonderfully creative little marketing products. Most of them, unfortunately, end up in the nearest trash basket. Nobody wants to be bombarded with a big sales pitch. If you meet someone and within two minutes you are promoting your own business or stretching out that business card,... Read More

Non-Aggressive Marketing Ideas for Enterpreneurs

Do you cringe at the thought of trying to promote your business ? Does it feel like "selling yourself" or egotism? Many individuals are not comfortable with marketing dimension of running a business.This leads to an inner frustation for many and inner conflicts. Whether this is due to one's passion... Read More

Four Essential Marketing Plan Components

Preparing a Marketing Plan for your product or service is a real eye-opening experience. While we all hope that our product or service will appeal to the masses, the truth is, that may not happen. Assembling a Marketing Plan first and foremost forces you to clearly define what you are... Read More

Ten Tips for Creating a Winning Proposal ? Part 1

If you want your business to grow and attract new clients, you'll have to start creating meaningful proposals. The goal of a proposal is obviously to be awarded new work. It accomplishes this goal by providing answers to the questions of who, what, where, why, how and when.But many small... Read More

Ten Tips for Creating a Winning Proposal ? Part 2

Part 1 of this series described five critical components for creating a winning proposal. In some instances, these components are all a prospective client needs to make a determination and award the job. Be sure to carefully review the request for proposal to determine the amount of information you need... Read More

What You Must Know When Marketing Your Business

Marketing is both an art and a science. Anyone who says differently probably isn't doing very well marketing his or her business. On the art side, intuition definitely plays into the equation. On the science side, it is about systems, strategies and plans. Outlined below are some areas of consideration... Read More

6 MUST Have Strategies To Make Big Bucks with Big Ticket Items

Strategy #1: Change Your Mindset That's right, change your mindset! It's probably the number one most important strategy when selling Big Ticket Items. Plenty of people are uncomfortable selling items that are priced above the $500 - $1000 mark. It's the intangibles which make Big Ticket marketing tougher to come... Read More

Promotions That Build Profit

Promotions are everything you do to let your customers know you exist. Good marketing techniques can help eliminate the "I didn't knows" from your clients and would-be clients. Even if you believe you have more than enough business you should always continue to do some sort of marketing. What if... Read More

How Do You Know Your Clients Cant Pay More?

"My clients can't afford higher rates."When more than 330 business owners and self-employed professionals checked off reasons why their income was not going through the roof, this statement was chosen more often than any other.If you're tempted to agree that what clients can afford limits you, let me first ask:... Read More

Dont Use Yourself as Your Pricing Yardstick

"I wouldn't pay more than what I charge now."If you are not a member of your target market, toss this thought about your own preferences out the window this very minute. What you consider a reasonable price has nothing to do with how they spend money. Even if you are... Read More

Marketing On The Cheap: Become a Joiner

Recently I wrote an article on the benefits of joining your local Chamber of Commerce as a way of getting exposure for your business. See "Marketing on the Cheap: Join The What?" at this source or at http://sbmag.org. The Chamber of Commerce is or should be the number one organization... Read More

3 Ways to Gain and KEEP Customers Using Postcards

In today's competitive (sometimes cutthroat) marketplace, savvy business owners need to constantly look for ways to get and, more importantly, keep their customers. When used properly postcards offer a great opportunity to do both.1. Mail systematically to a targeted database of prospects. Most people who use postcard mailings as a... Read More

Does The Market Really Want It?

At the very heart of any successful marketing strategy is the determination of what your present and prospective customers need, want, and desire. You have to find out what they want before you try to sell it to them. Never make the mistake of investing a lot of money into... Read More

Marketing the Government for Profit

Steps and tips on marketing your business to the government.Fact: Federal, state and local governments buy over $450 billion combined in goods and services each year.Part of that can be yours if you know how to get it.Fact: Federal procurements under $25,000 never go through the bid/RFP process.The only way... Read More

Deceptive Marketing and Procrastination

Procrastination is every marketers worst nightmare.This applies on three fronts.Firstly how many times have we waited to see how a company or product sells before joining?There is a very fine line between researching the background history of a company before joining and should I join or not!By carried out proper... Read More

Image is Key to Your Marketing Success

In virtually any business first impressions are lasting impressions. Most people have heard this statement for years, and yet some people completely ignore the first impression they are conveying to potential customers or clients.Regardless of the industry you are in image is a part of your marketing. Take the real... Read More

Peddling Your Own Wagon Through Local Exposure

In my e-book "Articles That Sell", I've shared the secret of marketing your business on the Internet. If you've been active in your efforts, you've been writing and publishing free reprint articles.Guess what? I've got another incredible marketing secret for you.While online marketing has unlimited potential it often misses a... Read More

Tie-In With Others To Maximize Your Business Leverage

One of the most rewarding, inexpensive, under-used, and effective methods of marketing is to tie in your marketing efforts with the efforts of others.The cost of acquiring a new client or customer is enormous. The average business will spend thousands of dollars in marketing, sales, and advertising to build goodwill... Read More

Prepare Your Communications For Growth

As the American economy emerges from recession, many businesses are now reexamining their marketing materials and realizing that their communications are outdated, ill-prepared for the return of a robust, competitive, growing economic environment. Strategies developed to survive hard times are often the wrong ones for profiting in good times.Here are... Read More

Great Marketing is Like Making a Great Movie

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCEThe Oscars will be handed out soon, and it's a perfect time to keep this in mind: If you're a business owner or manager, it's wise to think of yourself as a great film director who's telling a story. Having directed films, stage, television, and stage productions we... Read More

Alarming Marketing Trend

One key discipline of successful direct marketing has been to test marketing communications tactics to continually improve results. There is now an alarming trend according to a recent survey that we conducted among business-to-business marketers who are readers of Sales Lead Report.Only 24% of the marketing professionals surveyed said they... Read More

Motivate Your Market Force

IntroWant me to tell you something on how you can motivate your market force in 2005. I will do so today. Tell you ideas that will power your marketing and promotions with force, if only you will appreciate their simplicity and common sense. Tell me.A critical question: How simple, motivational... Read More

How Effective Customer Surveys Will Help Innovate Your Business

Have you ever wondered why the phones aren't ringing the way they should? Or maybe sales are flat and you're not achieving the revenue and profit targets you set for your business. There's one sure-fire way to uncover the problems to get your company back on track. The answers are... Read More

Strategic Marketing and Tactical Marketing Know The Differences And Profit

Most people mistakenly assume that when you talk about marketing, you're automatically talking about "Tactical" marketing - placing ads, generating leads, sending out mailers, attending trades shows, creating brochures, implementing a follow-up system, and so forth.They fail to realize that the "Strategic" side of the coin - what you say,... Read More

Why Instant Gratification Marketing Condemns Businesses To Losing 90% Of Their Potential Customers

Most businesses target only people "ready-to-buy". These hot prospects are "Now Buyers" because they've been inching closer to a decision for some period of time. They're just about ready to spend cash. Advertisers target "Now Buyers" because the pressure is on to make sales immediately. And, they know these prospects... Read More

Web Site Marketing: 10 Little Known Upsell Strategies That Will Magnify Your Profits

What is Upselling?It means pre-selling any additional features of your products and services even before your customers make a purchase.For example, let's say you're selling a computer with a 15" monitor for $600.You can tell your customers that they can upgrade to a 17" monitor for only $100 more.That's upselling!The... Read More

Connecting With Your Clients

Many service professionals tell me that they are uncomfortable with the idea of marketing -- like marketing is a bad word! For some, "marketing" brings up images of telemarketers, aggressive sales people, and feelings of resentment at being invaded. But marketing is really about connecting with your customers. In service... Read More

Focusing Your Marketing Efforts

One of my favorite quotes is often used to describe goal-setting -- but it applies equally well to your marketing efforts. We start with Alice lost in the woods in Wonderland, where she comes upon the Cheshire-Cat..."Cheshire-Puss," she began rather timidly, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought... Read More

Make It A Threesome

What if -- every time you had a networking appointment with someone -- you invited a third person. Sound like a ridiculous concept? Why on earth would you want to do this? Aren't you taking the focus off of your business and putting it on someone else's? Here are 5... Read More

Boost Your Business With Testimonials

When used correctly, testimonials can boost your response dramatically. They help build the prospect's perception of believability, stability, honesty, and value in your product or service. When prospects see all those testimonials, especially from people to whom they can relate, they gain confdence in you. They become less worrried about... Read More

Get Results: Start with Your Marketing Message and Objective

Recently I was talking with a very bright traditional marketer on the value of integrating Internet marketing into an enterprise's marketing mix. Personally, I have witnessed significant and measurable increases in the online results of an enterprise when they include traditional marketing strategies like direct mail, radio, television or publicity... Read More

How to Size an Emerging Market

In developing their business plans, companies of all sizes face the challenge of determining the size of their markets. To begin, companies must present the size of their "relevant market" in their plans. The relevant market equals the company's sales if it were to capture 100% of its specific niche... Read More

Take The Test: Does Your Marketing Copy Sell?

Your marketing materials must grab your prospect's attention long enough to convince them to investigate further. Assuming you get past this hurdle, your piece's message must next convince the reader to call or buy.To make the copy in your marketing materials pull its weight?and then some, take this simple test:... Read More

Take the Test: Do Your Marketing Materials Really Grab Attention?

Today's constant bombardment of marketing messages means your materials must grab your prospects attention in the first few seconds, or your efforts are wasted.How do you know if your marketing materials will prompt prospects to keep reading? Take this simple test: hold each of your marketing pieces at arm's length... Read More

Basic Marketing Dope

Sometimes the simplest data is the best. Marketing is not complex if you know the basics ? that's true with anything by the way. Here are some tools that are brilliantly simple and with them you really won't have to sweat the small stuff.Hot Dope #1) The more that your... Read More

More Marketing Dope

Direct marketing can make you very successful, but you've got to understand the basics. Here are some more gems of the industry that can take you from being a diamond in the rough to the luminous bling-bling.When advertising your product or service, honesty is not only the legal and ethical... Read More

Rules of Thumb for Marketing to Your Past Customers

Keeping in touch can dramatically increase business, when done properly.It's a fact that your customers are your best leads. This means that the most likely people to purchase your products and/or services are the ones who have paid for them before. It's also a fact that it costs far less... Read More

Direct Mail - Dont Assume, Just Test and Track

Where to Start:Most novice marketers have definite fixed ideas about direct mail that are way off base - most often in the area of what to spend and how much to do. You should determine what you are able to spend for your marketing budget, spend it, and determine the... Read More

Set Your Business Apart With A Unique Selling Proposition

Unless your company has absolutely no competition now or in the forseeable future, you're well advised to find and develop a unique selling proposition (USP) that differentiates your business from all of your competitors.For you to succeed, you have to identify and understand what you or your business does or... Read More

How To Use The Og In All Of Us To Make More Money

5000 B.C. -- somewhere near a cave in MontanaOg the Deer Catcher and Flam the Wild walk up to a cave. They have never seen this cave before. Flam turns to Og and says "maybe there are some tasty rabbits inside, let's go inside and take a look. Og disagrees.... Read More

Writing Marketing Copy That Sells

When your prospects see your marketing materials, your brochure, your web site or your ads you want them to read them. You want prospects to read not just the first sentence but the majority of your copy. Once they've read it, you want them to decide that they need your... Read More

Business Leads

Anyone who runs their own business can tell you how challenging it is to generate business leads on a consistent basis. Finding good leads and generating more sales is vital to the long term growth of any business. There are many well documented sources of business leads ? we will... Read More

Whats Your NICHE Market ? III ?

What effect are the baby boomers having on the economy I hear you ask. Folks, in 2005, the economy IS the boomers!Boomers represent the vast majority of the work force. There are 76 million of boomers in the US alone; they ARE the economy. (That is not an exaggeration; that... Read More

Are You a Marketing Octopus, or a Marketing Worm?

One of the greatest challenges to effectively marketing a business is determining which marketing method is best for your business.Most people look at what their competitors are doing to market their businesses and then simply imitate that, whether good or bad.The best marketing strategy does not involve selecting only one... Read More

2 Step Marketing

Do it Right.I receive postcards all the time. The other day I received a postcard trying to sell me a copy machine. It had tiny, tiny lettering slathered all over the front and a large portion of the back of the card.It was extremely hard to read, so hard in... Read More

Build a Dynamic Business - 10 Steps to Start You Off

It's where your employees are in a 'special place' when they work together. And to get there, they have to be in a culture that is very special - and you can create it in your business too!Here are ten key points that will make a big, big difference:- Build... Read More

Boost Profits: Market to the Gay Community

Research shows that the gay and lesbian market is worth cultivating, no matter what your product or service. Despite the cultural changes during the past fifty years the gay and lesbian market is still relatively untapped. According to GLINN (the Gay/Lesbian International News Network) from 1996-1998 the annual value of... Read More

Two Steps to Improving Your Marketing Success

Since the human brain seems to be able to focus on only one thought at a time, it's difficult to evaluate an advertising idea from the perspective of both a marketer and a customer. That's why it's necessary to use a two-step process when developing highly effective ads, sales letters,... Read More

Building Credibility for Your Business

Small companies that rely on business-to-business sales often find it difficult to be seen as credible in the eyes of larger companies. If this is true for you, then this assessment might help you determine where you need to focus your attention in order to build your credibility. Rate each... Read More

Database Marketing: Secrets To Skyrocket Your Online Profits Using Database Marketing

What is database marketing?Database Marketing is the gathering and storing of specific information about your prospects or customers.This information is usually stored in a database program on your computer.You would then use the information to market and advertise to them.It can save you time and money because you can target... Read More

Key Marketing Strategy - You Need To Stay Visible!

If you want to get consistent results from your marketing, you need to stay visible to clients and prospects. But, how do you do that?It's not going to do you a whole lot of good if you produce a bunch of great marketing stuff and nobody ever reads it. And,... Read More

Postcards Work

What's the fastest, simplest and cheapest way to promote just about any business?The answer is postcards sent by direct mail. You can get your message to a targeted group of prospects or to your existing customers for a cost of about 25 to 30 cents each including postage. You can... Read More

How to Really Get Your Customers

What Really Makes Your Postcard Mailing Successful? The biggest single factor in the success of your postcard mailings is who you send your postcards to.You need a list of people or businesses to send your postcard offer to.This can be a list of existing customers or prospects who have inquired... Read More

The Words That Sell

What You Say, Who You Say It To, How you Say It: If you have or can get a list of people who are already interested or genuinely likely to be interested in your product or service then you are well on your way to being successful with your postcard... Read More

The Marketing Secret Every Child Knows

Little Kids Ask Until They Get What They Want.Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, can I have an ice cream? Can I, Can I, Can I, Can I? Please, Please, Please, Please. I'll be good for a whole year. I promise. Just give me a dollar. I won't ask again for a... Read More

Increase Repeat Business and Referrals with Direct Mail

So you have been writing mortgages like crazy now for the last few years. You have a pretty big database of customers and hopefully you have been getting and keeping full contact information for them. An organized database is the first key to customer retention.The next step is to put... Read More

Increase Your Profits Through Customer Loyalty

The job of convincing your existing customers to spend higher and more often can be an extremely tough task. There are many ways of achieving customer loyalty. It can be far more profitable to market existing and new products to an established customer base, than to try and attract new... Read More

The Secret to Good Writing

Skilful business writing involves getting your message across simply and quickly. This often means writing in a style that is easily read and understood by a broad audience.Yet, writing simply is often difficult for most of us.Why? The answer lies in our school education. We learnt that if we used... Read More

Why Most Marketing Videos Dont Work

Every now and then I will meet someone who has commissioned a marketing video that did not work for their company. It is a sad state of affairs and it is avoidable.Over the years, I have been given many failed corporate communications videos to watch and have found that they... Read More

How to Successfully Promote your Business to an International Audience

Breaking into the international marketplace can catapult a company into increased profitability and growth more rapidly than when selling to a domestic market.But how do you market your company successfully to overseas buyers? What can you do to provide the right information to prospective clients that is informative and engaging?... Read More

Good Vibes/ Bad Vibes

Have you ever walked into a store or business and felt uncomfortable there for no apparent reason? Have you ever walked into a store all happy and left quite frustrated? Have you ever wished your house could feel happier? The process called energetic clearing can make a significant improvement to... Read More

Make Your Prospects Say Yes!

6 Secrets to Stellar Sales PresentationsEvery sale is won or lost in the presentation. Regardless of product, industry, or market every sale has the same basic components: A prospect who wants a product, a product, and a sales person who will or will not help that customer buy. These 6... Read More

How To Start A Mail Order Business

The Mail Order business is not a business of itself, but is another way of doing business. Mail Order is nothing more nor less than selling a product or service via advertising and the offers you send out by mail.Therefore, to start and succeed in a mail order business of... Read More

The Top Seven Marketing Mistakes

In my view, nearly all government statistics about reasons for business failures are nonsense.Undercapitalization, inexperience, or poor management are usually blamed for all business disasters.Of course, there can be one or several more causes that result in a business going "belly up."However, from what I've seen, marketing mistakes are by... Read More

Marketing Smarter To Earn More

An accountant once told me that he never met anyone who didn't want to make 30% more money. Whether you want a better lifestyle or to take more vacations, buy a fancy car, spend more time with your family, send your children to college or to give it all away,... Read More

Breaking The Voice Mail Barrier

Even if you never place a cold call, you still have to reach people by phone. That customer who was so interested last month never called you back, and now you must call her. You call once, twice, three times, but you can't get her in person. How can you... Read More

Lack Of Business Isnt Always The Problem

When you're just starting out in business, it's a safe bet that you need more clients. But what if you have been up and running for a while, and you're still not making as much money as you would like? You may be in the habit of thinking that attracting... Read More

New Years Revolution

No, that's not a typo in the title. Resolutions are easy; most of us make them at least once a year. A revolution, on the other hand, is something you may not have made since you started your business.Starting a business is actually quite revolutionary. When you began yours, there... Read More

The Information Publishers Secret Resource Guide To Blow Customers Away!

Have you ever heard the saying, "Give and you shall receive"?Well, with information publishing, this saying is one of the most important you will ever hear. Let me explain:Whether you are providing your information product in a book, an e-book, a manual, or a video, if you want your customer... Read More

Networking Basics Turn Yourself Into A Profit Making Giant

I would like to introduce you to one of my brick and mortar business I run. It is called AFM Computer Repair. This business takes me about 5 hours a week, yet I usually make a few hundred dollars cash in my pocket spending money a week. Now I know... Read More

Bridging the Chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer

Bridging the Chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer: A Step by Step Guide for Developing Awareness, Building Credibility and Acquiring CustomersHave you ever watched a documentary about climbing Mount Everest? If so, you will undoubtedly remember one specific segment of the journey where the climbers cross a chasm, one carefully... Read More

Writing Business Newsletters: Avoid the ?Me, Me, Me? Mistake

Effective customer newsletters find the right mix of promotional and 'real' content to maximize readership.It's that time of year when the old college roommate sends 'round his or her annual holiday newsletter. Admit it, you're happy to hear from them, but it's usually too long and it's all "me, me,... Read More

Telemarketers Dont Like Them? Heres An Idea For Ya!

Telemarketers... ooohhh... I'll bet we've all got a nice story to tell about these guys & gals don't we?Well here's a story i'll never forget and I'll show you how to turn a sales call into a sale for you!So I'm sitting in my office one day and mind you... Read More

Online Communities - A Marketers Wildest Dream and Worst Nightmare!

Online Communities are all over the Internet and attract lots of visitors which make them ideal for marketing. People participating in these communities share information about whatever they want under various topics. Some of these discussions get very heated while others go by nearly un-noticed. Spammers have made their mark... Read More

Hold Onto What Youve Got

You probably spend a great deal of your time looking for new customers or clients. However, are you sure your doing enough to hold onto the ones you've got. One of the least costly ways to grow your business is to get customers to come back and buy more of... Read More

The Art Of Writing Classified Ads

The writing of good classified ads truly is an art that needs to be learned and perfected. Depending on the type of business you run, the development of a good classified ad can boost your annual sales by an average of £5,000 to £20,000 or more.You must first of all... Read More

10 Elements Every Direct Mail Piece Should Have

Don't want your direct mail to end up in the trash with the rest of the unread mail? Studies show an effective direct mail campaign should draw a .5 to 1 percent response. These 10 tips will help you get the results you want:1. A clear, bold headline. On the... Read More

Cause-Related Marketing

Altruism. Corporate responsibility. Philanthropy. These are often used to describe cause-related marketing, an activity in which businesses join with charities or causes to market an image, product, or service for mutual benefit.Embracing a cause makes good business sense. Nothing builds brand loyalty among today's increasingly hard-to-please consumers like a company?s... Read More

Viral Marketing with a Powerful Twist

What would you do with 500, 1000 or more additional visitors each day? Imagine how your web business will grow with an extra 2000, 5000 or MORE leads each month . . .Okay, I'll stop teasing you. . . But what IF those extra leads and visitors cost you NOTHING?... Read More

Tackle a Newsletter and Come Out On Top

Unlike any other marketing vehicle, newsletters give you the opportunity to contact your audience and convey your expertise in a way that offers value and information. Newsletters provide a reason -- and a structure -- to maintain ongoing contact. One of our clients has even said that recipients call if... Read More

The Marketing Recipe: Money, Marketing and Me ? 3 Keys For Success

You have a great product or service? Now, how should you market it?You have to make others know about what you have to offer. There is no good in having a great idea if you don't know how to sell it, right?Your motivation is financial independence (MONEY); you establish a... Read More

3 Strategies to Market Your Business Even When There?s No Money

Many small and home based businesses know they need to market and yet, have little or no money to do so. Sadly, many use this as a reason not to market. Even on a limited budget you can promote and gain visibility for you and your business.The following three strategies... Read More

The Biggest Problem With Your Marketing Is...?

What is the biggest problem most marketers have? Who knows. We don't, and they certainly don't either. That is exactly the problem. Most marketers don't know whether or not their campaigns are working because they don't know how to track the results.I can't count the number of people I know... Read More

Utilizing Your Best Hidden Asset To Increase Sales

You probably already have in your possession one of the most valuable and powerful assets you can possibly own. But if you're like most business people you probably aren't using it to its full potential.It's very easy to tap into its power -- and it is very powerful. What could... Read More

Turbocharge New Sales with a Marketing Database

What is the most valuable asset your company owns? Inventory? Equipment? Employees? If you've got customers, your number one asset is your customer list.You've heard the old adage, "It's 5 times easier to sell an existing customer than to find a new one." Selling an existing customer is easy because... Read More

Boost Your Direct Mail Response Rates with Mapping Technology

On Superbowl Sunday, Domino's Pizza delivered more than 900,000 pizzas-and mapping technology helped. How do 60,000 pizza outlets serving 3 billion pizzas per year compete in an industry where reputations and dollars are dependent on "fast, hot and delivered to the door?" Global Positioning System (GPS) technology!Here's how you can... Read More

Use Events to Market on the Internet

Having difficulty knowing what to offer people online? Worried that your prospects are too bombarded by sales pitches to pick yours out from the hundreds they get every day?Try something different ? an event!Events have a number of benefits over standard marketing approaches. Some of these benefits include:Events are perceived... Read More

Understanding Survey Software Features

If you take a look at the features that different survey softwares offer, you will quickly realize that understanding all of them is no mean task. But it is very important that you do because only then you can choose the right survey software. It is important for one other... Read More

Tips For Developing An Effective Questionnaire

Developing the questionnaire is undoubtedly the most important part of conducting a survey. The quality of the questions will determine the quality of the results and the effectiveness of your survey. Here are 12 tips for developing an effective questionnaire.1. Write a good introduction - The beginning of your survey... Read More

How To Conduct Effective Online Surveys

Although they are inexpensive and product fast results, online surveys still need to be conducted properly to be really effective. The key steps for conducting effective online surveys are:Identify your objectiveDecide what information you needDevelop a questionnaireConduct the surveyAnalyze the responsesRecommend a course of action* Identify your objectiveOnline surveys are... Read More

Direct Mail Postcard Rules

It's a fact that your customers are your best leads. This means that the most likely people to purchase your products and/or services are the ones who have paid for them before. It's also a fact that it costs far less money to keep a customer than it does to... Read More

Marketing Copy - Brand Identity Guru

Tips on writing great copy for your marketing efforts.It's just four steps that I call the Writing Path1. I create a deadline for something to be produced. This creates pressure that I think is very important. Because I write this e-newsletter-BIGNews every other week, I must find an idea and... Read More

Direct Mail Strategy - Brand Identity Guru

1. Know your purpose: What do you want your direct mailer to accomplish? Do you want to be remembered? Do you want to educate prospects about benefits? Recently, Brand Identity Guru was hired to expand a clients direct mail efforts, so we created a direct mail piece to showcase our... Read More

Marketing Success - Marketing Strategy - Brand Identity Guru

Marketing message x Credibility x Visibility = Marketing SuccessThese three variables, when working positively together, create success. Period. But determining how to get those variables to work together is the trick.Your marketing message isn't a static entity. It can have a high or low impact on your customers. There are... Read More

4 Dynamic Marketing Tactics

Some of the simplest marketing tactics often produce the most profitable results. Here are 4 examples that have proven highly effective for any business.1. Focus on Your Best ProspectsImagine how profitable your business would be if more of your new customers were like the best customers you have now. Here's... Read More

Selling To Your Affiliates

While success with any internet marketing program falls on the head of the marketer, what the program offers in pay outs and products plays a big roll. What I am going to focus on is the product side of the business. The products that you sell make the difference on... Read More

Chill Out With A Summer Time Marketing Plan

Is your business experiencing a summer time slump? Traditionally only industries related to travel enjoy a boost in business during the warmer months. The rest of us tend to take vacations, clean up our desk and while away the time playing computer games while we wait for business to pick... Read More

Marketing The Real You

I often wonder how the practice began of pretending to be someone else in order to market your business. You know what I'm talking about -- it's the marketing face, the selling voice, that you often put on in order to attend a networking event or make a sales call.... Read More

The Top 10 Wild and Wacky Ways to Market Yourself for Big Visibility

In today's competitive world of business, it takes moxie and pizazz to sell a great product, idea, or service. This list will provide you with ten unusual and creative marketing strategies which will help you to stand apart from the competition and to increase your visibility.1. Celebrate the Wacky World... Read More

10 Beer Budget Event Marketing Tips

Are you planning an event or participating in a trade show any time soon? If so, consider the following 10 low-cost marketing tactics before mailing your payment.Event Marketing Tactic #1 -- Is the purchase decision-maker attending the event? Are you certain? Let's say you sell gifts that help increase employee... Read More

The Building Blocks to Effective Marketing

The Building Blocks to Successful MarketingIt's More than Sales and AdvertisingBy Julie ChanceWhether you're a Fortune 500 company or a one person shop, to be successful, you must have a marketing strategy and you must implement it consistently. However, it doesn't have to cost a fortune and you don't have... Read More

Top 3 Reasons Why Your Headlines Fail

Many professional copywriters estimate that the headline contributes to 80% or more of the success of any ad, article, or sales letter. One direct marketing expert goes so far as to credit the headline with 100% of the success or failure of any ad or sales letter, because if... Read More

Your Headlines Are Key To Your Success Or Failure. Do You Know What To Write?

Most professional copywriters would say that headlines account for 80% percent of more of the effectiveness of an ad or sales letter.After all, it's the headline that gets your reader to stop and read further into your sales copy. If the headline fails, then the entire ad or sale copy... Read More

Clever Headlines Usually Flop! Are You Being Too Clever For Your Own Good?

Copywriters that try to be clever, humorous, abstract, or use double entendre with their headlines and ads will normally find that they flop and are thus a waste of both time and money. Many of the Super Bowl ads fall in this category. While they are often funny to watch,... Read More

Use a Guarantee In Your Headline To Increase Trust

Sometimes you can use a guarantee effectively in your headline. Doing so often creates increased trust in the reader. After all, if you guarantee it, you must believe in whatever it is you are guaranteeing. Remember Domino Pizza's unique selling proposition (USP), which was also used as a headline? 'Fresh... Read More

PowerPositioning: WillYouAcceptThisRose.com

Positioning is a powerful concept in marketing. To illustrate, have you ever visited a fast food restaurant, and, in a rush to complete your order asked for a coke when you "perhaps" meant to order some other soft drink? The Coke brand and its owners have achieved a top of... Read More

What Our CAT Taught Me About Marketing!

Toby is one of our two family pets (both cats). He is quite astute, and he has learned one of the most basic tenets of selling - stick with what works!Many of Toby's days are spent perched on the top of my monitor as I work here on my computer.... Read More

Marketing Person You Think You Arent

Have you thought about starting your own business? Have you started one and are having challenges with marketing, fear of failure, fear of success?I could go on and on. Has the question, Now what? ever entered your mind? If so, I would like to share my story with you. A... Read More

How to Use Your Newsletter to Research Your Market

A few decades ago, in the early days of automatic banking terminals, the management at Citibank made a somewhat reluctant decision to introduce automatic tellers. They were anxious to cut costs, but they assumed that customers would rather deal with human tellers, had they the choice. Therefore, they compromised... Read More

Eliminate Your Competitors With 2 Simple Steps

In business, having competitors goes with the territory. There's almost always someone selling the same product or service you are selling, or at least trying to solve the same customer problem you solve.Not only can competitors out-market you and steal your valuable prospects and customers, they can put you out... Read More

Marketing Lessons From TV?s The Apprentice

Can we actually learn a marketing lesson from reality TV? In the case of Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" I'd say we can.Advertising and marketing are creative disciplines. That's one reason I love working in marketing. Finding creative solutions that help clients sell their products and services is a fun way... Read More

Does Your Marketing Pass This 10-Point Test?

Good marketing, whatever form it takes, always meets certain criteria. That's what makes it good. The following 10-Point checklist will help you determine if your marketing passes the test. I challenge you to evaluate one of your recent ads, promotions or other marketing activities to see how it measures up.1)... Read More

4 Easy Ways to Get Free Marketing Exposure

Are there really ways you can get valuable marketing exposure without spending any money? You bet there are. The trick to uncovering these methods is to think of creative ways you can get your products or services in front of, or in the hands of, your prospects. And that last... Read More

Marketing with Special Reports. 5 Ways to Develop Content Your Prospects Cant Wait to Read

So you've decided to start publishing an e-newsletter, or you'd like to develop a Special Report as an added-value for your customers, or maybe you've even decided to teach a teleclass or a seminar as a way to bring prospects into your business.So now you have to decide what you're... Read More

How Well Do You Know Your Prospects? Find Out With This 10-Point Quiz

It's crucial to know your prospects if you want to market effectively to them. Take this quick 10-point quiz to see how well you know and understand your prospects.If you can't answer these questions, how can you be sure you are connecting with your audience in a relevant and meaningful... Read More

Are You Sabotaging Your Marketing Success?

What?!? Sabotage your own success? Who would do that? Well, you'd be surprised how many small business owners think they are effectively marketing their business, when in fact they are cutting their own throat.Yes, they may be running ads that are pulling in leads or customers. And yes, they may... Read More

How to Use Business Cards to Network and Market Your Business

You've had one thousand of the finest, most eye-catching business cards printed. Now, what do you do with them?Networking with business cards is one of the most cost effective means of marketing your business--and yourself.Get those business cards out!Don't leave them sitting in the box, they do you no good... Read More

Systems - Marketing Your Business Successfully

Business Systems that work for anyone, are a fundamental necessity for any networking venture. While most people rely upon their own company business system or plan for success, there is always a different option.The three fundamental elements of any system are; Replication, Duplication and most of all Retention.A newbie or... Read More

Did You Know Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem?

How To Save Yourself From The Pits of Marketing Cyber Hell!"Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem!"Did you know that the one major thing that stands between You and Success is Your Mind Set? Yes it is true. Sometimes our "Own Stinkin' Thinkin'" gets in the way of our Success, or our... Read More

The Top 10 The Top Ten Signs That Your Marketing Message Needs a Facelift

Is your marketing plan dull, flat, and downright boring? Is it lacking the zest and appeal which can penetrate the consciousness of your buyers? If so, you may be driving away folks who could easily buy your products or services. If so, these ten signs from The 90 Day Marketing... Read More

Have You Sold Your Internal Customers?

You can make the sale. You know your core message. You know your target market inside out, right?But if you have even one employee than you've got another sales job to do. Everyone in your organization must also be sold on the dream you have. Everyone who answers the phone,... Read More

5 Ways To Entice Your Parallel Market to Trade Links

Lots of people get confounded when attempting to exchange links, you're not alone. The people who have the spot you want are competitors. The people who don't aren't worth exchanging links with. What to do?It's not necessarily the method you're using, it may be the approach.If you know anything about... Read More

Five Cheap Tricks for Promoting Your Business

If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to promote your business - without spending a ton of money. Well, you're in luck. This article lists five of my top 10 favorite ideas for promoting your business or organization for next to nothing (and in some cases, completely fr*e).... Read More

Leverage The Power Of Using Flyers To Advertise Your Online Product or Service Offline

One commonly overlooked method of advertising offline is flyers. Flyers are extremely easy to create. They also allow you to exhibit some of your creative side, making it just that much more fun to make money.In some areas, you may be able to put up over 1,000 flyers! The more... Read More

Is Your Marketing Working...

That is the question, you should be asking yourself. Many feel that it is I'm sure. But is it really!Which scenario is better or best for your business, marketing and advertising everyday spending more than you marketing budget allows each month. Or marketing your business based on last years marketing... Read More

Direct Mail Leads - Brand Identity Guru

Direct mail can be one of the most effective tactics to reach your target audience. Developing a strategy for direct mail is critical to obtaining the best ROI. If you just roll out any piece without a clear plan you are throwing your good marketing money away.Here are some tips... Read More

Joint Venture Marketing: What and Why

What is a Joint Venture? A joint venture is an agreement in which two or more businesses work on a project for a set period of time. Usually with a specific project or goal in mind. Joint ventures can be long-term, like promoting a product together, or some can be... Read More

How To Create A Complete Referral Marketing System

These steps are taken from the Referral Flood Marketing Program. Referral Flood is an insider's shortcut to referral marketing and features over 4 hours of audio training, 54 real-world referral marketing systems, and a host of referral marketing tools, letters, postcards and forms.Step #1 - Create a referral target market(s)... Read More

Website Marketing: 10 Uncommon Bonuses That Will Help Make Your Product Hotly In Demand

Giving away free bonuses is an important website marketing secret that can ignite your sales.1. Consulting-Give your customers advice on topics related to your product or service. You can consult via e-mail, message board or chat room.2. e-Book-Compile related product information or instructions into an ebook. You could publish it... Read More

The 5 Musts of Marketing

For most of the small business owners I work with, marketing has become the equivalent of a four-letter word. Inevitably, when I ask the question, "Do you have a marketing plan?" or "What marketing activities do you engage in?" I get the full gamut of responses from the proverbial deer... Read More

The Magic of Using Booklets for Tradeshow Giveaways

Candy, squeeze balls, pens, and key chains -- these provide questionable value to anyone visiting or staffing a tradeshow booth. More and more meeting and marketing professionals are considering something a little different - booklets. They are a way to attract higher quality prospects, reap a handsome return on the... Read More

Five Steps to Partnering with Companies to Build Your Client Base

Wouldn't you love a simple formula for easily growing your small business? Here is something that could be just what you are looking for:1. Create an information product based on your expertise.2. Sell or license many copies of the product to a large company.3. Guide the company in using your... Read More

Direct Marketing ? Brand Identity Guru Tips

If your company doesn't have a direct marketing program in place, a direct marketing agency can create one for you. A direct marketing company provides small to very large customizable ranges of business-to-business and business-to-consumer direct marketing options sure to fit your needs. From database creation and maintenance to data... Read More

People Pleasing Postcards

Why are more businesses turning to full-color postcards as a key form of promotion? The biggest reason is the simplest: You don't have to open a postcard. It won't get lumped in with all the direct mail envelopes that people toss without opening.If the postcard shows a very glossy, well-photographed... Read More

Comprehensive Marketing Details Not Found in Beginner Books

If this is the first marketing article you are reading, go find some other more basic articles that I have written and then come back. This data is for the intermediate to advanced marketers.I want to go over a three-step outline for your marketing which are:1) Surveys2) Getting Attention3) PostageMarketing... Read More

Effective List Management Can Save You Big

Let's talk about how to keep your postage costs down.So far you have been following my advice and mailing to the same list more than once. At some point you find lists that will produce returns continually, but you notice that you are receiving more returns than when you started... Read More

Good Marketing Pays for Itself

Most companies ask themselves this question: "How much will this advertising cost us?" when they should actually be asking themselves this: "How much will it cost not to do this advertising?"If your company spends $1000 per week on marketing then you could save $1000 per week by not doing any... Read More

Increase New Customer Traffic to Your Business

One person tells another, who tells another, who tells another and so on. You get the idea. Let's see how to make that an actuality.You have a great company and you provide the highest level of customer service. But as the old cliché says: "A happy customer tells a friend,... Read More

Make Your Mailing a Home Run, Not a Strike Out!

You can use great design and copy to get a better response.When you send a mailing to your customers or prospective customers you are counting on making considerably more money in new business than you spend on the mailing, right? It is obvious that if you were not going to... Read More

Marketing ? Like a Game of Chess

Have you started thinking about your Valentines Day Promotion yet?It may sound like a strange question on the day before Thanksgiving but it really isn't. When scheduling your promotions it is like a game of chess. You should always be thinking at least 3 moves ahead.In this case each "move"... Read More

Marry Your Marketing Plan

Make a vow to keep up your marketing schedule in good times and not so good times.I have said it time and time again that marketing, no matter what type you choose, is a building process. Here is the whole thing summed up in one situation:Assume for a moment that... Read More

Raise Your Income!

How often do you sit around and wonder how to make more money and get more people to buy more from your company? It's one of the most basic problems every company faces.The answer is astonishingly simple. Too simple maybe. But I've seen it work over and over again with... Read More

Rising Postal Rates? Don?t Cut Down the Direct Mail

The United States Post Office in the past had some trouble with its finances and their solution was to raise the postal rates. Whether or not you agree with this approach to trying to stay in business, like the weather and government in general, it's something you have to live... Read More

Specialized Mailing Lists Make All the Difference

If there is one thing I can't say enough it is that the most important part of your mailing campaign is your mailing list. It is vital that you put the right amount of energy into learning about lists ? who to mail to ? so that your mailing efforts... Read More

The Importance of a Marketing Plan

There aren't many things in life that you would get into with out a plan. Marketing is no different. Your overall marketing plan should cover about a six month period, and should be made up of weekly and monthly marketing schedules.This is how you do it:1. Figure out how much... Read More

The Marshall Plan -- Or, Customer Aftercare: How To Spend Less & Sell More

My wife likes to shop at the local Safeway. Is it because of the competitive prices? Yes, that's part of it. Is it because of the convenient location? Yes, that's part of it too. She also likes their produce department. But the biggest reason she likes to shop at the... Read More

How Simple, Small Changes Can Add Real Money To Your Pocket

I want to share with you a story. This story happens everywhere and everyday in America . If you grasp the simple lesson from it, you can make more money each month without working harder or spending more.I just bought a printer. My trusted ink jet printer finally gave up... Read More

Break Even On Your Next Direct Mail Campaign...And Still Generate Huge Profits

With direct mail, you can break even and still claim success. The reason for this can be understood only when determining the lifetime value of each customer brought in and the likelihood of those customers responding to subsequent offers. Here is a concrete example to illustrate my point.Joe's Civil War... Read More

Case Study: How to Get a Big Boost in Response by Taking Your Marketing to the Extreme

Want a big boost in response and quick sales from your next direct marketing effort? Then take your marketing to the extreme. What do I mean by extreme? I mean unconventional, break the mold, out-of-the-box, reaches-out-and-grabs-people-by-the-lapel marketing.When you take your marketing to the extreme a lot of people will love... Read More

Joint Venture: 50 Power Secrets Of Joint Venture Marketing, Exposed

What is a Joint Venture?A joint venture is an agreement in which two or more businesses work on a project for a set period of time.Joint ventures can be long-term, like promoting a product together, or some can be short-term, like bartering (trading) products and services.Joint venture ideas are virtually... Read More

Networking, iNetworking, What Is The First Rule?

Networking on the Internet is the same as networking in person, or is it? Let's take a conversational tour together on this topic.At an in-person networking event you wouldn't just attend not to network. Or would you? Normally everyone is there for a purpose, even if they haven't totally defined... Read More

Ten Easy Marketing Tasks You Can Do NOW

Who says scientists can't market? Here are 10 easy marketing ideas that a group of folks at the National Institute of Standards and Technology came up with today during our monthly Marketing Action Group:1. Listen to (and write down!) the questions your clients ask. They're clues to the problems you... Read More

Marketing With Business Cards

Many businesses today overlook the importance of business cards as a very powerful marketing weapon. Their business cards contain just a name, company, address and phone number. But smart and savvy marketers know that an effective business card should also contain the company theme and it's prime benefits.Business cards are... Read More

The Top Ten Ways to Get Beyond Networking And Generate Cash-Building Exposure

Gain the exposure you need to succeed with these ten tips:1. Present yourself as a specialist and/or an authority in your field. Identify where you excel and use your skills, core competencies, knowledge and experience to become a valuable resource.2. Be clear on the services you provide, the target markets... Read More

Top 5 Ways to Generate Qualified Leads for Your Small Business

Do you ever wonder if you could be doing a better job marketing your small business or professional service firm? Successfully marketing a small business is hard work. There are several key skills required to consistently develop new business that you, as a small business owner, must master in order... Read More

Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind

What's black and white and read all over? A newsletter of course! And while there are perhaps hundreds of ways to market your business and increase your bottom line, one of the singlemost effective tools in marketing is your own business-building newsletter.The Power of Newsletters:Newsletters show the customer you care... Read More

Increase Your Response with Multi-Step Marketing

"There is only one way to judge the effectiveness of a marketing piece, and that is by the number of responses you get." - Heidi Richards -Multi-step marketing is a simple yet extremely powerful strategy when you use it to its full potential. Multi-step marketing is selling people who have... Read More

Open Doors by Building Relationships

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get others interested in you." - Dale Carnegie -"The same could be said for increasing your professional network." - Heidi RichardsBuilding your Network is an ongoing process.... Read More

Why Referral Business Is So Valuable

With so much money invested on innefective advertising, it's time to look at some good old fashioned ways of generating new business. One tried and tested way is by referral.Here are three reasons why referrals are so valuable?1. Customers who refer are more likely to stay with you and as... Read More

Copy SoapNet and Make Money

Whether you want to admit it or not, soap operas may hold the key to your home business success. This article includes a few home and small business principles I learned while watching SoapNet.Be really, really good looking. I don't know if you've had this experience, but every time I... Read More

Preventive Marketing Offers Small-Mid Sized Business Owners An Ideal Way To Maximize Their Results

As the owner of a creative services boutique - I have realized that at least 9 out of 10 prospects/clients have suffered from one or all of the following (very detrimental) symptoms of trying to grow their businesses:Trouble defining their "BIG PICTURE"Little to no understanding of "evolution focus"Overwhelming feelings of... Read More

How To Be A First Class Marketer?

Did you now how to follow up a new customer with less phone calls?First thing for you to know that you only have about 5 minutes for first follow up in the phone. The rest of that is a meeting arrangement.So what should I do to follow up my customers... Read More

Business Card Design - How to Stand out and Get Noticed

One of the most powerful, yet over looked weapons in your marketing arsenal is your business card. If designed properly this little 3 x 2.5 piece of paper will not only let people know how to contact you it will also tell them why they should contact you. In order... Read More

Using a Marketing Calendar Template

Owning a small business isn't easy, especially if you are running it alone. Between moving products, taking orders, paying bills, and taking care of family, it is easy to lose track of everything you need to do. Using a calendar template to organize and manage your marketing strategy will ensure... Read More

You?re In Charge. Now What?

For years now, you have been waiting patiently for that first opportunity to be put in charge of a group and show what you can do. It has finally happened. You are giddy with excitement and your head is full of ideas. You can't wait to implement, create change, and... Read More

Creating Customer Value

The purpose of business is to create and retain a customer.Much has been written about customer orientation, customer relationship management (CRM), Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) metrics, Customer Centric organization models, customer retention, customer care?add any high sounding word with 'customer' preceding or succeeding that word and you have a new... Read More

10 Steps to a Great Newsletter

A newsletter can be a wonderful, economical way to communicate with prospects, customers, employees or distributors. Just follow these ten easy steps for newsletter success.1) Define Your Audience -- Who are you publishing for? Clients (customers) ? present, past and prospective? Employees? Your audience will define your content.2) Set Objectives... Read More

Sage Advice from a Marketing Expert!

An international hair-cutting chain opened a new store directly across the street from the small town's only barbershop owned and operated by a man affectionately known to the locals as 'ol'Joe'.Joe and his barbershop were fixtures on Main Street for over twenty-eight years where he had enjoyed the privilege of... Read More

SMS for the Estate Agent - Targeted Marketing Tool, or Legal Minefield?

Imagine having at your disposal a means to immediately inform house buyers that you have just the property they are looking for. Potential buyers have given their details and their preferences - imagine that you can send them this information no matter where they are or what they are doing,... Read More

How to Brief a Marketing Agency

A new client recently emailed us a brief here at Mano Design. It was very brief brief indeed. All it said was, "Can you write me some copy for a postcard?" Resisting the urge to write, "Dear Customers. Having a wonderful time - wish you were here. Love, The Client,"... Read More

Common Exhibit Marketing Mistakes: Ten Tips on How to Avoid Them

The key to great exhibiting is marketing. But marketing is a very inexact science that leaves room for a multitude of errors to occur. The following are 10 of the most common marketing mistakes that exhibitors often make. Learn to avoid them and you will increase your chances for a... Read More

Reasons Why People Usually Dont Buy Again

There are many psychological reasons why people will buy from the first time and why they do not buy from you again. There are books on many of these reasons. Many of these reasons are totally out of your control.But what about the ones that you are in control of?What... Read More

Marketing on the Cheap: Write? Right!!

We all know the value of writing articles for promoting your website or online store. However, writing articles to promote your old-fashioned, traditional brick and mortar business has been around forever.Contact your local newspapers, and chances are, depending on what business you are in, they may be interested in giving... Read More

Time for A Marketing Tune-up

If you have been in business any length of time, I can assure you that habits, not conscious thought, are guiding your marketing actions. Many business people are great optimists, or they probably wouldn't have gotten into the game to begin with. They keep doing everything they've ever done in... Read More

Effective Tips For Telemarketers

I had a telemarketer call me recently. Here's a rough transcript of the conversation.Think about it?(Telemarketer) Hello, Mr. Yuille? (Me) Yes?Mr. Yuille, it's Tracy from XYZ marketing (names changed to protect the innocent). Yes, Tracy,Mr. Yuille, I'm calling to update our mailing list. Yes,Can I just take a minute to... Read More

Educating Your Customers

One of the biggest marketing mistakes businesses make today is failing to educate their prospects and customers about the unique advantages that are being offered to them. The cornerstone of any marketing plan should be to educate your customers.You should first educate them about your product or service, and your... Read More

Laws of Marketing ? The 10 Immutable

Most marketers believe that anything is achievable if you are energetic, creative or determined enough. But laws of marketing follow laws of business, and if you violate them, you risk your marketing dollars. The conventional answer to all marketing questions is money, which is not true.1. Law of Leadership ?... Read More

Market Your Identity

One of the most critical but overlooked parts of business success is using your identity. If you want to build a successful business you have to strike the word image from your vocabulary right from the start. Webster's Dictionary defines image as an imitation or representation of a person or... Read More

8 Proven Ways to Get Referrals

Do you find it hard to ask for referrals? I know I do! Your heart starts racing, you stumble for words, and sometimes you break out in a sweat just thinking of asking for a referral. But the secret to getting referrals without having to ask is to develop a... Read More

Make More Money with Marketing Metrics

Do you know how effective each of your individual marketing tactics is? Many small business owners market in a vacuum. They spend money on brochures, advertisements and web sites with no real way to tie specific results to specific endeavors.If you are unable to associate leads and sales with the... Read More

6 Things I Know About Postcards That You Don?t

In my plethora of experience tucked away between these ears, I have managed to cull out for you what I consider the "best of the best" ? in other words, I took the most proven details about postcards that were significant to you starting a postcard campaign and really winning... Read More

Business Marketing Strategy

The term business marketing strategy might sound like it is esoteric or stratospheric, so let's take the mystery out of it so you can devise and implement your own business marketing strategy that fits in to your small business plan.Strategy comes from a Greek word "stratagein" meaning "to be a... Read More

Self Promotion Brings Business Success

Your business success depends on your ability to promote your services, your products, and yourself. Fortunately, promotion is simple. I know...you hate selling. "But, I'm not a born salesperson," you say. "I don't want to hustle people." And, images of high-pressure, arm-twisting solicitors come to mind. But, that doesn't have... Read More

Writing A Marketing Strategy

It is my belief that if anyone is to suceed in any type of business then the business needs to be marketed to it's target consumers in an effective manner. In order to do this effectively rather than in an ad hoc, probably expensive, manner I propose the construction of... Read More

Getting The Big Picture Series: Part 2-Whats Beneath The Surface?

When you take a piece of gold to a pawn shop sometimes they will take a small saw-like tool to scrape the jewelry to find out for sure "What's Beneath The Surface". Sometimes they find pure gold, silver, or tarnished metal.Well it's the same story when it comes to conducting... Read More

Michael Jackson, Classic Marketing Blunders And Your Wallet!

You couldn't help but be captivated by the unbelievably cute kid with the amazingly controlled falsetto voice and electric dance moves. He was only 10 years old, when he exploded onto the music scene, along with his brothers as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, but he had the... Read More

The Process of Change in Marketing Approaches

In a world economy that is in constant flux and undergoing turbulence, more companies are realizing that their most precious asset is their customer base. An even more important realization is the need to satisfy the whims and fancies of these customers in order to survive in these increasingly competitive... Read More

Send Postcards To Save Money and Cut Through E-mail Clutter

Use your computer to send personalized color postcards in quantities of 1 to 1,000.Print on demand postcards are here. You can quickly, easily, and economically use your computer to prepare and address color postcards that will arrive in your prospect's morning mail!Postal mail is growing in importance as the volume... Read More

Stretch Your Marketing Reach

One of the most cost effective marketing strategies you can utilize is an online newsletter, also referred to as an E-Zine.You can provide valuable content to your customers and potential customers with an E-Zine. The beauty of utilizing the Internet to distribute your information is often people will forward your... Read More

Marketing as a Spiritual Practice II: Unearthing Your Potential

Marketing as we know it is over. Done. Finito.People the world over are bored and spammed to the brink of tears. But there is good news: There's a better way to connect with precisely those you wish to reach ? and it works far better than traditional, expensive, gimmick-driven marketing.We... Read More

The Truth About The Fallacy Of 7

Ted Nicholas is a marketer with a proven track record. He has started, operated and sold 21 profitable businesses, and is responsible for the direct or indirect publishing of hundreds of books and publications. Ted Nicholas is a well- known and respected leader in the information marketing business.Ted Nicholas has... Read More

The Most Powerful Marketing Weapon Ever Invented

It was probably first discovered out there in the caves or wherever else the history of mankind begun. And yet this weapon has been used so sparingly over the centuries. It is so powerful that those surprisingly few who have stumbled on to it and appreciated and respected its power... Read More

Walking Talking Advertisements

So you've made a sale. Great!Now what? You're not just going to sell your new customer a product and let them walk away, are you?Not when you're marketing on tight budget! You now have to use the customer in front of you to build your business, and you do that... Read More

Using Demographic Data For Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign

Targeting high potential markets with a direct mail marketing campaign can be a very affordable and efficient way to get new customers for most companies and entrepreneurs but how can you find a way to reach those high potential markets? Using demographic data could be your solution.In the United States,... Read More

Are You Ready To Research Your Market?

Picture this. You develop some product or service, spend countless hours making sure everything is just right, set up a beautiful web site, make sure the ecommerce end is secure, and then release what you know will be of utmost benefit to others.Do you really know this? How do you... Read More

Marketing On The Cheap: Speak Out!

No matter what business you are in, you probably have something to sell. Furthermore, if you have something to sell, you have something to say. So say it to as many people as possible, and don't wait for them to come to you. You need to go to them. Take... Read More

Business Cards That do the Business

A business card makes a statement about who you are and what your business is about. It needs to convey the quality of your business and an insight into your personality. I have been handed business cards and the first thought to go through my mind was - "Cheap" A... Read More

Winning At Business With Your Marketing Game Plan

Stuart from Colorado had talked to a number of marketing firms and gotten estimates for designing and printing his marketing materials and building a web site for his business producing promotional cds. One firm quoted $100,000 to build his web site alone. He sensed something was missing or wrong, but... Read More

Attract Your Dream Customer

Have you clearly defined your target audience? These are the prime buyers of your products or services. It is the people or organizations you are pursuing actively as customers. You don't need every customer in the world! You need the ones who are a good match for YOU. The more... Read More

What Does Marketing Mean?

You can have the best little business ever with wonderful potential, but if you can't market it, you don't have a business at all.Learn how to market yourself, because you are your business. Don't confuse the terms "marketing," "advertising," and "promotion." These terms carry a different tune.Marketing means informing your... Read More

Who Is Your Market and Where Are They?

An important part of planning your business is to know who will use your products/services.The vast majority of small businesses will rely on their communities for sales. It is in your best interest to get to know everything you can about your community, or the people who will use yor... Read More

There?s More to Marketing ROI (return on investment) Than Meets the Eye

All too often people look at marketing ROI in terms of response rate: in other words, "I sent out 10,000 pieces of direct mail and only got 39 responses which is terrible." This is wrong think.When it comes to marketing ROI, you have to realize that the term means Return... Read More

Postcard Marketing Done Right

Say it with a post card. A well designed, colorful, high impact postcard in the mail box of your prospect is your best ticket to a new customer. For your existing customer, a marketing campaign which includes frequent post cards is the perfect start to new sales - this is... Read More

Postcards ? Picture Perfect Promotion

There is a simple but almost mystical law which governs promotion and marketing and their relationship to the amount of business generated: business will come in to the degree that you get your message out, promote, let people know you are there, advertise, write to people, call people, e-mail people... Read More

Direct Mail Marketing Done Correctly, Cannot Fail

So how do you do it?Direct mail marketing. When it comes to marketing your product or services there are two basic challenges:1. How do you obtain new customers or clients?2. How do you get your existing customers to come back for more?Direct mail/direct response marketing answers both these challenges admirably... Read More

Starting Small Business Promotional Campaigns

So you're starting a small business. You figured out what you wanted to sell or do and went out and got it all set up, had your DBA framed and on the wall and now all you need is for someone to buy your product or use your service. Right?How... Read More

What the Heck is a Campaign and Why Do I Need to Do One?

Many people ask me, "What is a postcard campaign, exactly?" "And why do I need one?" As I have been educating my clients one on one for years now, I suddenly had the bright idea that I needed to explain this for more than just one at a time and... Read More

Marketing Hat for Graphic Designers or Wannabe?s

Many people think that the quality of any graphic design is determined by how aesthetically pleasing it is: Although making the card look good is important, this couldn't be further from the truth. The only true measure of any design, at least commercially, is "How well does it pull?". By... Read More

Writing To Overpower Your Competition

"We don't have any competition. We're a truly a one-of-a-kind company." I've heard that line from clients for years. I wish it were true, but it's simply not. In fact, it wouldn't matter if you held a monopoly on your particular product or service; you'd still have competition. How? Because... Read More

How to Set (and Get) the Right Prices

Which product feature of yours is every buyer keen to know about? Which sales tool closes prospects instantly? Your price. Yet, despite the far-reaching consequences of a company's pricing, I'm surprised at how little time small business owners spend on it. Here are a few ways to bring pricing to... Read More

The Top 10 Marketing Tools to Grow Your Business in 2004

Looking to grow your business? Make sure you have these marketing tools in place:#10 A powerful taglineIn 10 words or less, a good tagline reinforces a company's reason for being. And smaller companies will find it to be one of the hardest working tools. To get one, first boil down... Read More

Service Marketers; How?s Your Packaging?

When a shopper picks up a product in a store, what's the first thing they notice? The packaging, right? The same holds true for someone buying a service.Yet instead of a folded carton with colorful graphics, you are the packaging for your service business. Intangible points of contact, including your... Read More

Whats Your Marketing Attitude?

Entrepreneurs pay a lot of attention to the mechanics of marketing. They take workshops, read books, and hire consultants to find out how to do the best job they possibly can. With my own clients, I often discover that their knowledge of marketing techniques is quite good already. What they... Read More

Mobile Marketing a New Age Strategy

More and more companies seem to be looking for new and innovative ways to market their products. Overlooking most of the traditional marketing techniques, more companies are pioneering the relatively new mobile marketing campaign. Mobile event trailers and vehicle graphic wraps are bringing the products directly to the consumers. With... Read More

Everybody Loves Raymond....You Should Too!

Popular TV Series Provides a Powerful Marketing LessonSmall Business owners spend a great deal of mental effort and time trying to dream up the next big marketing idea for their business. I'm all for that. It's a good time investment for any small business owner to think about ways to... Read More

The Added Effectiveness of Promotional Products in Your Marketing Plan

Recently, I stopped by a new car wash in my town and while preparing to insert my six quarters into the machine to start the cleaning process, the owner came over to me and thanked me for stopping in. He also handed me a pen that had the name and... Read More

Powerful Direct Marketing Numbers

Direct Marketing works!Why? It works because it's personal. It carries a message, answers questions and gets orders. Direct Response Marketing works because it is "conversation in writing".It works because, no matter what you have heard, read or believe ... most people look forward to personal communication. They like being treated... Read More

Free Marketing Tips

Dumb Excuse #1"I'm not sure I want to invest any money in my internet business right now."Yes, it's sad to say but I hear this one from time to time. Let me be very frank with you. If you've already checked out my own top search rankings and still don't... Read More

Five Tips for Trade Show Success on a Small Budget

No matter how small your marketing budget, your business can afford to have a successful presence at trade shows without incurring big expenses. Here are five tips for exhibiting in trade shows inexpensively:1) Have a sales representative exhibit your line at a trade show. If you can't afford a booth... Read More

Creating Great Charts for Persuasive Trade Show Presentations

A well-designed chart can be one of the most persuasive elements of your trade show booth display and literature. It illustrates to your customers why your product is the obvious solution to one of their specific needs. It can communicate major benefits or features more clearly than words can.To make... Read More

Build Relationships

Personal marketing makes it easier to sell, by building relationships nurtured on awareness, value and trust. Make your relationships more fruitful by making them personal. Use these powerful yet simple tips from the book, Secrets of Power Marketing; Canada's first guide to personal marketing for non-marketers.Say thank youEveryone wants to... Read More

Guerilla Marketing Lesson 2: Why Do People Call Me?

Before we begin, I want you to think about how many times you actually sought out an advertisement. How did you know where to look for it? Why did you choose that one? Whether you know it or not, the number of times you were exposed to the message has... Read More

Tooting Your Own Horn

"If he who has a thing to sell Goes and whispers in a well, He won't be so apt to make the dollars As he who climbs a tree and hollers!" -- AnonymousEvery day in your business, something happens that others should know about. You give exceptional service to a... Read More

Top 9 Strategies To Attract More Clients Now

1. Advertise in trade journals, ezines, and web sites that cater to your ideal client.One secret for gaining substantial increase in sales is to communicate where your clients who buy the most of whatever it is that you sell hang out.Focus the majority of your advertising on communicating with the... Read More

Growing Your Brand Assets

Okay. Raise your hand if you think brand management is just for BIG companies (like Target, McDonalds or Ford.) Wow! That's a lot of hands! Well, guess what? You're all wrong.Brand issues are important to ALL companies for the simple reason that people buy from other people. People have personalities.... Read More

Positioning For Success

According to military historian David Chandler the campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte consistently rose above the expected. For more than 20 years Napoleon showed genius and skill as a general on the field of battle.To what did Chandler attribute Napoleon's great string of successes? First, he was a master of translating... Read More

Build Your Business Through Networking

Here's one of the most important success principles you'll ever learn. It is this: The more people you know and who know you in a favorable way, the more successful you will be in your business or profession.When you look around at the most successful people in your city, industry,... Read More

Why Trying to Get the Appointment Can be a Recipe for Dis-Appoinment

Why Trying to "Get the Appointment" Can be a Recipe for Dis-AppoinmentLast week, this e-mail from Jack arrived in my inbox:To: Ari Galper From: Jack Subj.: Help! I need to get more appointments Dear Ari,I've just coined a new disease for the medical books, and I'm hoping you can... Read More

Six Essential Principles for Marketing to Women Business Owners

Marketing to women entrepreneurs is not difficult. You just have to follow six easy, but essential, principles.As of 2004, there are an estimated 10.6 million privately-held firms in the U.S. that are 50% or more women-owned, accounting for nearly half (48%) of all privately-held firms. These firms generate 2.46 trillion... Read More

Niche with Passion and Reap Your Financial Rewards

One of the keys to creating a successful business is finding a market niche that is small enough to corner the market but big enough to make money. Let me tell you about a few people who have done that well, and why it works for them.Tony Cox, Catalog Solutions:... Read More

Marketing vs Selling - Why Theres A Difference

Marketing is something that we do to let people know what products we have to offer.Selling is something that we do to show people that the products we have to offer are of value to them.In the high tech world of today, much of what we consider marketing is very... Read More

How to Avoid Giving Away Free Consulting

After spending 30 minutes in a coffee shop with a potential client, I realized that the sheet of paper they were writing on was almost full; full of ideas that I had just given away for free. If you consult, coach, or are in the advice-giving field, you may have... Read More

5 Tips for Getting the Most out of Exhibiting at Trade Shows

Exhibiting at trade shows can be a cost-effective way to generate business, whether you are a new entrepreneur or have been in business for years. Some exhibitors, however, do not experience the success of others. The success of the exhibitor is the responsibility of the exhibitor, not the trade show... Read More

Should You Clap For Your Customers?

Does it make sense to clap for your customers? It does not, you answer. You may be right, for the conventional way is for an audience to clap for a speaker, preacher, performer, artiste, player, or marketing professional making a presentation.Can this be reversed? Yes it can, and whoever pioneers... Read More

Referrals - How to Get Them

Referrals are an extension of Networking. If people like you and like the sound of your product or service, then there's a good chance they'll tell other people about you.If they already use your product or service and are totally satisfied, then there's also a good chance that they'll recommend... Read More

When Business Cards Arent Enough: Unusual, Unexpected, and Uncommon Networking Tips

There comes a time in every small businessperson's life when common networking practices like handing out business cards, attending various meetings and schmoozing with potential clients only goes so far. Eventually, the same old techniques get overused to the point that they become insufficient.But how many times have you gained... Read More

The Seven Deadly Sins of Ineffective Nametags

Your nametag can be your best friend. It can be a lifesaver in meetings, trade shows and events to start conversations when you meet groups of new people. It will also identify you as well as your company in the minds of others. As a result, you will become more... Read More

Getting the Maximum Marketing Mileage Out of Your Nametag

As a small business owner, you must always explore creative ways to promote your products or services. One of the most effective yet underappreciated tools you can use to keep your company "on stage" is your nametag. Especially when you attend meetings, events or if you're out in the field... Read More

Dramatically Improve Your Marketing Results With These 6 Simple Steps

What if there were things you could start doing now that could help you to market more successfully in the future? Even if you didn't have your marketing act together over the past year. Well, there are.(1) Review your past marketing activities and resultsTake some time to review all of... Read More

15 Commandments Of Creating A Wealth Pulling Niche

Niches are like bathrooms; you never notice them until you need one." - Primm (From NicheBrain.com)Fact: The person who finds or creates a special niche gets the cream of our society's financial rewards. Whether you're Bill Gates or Joe Average.The niche, and the person who creates them, is... Read More

Spike TV - Know Your Audience

What do Klingons, giant rubber bands, and monster trucks all have in common? They hold the fascination of every male on the planet - and they make frequent appearances on Spike TV. Spike TV, which totes itself as a network for men, is the perfect example of the power of... Read More

5 Great Ways to Reach Your Target Market

There are many ways to reach out and find the people you are trying to attract for your business. Here are just a handful of ways to get you started:1) Attend organization meetingsWhere do people in your target market hang out? Research this, and then plan to attend a meeting... Read More

Beware: Marketing Sinkholes Ahead!

Life provides your business with enough opportunities for failure. Don't help it along by creating sinkholes to consume your limited financial resources. There are seven key mistakes most businesses make in the game of marketing. Learn to avoid them!Marketing Sinkhole #1: Indiscriminate LustMany companies want as many customers as they... Read More

How to Pick a Winning Business Name

What's in a name?Think of your business name as an external mask for your business. If it's something your target audience like, they would consider checking it, if they don't, in most cases you have lost a customer even before you could tell them what your product or service is.... Read More

Promotional Freebies

What's a promotional freebie? A promotional freebie is something you can give to your customers, visitors or subscribers. Giving away "freebies" is an excellent marketing tool. Who doesn't love freebies? Having something to offer your visitors or ezine/newsletter subscribers for free can be very helpful. Often giving away freebies will... Read More

The Great Direct Marketing Conundrum

Many a home business owner has spent sleepless nights thinking of ways to turn his venture into a higher profit-making unit and build it to be his primary source of income. This is never easy for a home business because most start-ups face initial lack of money and cash flows.... Read More

4 Steps to Successful Offline Drawings

There are many different ways to market offline, each important to your success. One of these being drawings. Not only does having a drawing bring attention to you and your product/service, but also brings you leads.Step 1 - Choosing the LocationTo get started, you will need to first decide where... Read More

4 Steps to Successful Offline Event Booths

A great way to gain more local sales is to rent a booth at a fair or bizaar. These can be a fun way to spend the day, and if done correctly a profitable one at that. The following are steps you can take to ensure you receive the most... Read More

9 Highly Effective Marketing Tips

Here are 9 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to help you boost your sales and profits fast.Tip 1: Look for some low-cost ways you can enhance the perceived value of your product or service. Then test raising your price. Don't be surprised if both your sales and your profit... Read More

Newsletters - A Great Way to Build Business Relationships

This is an excellent way to grow your business using your mailing list (which I trust you are constantly building). However, you have to accept that there are people who'll read your newsletter and there are those who won't.It does, however, help to build brand recognition and keeps your name... Read More

Step by Step Guide to an SMS Campaign

SMS is good for:? Short lead times and immediacy ? Cost effective personalised communication ? Ongoing 1 to 1 relationships ? Automated data capture and compliance ? Direct revenue and uplift opportunitiesBasic Rules for SMSIn addition to permission, there are five key elements that differentiate SMS marketing from traditional marketing.... Read More

Ten Ways to Market Your Business by Doing What You Love To Do

Most business owners get so involved in the work of the business that there never seems to be enough time to do the necessary marketing. Even when business is good the owner must continue marketing because if he/she stops, the business eventually will stop too. Marketing your business simply means... Read More

Marketing Got You Stumped?

It's not unusual for entrepreneurs to find the whole idea of marketing intimidating. Even seasoned business owners often feel their marketing efforts aren't working.Don't let marketing intimidate you. At its core, it's really not much more than common sense ? the key elements that form your plan. Add some creativity.... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - What Your Client Wants

Your business depends on the success of your marketing efforts. If your marketing works, you'll get rich. If it doesn't you'll go broke. It's simple.The key to pursuading your customers is knowing them. You have to understand them inside and out. While I don't pretend to know your market as... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - Viral-Email, Referral Marketing Strategy

This is a devastatingly powerful way to extend your marketing reach. For this to work right you need a website that promotes your business.It doesn't have to be complicated, just professional looking with good content. It is vital, however, that there's a place for visitors to sign up for a... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - How to Write a Mortgage Marketing Sales Letter That Gets Results!

Have you ever sat down to write a sales letter and been at a complete loss where to start? It happens to all of us.Sales letters are hard to write. And writing a good one takes a lot of time, research and effort. But?a good letter will make you money.The... Read More

First to Market Theory

AGE OLD QUESTIONBusiness scholars throughout the planet keep asking the same question and have come to the conclusion that being first into the market place is preferable. Preferable to what? They say every product has a life cycle? What about milk? If that is true and many academia will classify... Read More

Grab Your Audience by Focusing on Benefits

Have you ever chosen to pay attention to someone just because they were so self-absorbed they didn't even know you were in the room? Of course not! We pay attention to people who take an interest in us. If we want our readers to pay attention to us, we better... Read More

Hispanic Market Reality and Purchasing Power

How many Hispanic people live in the US currently. Well there are 35.2 million who are here legally and have 100% undebatable legal rights. Of that 35 million; 59.8% were born here or 21.1 million. There are 40.2% here legally who were foreign born or 14.1 million.That is a hell... Read More

Motivating Shoppers with Online Coupons (Part 2 of 2)

Last time we discussed how online coupons and promotion codes can motivate buyers. We discussed examples of coupons and some of the aspects of these offers that can boost sales and generate urgency to a purchase. Today we'll focus on how to create great landing pages and the use of... Read More

Six Ways to Boost Response on Your Surveys and Gain More Useful Information

So... you spend time and effort putting together a survey, so you can have real information about what your customers and prospects are actually looking for. And you send the survey to your in-house list--but the flood of responses you're expecting is only a trickle.While direct-mail marketing typically enjoys response... Read More

Why Market Research Will Help Your Business

Do Crucial Market Research For Free, On Your OwnIs market research only for big corporations with deep pockets? No-actually, any business can put simple market research into place, and get about 80% of the benefit of the big, complex, expensive methods-without paying a penny.In my own one-person business, I've used... Read More

High Response Marketing With Low-Cost Postcards

Postcards can drive a huge amount of traffic to your web site, generate a flood of new sales leads or produce a surge in any business activity you want. And you don't have to spend a lot of time or money on them ...if you apply these four little-known postcard... Read More

How To Successfully Launch A New Business Activity

I often talk with business owners who tell me how excited they are about a new product or service they are offering ...or a new business they are launching. Their comments usually include something like, "Everybody needs this. I know I'm going to make a lot of money with it."They... Read More

Five Deadly Small Business Marketing Mistakes

Here are some marketing mistakes that take a heavy toll on small businesses. They have been very harmful to businesses at any stage, but especially harmful for new businesses.1. Not having a marketing plan.Studies show that having a marketing plan equates to a 24 to 30% improvement in sales over... Read More

Marketing Miracles - Do They Just Happen?

A simple answer to that is: Yes, Marketing Miracles happen! But, these marketing miracles do not just happen. The process is not instant. It is sequential. It takes planning and the planning requires decision and focus. The decisions must be well thought out and the focus must be spot on.According... Read More

Sell Big Ticket Items Now! - 1 Simple Step To Keep Your Fears From Holding YOU Back

First, some background on today's topic. I've had a terrible week. Not terrible as in I got nothing done because I did actually get quite a bit done. But man, I struggled. And I didn't even really understand why. I have to admit, most of what I got... Read More

Overview on Qualitative Data Collection Techniques in International Marketing Research

This article is meant to be a brief review and reminder of some valuable yet often bypassed techniques to collect data on international markets and consumers.When thinking of market research, surveys are most likely the first technique that comes to ones mind. However, surveys are a quantitative research and, in... Read More

Bedroom Marketing

Hopefully we are all adults here, so let's talk about sex for just a minute. No, I'm not talking about porn sites, I'm talking about taking a look at what I call 'Bedroom Marketing' and applying the same principles to Internet marketing.I don't care if you're a female or a... Read More

Lead Generation: What Is It worth?

Our business environment has changed dramatically. Companies must now be disciplined and market-driven if they want to stay alive. They must do more - much more - than create a buzz, or have a well-known brand. Just read the papers: the stock and balance sheets of brand names have plummeted... Read More

Are Your Prospects Walking Out on You?

After 11 years in sales, I've put together and delivered more sales presentations, briefings, and demos than I care to remember. But the nice thing about repetition is that after a few dozen presentations you get very good at reading body language.You can easily tell when the audience is engaged,... Read More

Where Are Your Leads Coming From?

Most B2B marketers spend a great deal of time analyzing the performance of their programs and initiatives. The reason is obvious: With the growing pressure on marketing to produce measurable results, it's critical that every marketing dollar is invested wisely.That's why I'm surprised when I come across companies selling complex... Read More

Marketers VS Consumers Predators VS Prey

The distance between marketing consultants and the real world can truly be mind boggling. When a marketing consultant tells someone to send out 10,000 postcards in order to get a 3% response rate and that the actual sales will be something less than that ...and then asks the client to... Read More

How Toyota Captured the #1 Market Share . . . Through Solid Decision-Making!

How Toyota Captured the #1 Market Share . . . Through Solid Decision-Making!Toyota is arguably one of the most recognizable brand names in the world. Toyota captured the Number 1 spot in automotive sales, by creating high standards for quality, reliability and customer acceptance.In short, the name Toyota has become... Read More

Growing Your Business With Your Marketing Priorities

None of us have enough time in the day to get everything done, but small business owners and entrepreneurs like you are particularly pressed. You wear so many hats; there is a seemingly infinite list of tasks to accomplish each day, from providing services to clients, managing product distribution and... Read More

Incentives For Customers? Whats New?

Lost & Found for the 21st CenturyHere in the 21st century our lives have become more and more reliant on mobile items. As we go through our days, keeping a mental log of everything we have and where we have it becomes more and more difficult. It is inevitable that... Read More

Marketing Tips - Ten Quick Marketing Actions

It is often difficult to manage to do marketing tasks when you have a busy business or professional practice. Here are 10 ideas each of which take 5 or 10 minutes and can be done between appointments or when you take a break from working on a large project.1. Call... Read More

What Does Your Business Card Say About You? - Making A Great First Impression!

Interesting article in USA Today that I read this week that I've also read about on Scott Ginsberg's blog. Think about this: What does your business card say about you? If you work in a company that requires you to conform to the corporate standard, obviously you don't have much... Read More

Non-Profit Success Requires Ongoing Marketing

In a crowded marketplace of ideas, it is important for non-profit organizations to establish a well-defined niche. While most non-profits are not selling products, they are selling their organization's mission, their ideas, their programs, and their services. In a world where everyone is inundated with information, a strong image is... Read More

Do You Know Where Your Marketing Dollars Are Going?

We all know the importance of marketing to increase sales and bring in new business.But, do you honestly know where your marketing dollars are being spent most effectively.Knowing which campaigns are producing the results you want and which are not can make a huge difference in where and how you... Read More

Questioning the Data of Demographic Off The Shelf Marketing Products

I have been working on a direct mail campaign for our team in many areas and we are finding that the yellow page listings and business list CDROMS contain so many closed companies that we are spending too much on the mailings which are opened a little less because of... Read More

E-commerce : The Bottom of Pyramid Approach

For centuries and most of the decades in the 20th century (i.e when computer was invented) access and communication was the tool of rich and ultra rich people, prohibitively expansive to 'not so rich' and 'not at all rich' people. All marketing research and development was focused on the 20%... Read More

Feature Your Benefits

Sales Copy? eventually every small business owner must consider what needs to be included in order to produce a successful advertisement or piece of marketing material.You begin with a fancy graphic, your company logo, a slogan, and perhaps a special offer. However, more needs to be included in your sales... Read More

Your Company Need More Marketing? Or Just Better Marketing?

Many sales problems can be solved by improved marketing. Selling harder is often not the solution. More . . . or just better . . . marketing may be what's needed. Marketing presents a special problem for any company that has not yet developed a professionally staffed marketing department. This... Read More

Forget Conventional Marketing - Embrace the Web!

Tactical marketing processes are once again undergoing fundamental shifts from traditional to web-based processes. Many traditional marketing firms/agencies are still touting the tried and true to their clients; i.e. Tradeshow attendance, Print, Traditional PR, TV and Radio. However, these conventional marketing processes work best for broad market awareness and/or branding,... Read More

Fundamental Strategic Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

This is a pretty tough global economy and it is critical for a company to leverage every bit of their marketing resources. So, if this is the case, why are so many companies shooting themselves in the proverbial foot by breaking some of the most fundamental rules of marketing? It's... Read More

Five New 5 Ps!

NO! When I say "5 P's", I'm not talking about the big 5 P's of marketing everyone's familiar with.Here I'm NOT referring to Product, Price, Place, Promotion and Package!But I'm talking about the FRESHEST 5 P's I believe will be extra useful for your websites and newsletters.Are you ready to... Read More

Maximum Marketing - Minimum Budget

Two years ago I started my small Virtual Assistant business with a non-existent marketing budget. I borrowed marketing books from the library, read countless articles on the Internet and joined a professional trade association of my peers. I learned hundreds of marketing techniques and one valuable lesson. The lesson I... Read More

Quick and Instant Marketing Soup

Everything happens Quickly and Instantly on the Internet. In the blink of an eye your easily transported around a whole planet. It's a smorgasbord !! The web site you just visited could be in Singapore, the e-mail your reading now could have come from Alaska. The Internet is just one... Read More

Ready, Aim, Fire...Oops...Wheres The Target?

Everywhere you go on the Internet you find the words, "target market." What do they mean? What does it have to do with you? Well it has everything to do with your success in sales.Let me give you an example. A few weeks ago an online entrepreneur asked me to... Read More

How Nearly Going Broke Taught Me The Value Of Niche Marketing

If you want to learn how effective Niche Marketing can be, I suggest you "don't" take the route I did.Back in 1983 I started a company offering general Electronics Subcontract Assembly services to just about anyone who made Electronic products.By 1985 my company was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy... Read More

Niche And Grow Rich

Unless you've been living under an Internet rock, you've probably heard the buzz about Niche Marketing. Right now it's the hottest marketing topic online.Is it a new concept?Well on the Internet maybe, but if like me, you've been involved in direct response marketing in the 'Bricks and Mortar' world then... Read More

Itchin For Some Nichin

The whole idea of Niche Marketing is exciting! The possibilities are endless, as there are literally millions of people surfing the web, the vast majorities of whom are here for two reasons . . .Namely, to learn something or to buy something!The trick, for a salesperson, is to find out... Read More

Stretching Your Marketing Dollars--7 Cheap and Easy Ways to Market on a Budget

Just because you have to stretch your marketing dollars doesn't mean their effectiveness will decrease. The easiest marketing solution is often to simply throw money at a problem. But that is rarely the most effective. When Businesses are forced to use creativity and ingenuity to market on a budget, that... Read More

Logo Facts

What makes one logo better than another?Simplicity.A good logo works in the simplest form. It is a memorable representation of your brand and inspires confidence in your customers. It should be fresh and original -- without visual cliches or amateur effects. A logo is well-designed when it looks as good... Read More

5 Ways to Market for Immediate Results

Sales are down, and I need more customers now! Sound familiar? Maybe you are the one who said it. I know what you're thinking, there's no magic pill for delivering immediate results and no spontaneous marketing effort that will skyrocket sales. You're right, there isn't. Sure, you could launch some... Read More

The Right Logo

The Logo: a little historyLogotype, commonly know as a logo, is a design, a graphic representation/image/trademark symbolizing one's organization. Designed for instant identification, a logo can appear on company letterhead, advertising material and signs as an emblem by way of which the organization can easily be recognized.Originating in the 19th... Read More

Marketing Strategies to Put Yourself Out of Business

Want to learn how to lose a billion dollars?Just follow the marketing strategies used by GM, Ford and Daimler Chrysler. Yes, some of the largest corporations in the world are missing some basic tenants of marketing and it's worth taking a look at what they're doing wrong so you don't... Read More

10 steps to promote your business

1) Word of mouth is the most cost-effective, powerful form of promotion. Write a list of 50 people you know but don't see regularly ? relatives, friends, ex-colleagues etc. Send each of them a friendly email or postcard to let them know what you're up to. Ask them for feedback,... Read More

8 Ways to Fill a Workshop in a Bum Economy

Yes, you can fill a workshop when spending is down and buyers are wary. If your topic is clear, your marketing materials well-done, your product solid and your title catchy, success shouldn't be tough. The fact is that people are as hungry as ever for the inspiration and stimulus a... Read More

How To Get Business With Your Business Card?

So, you have a business card? And you have given it to a few of your friends as well? Great! But did you get those cards to give to your acquaintances or to get business? Are they getting business for you?? That is the key question.Most of us today have... Read More

2 Great, Free Techniques to Get Customers to Come to You, Not the Other Way Around

Here is a powerful tip on how to substantially increase the traffic to your business weather it's online or bricks & mortar. The best news is that it's totally free! You will get more targeted traffic to your website and more customers through your front door.I've used this technique for... Read More

Beyond the Booth

With the advent of spring, trade shows begin to blossom. Research suggests that tradeshows are where today's businesses invest much of their marketing budgets. According to EXPO Magazine, in 2005 revenue expenditures from booth sales will increase 27%! As these shows and conferences continue to grow in space and numbers,... Read More

How to Run a Successful News Release Program

Marketing public relations gives you cost effective ways to reach your audience. The trade-off, however, is time. It takes time to develop and execute public relations programs. It can take time for these programs to yield rewards.Here are six simple steps for developing a news release program that extends your... Read More

What Does Your Logo Color Say About Your Business?

And not only your logo, but also your website, your brochure, your business cards and any of your marketing materials for that matter.Yes, colors do matterThey communicate feelings and emotions. They represent ideas and thoughts. So before you create a logo or any other piece of marketing make sure you... Read More

Reach Thousands of Your Prospects, Absolutely Free

I'm big on getting maximum marketing exposure at the lowest cost possible. After all, most small business owners don't have huge marketing budgets, so finding inexpensive ways to market is a necessity.Recently I was able to get free marketing exposure for my business to 100,000 people. It was something that... Read More

Customers: The Key To Successful Marketing

How well do you know your customers?What is the primary reason your customers or clients come to you? Or purchase your product or service? What is the Number One problem you solve for them? Do you know? Are you certain? If you don't, your marketing could be missing the mark,... Read More

Deciphering Marketing Lingo: Whats the Difference between a USP, Single Message and a Tagline?

Maybe you've heard these different marketing terms, maybe you haven't. Either way, let me help to clarify the difference between them, because you should have all three if you want to market successfully. And knowing what they are may be your first step to accomplishing all three for your business.Unique... Read More

Marketing A Misunderstood or Scary Product or Service

What do you do if your business, product or service is something hardly anyone is aware of or understands? Or worse yet, if it is something they are afraid of or want to avoid?My answer is three-fold.First, focus on the SOLUTION you are providingWhat is the primary problem your prospects... Read More

Is A Marketing Plan The Same Thing As A Communications Plan?

How does a marketing plan relate to an organization's communications plan? What are the differences? Is the marketing plan just one aspect of the communications plan? Should one consider combining them into a single document?A communications plan is a PART of your marketing plan. A communications plan is a focused... Read More

My Marketing Budget Is Small - How Can I Make The Most Of It?

Regardless how small or large your budget is, there are a number of ways you can make it go farther. One way is to capitalize on the seasonality of your business.For example, it may not make sense or be necessary to market consistently all year long. Are their times when... Read More

How To Market Effectively Even If No One Understands What You Do

So how do you effectively market your product or service when one knows anything about them because you're in a new and emerging industry? How can you expect to get customers if no one understands what it is that you do?If this is your situation then a big part of... Read More

Marketing Effectively to More Than One Audience

What's a small business owner to do if they have more than one audience to market to? Perhaps they need to attract clients but they also need to recruit business partners or vendors. Do they need two marketing plans or can they use one plan that tries to address both... Read More

Determining Marketing Effectiveness Even If You Didnt Track

What if you've done a variety of marketing activities over the past year, but you did not establish any way to track the response? Now you don't know what worked and what didn't.Is there anything you can do now before you continue with your marketing efforts and potentially continue spending... Read More

One-A-Day Marketing Vitamins

Is your business growing, or are you on a plateau in need of a boost to move up? I know that I always tell you it is best to have a positioning statement and a plan. But sometimes, you just need something to get you off square one.Below is my... Read More

Features vs. Benefits vs. End Results

If you've been in the copywriting realm for very long at all, you've heard the phrase "features vs. benefits." It's a fundamental copywriting principle and driving force behind much of what we, as copywriters, create. But there's also another aspect to this equation.What happens after customers buy your product or... Read More

Powerhouse Marketing With Persuasive Postcards

The lowly postcard?it's more than just a "having fun, wish you were here" delivery system. This tiny billboard is actually a powerhouse of a marketing tool with almost unlimited uses. Harness this little dynamo and you'll find a surge of new business opportunities.Here are some reasons your company should consider... Read More

Did Jesus Get Killed for Practicing Interruption Marketing?

I'm reading Seth Godin's Permission Marketing and he brings up the difference between Interruption Marketing and Permission Marketing.Interruption Marketing is when you interrupt people from what they are doing in order to ask them to pay attention to something else.Permission Marketing is when you build your product around a consumer... Read More

Postcard Mania

Will postcards be an advantage for you?The latest craze these days is to send a postcard advertisement to everyone on a mailing list. It is both good and annoying to customers. Junk mail, as many call it, does not always get read, but if you put a twist on what... Read More

How to Use Flyers to Increase Your Business

What benefits will you get from flyers?Flyers are much different from postcards in that they convey product sales to the consumer. Safeway, Costco, Albertsons and other grocery chains are excellent at putting out flyers. Many consumers will look at the specials and head out to purchase them either when they... Read More

Standards for Dry Washing and Pressure Washing in Mobile Car Care

The industry standard for mobile washing is completing the car and removing the dirt so it is clean as promised to the customer. Some would say this is not a standard but rather the minimum required. The environmental standards for run off are simple in that no used wash water... Read More

Marketing From Both Sides Of The Ball

In the world of business, marketing is often conveyed as a game. It is not uncommon to hear or read of a company "playing the marketing game" or "establishing a marketing game plan". In many ways, referring to marketing as a game is an accurate way to explain it. In... Read More

For Market Breakthroughs, Put Timing on Your Side

In today' s marketplace, the pressure for immediate bottom-line results forces many companies to give knee-jerk reactions to economic fluctuations. While this management style may produce some immediate short-term gains, it is self-sabotaging because it handicaps the development of creative inspiration, which is the cornerstone of long-term marketability.Successful enterprise building... Read More

Unleash the Power of Post Cards

Direct mail marketing is essential for a business to survive.Choosing the correct materials can make the difference between success and failure of your marketing campaign.Postcards are visually appealing and one of the most affordable means to market your products and services.What makes an image smarter marketing post card different from... Read More

Universal Principals That Guide Business Growth

Universal principals are those "self-evident" truths that have guided brilliant minds and withstood the test of time.Today, however, most of us forget to apply them consistently. As a reminder, here are a few Universal Principals based on genius thinking past and present that Baby Boomer Business Owners can use to... Read More

Standing Above The Crowd

In today's highly competitive business environment it is critical to find ways to separate yourself from the other companies who sell the same ? or similar ? product and/or service. Here are several strategies that can help you accomplish this:Help your clients achieve their goals. Virtually every business person has... Read More

How to Tie a Tie and How To Kiss - What Do They Have In Common?

How to Tie a Tie and How To Kiss - What Do They Have In Common?Now before you decide I've gone totally bananas, there is a connection between these two subjects but it's not perhaps obvious straight away.For most - men anyway - they learn how to do one of... Read More

An Internet Marketing Strategy that Works

You can't put up a beautiful (or any) web site and hope that people will just arrive. You have to let them know, IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY, that your web site is there. This HAS to be part of any Internet marketing strategy you develop. This is actually a basic... Read More

Marketing to the Affluent - with Wine

With its association to an affluent, sophisticated lifestyle, wine can make a good accompaniment when marketing to an affluent audience. However, I am not talking here about ordering expensive wine at a client diner. Wine can be used more creatively and productively to connect to this target audience.For example, wine... Read More

Plant a Seed and Watch Your Business Grow

Do you have all the business you could possibly want or need? If you're like me, you're still growing your business. Marketing is an ongoing item on my agenda, and I'm always looking for new ways to market my services. Where do you begin the process of attracting more business?... Read More

The Path To Your Prospects Wallet Begins At His Heart

You want your prospect to make the decision to buy your product or service. So you show him what you have to offer in your sales letter, web page, ad or commercial. You lay out the facts, and he comes to a rational decision based on them. Right?Wrong.People buy things... Read More

Beyond Fear And Greed: Emotions That Sell

Fear and Greed. The stock-in-trade of sales. Appeal to them, and your success is assured. But isn't there more to life than those two emotions?Yes, there is. And your marketing would do well to expand its emotional horizons! Let's take a look at a few of the other response-generating feelings:Curiosity:... Read More

The A-Z of Exhibiting Overseas

Exhibiting overseas is one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to identify the best foreign markets for your products/services. International trade shows and fairs offer opportunities for multilateral contacts and business deals. They allow you to test your product's export suitability; explore the strength and scope of your... Read More

Making a Hit with Your Marketing Campaign

Considered a vital link in a show's promotional plan, direct marketing is vital only if it's done right. It's certainly not as simple as typing a letter, adding an address and stamp, and popping it in the mail. Direct marketing specialist Debbie Bermont, president of San Diego-based Source Communications, offers... Read More

5 Tips to Help You Identify WHO To Market To

If you have your own small business, it's important to decide exactly who you will be marketing your products or services to. After all, you probably don't have the time or the money to market to everyone. And even if you did, it is not recommended.You'll want to select what... Read More

Your Ultimate Competitive Advantage

The biggest secret to success in business is to always maintain a competitive advantage in everything you do. One of the best ways to get and maintain a competitive advantage is to always make it as easier for your prospect or customer to say yes than to say no. The... Read More

Small Business Marketing; Abstract Philosophical Discussion

Our bodies work like our small businesses. They work best by word of mouth, networks, referrals, etc. The Internet also works this way to serve the most good thru networks, portals and referral links; of course the Internet could work better, but all in all we are well served by... Read More

Market Yourself as the Expert

As a small business how do you compete with the big guys and their big budget advertising campaign? The big guys don't read this magazine so we can share these low budget yet high-impact marketing secrets with you.Use these tips to market yourself as the expert in your field.Write tips... Read More

20 Power Marketing Tips

Use these powerful yet simple tips from the national best-seller, "Secrets of Power Marketing: Promote Brand You" - the first guide to personal marketing for non-marketers.Create and grant an annual award.Send hand written congratulations and thank you notes.Send greeting cards for some occasion other than Christmas.Send postcards when you travel... Read More

Find the Goldmine Within Your Business

Doing a current customer breakdown can help you find the goldmine within your business by determining who you should be targeting in your marketing efforts in the future. There is a goldmine right there and you may or may not see it?it's your customer base! But is it all of... Read More

Mailing Lists ? Keeping it Simple

The right direct mailing list targets people who want your product or service.The direct mail mailing list is a key factor in a successful direct mail marketing campaign and a major point to consider in small business marketing strategies where marketing ROI (Return On Investment) is a key concern.What really... Read More

You Cannot - Not Market

Everything you do - or don't do sends a message and marketing is about sending messages. You can market well or you can market poorly, but you cannot - not market!What message are you sending with your dress, stationery, phone message and printed materials? Is it the message you intend... Read More

Unleash the Powerful Promoter Within

Dear Friend,You're ripping me off.How? You may be thinking, "We just met. How could I possibly have stolen from you?"But you did! The fact is that you have valuable information inside you. You have golden nuggets that can make other lives better. Maybe you have already developed them into products,... Read More

Testimonials - FREE Quality Advertising FOR YOU!

Every business person who has any kind of product or service, and the merest beginning of marketing sense, invites TESTIMONIALS. These might be called "reviews" or "peer reviews" or "customer comments" but they are all testimonials - a third party endorsement as to the merits of a product which... Read More

Making More With Existing Clients

Have you ever put on a jacket you haven't worn in a while and found a twenty-dollar bill in one of the pockets? You'd forgotten all about it, so discovering it is like getting a gift. If you've been in business for a year or longer, you may have gifts... Read More

Business Cards and Business Etiquette

One of the very basic conditions of being a successful businessman is to get people (your existing or prospective customers) to like you and a very basic requirement for being liked by people is to have proper business etiquette. We all like to be in companionship of well-cultured people and... Read More

Collecting Customer Data The Easy Way

Market research is a critical component of any marketing strategy. There are many expensive sources of customer information available today. But, if you don't have a large marketing budget for market research, what can you do? There a four easy and inexpensive ways to gather marketing data by using your... Read More

Chamber Of Commerce Meetings

If you run a small business you should be a member of the local chamber of commerce. Most cities which 50,000 people in them have 5000 small businesses. Yet these same cities only have 500-1000 people in their chambers of commerce. There are many reasons for this. Some say it... Read More

Data Map Charting for Mobile Businesses

As we study the demographic regional variations for small service businesses we see many things. Let us take a mobile auto detailing business and break down the data and look at what drives sales and growth. We must search for areas with similar demographics in any new territory whether we... Read More

Census Data Mapping for Small Business

When studying the demographics of an area for a business venture or expansion you need to not only understand all the data, but what it means to your individual business model. Census data and Census projection charting for MSDA's has become very accurate over the years. One company that uses... Read More

How to Manage Your Marketing Mix

Here's the deal: advertisement is not marketing. It's like saying you want to have a garden, but you're only willing to plant the flowers. Forget about watering, fertilizer, good soil, weeding and sunshine. You don't need them, right?Wrong. And the same goes for generating revenue. Done in a vacuum, none... Read More

5 Print Ad Essentials!

Writing an effective print ad, particularly a classified advertisement, requires that you remember five essential points. Failure to implement these points correctly can cost you much in the way of time lost and a sale missed.You've just cleaned out the attic and straightened up the garage. You've identified items you... Read More

CRM System: Give Meaning to Your Data

A customer relationship system (CRM) system uses technologically-driven strategies to assess customer needs and buying behavior. This allows businesses to market their products and services more effectively. The ever-increasing level of technology available to a CRM system can, however, provide an overwhelming amount of information to a company, not all... Read More

Stay in Touch with Leads and Get More Closes

How many leads have come into your business since the beginning of time that never closed? That is a salient question. Who knows how many, but I bet there are a lot.Whether a small company or a large one with a sales force, the leads that are always best are... Read More

Marketing With Brochures

With the explosion of the internet and online businesses many business owners forget how important it is to market offline as well. One of the main pieces in your company's marketing should be a brochure. You should have a brochure for your online and offline marketing.Brochures have many advantages over... Read More

Marketing To Women

Recent studies concerning the "new world of women" have been released. Some of the major findings may be surprising to you (less so if you are a woman). Today's woman is so busy, her life is full. She doesn't have enough time for herself. She certainly doesn't have a lot... Read More

The Secret to 100% Success With Your Marketing

There's a secret to marketing, which is so simple, yet so effective once you learn it and apply it, you'll be amazed at the great results you can produce. This secret will prevent you from failing with your marketing pieces.Before I go on, lets start with establishing common ground to... Read More

The 3 Unknown Steps of Marketing Success

To be your own marketing expert you first need to know where to begin. It's no good learning how to be a good copywriter, if you don't know what medium is best to promote your work through.So the first step of marketing success is understanding what strategies are available for... Read More

Beyond Repair: The Fixed-price Model

Don't get me wrong. I certainly don't think the majority of vendors who use a fixed-price model are trying to rip you off. In fact, when I started my business that's the way we worked-which is why we have such great insight into the flaws in the system. But there... Read More

Finding Your Niche: What Do You Want To Be Known For?

In my experience, there are two kinds of small business owners: one that knows whom their market niche is and utilize it, and another who tends to waiver or not want to "set in stone" their target market. With the latter group, I always probe for more information: Why don't... Read More

Know Thy Competition

BREAK FROM HO-HUM MARKETING ? IT'S TOO BORING! Once you break from ho-hum marketing, and learn to put your deeper beliefs and values into your promotion, a remarkable thing will happen: You will beat your competitors at every turn, attract precisely those clients who really need and appreciate the products... Read More

GoogSpy: Business Counter Intelligence for Everyone

So, you want to know what your competitors are up to these days, or maybe you want to research a keyword campaign that will rank you at the top of the heap for whatever product or service you're selling? Meet GoogSpy, a special search engine that not only shows you... Read More

Getting Personal ? Innovative Marketing for Small Business Owners

The small business marketing strategy you can't afford to miss Everyone loves a story. Even if you don't particularly like reading them chances are you love watching them, either on TV or at the movies. Imagine if your marketing literature was like a great story: people would read it from... Read More

Effective Marketing for Small Businesses

Effective marketing for the small business begins with market researchIf you don't know who your customers are, how on earth are you going to reach them? The most effective small business marketing strategies are the most highly targeted ones: the ones which are based on a clear understanding of who... Read More

Discover the Winning Marketing Strategy Secrets of Donald Trump Apprentice Wanna-bes

The highly entertaining Donald Trump's search for an apprentice turned into a hit reality TV show captured attention of millions of Americans and week after week delivered great insights into leadership, business and marketing savvy.In one of the episodes Trump challenged the two opposing teams of apprentice wannabes (Apex and... Read More

How to Save Time and Achieve More by Creating High-Leverage Marketing Assets

The single biggest, non-renewable asset you have is your time. There are only three things you can do with it: waste it, sell it, or invest it. As an entrepreneur or a service professional, what you do with your time acutely impacts how much money you can make.If this year... Read More

11 Ways to Turnaround a Cash-Strapped Business or Practice

This past weekend I received a disturbing message from a dear friend. His business wasn't generating all the income he needed. He's exhausted all savings, started depleting credit card reserves and badly needed money to pay this month's mortgage... Ouch! I wish I knew sooner...Whether it's pride or just human... Read More

How Architecture Rendering is Part of the Impact

Cartoons have gone from celluloid to digital. Movies have gone from cinematography to computer graphics imaging. And architecture rendering has gone from pastels and paint pigments to fractals and figments.The many benefits of architecture rendering in two-dimensions were enough to sell the simplest or grandest of homes. But the limitations... Read More

B2B Marketing Tips - Create an Interactive Online Experience for Clients

Business to business communications on the web are as stale as a piece of week old toast.As a marketing director you want to give your company the biggest bang for it's marketing buck.Here are five tips to help you do that:1. Offer an Electronic newsletterElectronic newsletters are easy to implement... Read More

The Lone Wolf is Blind

When Advertising, it's not always better to be the lone wolf.Before using a certain medium to advertise, consider those that went before you. If you are thinking of advertising in a newspaper for example, consider how many of your competitors are in the same paper. If you don't see any... Read More

Direct Marketing Puts Information In The Buyer?s Hands

Direct marketing is advertising from a manufacturer or front-end supplier directed to the ultimate consumer of a product or service. Another way of looking at direct marketing is selling to a consumer directly, whether is from a printed magazine campaign, TV or radio spot, or from a direct mail package.... Read More

Increase Sales With Travel Incentives

Today's business environment has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, it can be a tough task to make a sale. Just being aggressive doesn't cut it any longer. Sales skills alone aren't enough to compete when so many new products and services become everyday commodities. Consumers nowadays are being... Read More

Customizing Booklets By Industry or By Company

Customizing booklets can be done by industry or by company."110 Ideas for Organizing Your Travel Business Office" or "110 Ideas for Organizing Your Beauty Salon" or "110 Ways for Organizing Your Fitness Center" are examples of customizing a generic booklet about organizing your business life according to specific industries."110 Ideas... Read More

Principles of Marketing 101

Marketing results should be measured in only one way ? increased sales. Marketing should not be considered an art form. Its mere existence is not enough. Marketing is the first step to the sale. There are seven underlying principles upon which to base your marketing strategy and efforts. Follow them... Read More

Key Marketing Questions - Planning Your Marketing Campaign

So you started a business. How's it going? Did you think about marketing when you began planning for your business? Marketing is how you get the word out about your business. Marketing will ultimately determine if you succeed or fail. So, how can you succeed? What questions should you be... Read More

Signage for Mobile Car Wash Vehicles

If you are in the mobile car wash business and you should be. Then you know that your clean work vehicles is your best piece of advertising. But what type of signage should you put on it? Your work vehicles will be very visible in the parking lots while you... Read More

Client Attraction Technique #1: Niche Marketing

When asked "what business are you in" many business owners often identify an industry, for example, "I'm an accountant" or "I run a beauty salon " or "I own a restaurant." But claiming to be part of an industry is not what attracts customers. Customers come to you because you... Read More

Promotions for Mobile Detailers

Mobile businesses are quite unique in the way they must promote to stay in the customers mind; it takes creativity, savvy planning and a lot of listening to your customers. After years running a franchise system in 23 states with mobile detailing units everywhere. We learned quickly that professional auto... Read More

Identify The Ideal Target Audience With These 5 Tips

Narrowing your focus to one primary group of people is often difficult for small business owners. They want to help everyone - and very often their product or service CAN help a variety of people.It also goes against human nature to narrow your focus in order to grow a business.... Read More

Up Your Income Next Week: 13 Ways to Have a Sale

Nothing gets people buying products or programs like a special promotion in your e-zine. Now, I know right now you're thinking, "I can't have a sale on my products or services. That's sooo cheesy!"Au contraire, mon frere. It's all how you position it. Here are 13 ideas to consider. Choose... Read More

Sell More Online By Offering a Big Fat BONUS!

I don't know about you, but I secretly love watching infomercials. I enjoy dissecting how they sell, how they get people excited, how they entice people to take action now and pick up the phone and order something they completely don't need!As you know, these programs always offer a huge... Read More

The Importance of Interpersonal Communcation Skills

Interpersonal Communications is the transmission of information from one person to another and their understanding of it through the use of common language or symbols. It is a way of interacting and happens always at all times whether you want it to happen or not.However, just because you transmit a... Read More

How to Promote Yourself Or Your Company Through Award Competitions

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't receive some sort of announcement about an awards competition. We get so many, in fact, that I have created a special place on my website where you can learn about what opportunities are awaiting.http://www.womeninpackaging.org/With all the awards programs out there,... Read More

Strategic Internet Marketing

I met Sue at a recent networking event. She is an author and speaker, and promotes her products by speaking at events and selling her products after the talks. Sue has a web site, whose primary purpose is to sell her products and make more people aware of her expertise.... Read More

Distinguish Your Business From The Competition

You followed time-honored online marketing techniques to the letter: you have a great web site, the site has a high search engine rank, and you created a compelling marketing message that showcases your unique selling proposition. Unfortunately, your competitors are reading the same playbook and are implementing the same marketing... Read More

Business Marketing For Consultants, Coaches, Speakers, and Trainers: How To Be Noticed and Trusted

Business marketing is essential for professional services, such as consultants, coaches, speakers and trainers.Creating trust with prospects and clients is essential. How do you do that?A Reader's Digest survey has found burns specialist Dr Fiona Wood is Australia's most trusted person, followed by singer Olivia Newton-John and Tasmanian-born Crown Princess... Read More

Earning the Right To Sell With Stats ? 10 Steps to Greatness

We could learn a thing or two from pro sports.Baseball players use stats to tell the story of their season and their career. Scorekeepers keep track of every at bat, every hit, every strike out, every run scored and every base stolen.Those stats are cited by commentators during the game,... Read More

Mobile Auto Detailers and Newspaper Companies as Clientele

If you are a mobile auto detailer or mobile car wash company you might wish to think of attaining the local newspaper as a strategic client for your services. Usually newspapers have large staffs, especially daily newspapers. They do everything in house to save costs. They obviously have lots of... Read More

Off the Shelf Small Business Mapping Software

All small businesses can benefit from inexpensive off the shelf CD Rom mapping software. If you own a business you need to where your customers are coming from, where you would like to expand your sphere of influence to, where your competitors are located and how to route your delivery... Read More

Off The Shelf Software for Making Business Lists

Available to all small businesses are business lists, which come on CD ROMs. This off the shelf business list software can help you in your small business. You can see what is in your marketing area and target those business customers which could be potential clients. You can also use... Read More

Digital Printing vs. Press Printing ? A Comparison Guide

When it comes time to print your brand identity materials, there's one overarching question for you to consider - whether to print the resulting materials on a digital printer or traditional press. There are many differences between the two processes, some of which are outlined below.Digital PrintingLess expensive - Digital... Read More

Color Part 1: Accuracy

Color is one of the most difficult parts of a design to show accurately to a client.Color perception can be affected by many factors, including:Human perception:The way each person sees color can vary, depending on the structure of the individual's eye. This is particularly true in the range of the... Read More

Color Part 2: Formats and Systems

There are several color formats and systems available for mixing and specifying colors. Here, we explain three of the most common systems: RGB, CMYK, and Pantone colors.RGB color"RGB" refers to the colors of light that mix to create colors. There are three basic colors of light - red, green and... Read More

Ten Deadly Proposal Preparation Pitfalls

Let's face it, the name "proposal" is a great misnomer, but since many businesspeople take it literally, they often paint themselves into a corner of chasing buyers, many of whom requested the proposal to collect idea for in-house implementation. Yes, it is a scumbag approach to drag honest folks arounf... Read More

Why Market to Generation X?

Generation X"--the 40 million or so people born between 1965 and 1976--understands it is living in a world of uncertainty where neither the govern¬ment nor private employers offer lifetime financial security. This is, however, the next generation of responsible adults, bright young people with families to protect and educate...and nearly... Read More

Do You Make These 5 Common Marketing Mistakes?

The famous P.T Barnum once said, "Without promotion, something terrible happens, NOTHING!" And marketing (or promotion) is all about combating that dreaded 'nothingness'. The question is? are you doing it right?Gone are the days where you could open up shop, hang out a sign, and people would beat a path... Read More

Marketing For Profit - 6 Critical Traits

Develop These Six Critical Marketing Traits...And Success Will Surely Follow.If you are marketing for any other reason than 'for profit' ? STOP! That's right, stop right now. The only reason you market your business is to cause action: make more sales, make the phone ring (and make more sales), make... Read More

Baby Boomers - Marketing to the Me Generation

Unless you've been in a dimly lit cavern for the past several decades, you know that "Baby Boomers" is the collective name given to the 76 million people born in the United States between the end of World War II and 1964. Often described as the largest, most knowledgeable and... Read More

Encouraging Contact

The small time promoter has to work hard and on a shoestring to get an audience of a few hundred people to fill a venue. Flyers, word-of-mouth and media name checks are some of the tools promoters use to fill small venues or club nights. Building a loyal following from... Read More

Market Research ? How Good is the Data?

"Make money for taking surveys"," Cash for your opinion", "Make easy money at home".Everywhere you look there is a company willing to pay people to participate in their surveys. It seems like a win win situation, the participants get paid for providing their opinion, the market research company gets paid... Read More

Second Dose Of Marketing Vitamins

Organizations often get stuck in neutral when it comes to marketing. Sometimes, you just need a kickstart. Here are 14 ideas to push you into high gear.1. Do what you say you're going to do and do it on time. If you do nothing else, this is the one that... Read More

Marketings Nuclear Weapon

Three seconds. That's what you have to convey your message. Creativity is the strategic weapon that allows us to capture those few precious moments of attention from busy consumers in our increasingly competitive, time-crunched environment.Focus groups tell us that time is a precious, yet dwindling resource. Attention spans are dwindling,... Read More

Effective Lead Generation

How to Gain your Prospective Clients' Attention and Generate the Leads You Need to Make Your Business a SuccessIf you've ever tried to get a child who is engrossed in their favorite video to do another task you know you must first get their attention. Often the best way to... Read More

Why Target the Matures

The "Matures" are the generations that came along between 1909 and 1945. Born to and tempered by economic uncertainty, older Matures were nurtured by the New Deal and served in the mightiest armed force fielded by any nation. The Matures' core values are a roll call of traditional American culture:... Read More

Marketing is More Than Advertising

Marketing is a business process about which much is written, however is often not completely understood. Many think that "marketing" and "advertising" are interchange-able words. This is not the case. Marketing is really a complete, integrated approach to doing business.Many businesses operate on the basis of a "product driven" approach.... Read More

Your Marketing Plan - Prerequisite to Success

Marketing is a vital aspect of a business' operations. It has been said that, "Nothing happens in business until a sale is made". Marketing is about how sales are made and marketing planning is about being proactive in determining how sales are to be made. Developing a marketing plan is... Read More

Multicultural Marketing ? Taking Care of Business At Hand

Multicultural marketing mirrors the changed face of America and is getting the attention of small-business and other organizations looking for an edge in diverse ethnic markets. "Gone are the days when businesses succeed with a 'one size fits all' approach to marketing. It's a 'mass market' no longer," insists Rhonda... Read More

Small Business Pricing Strategies

Think the best way to get more customers is to have the lowest prices in town? Think again. Think the best way to create a successful business is to try to appeal to everyone? Wrong again.The only good thing about having the lowest prices and trying to appeal to everyone... Read More

Target Market - 3 Big Reasons You Need To Know Yours

Rule Number One when writing marketing materials is "Know Your Target Market." There's a lot of foundational work to do before you ever put a word on paper but this is the place to start.What happens when you define your target market and become intimately acquainted with their needs and... Read More

Pricing Strategies in Marketing

Price is an often overlooked marketing strategy, as many tend to focus on promotions or advertising. Pricing strategies, however, can have a large impact on sales and (more importantly) profit. The price is what your customer pays and/or what the end consumer pays for a product or service. In the... Read More

Marketing to Hispanics/Latinos

A powerful consumer market with annual spending power exceeding $350 billion, Hispanics-or should that be Latinos?-have become the largest minority group in the United States, and a marketplace well-worth looking into and with plenty to see--once you get the labels straight.Is it "Hispanics" or "Latinos"?Hispanics and Latinos have hotly debated... Read More

What Can Star Wars Teach You About Creating a Buzz for Your Business?

Many people think marketing is some type of mystery that only a few select people know the secret too. In fact if you look at the entertainment industry you will find some of the best models to follow. Let's look at George Lucas and Star Wars. How long before the... Read More

Top Five Tips for Marketing that Gets Results

When marketing your practice, as well as designing your brochure, website, business card, flier, advertisement, or other marketing effort, I recommend investing the time and effort needed to effectively address the following:Tip #1: MARKET FOR YOUR DESIRED PROSPECTS, NOT YOURSELFWhat looks good to you is not necessarily effective for your... Read More

Making Your Mark With The Millennials

Generation Y--The second-largest crop of young people in America's history, offspring of the Boomers-80 million of them, nearly 27 percent of the U.S. population-are in their late teens and 20s, and already a market force to be reckoned with.The Millennials are here big time! "They're demanding their own music, defining... Read More

Client Attraction Technique #3: Study the Competition!

One very powerful and cost-effective marketing strategy is to study the competition. This is an important exercise, as essentially it allows you to find out as much as possible about the opposition ? how best they operate, what they lack and then how to capitalise on it!Study the Competition OfflineStart... Read More

Increase Your Sales By Following-Up

The difference between a successful business and one that just gets by is that the business that is just getting by thinks that the marketing is over when the sale has been made.One of the main reasons customers leave, change suppliers, or stop buying is because of apathy on the... Read More

A Perfect Partnership for Business

Too often we small business owners get caught up in our day-to-day bottom line, and miss the needs of the community outside our door. By doing this, we miss an opportunity to include "socially responsible marketing" -or sponsorship- in our yearly promotional plan. Sponsorship is a perfect collaboration, considering the... Read More

Read Your Markets Mind - 3 Great Market Research Resources

Starting a new online business, developing a new product, launching a new marketing campaign, buying advertising can all depend on how well you are able to research your market.All business is based on demand.The formula and 40 techniques for finding demand we list in "The Ultimate Information Entrepreneur's Success Package"... Read More

Generational Marketing

Having run a multi-state franchise company with multiple brands it became obvious to me early on that if one were to properly respond to the needs and desires of your customer base; you must indeed, understand generational marketing. The X'ers have a completely different mindset than the "Boomers" or the... Read More

Linking Features & Benefits

I'm sure that you've had those Eureka! moments, too. When a piece of information suddenly helped you see or understand something that hadn't been apparent before.For me, one came when I discovered means-end analysis, a marketing concept that helps us understand why listeners or readers might respond -- or not... Read More

Trade Shows Are Not a Waste!

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (the trade association for trade shows), industry spends more than $60 billion annually on trade show participation, more than the expenditures for magazines, radio and outdoor billboards combined! And, trade shows are more cost-effective than direct selling when it comes to reaching... Read More

Catalogs are Selling Machines

If you've got a mailbox, you're no doubt aware of the popularity of catalogs. People love to look through catalogs, and more important, they love to buy from catalogs. But mailing catalogs can be expensive. You've got to send a lot of them out, and many of them are going... Read More

Improving Lead Generating and Conversation Rates: Think Like a Farmer

John's a freelance photographer in Ohio who called to tell me of his frustration with the advertising and promotional campaigns he has tried in the last couple of years. Each time he does a promotional mailing to his list of 10,000, he is lucky if he gets one or two... Read More

Neuromarketing: Smart Marketing Or Jedi Mind Control Trick?

In the international bestseller "Blink," Malcolm Gladwell explains why our decisions to choose brands, select a mate, sue our doctor or make choices that decide Presidential elections, aren't as simple as they seem.Why we often let unconscious biases affect our opinions about people who are taller or have a different... Read More

Target Marketing - What Are You Aiming For?

Is Advertising Viable?At the turn of the 20th century, department store magnate J.C. Penney acknowledged, "Fifty percent of my advertising doesn't work." When questioned why he continued to do it all, he replied, "Because I don't know which half isn't working."Over the course of the last century, most traditional advertisers... Read More

Spice It Up! Rib Festival Teaches Us About Product Value

The Rib America Festival is a fun filled family event featuring award winning BBQ and live entertainment from national, regional and local talent. Each rib cooker features their very own special cooking strategy and recipes that make for a truly unique food festival experience.My Dad and I attend every year.... Read More

Why You Buy

Behavioral economics is a new science that sheds light on some of our most important decisions. It is the study of how and why people make money-related choices. Here are some of the things the studies have shown thus far:Decision ParalysisOne study showed that customers spent more when given four... Read More

Packaging Trends You Cannot Overlook (part #1):

1) People are buying in smaller quantities. Our busy lifestyle keeps many people from eating at home on a daily basis. Gone are the days of the sit down dinner with the entire family. When these occasions due occur it's usually a holiday or a special occasion.What this means to... Read More

10 Packaging Tips That Will Make Consumers Buy Your Product

The customer is king/queen. We have all heard this mantra. It's up to you, the supplier, to prove it so. With these ten tips you will be a lot closer to proving that you are on top of industry trends and technologies for the packaging industry.1) Understand the customer. The... Read More

Market Planning -- Getting the Word Out

"There are those who get things done and those who think about getting things done." --Col. Wesley L. Fox, USMC (Ret)Marketing cannot be hit or miss; it must be part of your business model. Formal market planning systematically addresses getting profitable new business while maintaining and increasing the profitability of... Read More

How Gratitude Works

Want to know what the highest-impact, lowest-cost tool is in your marketing toolkit? First, here are ten reasons to start using this tool right away:1. It won't get tossed out with the rest of the junk mail.2. It builds a genuine bond with the recipient.3. It's personal, a 1:1 "marketing... Read More

Whats Your Marketing Weak Link?

Your marketing weak link could be undermining the rest of your marketing. It is vital that each link in your marketing system supports and builds upon the previous link. Each link must bring your customer closer to the next sale. Any link that takes the customer further away from the... Read More

Be Prepared for Marketing

For most businesses, making a sale is all important. However, despite the amount of effort and attention given to getting sales, there is often no attention given to developing and effectively implementing a systematic marketing process. There are many things that can go wrong between the point of the customer... Read More

Packaging Trends You Cannot Overlook (Part #2)

Part #26) Food safety is becoming paramount.What this means to you: No longer are the words tampering and bio terrorism buzz phrases. They are facts of life. Product integrity will become increasingly important to consumers. New packaging ideas have been developed in response to growing food manufacturer fears about food... Read More

Why You Buy, Part Two

More of the findings of the recent studies in behavioral economics:Webers LawA change of stimulus is more emotional and motivational, according to the base: Most subjects tested would drive across town to save $10 on a $20 item, for example, but not to save $10 on a $500 item. The... Read More

Marketing Planning Made Simple - Another Small Business Power Tool

Marketing planning must be really difficult and complex, otherwise why would there be so many books written on the subject ? right?Well, I'm just enough of a skeptic to believe that many of these books were designed more to make money for their publishers and authors than to make marketing... Read More

What?s Next? A Guide to Marketing Your New Business

Coming up with an idea, seizing the opportunity, and setting up a business was the relatively easy part. Now you are ready for the challenge of finding your customers, or at least make it easy for your customers to find you. Here are some tips for marketing your new and... Read More

Big Ticket Marketing in 28 Minutes

I read an article recently about how many mainstream retail companies are using the standard 28 minute infomercial to more effectively target customers and sell their products.Now, I have to confess, I have never used an infomercial to market a Big Ticket product. But I have purchased many products after... Read More

Simple Marketing Idea - Big Marketing Results!

Have you ever noticed how many times it's the simplest concepts that end up working the best?The same is so true when it comes to marketing. I'm constantly amazed at just how powerful some of the simplest concepts are. I've seen simple marketing ideas that cost next to nothing and... Read More

Marketing Plans... A Simple Approach To Get Off The Marketing Roller Coaster

Are You Riding The Marketing Roller Coaster?If you're like many of the small business owners or independent professionals I meet, then running and marketing your business can be like riding on a roller coaster. I'm picturing a roller coaster that mostly goes up and down as opposed to one that... Read More

Using Alternative Media to Generate More Customers

Last week I received a very nice thank you gift from a friend of mine, Eric Ruth, who is arguably the number one marketing coach to the personal fitness trainer industry.Eric, asked if he could interview me about a specific topic and I agreed.After it was done, Eric sent me... Read More

Resistances To Marketing a Practice-Part 1

If you are a therapist, counselor, or an alternative or complementary health practitioner (naturopath, homeopathetic doctor, massage therapist, body worker, etc.), in all likelihood, you are not only uninformed about effective marketing methods, but you are also likely to have some negative feelings about self promotion and marketing.When it comes... Read More

Profitable Marketing Programs Part 2: Figuring Break Even Point

In Part 1 -- http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/online/profit.htm -- I discussed how to consider both long term and short term profitability in your marketing programs and assumptions that go into conducting a break even analysis. Here in part 2, I will look at three different break even formulas.Figuring Break Even PointTo figure the... Read More

Client or Customer? There Really Is A Difference

Some people use the words "client" and "customer" interchangeably or generically. I'd like you to think a little about these important words because there is a significant difference ? one that can have huge impact upon your long-term business.According to Merriam-Webster:Client: One that is under the protection of anotherCustomer: One... Read More

6 Simple Ways to Determine Which Marketing Ideas Are Best for Your Business

Did something catch your eye in a direct mailing this past week? Have you recently gone to a website and encountered something entirely new that caught your attention? Did a friend of yours try out a new marketing idea and generate a few thousand dollars of extra business overnight?As a... Read More

Marketing Discipline and the Joy of Success

Discipline Is Important.I recently read an article about why discipline is important to a marketer. The author said that undisciplined people only live for today. He added that disciplined people use a little of their time for pleasure, and then invest the rest of their time in the future. Disciplined... Read More

The Most Powerful Marketing Strategy Available To Small Businesses

Most small business owners want to generate huge profits, with little effort and in the least amount of time. If you fall into this category then joint venture marketing is the fastest, easiest and most profitable way to do that.Joint venture marketing involves two or more businesses combining their resources... Read More

The Five Most Common Joint Venture Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

Joint Venture marketing has become a highly popular way for small businesses to maximize their profits. When two or more businesses combine their resources synergistically, it creates greater marketing impact and bigger profits than either can have alone.Doing joint ventures has many benefits, but there are also many mistakes that... Read More

What The Heck Is An Eponym, And What Does It Mean For Your Brand?

Today I've decided to share with you a new word that recently made a special appearance in my daily life: eponym. It is pronounced (EP-uh-nim) and I have to be frank, but I was somewhat at a loss when I saw it. I mean, I write, communicate and persuade using... Read More

What Is Better Than FREE?

Oh come on! FREE is free. Zero, zip, nada, zilch. What on earth could be better than FREE?I recently told you FREE was the most powerful word in advertising. Nothing has changed, it still is.So what is with the headline of this article? What is better than FREE?Well before I... Read More

Give It Away Now - The More You Share, the More You Sell!

Give away your knowledge, and you'll make money. How does this work? Isn't this counter-intuitive? Let's think about this.If you get early adopters (Seth Godin would call them "sneezers") on board and they like what you have to say, they'll talk about your ideas. They'll share it with their friends,... Read More

Fundraisers - How to Raise Twice the Money With Half the Sweat

If your members, parents or donors wear clothes, watch t.v. or read books you have the beginning ingredients to a sweet recipe for a great year-round fundraiser.How so?By taking advantage of what's known as an affiliate program or in more common lingo -- partnering.How would you like to partner with... Read More

Marketing is More Than a Token Process

"Necessity is the mother of invention!" The first time I heard this was nearly twenty years ago when I was introduced to Tony Robbins' material. I was listening to, and applying, information from his thirty day series. I have to admit, the first time I heard this it didn't quite... Read More

Design Does Matter

The idea that good design can improve how people perceive your business has long been a part of a designer's sales tools.They try to convince you that by improving your image, maybe creating a new logo or changing the way you communicate with your customers you can somehow improve sales... Read More

Is Most Marketing by Small Businesses KILLING THEM?

I just collected my mail. As usual, more than 80% of it was junk. Marketing junk.What did I do with it? Threw it in the garbage without reading it. Same as you do. Only it made me think about this article, which I guess might be of some use, unintended... Read More

Psychology of Setting Prices

Pricing is one of the four major components of marketing. Psychological pricing forms one of the key elements of demand pricing wherein the consumer demand is the main focus. The price and quality relationship that governs the central theme of the consumer market relationship is surrounded by uncertainty and gives... Read More

The Secrets of?

A lot of advertising and mailings promise to reveal the secrets of something. Most of this kind of mailings deal with search engine optimization. They promise to know how to achieve a high ranking at Google. They tell the readers that they have a special access to Google or that... Read More

Perceived Value Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Q: My partner and I are having a hard time coming up with what we feel is the perfect price for our new product. We know what competing products sell for, but we don't know if it's better to price our product cheaper than theirs or charge more based on... Read More

Who are Those People Youre Selling To?

If you're in the IT business, that's an important question.Most marketers are keen to profile their prospects. For some products and services, these may be 'people with a large lawn', 'married couples over retirement age' or 'students living away from home'.What about your targets? Perhaps 'businesses running Microsoft Exchange', 'people... Read More

Incestuous Relationship Between Football and Marketing

Thousands eyes were fixed. Hearts were beating hard against the chests. Emotions was high, expectations was weighting on warrior on football field. This was a article moment for David Bekham. He has to take a direct free kick. Human wall was erected in front of football a few yards away.... Read More

How To Let Your Customers Search For YOU! ? Part 2

First I want to welcome you to part two of the article 'How To Let Customers Search for YOU!', where you can learn how to attract new clients at any time you want. The techniques I describe here have proofed to work for me and a lot of other people.In... Read More

Marketing: Are You Focused?

In early 1992, President George H.W. Bush was riding high. He was sitting on an almost unprecedented 80% approval rating following the first Gulf War. Conventional wisdom pegged him as a shoe-in for a second term.Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton faced an uphill battle. He was largely unknown at the start... Read More

Developing A Focused Marketing Strategy

You want all of your marketing messages to have a single focus, so they pull together instead of competing with each other. Great! So how do you come up with one?First, there are several things you need to know. Who is your target? As specifically as possible, who are you... Read More

Marketing: Can I Trust You?

We live in an unprecedented era of communication. Because of this, your prospects are literally bombarded from all directions with marketing messages. They've heard so many hyped claims, that they automatically distrust them all.How can you avoid this in your marketing messages? How can you convince them that what you... Read More

Get Personal: Letters vs. Direct Mail

One of the reasons direct mail works is the personal aspect. It's ostensibly a letter from you to your prospect. Because of this, the more personal you make it, the better your response will be.If you're mailing to 100,000 people, putting your prospect's name on your letter is about as... Read More

Maximizing Your Yellow Page Investment

Yellow Page users are the hottest of all prospects ? someone who has made the decision to buy, and now is looking for a place to do it. Does your ad convince them that your business is that place?It doesn't have to be the biggest, although that can certainly help.... Read More

How to Use Marketing Judo to Beat Big Competitors

If yours is a small business and you have big or even huge competitors, you may be laying awake at night wondering how can you possibly beat them. You can't out-advertise them, or out-promote them, and you probably won't be able beat to its prices. For example, think about a... Read More

Profitable Marketing Programs (Part 1)

Deciding whether a particular marketing program is profitable to your business is often more subjective than the accountants would have you believe. You should not only consider the direct revenue and costs associated with a marketing program, but you should also think about the long term impact on your business.The... Read More

A Creative RIOT

Relevant, original and impactful: that's what my friend Creative Director Jim Mountjoy says that effective creative must be. With apologies to Jim, I have my own acronym because I think ROI is only 75 percent of the way there. Effective creative is a RIOT: relevant, impactful, original and true.Let's say... Read More

10 Essential Criteria For Choosing Your Target Market

A specific group of people you will focus on selling your services to is your target market. This is not to be confused with the problem you will be solving for this group.Why choose a target market? You need to decide exactly who your audience is before you sell your... Read More

Stretching The String: Five Tips To Maximize Your Marketing When You Are On A Shoe String Budget

"I know I need to market my business in order to grow my business, but right now I can't afford it."I have heard this statement numerous times from business owners that are struggling to stay in business. They are hanging on by a frayed string that will break at any... Read More

What is a Marketing Plan Anyway?

Building a business that grows steadily in size and profits is like building your dream house. First, you identify what kind of home you want, then you and your architect plan and create blueprints for your house, then you'd build it, move in and enjoy it.Now imagine that you didn't... Read More

Dont Advertise Your Business - Market It!

Too many business owners believe that marketing their business means just paying for a few ads. What few understand is that Advertising is not the same as Marketing. Too many clients have come to us only after they have wasted large sums of money by copying their competitors with "me... Read More

4 Ways to Get a Prospects Attention Fast

Can you remember the last dozen advertising messages beamed at you today? Can you remember even one of them? Most people can't.This illustrates a major obstacle you need to overcome before you can successfully promote your product or service. You have to capture a prospective customer's attention in the first... Read More

Contrarian Marketing at Benettons

Perhaps, with apologies to Dale Carnegie, we should call this article: "How to make enemies AND influence people."The subject: United Colors of Benetton's campaign to promote its clothing, using photos and stories about death row prisoners in the U.S. It's what journalist James Bone of the Times of London called... Read More

Service Marketing - A Relationship Building Approach

Can we imagine a place in the world today without a marketing activity. It looks remote. When we all move from one place to the other, we need an interactive or a Communicative Response System (CRS) to facilitate a marketing activity and enable the market to respond. When this Communicative... Read More

Trade Show Marketing ? Getting Prepared for the Big Event

With the increase in number of tradeshows being held across the world, it has become imperative to check the trade shows' credentials before you commit participation. Here are some quick tips on checks to ensure that you are not heading for a dud trade show:1. Check previous history and years... Read More

Trade Show Exhibit Booth ? 7 Tips to Improve Yours

Once you have decided to participate in a trade show, half your work is done. The other half starts with exploring ideas on how to get the maximum out of the event both in terms of brand building as well as sales enquiries. Here are seven easy to follow and... Read More

4 Sales Strategies with Your Trade Show Exhibition Booth

Trade show booths can act as an excellent source for generating sales enquiries in the short run. Companies are able to demonstrate their products or services and get instant enquiries at the booth which on timely follow up can result in sales. Some of the tips on how to maximize... Read More

Trade Show Events ? Do?s and Don?ts

You can love it or you can hate it but there is no escaping trade shows in a business environment. If you happen to be in the Sales and Marketing division in an industry where trade shows are a part of the marketing plan, it is more than likely than... Read More

Trade Show Display Booth ? A Marvelous Contact System

Trade show booths are one of the best direct contact systems with end consumers. The face to face meeting opportunity with customers can provide some excellent results?provided you have a good communication strategy in place. Keep in mind that there are at least a hundred other advertisers at the same... Read More

Business Promotional Items ? How to Stimulate Word of Mouth Advertising

If the promotional items you give out end up in the attic or shoved in the back of a desk drawer, they are probably not doing what they are supposed to be doing. However, if items you passed out to clients and customers are being seen again and again, chances... Read More

Unique Gift Items ? 3 Creative Ideas

With promotional items there are standards: t-shirts, mugs, note cubes, calendars, magnets and keychains. Then, there is the really creative. Sometimes with a specific campaign, you may want to go above and beyond and really start a buzz about your company.This is not to say that creativity always costs more... Read More

Discount Promotional Items ? How to Save Money

It takes money to make money is an adage we hear everyday in the business world. So, when it comes to getting promotional items, you've got to budget for it. Or do you?There are several ways you can save money on your promotional item order. If you are planning to... Read More

Promotional Marketing Products ? Selecting the Perfect Item

People are known to shop on impulse- buying an item just because it is on sale, or purchasing something because it looks great in the store. When shopping for promotional items, you really can't succumb to impulses. Instead, you must carefully decide on an item that will help meet your... Read More

Trade Show Promotional Products ? Boosting Booth Traffic

I was about seven or eight years old when I learned the value of promotional items at trade shows. I just didn't know it yet. I was at a home show with my parents. As we walked through the hall it was held in, I noticed people walking around with... Read More

Keeping Marketing Simple / Ten Simple Steps

1. Business CardsIt is very important to market yourself via business cards. You should be making a conscious effort to hand out ten per day at the very least. Have them on you at all times, and keep a supply in your car just in case. When doing business with... Read More

Are You Guilty Of Interruption Marketing?

You muted the commercials on the TV last night because you were fed up with interruption marketing. Ditto if you went through your mail to find most of it is junk. Ditto again, if a stranger phoned you (usually at dinner time) asking you to answer a survey, or give... Read More

The Key to Success

Good business is about communication... not just what you say but...Early Monday morning the phone rang in my office; it was very early for a business call. I answered "Good morning,? Nancy Fraser" there was a short pause on the line and then a voice asked, "Is this Gloria?". When... Read More

Create A Business Card That Sells and is Effective

Why does your business need a business card?Business card is a powerful piece of card handed out to your clients or given to you by someone which has all that information in such a small space. Business cards are an important part of any business and that gives a first... Read More

7 Tips to Grab New Clients

As a business professional, you probably realize the value of writing articles for print publications to telegraph your expertise. Have you considered that writing articles for online publications can build even more buzz for your business?Some professionals dismiss online articles because they lack the prestige of the Wall Street Journal... Read More

The YOU Factor

I don't mean you, I mean the YOU that is your client.Let's examine memorable tag lines in advertising.You deserve a break today. - McDonaldsDo you eat the red ones last? ? SmartiesYou've always got time for Tim Horton's ? Tim Horton'sFor all you do, this Bud's for you ? BudweiserLet... Read More

Niche Marketing: The Affiliate Angle

If you're just dipping your toes into the waters of Niche Marketing for the first time then Affiliate marketing is the ultimate low risk choice to get you started.Affiliate programmes cost nothing to join and present an almost infinite choice of products and services from which to build a niche... Read More

Are Your Marketing Efforts Working...Or Could They Use A Little Help?

Marketing is a broad business subject that encompasses a range of activities including advertising, public relations, sales, and promotions. Generally, you will find that people often confuse sales with marketing, when in fact the two are quite different. Marketing is all about getting a product or service into the market,... Read More

Seven Common Marketing Problems Solved by Marketing Operations

Corporate marketing groups - especially bandwidth-challenged small-to-mid-sized departments - can be so focused on tactics and fire fighting that they jeopardize their marketing investment. There is a tendency to overreact to events, to tackle symptoms rather than underlying fundamental problems and to jump at the opportunity to please the boss.... Read More

Connect to Your Customers with Superb Sales Letters

In the age of e-newsletters and e-mail, you may not consider a sales letter, sent through the regular old postal service, as a viable means of contacting your target market. But the traditional sales letter has not gone completely by the wayside. Need proof? Just look at your own mail.... Read More

5 Tips to Heat Up Your On-Line Marketing Using Off-Line Tactics

The internet of course brings a huge arena of marketing opportunities for you. The ability to do business with people around the world has now been made readily available through a web site and email. It truly has leveled the playing field and has provided ALL of us with the... Read More

The 5 Minute Marketing Plan

If I were to ask you right now, what marketing tactics have you used, umm, say in the last month, could you tell me?Chances are you probably could rattle them off quickly enough.Now, say if I asked you if you knew the results those tactics brought. Meaning do you know... Read More

The Forgotten Market

There are a great many online business people who are forgetting the potential that this particular forgotten market can be providing them. The forgotten market I am referring to is the off-line market and as for the potential, it could prove to be quite profitable for you. What you need... Read More

Niches - The Path to More Profits

Hey, as business owners we CAN'T be all things for all customers. I mean it would be fantastic if we could, however, you just can't meet the needs and wants of everyone, you would run yourself ragged trying :o(BUT ... that doesn't mean you throw your hands up in dispair... Read More

How To Get Celebrities To Endorse YOUR Product

How would you like celebrities to endorse your product?Perhaps that sounds crazy. Well, here's the info...But before anything else - let me stress that when I say "celebrities", I'm not talking about Tiger Woods or Tom Cruise!Who I'm talking about is celebrities in YOUR market. People who are very highly... Read More

Corporate Gift Tips To Wow Clients & Associates

1) Know the company and their culture. Are they trendy and artistic or conservative and elegant? Your gift giving should reflect this. Also, global customs vary significantly. Ensure you understand the proper gift etiquette to avoid offending overseas clients.2) Know the client - their likes, hobbies, and interests. When possible,... Read More

Helping Your Prospects Overcome ?Buying Fears? By Using Testimonials

You DO use direct marketing for your small business? right? If so, you're taking advantage of the most cost-effective means of advertising available. (Yes? I'm biased? I admit it!)Let's talk for a minute about how you can make your sales copy and direct marketing more effective.One of the simplest yet... Read More

Go Guerrilla

Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term guerrilla marketing, which I define as low-cost, creative and typically self-implemented public relations techniques.Here are a few thoughts that might spawn some ideas for your own business.* When you can't get in to see a prospect, try clipping half a $20 bill in a... Read More

Words that Sell

We all know the English language contains hundreds of thousands of words. But did you know that only 21 of them can easily sell your clients? Yes! It's true. When you know what these proven words are and how to use them to your company's benefit, you'll save both time... Read More

How to Write Irresistible Promotional Pieces that Attract More and Better Clients

Whether you're creating a sales letter, a brochure, a newsletter, or any other business promotional piece, you need to write in a way that not only explains your product or service, but that also compels your prospects to contact you. A well-written promotional piece entices people to seek out more... Read More

Fail Your Way To Small Business Marketing Success!

Are you willing to fail your way to great marketing Success?Success is a learning process. It's an ongoing process - a continual quest.Do you believe that marketing success is a learning process? Then you must be willing to accept that you'll stumble (i.e., fail) along the way - sometimes a... Read More

Mastering the ABCDs of Small Business Marketing & Selling

I believe that small business marketing and selling follows a certain flow. The pace of the flow may differ depending on what you're selling, but I still see the flow for virtually every small business. If you acknowledge and understand the flow for your own business then you can implement... Read More

Successful Surveys: 10 Tips for Better Results

Why would you use an email or online survey when you could simply call your clients and customers and ask for their input?Lots of reasons.- standardization - easy to get large numbers of responses - easy to tabulate, analyze - easy (and often fun) for your clients and customers -... Read More

Marketing Ideas Without Action Will Get You Nowhere!

Marketing Ideas Without Action Get You NowhereYou want to grow your small business, but how do you do that? Many of the small businesses I work with are not really sure what works best, or how, or where to get started.We're all familiar with the term Marketing, but what in... Read More

How Do You Get Past The Gatekeeper?

The best joint ventures are with people in your own network ? those that already know, like and trust you. However, there's nothing to stop you from partnering with "cold" contacts ? those you've never associated with before, and you would therefore need to build a relationship with. This simply... Read More

Five Most Common Mistaken Beliefs About Joint Venture Marketing

Apart from being the fastest, easiest, and most profitable strategy for attracting clients and boosting profits in any small business, there are so many other advantages of joint venture marketing for all parties involved. So, why aren't all small business owners implementing joint ventures?Here's a partial list of the most... Read More

Five Joint Venture Marketing Skills A Small Business Owner Must Have

Joint venture marketing is a lucrative way of leveraging the assets of two or more businesses. It is the fastest way for businesses to achieve certain business goals and benefit their clients at the same time.For the joint venture partners, this usually translates into more visibility, more clients and more... Read More

Creating a Marketing Timeline That Works: 17 Simple Ideas for Marketing Your Small Business

"Goals are dreams with deadlines." -Diana Scharf HuntWhen clients come to me for marketing help, the first thing I ask is, "What's your plan?" If I'm greeted with a blank stare, then I know we have work to do!In order to set up a great marketing strategy, you need to... Read More

30-Minute Marketing

Marketing your small business takes tons of time, years of experience, and lots of money, right? WRONG! Anyone can learn effective marketing techniques that are simple, inexpensive, and best of all, quick! This summer, get in the habit of regularly marketing your biz! The following are some marketing techniques that... Read More

Top 5 Design Tips to Create Eye-Catching Marketing Materials

Great graphic design looks effortless, but it requires lots of attention to details. Think back to an eye-catching advertisement, publication, or flyer you saw recently. Do you remember why you liked it? Perhaps it was something specific like the use of a cool graphic or font. Or, more likely, the... Read More

Creative Marketing: Just Your Style

You've enlisted some of the traditional marketing methods to sell your services: you received some publicity in your local paper; your website is up and running; and you're listed in the Yellow Pages. So why isn't the phone ringing off the hook? Maybe you're marketing strategies need to get more... Read More

The Marketing Plan and the Four P?s

The Marketing Plan section of the business plan demonstrates how a company will penetrate the market with its products and services. The Marketing Plan should include "the four P's" ? Product, Promotions, Price, and Place.Products and/or ServicesThe first "P" stands for Product, but includes all products and services that the... Read More

Making the Intangible Real

How do you make the intangible real? How do you take an idea or concept, something that can't be seen or touched, and convey its essence to others, quickly and easily?That challenge faces many of us in this age of information and knowledge marketing. In advertising and other marketing communications,... Read More

Do You Really Know Your Prospect?

I'd like to introduce you to someone. I don't actually know his name, but I'm hoping you do. I'm hoping you know quite a bit about him.He's your target customer ? the person most likely to buy what you have to offer. He is the person responsible for your paycheck.... Read More

The Power Of A Story

If you want your marketing to be effective, you absolutely must connect emotionally with your prospects. And one of the best ways to do that is by telling a story.A good story disarms your reader or listener. He forgets for a moment that you are trying to sell him something... Read More

Is It Time To Revisit Your Marketing Strategy?

Small & Mid Sized Business owners, have you revisited your marketing strategy lately? Your Marketing ROI? Some of you have spent this past year just trying to get by-maintaining the web site, sending out occasional press releases, attending various networking events. Yes, you've endured our slow-to-grow economy, but how far... Read More

Direct Mail Marketing Generates Sales Leads: Heres How

1. Personal Unlike an advertisement in a trade publication, which can be read by anyone, your sales letter arrives at your prospect's place of business as a piece of personal communication from your mind to his. Also, unlike any other medium, direct mail can be personalized (Dear Mr. Smith) and... Read More

Direct Mail Response Devices and How to Craft Them

Successful direct mail packages contain three things: an attractive offer, a call to action, and a response device. The offer is the Incentive. The call to action is the Imperative. And the response device is the Instrument.The most well-known reply device is the business reply card. But today it could... Read More

Business to Business Direct Mail Sales Letters Need an Offer (and Heres Why)

In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward that you dangle in front of your prospects to motivate them to respond to your mailing. In business-to-consumer direct mail, for example, a magazine publisher will offer a yearly subscription to its magazine at 60% off the newsstand price. The... Read More

Direct Mail Sales Letter Mistakes to Avoid

Some companies that use direct mail to sell their products and services are like the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn't there. They repeat the same mistakes, and enjoy the same poor results. Here are their eight most common misdemeanors, and a cure... Read More

Qualify Prospects Using Direct Mail Marketing

When a prospect responds to your lead generation sales letter, how do you know if the prospect is a qualified lead or not? By qualifying them before they respond.At my direct mail lead generation firm, our definition of a qualified lead is someone who meets four criteria:Authority: They have the... Read More

Nurture Sales Leads with Direct Mail Marketing

Direct mail is a cost-effective way to make sales and generate leads. But it's also an excellent way to keep your brand name in front of customers, and to nurture leads until they become customers.At my direct mail lead generation firm, our definition of a qualified lead is someone who... Read More

Brochures that Generate Sales Leads (and How to Write Them)

One rule in direct mail is that your letter sells your offer and your brochure sells what you're selling. For example, let's say you mail a classic direct mail package to generate sales leads for your enterprise software product. Your classic package will consist of a #10 mailing envelope, a... Read More

Business to Business Direct Mail Offers that Say Free

In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward that you dangle in front of your prospects to motivate them to respond to your mailing, either with an order or with a request for more information.Offers follow a "you do this and we'll do that" format. For example: "Place... Read More

Direct Mail Offers: Eight Steps to Making them Effective

Every direct mail package you drop in the mail should contain an offer. The offer is the incentive or reward that motivates prospects to respond to your mailing, either with an order or with a request for more information. "Subscribe to Hook, Line and Sinker today and save 45% off... Read More

Using Business Cards as Invitations

Business card size works well for invitations to special events.What do you visualize when you think about invitations? More than likely you are thinking about a wedding or a party. You may even think about a verbal invitation that is extended to you for a business event. Invitations come in... Read More

FREE Means MORE Business

Why give freebies?We have all seen freebies at trade shows and we have all probably seen the person that goes from booth to booth collecting as much of it as possible. There is always someone that only goes to get the free stuff, but then again there are also people... Read More

Business Cards that Make Them CALL

How would you use business cards for gift certificates?I asked at the beginning of this chapter "How many business cards do you need?" and answered that you only need one. Even though this is true when you are trying to form business relationships, it is not true when it comes... Read More

Do You Know Where Your Email Address is Today?

Having people go to your website is not always easy: remind them with a special business card.Whether you understand it nor not, the web is likely here to stay; those businesses that do not yet have a web presence, or at least email addresses, are likely to get left in... Read More

Doing it with Class!

Doctors do it, hair dressers do it, and salespeople can do it too.I have been working with a chiropractor for a few months and when it came time to give me a new appointment, she would use a quarter sheet of paper to check off the appointment time. Inevitably the... Read More

Recipe for Success

Special event and a special recipe- hand it out on a business card.I have seen many real estate people, give out recipes with their newsletter. I find one typed onto a full sheet almost every month. Some of the recipes look absolutely delicious but I find that the extra information... Read More

The Greatest Business Tips are FREE

The best way for someone to hang on to a tip is on a business card.Do you remember seeing the TV commercials of OSH Hardware stores, the ones where they give out time saving tips on things like squeaky floors and a host of other common household problems? The tips... Read More

Keeping your Business Card visible

Famous quotes that keep you thinking.Have you ever listened to a speaker and they say something that you want to make note of and use later? More than likely, you will write it down and then file it away, never to be uttered again. The saying could be motivational or... Read More

Coupons that Work

Turn a coupon into a business card (or vice versa).Coupons are seen everywhere; you clip them from the newspaper to save on groceries, you get them in the mail to save on brand name items, you even get packages in the form of booklets delivered to your door. Almost everyone... Read More

The Art of the Business Card

Use a business card as a note pad for recording important information.I am sometimes asked why I make such use of business cards. My reply is that they are easy to transport and I do not need an extra envelope. I particularly make use of others' business cards for taking... Read More

Design, Design, Design

You need only one card, but make it noticeable. Make sure it says the right thing.I mentioned before that you can make some cards using your computer. However, I would suggest that you take time to have them designed in order to look professional. A good designer will cost at... Read More

Who is Your Perfect Client

When I started my coaching practice I believed that I could coach anyone. My marketing wasn't targeted. Taking a few clients that were "wrong" for me cured me of that. I began to define my "perfect client" and then started to notice flags that told me that someone didn't fit... Read More

How Important is Your Marketing?

Bob called last week from Phoenix, Arizona with some stunning news about his web site. He first contacted me in the fall of 2003. He had a web site that was helping him generate a healthy income but he sensed he could be doing even better. He wanted to get... Read More

How to Give Your Biz a Boost with a Summer Marketing Makeover

Are you on track for hitting all your business goals for the year? A quick check-up of your promotional efforts can reveal "week spots" and help identify what needs tweaking to give your business a healthy boost in the next few months. Here are five key areas to focus on... Read More

8 Secrets to Marketing Success

The profits of a business are totally dependent on marketing. Otherwise few, if any, sales will be generated. But what is marketing anyway?Marketing is doing what it takes to convince enough customers to pay the necessary price for your products and/or services to produce the desired profits for the business.Let's... Read More

How to Turn More Referrals Into Paying Clients

60% of all small business owners, sales and solo-professionals claim that more than half of their new business comes from referrals. Yet when asked about the process they so successfully use to get those referrals and turn them into paying clients, most will have a puzzled, deer-in-the-headlights, stupefied look on... Read More

Are Corporate Awards and Corporate Gifts Beneficial for Your Business?

With the increased challenges that all companies are faced with, many corporations have implemented various initiatives to continue to grow corporate earnings and shareholder value, some have discovered the strategic value of corporate awards and corporate gifts. From the boardroom to the frontlines to the client across the country, corporate... Read More

How to Put the Profit Producing Power of Couponing to Work for You

Coupons have proven themselves to be highly effective sales tools for every conceivable size and type of business.Because coupons "pull in the business" they have gained remarkable acceptance and popularity among astute marketing managers. A simple explanation for their acceptance by advertisers is their overwhelming acceptance and use by the... Read More

How To Sell To Howard Stern... Oprah Winfrey... And Paul McCartney!

Do you know what Howard Stern... Oprah Winfrey... and Paul McCartney all have in common?Well, the simple truth is... they're all... "Baby Boomers"!The "Baby Boomer" generation accounts for all of us born between January 1, 1946 and December 31, 1963.Here's a few interesting facts about the baby boomers in general:First,... Read More

John Kerry, Amazing Direct-Marketer!

If you want to uncover a little secret about how John Kerry and the Democratic party is "building their e-mail list", with literally thousands of qualified leads... then listen closely!I know nothing about John Kerry, and I know even less about his running mate, John Edwards. But, I do know... Read More

Value Proposition is the Key to Success

Value proposition is treated as the standards or service that the organization is planning to offer or deliver to targeted group of customers with the help of some effective strategic planning.In today's multifaceted technologically driven and extreme competitive business atmosphere, the ability to successfully run your business and to have... Read More

Postcard Direct Mail Marketing Works (Its Cheap, Quick, Affordable and More)

Used the right way and with the right audience, postcards often outperform their mailbox "competitors" in money saved and revenue generated (the competitors are sales letters, self-mailers, unaddressed flyers, dimensional mailers and catalogs). Here's why postcards are so effective.QUICK Postcards are quick to produce. You have only two sides to... Read More

Hermey Wants To Be A Dentist

December marked the 40th anniversary of the original broadcast of the classic "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"©, network television's longest-running, highest-rated holiday special. From my earliest childhood memories, watching Rudolph has been a tradition, one that continues today with my own family.While Rudolph never crosses my mind during the year, a... Read More

Communication Breakdown - Dont Let It Happen To You

Do you have Communication breakdown?How are you communicating with your contacts?We need:Contacts we can send emails to regarding our business opportunities.Contacts we can build up a good working relationship with, similar interests as far as business opportunities go.Contacts we can share how we are going with our business opportunities.Contacts we... Read More

Timing and the Right Product Will Make Your Dreams Come True

Are you looking to erase your debt, buy that new luxury vehicle, or impress that special person?You can, if the timing is right and you market a product everyone needs!Here's a blueprint that outlines the 6 steps to start earning big money today.Step #1: Find a product everyone needs. I've... Read More

Marketing Manual Sample Outline

The key to success in any business relies a large part in your ability to market your product or service. Often MBA students spend years studying marketing as it encompasses and relates to nearly all business operations. If you own a small business you know the value of marketing, even... Read More

Free Publicity for Restaurants

One of the best ways to get a restaurant free publicity is by taking advantage of events and seizing the opportunity. For example, February 5th is Television Weather Persons' Day! Bet you didn't even know such a day existed, but it does, and it can give you free publicity. How?... Read More

Effective Use of Promotional Products and Ad Specialties

1. Determine the goals of your promotional products program. Do you want to create awareness? To attract new customers? To reward or provide incentives to existing customers? Remember to determine a means for measuring the results.2. Plan ahead. At minimum, you'll need two to four weeks for production and delivery... Read More

Top Ten Blunders Exhibitors Make in Expos/Tradeshows

Triple your response from expos by avoiding the top ten blunders at expos. Turn disappointment into sales success!If you are like most exhibitors, you were disappointed from the results at your last expo. There is only one reason for dismal results from an expo and that is not knowing how... Read More

Your Plan For Marketing Success

The most important, yet overlooked aspect of marketing is an actual written marketing plan A business simply cannot succeed without marketing. Whether you are a one person business or have 50 employees, you simply must have a marketing plan to succeed.Just as a business plan is a blue print for... Read More

Creative Emulation

In business we have a number of ways or tools that we use to stimulate improvement. Most of us could recite these in our sleep:? Brainstorming? Benchmarking? Problem solvingWhen these things fail, or we realize that perhaps there are better ways to do these approaches, we do the next likely... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - How to Earn More Business From Realtors®

Is your marketing strategy getting the results you desire?Mailing postcards, handing out flyers, giving out your business card, and referring real estate agents to your website are forms of marketing activity, but does that mean it's effective?Being effective first means understanding how marketing to real estate agents works. Otherwise, you're... Read More

Marketing Yourself and Your Business to Thriving!

We all watch the commercials on TV. We hear them on the radio. We meet someone at an event or hear them speak and we are hooked. What has happened? Their marketing efforts have made the ordinary sound extraordinary. They have been successful at essentially creating something out of nothing!... Read More

Direct Mail Formats: How to Choose the Right One for Your Next Mailing

Which pulls the best response, a postcard, a self-mailer or a letter? The answer, you'll be irritated to know, is clear. It depends.The success of your mailing depends on who you mail to (your list), what you promise (your offer), when you mail (your timing), and what you mail (your... Read More

Where to Find New Customers Using B2B Direct Mail

The challenge in business-to-business direct mail is knowing where to look for new business. You need a source of potential new clients that is reliable and affordable. A source that will give you the contact information you need to send a direct mail package to prospective customers who need, want... Read More

Beware of Magazine Style Yellow Pages Ad Design.

I have been designing Yellow Page ads for the past 15 years. I have been fully submerged in the medium. Even as I sit here writing this article I have various Yellow Page directories from all over the US stacked on my desk.It's an art form, I tell you. Few... Read More

Loan Officer Marketing ? How to Target the Right Agents

Once there was a loan officer, who marketed his services to some Realtors®. His story went something like this... ...One day he invited an agent to lunch. During the course of the meal, the loan officer told the agent every reason why they should do business together.By the time they... Read More

Are You Attracting or Repelling Prospects?

There are basically two ways in which you can either attract or repel prospects. I call these Attraction Marketing and Repel Marketing.You can either attract or repel prospects in your traditional marketing activities...such as: networking, direct mail, your web site, your brochure, your business graphics, your product or services, etc...You... Read More

Marketing Mimics Life

Clichés. We've all heard them...and hear some of them so often that we categorize them as tired, stale old sayings. But, the fact is, particularly in both life and in small business marketing, that there is a validated truth in these commonly applicable and very popular clichés.So, just HOW does... Read More

Building Skills in Information Marketing will Boost Your Business

Yesterday I was sitting on a train going into London when I thought I'd take a look around the carriage just to see what everyone was doing. I wanted to make a mental note because my five year old son always asks me 'what happened at your work today Daddy?'... Read More

How to Connect Features and Values

"Buy this magazine or we'll shoot the dog," went a memorable cover for the satire magazine National Lampoon many years ago. On the cover, along with the threat, was the picture of an attractive dog with large sad eyes - and a pistol pointed at its head!Want a powerful way... Read More

How To Market A Seminar

Have you ever left a seminar thinking: "I could have done a better job than that!" Before you start signing up attendees, take a few minutes to think about what you are getting into. Putting on a seminar involves planning, time, and money. Understanding the ins and outs of the... Read More

Top 10 Benefits of Hiring a Marketing Writer to Write Your Marketing Materials

1. It costs less to delegate to a professional than to waste your valuable time trying to do it yourself. How many prospective clients could you call in the time it takes you to put the words together yourself?2. You'll stop wasting thousands of dollars on material that doesn't work.3.... Read More

Creating Your Unique Selling Proposition or USP

Creating Your Unique Selling Proposition"Don't tell them what you do. Tell them what you do for them."To capture a larger market share and remain profitable, you absolutely, positively need to distinguish your products and/or services from your competitors. In other words, you need to make your business special in the... Read More

Pamphlets and the Money They?ll Put in Your Pocket

People are making a fortune on pamphlets. If you go into an airport you can purchase a pamphlet for around $6.95, and it probably cost under fifty cents to produce. It blows my mind to think that little folded up booklets are the sole reason that some people are rich... Read More

Small Business Bonzai Marketing

Do you own a small business? Do you wish to increase sales? Do you wish to draw more customers into your store or find more customers for your service business? You can do this for a relatively low cost by building as small sales team of high-energy people. Direct Sales... Read More

Secret Marketing Plan

Many people have asked me what was the secret to our market domination? Hello, my name is Lance Winslow and I am the founder of The Car Wash Guys. Before now I have not disclosed my secrets of grass roots market; a strategic plan we used city after city to... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - How to Find Your Niche

Ann Landers, Dr. Phil and Roger Ebert take pleasure in being recognized as leading experts in their respective fields. Because of this status they enjoy greater visibility and reputation than their peers. So instead of having to cold call or advertise for new clients, they benefit from prospects seeking... Read More

How to Use Direct Response Post Card Decks as a Valuable Market Research Tool

Market research specialists have discovered a new tool which enables them to quickly identify target market cells, measure buyer acceptance, test new product or service concepts quickly and inexpensively and survey market characteristics...the Direct Response Card Deck.For two to four cents per contact, the researcher can now gather market intelligence... Read More

For Ongoing Success, Make Marketing a Habit

Make Marketing a Must, Not a MaybeWhen business is booming, it's easy to put marketing on the back burner. Why focus attention on getting new customers when you already have all you can handle? The reason is simple: when things slow down, you want to have new clients in the... Read More

Postcard Direct Mail Marketing Tips And Ideas

Postcards are perhaps the least expensive way of reaching a large number of people with your sales message. Although they have their drawbacks, they are cost-effective at attracting new customers. But only if you follow some simple rules that professional direct mail copywriters follow.Grab their attention on Side A Side... Read More

Simple Marketing Strategies Versus an SEO Line of Attack!

Each and every day those of us on the Internet are bombarded with information about Search Engine Optimization and all that goes along with it. For the majority of folks who are promoting a business online, this can often lead to confusion especially when it comes to understanding key words,... Read More

Trapped in Your Comfort Zone? Break Out and Send Your Marketing Skyrocketing

A marketer whose advice I generally respect recently published an article about how to find your comfort zone and stick to it in your business in order to create a more harmonious work environment.In theory, it makes sense. Most of us have gone into business for ourselves to have more... Read More

Marketing Secrets #101- Your Most Important Sale

Which sale is the most important one you will ever get from a client?I'll bet you're thinking it's your first sale with a new client. Well, it's not. It's surprising to find out that a second-time buyer is at least twice as likely to buy from you again, when compared... Read More

Guerrilla Marketing in Action

Guerrilla Marketing is using time, energy and imagination to market a product, business or person without spending massive amounts of hard earned profit dollars. It also has been defined as non-traditional marketing, something unusual, unexpected and designed to be noticed. Of course all marketing is designed to be notice. Its... Read More

Marketing Flat? Is It Your Plan or Your Vision?

60+ hour workweeks, cash flows that constantly keep you up at night, stress and more stress again. Payroll due in two days (where the heck is that going to come from?) Does this sound like your business? Is your business a job with the most fickle, disloyal boss of all........ Read More

8 Instant Ways to Create Consistently Successful Marketing Campaigns

It's almost a given that when I speak to a new client, she tells me how much she's always hated marketing herself. "I'm no good at it" and "No matter what I try, it doesn't work" are common complaints.Worse, many small shops hate marketing so much that they literally avoid... Read More

Successful Marketing Through Seminars

One of the best ways for potential clients to find out about you and your company is through public speaking. Free seminars attract potential clients. It is a chance for them to get information straight from you. You are the best marketing tool for your business. Speaking to groups is... Read More

Overcoming Resistances To Marketing a Practice-Part 2

In Part 1 of this article, "Resistances to Marketing a Practice" the seven most common resistances helping and healing professionals (counsellors, therapists, naturopaths, homeopathetic doctors, massage therapists, body workers, etc.) have to marketing a practice were identified. This article identifies 10 strategies for overcoming these fears and resistances so that... Read More

Advertising Your Private Practice: Beware of the Problems-Part 1

One of the biggest mistakes coaches, counselors and other healing professionals make is to assume that they must advertise their private practice in order to get clients. These professionals often tell me they have spent a lot of money on advertising with minimal, if any, results. Many become discouraged with... Read More

Advertising Your Private Practice: 6 Tips for Maximizing Your Results-Part 2

As discussed in part 1 of this article, "Your Private Practice: Beware of the Problems," I usually don't recommend advertising as a main method of marketing a practice for new coaches, counselors and healing professionals. There are often more cost-effective ways to get the word out and attract clients.However, if... Read More

The Name Game

Pop quiz! If you have to say goodbye to your hard earned money to purchase something you've always wanted, who would you rather trust: an unknown provider or one who has an established name in the industry?The answer to that question shows how important branding has become in recent years.... Read More

Trigger Button Marketing

Sometimes, experiencing bleak sales is a matter of failing to find your prospective customers' trigger buttons.By trigger buttons, we mean anything that the customer would find of peculiar value. It may be the quality of the product, the promptness of the delivery, the added perks in the offer, the after-sales... Read More

Buzz Word

Offline, it's called word-of-mouth advertising. Online, it's known as viral marketing. Semantics aside, one fact is perfectly clear: make your customers happy and they'll do the advertising for you.Let's illustrate this principle by citing a real life example. Joey Vasquez is a loyal subscriber of a certain telecommunications company based... Read More

Arts Marketing : Suggestions for Students and Beginners

Many artists create art but when it comes to marketing and selling their work, well, that is another story. It may seem daunting at first but artists can do marketing easily if they just think logically and commit time to the effort.First of all, marketing is not selling, at least... Read More

Mortgage Broker Marketing - Sell Problems, Not Solutions

Are your marketing messages to Realtors® guilty of these promises?- To render great customer service? - To close loans on time? - To offer the best competitive rates? - To help them make more money? - To deliver referrals or free leads? - To co-market services? - To qualify all... Read More

Loan Officer Websites: Your Marketing Hub to Magnetize Realtors

Too many loan officer websites look like congested intersections, information running every which way. Fancy gadgets, like calculators, online application submission forms and loan programs filled with jargon that customers don't understand.You can't tell the difference from one loan officer web site to the next. Take any two sites... Read More

Postcard Direct Mail Marketing: 15 Ways To Grab Attention

If you use direct mail postcards to generate leads or sell a product or service, you need to create postcards that grab your prospect's attention. The place to do that is Side A, the side that doesn't have the stamp and address on it. Here are some creative ways to... Read More

The Value of a Good Sales Letter!

Regardless of how many forms of promotional material you create, the simple yet very important sales letter never goes out of style. As a matter of fact a good sales letter should definitely be included as part of your marketing strategy for it can be the most effective tool over... Read More

Are Your Brochures Worth The Paper Theyre Printed On?

Brochures are one of the oldest marketing weapons in the business arsenal. And for good reason. A well done brochure lends an air of credibility while laying out a persuasive sales message. It conveys a lot of information and moves the customer along in the sales process. When it's done... Read More

Can Message Board Marketing Work For You?

One of the things that makes the Internet fun is all the message boards and forums. You can sound off about nearly anything, get and give advice, and even build a relationship or two.But message boards can be great for another reason: They're a free, effective place to market your... Read More

Radio Ads That Get Results

Radio advertising can be a small business's best friend. It's relatively inexpensive, very effective, and allows you to target your audience pretty specifically. It's also a level playing field -- your commercials can sound just as good as those of a corporate giant.But not all radio ads are created equal.... Read More

The Easiest Small Business Direct Marketing Tip You?ll Ever Get

This really and truly is the easiest (and most profitable) small business direct marketing tip you'll ever get. And when I say easy? I really mean EASY.It's a no-brainer.Once I tell you what it is you're probably going to say, "Oh that? I already knew that."But if you own a... Read More

The Seven Vital Steps You Must Know To Ensure Direct Mail Success

1. Your Most Valuable AssetA mailing list of valued customers is the single most important asset you have. Loyal customers will spend an average of five times more in your business than new customers. Plus it costs ten times more to acquire a new customer.When choosing a mailing list, first... Read More

To Swag or Not to Swag: Tip to Brand Your Tchotchkes on a Shoestring

It's interesting to see how resourceful people become when starting their own business. Especially when budget is tight, creative juices go into high gear. I recall my days in corporate marketing when every event, whether it be a sales conference, partner summit or tradeshow had to have tchotchkes. ("Tchotchke" is... Read More

Has the Free Report Had Its Day?

For years now we have been inundated with offers of Free Reports. Most promise to tell you how, in a few hours per week, you can make incredibly huge sums of money or achieve some other benefit. And it's not only on the web you find these offers. I subscribe... Read More

7 Simple Marketing Tips

Here are 7 simple marketing tips to help you boost your sales and profits quickly. All are easy to use and work for any business.Tip 1: You can constantly improve the effectiveness of your advertising by allocating 80 percent of your advertising budget to proven promotions and 20 percent to... Read More

Write It and They Will Come ? 5 Ways that Written Information Products Can Help You Build Your Busin

Whether it's a downloadable report available from your website, a book sold in the bookstore or a brochure that you hand out at a trade show, an information product is just that ? a product that contains information.A well-written information product is valuable to your potential customers because it offers... Read More

Loan Officer Marketing ? Why Realtors® Don?t Read Your Brochures

When you place brochures from every mortgage company side by side, you can't help but notice the similarities. Each piece mentions that they have every possible loan program available, proven & experienced professionals, fast & friendly service, a list of documents needed to process the loan, a promise of individualized... Read More

Demographics For the Masses

Information is the lifeblood of the economy. That's especially true for businesses, because the ability to identify current customers and locate new customers makes the difference between boom and bust. So how do successful companies do it? Through targeted market research, which usually means arcane computer systems, large staffs, and... Read More

5 Ways to Use Your Business Cards More Effectively

Contrary to popular belief, the best use of business cards is not making origami or collecting dust. But, in this article you will find 5 of the most effective ways to use your business cards on a daily basis!When Joe Girard, the world's greatest salesman, was selling cars he would... Read More

Mortgage Marketing and Advertising ? The Magical Ingredient

Do you offer superior service, consistently close loans on time and overall are more adept than your competitors, yet you're struggling to figure out the mortgage marketing and advertising puzzle?For many loan officers, marketing is a real puzzle. Your expertise is in pricing loans, closing them on time... Read More

Mortgage Marketing to Realtors ? Creating a Memorable Positioning Statement

Mortgage marketing to Realtors involves having a crystal clear position that establishes credibility, so that you can develop a consistent dialogue with prospects and guide them at every stage of the relationship building process.Declaring your position begins with creating a Positioning Statement. It is a no nonsense statement... Read More

Mortgage Originator Marketing ? Differentiate or Die

One of the best ways to attract more clients is to quit marketing the same way your competitors do. Because when all mortgage originator marketing is essentially the same, it becomes nearly impossible to distinguish one loan officer from another. And studies show that consumers will make decisions one... Read More

Business Postcard Marketing: 35 Ways to Use It

Postcards are an effective way for many business owners and marketing managers to attract new customers and increase sales from existing ones. Postcards are inexpensive to produce and mail. You can produce one in less time than you need for a letter or self-mailer. You can use postcards in dozens... Read More

D.A.N.C.E. With Me

Recently, a client asked what he could do to help my business, but I wasn't ready with the answer. A lot of us probably miss these opportunities because we don't think through what we need and how to respond when someone offers to help promote us.Let's take a look at... Read More

Calling All Carbon-Based Lifeforms

Many businesses want to market to all carbon-based life forms. They won't take the time to really understand their audiences from geographic, demographic and psychographic perspectives.Marketers waste a lot of time and money when they consider everyone a prospect. It requires research and a lot of thought, but for my... Read More

5 Tips on Establishing Yourself As An Expert In Your Community

Wondering how to get new patients into your practice? Wondering how to distinguish yourself as unique from the other practitioners in your community? Here are 5 surefire ways to get visibility in your area.5 Tips on Establishing Yourself As An Expert In Your Community1. Get to know your community. In... Read More

10 Tips For Packaging That Sells Products To Boomers

Boomers are a prime and growing target audience. Does your product speak to them? Does your product's packaging compel them to buy it? If not, you are missing a very important market segment. According to Rick Adler, founder of The Senior Network: "Simply based on population growth trends, if a... Read More

How to Turn Your Promotional Products Expense Into a Profit Center

If you use promotional products you probably already know the power of giving away freebies. You may use them to thank current customers, or to give incentives to potential customers.When most people think about promotional products, they tend to think pens, keychains, t-shirts, mugs, caps, etc.Did you know there are... Read More

Motivating Your Target

There's just no time to waste in a cyber day; competition for your target's attention has always been stiff, but now it's just killer. There's less time and more to do, more to see, more to read--ad infinitum. What can you do to attract attention to your clients' message? Here... Read More

The X Factor

So you've invested more time than you ever believed possible on your website and in optimizing the pages for the search engines. Having sacrificed weekends and holidays, you've ensured that your site ranks in the Top 10.Eagerly, you monitor your site's progress as it slowly makes its way up the... Read More

Keeping Pace with Business Marketing

Today's business marketing rules are different than they were in years past. Those rules that once focused predominantly on local and regional business marketing have now gone global, thanks in large part to the creation of the Internet. Internet technology has brought the business world closer together and nowadays, it's... Read More

Creative Online Marketing For Salespeople and Business Professionals

New to a sales career? Want to market yourself but don't have the money to do so? Tired of cold calling and prospecting? Wish there were an easier way to get the word out about your services?Does this sound like you? This was what I felt like when I got... Read More

To All Internet Marketers - How To Get My Business?

More and more people are realizing that the Internet offers great potential to set up a healthy business for pennies on the dollar. This is good news for internet marketers - but it also means that they need to lift their game.Why? Because the would-be "netpreneur" has access to way... Read More

Marketing - The One Marketeer

I'm regularly asked to speak to people, that have either just started a business or have been going for some time. So many of these people are absolutely brilliant at working "in their business" but not so good at working "on their business" In other words; they're good at making... Read More

Loan Officer Marketing ? How Branding Shapes Your Prospects Perceptions

Social scientists have proven that people experience what they come to expect. It's like the first time you watched your favorite movie. Before you saw it maybe you read a favorable movie critic's review, or a friend told you it was a great, or your favorite filmmaker directed the movie.But... Read More

Direct Mail Response Rates Mislead if You are Careless

I could tell you that the average temperature in the world is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But that fact wouldn't keep you from getting sunstroke in Cairo. Or frostbite in Tuktoyaktuk. Averages tell you only so much.Direct mail results only tell you part of what you need to know. They tell... Read More

Your Marketing ? From The Couch To The Cash Register

When you put time or money into any marketing plan, your only objective is to MAKE A SALE. Are you sure your marketing is going to get your customer from their couch to your cash register?When somebody hears your message or sees your logo from some medium you have created,... Read More

Direct Mail Response Rate Boosters (12 tips and ideas)

1. Mail to a different list Your list is the most important part of your direct mail campaign. Who you mail to is more important than what you mail. So if you are persuaded that your offer is attractive, your creative is compelling and your timing is spot on, mail... Read More

Your REALTOR® Marketing Plan

The steps to creating an effective marketing plan begin with identifying who you are going to be targeting, what you are going to spend, and how many sales you are going to receive as a result of your efforts. By identifying this information in the initial stages of your market... Read More

Direct Mail Response Rates Low? Eliminate These Mistakes

Are your direct mail response rates lower than you expect? Check your sales letter or direct mail package against this checklist to uncover the reasons for your poor response.LIST You are mailing to people who are never likely to buy You are not mailing to others in the same business... Read More

Practice Marketing: How to Answer What Do You Do? to Increase Prospects, Publicity and Profits

"What do you do?""I'm a CPA. What do you do?""I'm a stockbroker."End of conversation.And the end of an opportunity to promote you and what you do in a way that will increase your prospects, publicity and profits.Some like to call it The Elevator Speech" as in something you can say... Read More

6 Article Marketing Smarts: How To Get More Reprints And Exposure

Article marketing is the latest buzzword for marketers looking to promote their sites and products online. But how do you measure the success of your article marketing campaign? It probably depends on what you expect your article to achieve for you - better branding, more sales, or more... Read More

How to Protect Yourself Against the Hidden Cost of Shipping to Trade Shows

Trade Shows are lots of work, but they can generate lots of new business for their participants. In addition to the expense of staffing your booth, food, lodging, display, travel, etc. you need to consider how will you transport your equipment to and from the event. This sounds like a... Read More

Sales and Marketing: Can One Exist Without the Other?

Simply put the marketing people and the sales people depend on each other 100%. One cannot say that a marketing department is any more or less important then the guys who are closing the deals in the sales department. Indeed, one would not survive a day without the other which... Read More

Free Sample Sales Letter: Example of How to Write a Persuasive Business Marketing Letter

Here is an example of a business-to-business sales letter mailed to auto dealers by a firm that markets gift cards that replace paper gift certificates. Anything in brackets [like this] did not appear in the letter but simply appears to describe the mechanics of the letterAuthor: Alan Sharpe Target audience:... Read More

Small Business Pricing: Setting A Price For Your Product / Service

The importance of pricing can not be underestimated as incorrect pricing can often result in the failure of a business. New businesses often make the mistake of either charging too little or too much for their product or service. So to help you avoid making one of these mistakes, the... Read More

Direct Mail Response Rates Soar With Dimensional Mailers in Business-to-Business Lead Generation

The toughest job you face as a B2B direct marketer is reaching your prospect with your message. Reaching C-level executives is particularly difficult because they employ mailroom staff and executive secretaries who screen their mail, or your mail, depending on how you look at it. So unless your direct mail... Read More

No One Gives A Damn About Your Business. Unless You Give em A Reason To

The good news is that there are thousands of people looking for what you offer. The bad news is that those people are extremely tough to attract not to mention that your very livelihood depends on it. It's a scary thought when you think about it. And many don't. Some... Read More

Inform vs. Excite

excite v. 1 a: to call to activity b: to arouse to feeling 2 a: ENERGIZE b: to produce a magnetic field in 3: to increase the activity of 4: to raise to a higher energy level syn see PROVOKEA lot of marketing doesn't do the whole job. It informs,... Read More

Marketing 101: The Power of Marketing

When you hear the word "marketing" what comes to mind? More business or wasted money? If your experience with marketing or advertising has been less than positive your cynicism may be well founded. Yet, have you ever noticed a competitor with a mediocre product and a healthy business? The difference... Read More

What to be Successful? Marketing Makes the Difference

When you hear the word "marketing" what comes to mind? More business or wasted money? If your experience with marketing or advertising has been less than positive your cynicism may be well founded. Yet, have you ever noticed a competitor with a mediocre product and a healthy business? The difference... Read More

Tips for Trade Show Rentals

Trade show rentals allow you more flexibility and the opportunity to change your booth with every expo if you wish. You can rent nearly any booth components, from portable pop-ups to completely custom looks.Why is it advantageous to change your displays frequently? Your customers will visit you at more than... Read More

The Power of because...

"Do it!", "Do it now!", or "Do it because..."Which of these commands is most likely to get the response you want?If you picked the third, the one that includes 'because', you'd be right. Of course, if you're a parent, aunt, or uncle you may know that already.The idea behind 'because...'... Read More

Tipical Mistakes in Marketing

To prevent the risks of a promotion campaign for our products or services, I'm talking about email campaigns, it is recommended to study some of the most common mistakes that can be made in this situation:1. The desire of immediate successLaunching a promotion campaign through email can be compared the... Read More

Design Direct Mail Postcards Back-to-Front to Boost Response Rates

Conventional wisdom says that the front of a direct mail postcard is for the picture and the back is for the address, stamp and a short message.But some savvy direct marketers design their postcards the other way around-and boost response rates as a result.The goal of the front of the... Read More

How Testimonials Can Put You in the Spotlight

If you need evidence that a testimonial or referral can help you, let me tell you a personal story:My friend Dave raved about his boss all the time. "She knows I'm still in school," he said, "so she always asks about my schedule.""She's really smart, too," he added. "The company... Read More

How To Turn $100,000 Into $1,191,817 In Just One Year Part II

Turning a modest $100,000 annual turnover into $1,191,817 may sound outrageous but if you really understand the fundamentals of marketing this becomes quite achievable.Once you realise that just improving every area of your marketing can create a multiplying effect on your turnover it's time to look in more detail at... Read More

5 Reasons Your Marketing Communication is Falling Flat

One of my associates sent me a promotional email she'd received. "I know this marketing communication doesn't work," she told me, "but why doesn't this make me want to buy?" I took a look, and what I saw was familiar and sad. The promotional piece was for a weekend retreat.... Read More

Make Your Marketing Solve a Problem

You may be engaged in a marketing activities that are working against you. Or, at the very least, are making sales more difficult. It's a common problem - marketing that focuses on what your company can DO and what your company KNOWS and how much experience you HAVE.Surprise! This doesn't... Read More

Have Something Good To Say

If you don't get this right, you can just forget about everything else...your advertising will fail miserably if you don't have something good to say. The great business philosopher Jim Rohn probably summed it up best in his lecture about communications. He was talking about personal communications, not about advertising,... Read More

Everything Youve Ever Learned About Marketing Is Wrong

Everything you've ever learned about marketing and advertising is WRONG. Everything you've ever heard everything you've ever tried, everything you've ever done, it's all WRONG.Hello, my name is Rich Harshaw; I'm the CEO of Y2Marketing, the nation's leading marketing consulting and fulfillment agency. What I want to do in this... Read More

Always Sell To New Eyes And New Ears

One of the hardest things for you to do as an advertiser to do is to step into your prospect's shoes and really understand what makes him buy, and to find out how the prospect reacts to your marketing and advertising efforts. It's easy to get caught up in thinking... Read More

Private Practice Marketing: 3 Secrets I Wish I Knew When I First Started Out

I don't know about you, but I am still waiting for my first class in graduate school about how to develop, market, and run a private practice.I'm also still waiting for my father to have a discussion with me about the facts of life.My wife and I have 2 kids,... Read More

Private Practice Marketing: 3 More Secrets I Wish I Knew When I First Started Out

Secret #4 - Get very comfortable asking for paymentOne of the easiest ways to set this up is to have very clear explanations in your intake forms about how payment works.It's your job to train your clients how to pay you promptly. You can adopt the saying I use, that"no... Read More

Corporate Cleavage

I enjoy cleavage as much or even more than the next guy. However, after reading my latest issue of Men's Health magazine, I checked my Encarta dictionary and looked up the word "cleavage".There is business science in "them der hills", namely the division or splitting of something, and last but... Read More

Newsletters are Marketing Machines!

Is your business publishing a print or e-newsletter? An informative publication is a great way to stay in touch with your customers and leads. It also reinforces your expertise in your industry. You can give your readers tips and advice. You can also give them updates about company news and... Read More

Mark Twain?s Great Marketing Idea

To tell you the truth (and about 53% of this article is true), I don't know where I heard this story about Mark Twain. But I've heard it enough times to verify that it's either (a) at least half true, or (b) a credible lie.Anyway, it's seems that in the... Read More

Getting More From Your Customer

We are all customers of one product or another. How is it we always seem to buy or shop from the same place? What is it that these businesses do to keep us coming back and buying from them? A large portion of the selection process that a customer goes... Read More

If You Can?t Answer This Question Your Business is Doomed!

How do you answer the seemingly easy question, "What do you do?" Do you talk about YOU? Do you talk about your products/services? Do you talk about your industry? Do you explain the process of how your products/services work? If you answered yes to any of these questions you are... Read More

How to Get a 100% Return on Your Marketing Investment Guaranteed!

One of the most effective ways to market your products/services is to create strategic alliances. Strategic alliances are partnerships with companies who sell to a client base similar to yours but they sell different products/services. The idea is to find partners whose clients may also be interested in your products/services.Many... Read More

5 Ways to Upgrade Your Existing Marketing Materials for Practically Nothing!

In addition to direct marketing strategies you want to be sure your existing passive, or indirect, marketing activities are as effective as possible. When is the last time you took a good look at your existing marketing activities?Here are some fast, easy (and free to inexpensive) ways to update and... Read More

Marketing Your Franchise Online

Do you want to successfully market your business franchise online? Here's an internet strategy you can use for your franchise opportunity.1. Design a very simple web site.I've visited quite a number of company web sites, and their franchise page is sometimes hidden under layers of beautiful flash pages. If you... Read More

Make Out Marketing

What is the single biggest fear of teenagers, business owners and CEO's alike?The answer is simple. Making out for the first time, with an attractive partner or customer you really want to be with.The jitters, the butterflies, that welling excitement building in the brain, are eerily similar whether you are... Read More

Is Your Company A Member Of The Community?

One particularly hot south Texas day, I was making a routine sales call to a family Mexican restaurant. Angela, with whom I had an appointment, is a real "hands on" lady. She can't sit still in her restaurant and let others do all the work. Therefore, it's always a bit... Read More

Trade Show Videos Need to be Planned

A few months ago, we attended the recent Austech 2005 Expo. It was a large trade show that showcased over 500 manufacturers selling machines, equipment and systems.The good news was that around 40% of the exhibitors had a trade show video running. It was inspiring that many exhibitors understood the... Read More

How to Convey Trustworthiness in Direct Mail Marketing Sales Letter

A person or business that might buy from you is called a prospect. But they might just as accurately be called a skeptic. We live in the age of the spam filter. And call-display. We live in what fellow-copywriter Herschell Gordon Lewis calls, "The Age of Skepticism."Your sales letters must... Read More

Judge Rules in Consultant?s Favor with 80-20 Rule

I opened the registered letter and was shocked. My best clients were joining together in a class-action suit against me. The letter stated that I had promulgated a false illusion of success by having them follow the 80-20 rule. It alleged that I brainwashed them into thinking that the 80-20... Read More

Wife?s Marketing Prowess Helped Edison See the Light

It is well known that Thomas Edison was an inventor, a genius, and he never slept. Did you know that Mrs. Edison was a genius and never slept too? She was the marketing guru behind his engineering success. True, Tom had discovered what is today known as the light bulb.... Read More

Promotional Pen - A Pen by any other Name?

Have you ever been among a group of people exchanging contact details? Notice the scramble for that good old-fashioned instrument, the pen. See the woman upturn her purse searching for one and the impatient expressions on the faces of the people with her. Watch their eyes light up when she... Read More

Promotional Magnets: Promotion that Sticks

Some people are happy with just a business card. For others it's not enough to be glanced at once and packed away. They want to be attached to something that you have to open in order to eat and therefore live.This association with survival is what promotional magnets offer. Often... Read More

Promotional Bags: Your Company Details on Parade

The trick to a good promotion is to attach your company details to something useful. Now, there is "private useful" like the promotional toothbrush you use in the privacy of your own bathroom, and there is "public useful" that you use out there where everyone sees you inadvertently parading the... Read More

Promotional Mugs: Become a Part of the Legendary Coffee Experience

When you want someone to like you, associate yourself with something that they love. Take coffee for instance. How much of America, or the world for that matter, would still be asleep if it weren't for this dark, smoky beverage?Now, coffee is messy without a receptacle. You can't have coffee... Read More

Peek a Boo - We See You -- 7 Trade Show Tips for Marketing Managers

Peek a Boo - We See YouDoes your company have a description for a full-time job that says "Stand in the booth and hand out brochures."?Doubt it."Working the booth" often falls to the person closest to the show site, or part of a sales team. So, staffing for trade shows... Read More

A Complaint? It?s a Compliment! - 7 Tips for Dealing with Complaints at Trade Shows

A Complaint? It's a Compliment!What made you mad last week?In the past week, how many times were you upset by something? What action did you take? Complain to the neighbors, make a snide remark to a co-worker, post it on a list or email a group? Did you just gossip... Read More

How You Can Make Money From Competitors Easy

Are you market products and services using PPCs? PPC Advertising is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get visitors, capture email addresses and make sales. However, I am sure not every campaign you created are profitable. For some keywords, you may need to compete with competitors to bid... Read More

Marketing Operations Elevates Public Relations and Communications Professionals

Is your marketing department taking advantage of MOM and MRM? Do you have BAM and DAM systems in place? Do you know how to measure NPV? Do you even know what I'm talking about?If so, you may not be a "Quant" (a marketing scientist or specialist in marketing analytics) but... Read More

Getting Your Marketing Message Across with CD Business Cards

CD Business cards allows any type of business that dynamic look. Hand out your business card on disc and see the expression on your clients faces. CD Business cards are aimed to provide your prospect with as much information as possible.Perfect for leaving a lasting impression at conferences and trade... Read More

Direct Marketing: Overlooked, Underappreciated, and Unstoppable

Every business needs customers, but more importantly every business needs to maintain those customers while constantly retaining new ones. The only successful way of doing this is by learning everything about your customers, including who they are? What do they have in common? Do they share a hobby, an age... Read More

Fax Marketing : Reaching a New Niche of Customers

Traditional marketing and advertising assumes that all of your customers are traditional people. Even newer technologies like email assume that the best way to reach people is when they are at their computers. But think about it ? there are plenty of people who move around and work on the... Read More

Knowing Your Customer Is The Key

Without doubt, understanding what a customer's wants and needs are is one of the most important aspects of running a business. You must know your customer. For the most part your customer will buy on emotion, especially for products or services that are not a necessity and where there are... Read More

Packaging Made Frozen TV Dinners Possible

I was saddened to hear of the passing of one of the food industry pioneers Gerry Thomas, One of our unsung heroes credited with invented a "package" the frozen TV dinner that literally changed the way we eat. Never mind that it was considered by nutritionists as a step backwards,... Read More

Moving a Business Relationship from Free to Fee: Power of Freebies - Part 2

In the last issue we looked at 5 reasons why giving stuff away is a great tactic for filling your pipeline.Now let's take a look at the kind of things you may want to give.What Kind Of F'reebie Should You Offer?You should aim to offer something tantalising to spark the... Read More

Why Doubling Your Fees Can Increase Business: How Pricing Affects Buyers Decision Making Process

Want to know the simple way to get all the business you could ever handle? Charge almost nothing.That's the approach employed by busy fools anyway.Are you a busy fool? Here's a test... If nobody has ever complained about your price then you probably are.High Prices Are A Sign of High... Read More

Medias Dirty Little Secret

I'm constantly amazed by all of the media reps from all of the different media outlets that can help your advertising to "reach the right people."Why am I amazed?Because they all reach the same people.Don't believe me? Start with radio - there's more information available, and the radio reps are... Read More

These Four Things Will Make Your Direct Marketing Successful

Direct marketing is built on four things. The other way to look at it is that when you think direct marketing is not working only one of four things can be wrong. Let's look at each.1. The Target ? This is who you are sending your marketing to. The target... Read More

Secrets of Trade Show Success

The ropers at Annie Oakley's Real Western Dudette Ranch were all riding high in the saddle. It was just before their first ecotourism and adventure travel trade show in Chicago, and they just knew they would rope in big sales.Annie and her all-woman cowpoke staff were confident thousands of American... Read More

Six Secrets to Creating Successful Tourism Marketing, Websites, Ads, Tradeshow Booths, & More

If you want to substantially increase your tourism prospects and sales without a lot of effort and expense, then read on and prosper. You are going to learn the power and impact of the written word.Today's tourism prospects are very busy. Decisions that influence purchasing decisions can be made in... Read More

How to Write a Fundraising Thank-you Letter for Example (Includes a Free Sample)

Thank-you letters are one of the most important letters that your non-profit mails to donors. They remind donors that they made the right decision in supporting your organization. They show that you are grateful for the donors gift. As a bonus, thank-you letters increase donor loyalty, strengthen relationships with your... Read More

Another Commercial? Dont Touch That Dial! Watch & Learn

When commercials come on the television do you get up and head for the kitchen to get a snack? Do you tune out the radio when commercials start? Do you skip over advertisements in newspapers and magazines?If you do, you're missing a golden opportunity for increasing your business.When you pay... Read More

Dont Think Like A Package Designer - Think Like A Customer

Some of the most successful package introductions have come from people who knew nothing about package design. How can that make sense? Designers are creative. They get paid to design packaging, which may or may not necessarily be what the customer wants or needs. Good designers keep up with the... Read More

5 Steps to Success: A Surefire Way to Achieve Your Goals

No doubt you started this year with some big ideas about what you wanted to accomplish. I know I did!Maybe it was how many new clients you wanted to get, or how much money you wanted to make, or how many products you wanted to sell.In the world of marketing,... Read More

Ready, Fire, Aim!

You probably read my headline and thought, wait a minute, isn't that backwards? Isn't it supposed to be "Ready, Aim, Fire?"Well, a year ago I might have agreed with you. But not anymore. What changed? I did! And boy am I glad I did.Let me tell you a little story.... Read More

Take My Commitment (to Your Biz) Quiz!

Starting and managing a successful small business takes time, energy, money and a HUGE commitment. But the payoff can also be HUGE, in terms of personal accomplishment, satisfaction, happiness, and M0NEY! So just how committed are you?Here's 10 questions to help you find out:(1) Have you taken the time to... Read More

The Surprise Inside!

Think about all those Cracker Jacks you ate as a kid. What's your lasting memory? I'm guessing it's not the taste, but the surprise inside ? that tiny package that contained a simple puzzle, brain teaser or temporary tattoo. Today, I still glance over my kids' shoulders reliving fond memories... Read More

Is Your 4X4 Trail Rated?

"Traction. Articulation. Ground Clearance. Maneuverability. Water Fording. We've put your new Jeep vehicle through extreme tests on the most extreme off-road terrain we could find. Trail Rated means your Jeep vehicle is designed to surmount any obstacle you're likely to encounter and some you may never see." ? Statement on... Read More

Why Do They Buy?

A recent issue of Entrepreneur magazine included a marketing story with five important questions all business owners should be able to answer about themselves and their competition.Understanding these five critical areas will help you better develop and implement your marketing plan, and sell more to your customers and prospects.1) What... Read More

Sleigh Bells Ring...And Cash Registers, Too

During the holidays, folks everywhere shop many long hours to buy gifts for the important people in their lives. Spending at this time of year is one of the driving forces of our economy, and retailers go to great lengths to make the frenetic experience a festive one. Macy's Thanksgiving... Read More

The Benefits of a Marketing Plan

What is a Marketing Plan? Marketing is to do with matching the features and benefits that your products and services are able to provide with specific customers and then telling those customers why they should buy them from you. Your marketing plan details how to do this. A Marketing Plan... Read More

Tradeshow Booth Cures - Ancient Cures for Modern Day Problems

At first glance, nothing seems more chaotic than a trade show floor. Jaded buyers rush by, hell bent on seeing the people on "their list", while the newcomers seem a little bewildered by it all. The noise from the crowd rises and falls in a steady drone while flashing lights... Read More

Tradeshow Booth Cures - Living Color

Feng Shui is the Ancient Chinese practice of configuring home or work environments to promote health, happiness, and prosperity. By utilizing elements such as light and color, Feng Shui Masters used their skill to promote the flow of "chi", or vital energy , to protect and enhance the prosperity of... Read More

Tradeshow Booth Cures - Knick-Knack Knockouts

Okay, we were kidding about the smoke, but not about the mirrors. Mirrors are exceptionally useful Feng Shui devices, especially in regards to manipulating the flow of energy. In addition to their reflective qualities which help brighten up your booth, they are capable of deflecting negative energy. Strategically positioned mirrors... Read More

Tricks of the Trade: Design your Booth for Maximum Impact

The fight for your customer's attention at a tradeshow has never been so intense. Budget cutbacks in the travel sector means that buyers spend less time than ever at shows. To make the most of their time, they pre-plan their agendas and do their best to stick to them. The... Read More

Its Not All about the Cleavage! Or is It?

Times are a changin'! More women today work outside the home, earn (and control) significant amounts of money, and make large, important purchases like houses, automobiles and computers. In the past, advertising portrayed such independence as being primarily characteristic of men. But there has been an interesting role reversal where... Read More

Non Products Exist in this World

"Both the market and the distributive channel are often more crucial than the product. Products are within the business as the accountants define it. They are within its legal boundaries. Economically the other two areas are as much part of business." - Peter Drucker, Managing for Results.According to Peter Drucker... Read More

Fundraising Letters Should Raise Donors, Not Donations, When Mailed to Strangers

Are you willing to spend $1.25 to raise $1? To lose money to make money? You should be. Most donor acquisition mailings never pay for themselves. They lose money. And rightly so.Acquisition letters (letters designed to acquire new donors) should be a vital part of your development program. Current donors... Read More

Wise Man Marketing

It's a sunny morning and you're sitting in your office. With a cup of hot coffee by your side and memories of your last holiday still fresh in your mind, even if you say so yourself, today at least, life is sweet.You take a sip of new blend coffee and... Read More

How To Choose a Qualitative Research Market

Qualitative research, whether individual interviews, in-homes, focus groups, ethnographies and the like are conducted all over the world, as everyone knows. But how are the markets to be studied selected in the first place?New York, London, Paris, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Boston and Dallas are all great places... Read More

3 Quick Robotic Online and Offline Marketing Strategies to Help You Work Less and Make More Money

What is Marketing? There are many text book answers to this but I like these two definitions the most.To be successful, you have to understand what marketing is, and how to advertise.Marketing can be defined a number of ways.Val Smyth, founder of Mentors In Motion taught me that Marketing is... Read More

AIDA From A Different View - I Call It the 5 Ws

My childhood was my foundation for how I write and how I think. I caught on at an early age that writing is an art and it has a very distinct way of reaching out to people depending on how you apply it. I used my own method of writing... Read More

Advertising Campaigns That Get Results

"Advertising doesn't work." I hear it from my clients all the time. One client was about to file for bankruptcy because she wasn't getting a good response to her radio ads, and the cost was killing her. But she knew her target market was listening; she knew she needed to... Read More

Private Practice Marketing: 3 More Things I Wish I Knew When I First Started

1) Create systemsCreate systems for everything you do, especially those things you do on a regular basis.My members and mentees ask me all the time how do I manage to get so much done. There are many reasons, and one of the biggest reasons is creating systems for things you... Read More

Trade Show Promotions That Are Memorable

If you have been to expos and trade shows as an attendee like me you would be familiar with the exciting prospect of carrying home a heavy plastic bag of trade show promotions, the end result though is usually the trade show promotions end up down the back of the... Read More

Successful Non-for-Profit Fundraising Letters Share Eight Qualities

You'll be encouraged to know that the art of writing effective fundraising letters can be learned. I learned it. So can you.Successful fundraising letters share a number of things in common. Once you know what these things are, your letter is already half-way written. Before I share what they are,... Read More

The Use of Bar Code SMS in Mobile Marketing, Advertising, CRM

Anybody that frequents shopping malls are familiar with the bar coding systems used by retailers to ease the line at the pay points. No more long lines at the till as the operator just pulls the product past the scanner and voila ? the buyer pays and are on their... Read More

3 High-Impact Fixes For Your Marketing Woes

How many times has your competitor gotten one over on you? The feeling of being left behind just eats away, until you do something about. The problem is that we often feel that we've got to come up with some grand plan in order to get our business skyrocketing again.... Read More

Terrific Titles, Happenin Headlines

You've probably heard the slogan, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." It may be a sales pitch, but in the world of advertising and promotion, it's right on the nose.Believe it or not, a bad title or headline will turn your prospects away quicker than... Read More

Stop Searching - Joint Ventures are the Solution to Doubling Your Business

First, define the end user (or ideal client) of your product. Many times when I ask people who their ideal client is they will tell me "oh everyone can use my product!". Actually the only two things that EVERYONE uses are air and water, SO narrow your focus ? really... Read More

Four Simple Ways to Cut Your Trade Show Marketing Budget in Half

Many times when a trade show is planned for there isn't someone who watches the budget and tracks where the money goes. But, if you do want to know where your trade show marketing dollar goes and want to do better, this article is for you.You should track each expense... Read More

Unique Marketing Ideas That Generate Cash!

First of all - keep in touch with your customers! One of the best ways to do this is with a newsletter. Today it's easier than ever to have a newsletter ? use email. If you don't have your customer's email addresses already, start asking for them when they pay... Read More

Where to Look for New Donors for Your Fundraising Letter Appeals

Have you ever studied your best donors and wished you could clone them all? Maybe you can, with a bit of creative thinking.1. Friends of current supportersThe first place to look is friends, family and colleagues of your current supporters. The odds are good that your most generous and faithful... Read More

Limited Time Only (Shh! Its A Secret)

Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After all, when you have something urgent to say, you want others to know about it, right? But when it comes to "limited time only" offers, lately I've noticed a disturbing trend. Copywriters seem to actually be hiding the phrase! Let... Read More

A Business In One Sentence

Marketing expert and author, Geoffrey Moore, has a useful fill-in-the-blank method for creating a theme and positioning statement for your business. I prefer to use his same system for creating clarity for myself in what I'm selling, creating an elevator or introduction speech, and also material for my website, brochures... Read More

Massage Therapists Can Now Make More Money

As a massage therapist, your income is usually limited by your stamina and the amount of hours there are in a day. Have you considered that there is a way to make extra income that is literally "no sweat off your back?" Adding retail products to your massage business could... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 1

In the following 'special report,' I will reveal some very powerful marketing strategies and psychological motivators that can easily help you make more profits from your business, no matter what business you're in.Be sure to read it thoroughly, and take notes as needed so that you can take maximum advantage... Read More

12 Lessons I Picked Up from Attending Seminars

So you just dropped a tidy sum to attend a seminar or some other three-day event. Now it's over and you're exhausted. Your client work is backed up. You have a fistful of business cards to connect with. And your family would like some face time. Time to get back... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 2

NB: You can read part one here: http://EzineArticles.com/?id=58690Could buying popcorn in a theatre be a 'conditioned' response? Could it be that people are 'trained' to believe that movies and popcorn go 'hand in hand' - and that one without the other is...."incomplete?" And, therefore, price is just... Read More

The Secret to Adding Credibility to Your Business ? Testimonials!

You may not realize it, but you already have a gold mine of endorsements waiting to be created. Everyone who is serious about building a business and creating credibility uses this idea. What is it? Testimonials from your satisfied clients.Whether you are just starting out or have been in business... Read More

The Day I Learned to Start Saying No

It was the fall of 1998 when I had just started my first business as a marketing communications writer. Most of my clients hired me for newsletters, brochures, and sales materials, but I would get the occasional request for something different. At the time I was too naive to consider... Read More

Lessons From a Six Year Old

My 6 year old daughter Emily knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up. Two weeks ago she knew that she wanted to be a teacher. Last week she knew that she wanted to be an Olympic swimmer. This week she knows that she wants to be... Read More

Marketing, Lead Generation, and Research: A 3-in-1 Solution

I Hate Cold CallsLong before I started my business, I realized that I wasn't good at telephone sales and that I would need to generate leads in another way. I developed a sure-fire way to generate those leads, interest in me, and my business, through the use of telephone market... Read More

Sales Resistance on the Rise

Have you noticed it? More and more marketing campaigns are going over the top. They're trying bolder, more in-your-face tactics. And consumers DON'T like it.There's a growing resistance toward advertising. According to a recent study by Yankelovich Partners (a marketing company) 60% of consumers have a much more... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 4

Let's continue to discuss the various marketing principles that are involved in "popcorn marketing":4. Engaging the "Senses" You may already know that people usually buy for 'emotional' reasons more than 'intellectual' reasons. You can try to sell to a person by appealing to his intellect i.e. by providing dry facts.... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 3

To read the beginning of this special report, you can read part two here: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=58712Let's continue to discuss the various marketing principles that are involved in "popcorn marketing":2. Utilizing (and Creating) the Right 'Frame of Mind'Having popcorn on it's own may not mean much to people, but having it while... Read More

Top 7 Tips for New Businesses

The marketing decisions you make for your new business are the most important part of making your business a success. Marketing is about building a strong presence, name recognition and credibility through various methods. Here are 7 things you can do to get a new business off the ground.All of... Read More

Private Practice Marketing: A Soaking Wet Marketing Marvel

Last week I took our two boys on an all guy vacation to the Nickelodeon Family Suites Hotel in Orlando. It's the only one of it's kind in the world, with two separate mini-water parks on site, with a mall in the middle.We had a blast, and I may never... Read More

Do this One Thing and Beat 85% of Your Competition!

Maybe you don't want to work that hard, or maybe you have been burned by consultants so you are not inclined to listen to one. Or maybe you already have a measure of success and don't think you need to do anything more. No matter what positon you are in,... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 5

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth?: Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 5Let's continue to discuss the various marketing principles that are involved in "popcorn marketing":6. ExclusivityDuring the few hours that you're in the theatre, they have the market cornered by being the only ones... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling ? Part 6

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth?: Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling ? The Final PartAdditional Lessons from Popcorn MarketingI'm assuming that the movie theatres have tested their price point and figured out what the highest price is that they can charge and get away with -... Read More

What You Need in Your Marketing Calendar

Marketing calendars are used by many businesses to help keep sales pipelines full of new prospective customers. Small businesses may just keep a simple calendar with handwritten items on the dates that marketing efforts need to be completed. These items might include attending a trade show, sending out an email... Read More

The Death of Product Packaging as We Know It.

It used to be you that if you had a great product you put it in a package and voila! . . .someone would come along and buy it. That is not the case any more. The package not only has to protect the product and allow for its tracking,... Read More

51 Ways to Say Thank-you in a Fundraising Letter for a Non-for-Profit (Includes Examples & Samples)

One of the hardest jobs in fundraising is crafting original thank-you letters. You want to be thankful. But you also want to be fiscally responsible. You cannot afford to write a unique thank-you letter for each of the thousands of donations you receive each year. Here are some ideas for... Read More

Fundraising Renewal Letters: Four Goals to Strive For With Each One You Write

In the fundraising profession, appeal letters that you mail to existing donors are called renewal letters. They are designed to solicit a gift, but, more important than that, they aim to persuade your current donors to renew their support of your organization. Donors renew their support with their cash, of... Read More

First Steps to Developing a Marketing Plan

Direct Mail . . . Newspaper . . . Radio . . . Online. There are countless places to spend each advertising dollar. The hard part is determining the most effective medium for your business. It is not a matter of "One Size Fits All." The response rate for each... Read More

Marketing to a Critical Mass

In "Developing a Marketing Plan", we covered the first steps to developing a marketing plan and tracking where your customers are coming from.The thing that I noticed when I did this for my own business was that the majority of new clients could be attributed to more than one source.... Read More

Marketing Tips: Free First

When people think about promoting their business, the first thought that comes to mind is, "What is is going to cost?" While marketing and advertising should be part of any well-considered budget, there are a number of opportunities to market your business for free that are often overlooked.Clubs & OrganizationsMost... Read More

Embracing The Future - Marketing Yourself, Your Business And Your

IntroductionMany businesses and organisations have a perception that marketing means promotions and advertising. They think being good at marketing is producing a glossy brochure and having an ad on the local radio or television. But marketing is much more than slick promotions and expensive pamphlets. It is about a process... Read More

The 7 Areas of Marketing Waste - Are You Committing These Marketing Sins?

If you want to reduce waste and grow your business it can be useful to know where to look. Marketing waste is usually most apparent in these 7 key areas:1. Activity (over production)2. People (over capacity)3. Processes (over complication)4. Waiting (poor communication)5. Excessive Communication Costs6. Trial and Error7. Excessive Lead... Read More

Teaming Up Marketing and Sales

The Pitchers: SalesLet's say you have a new baseball team in town and it's almost time for the first game of the season. Your sales force is ready to sell a variety of package deals for the season. However, there's a major stumbling block as they prepare to approach potential... Read More

Why Do You Need to be in the SERPS?

Why does your business need to be in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS)?Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing both have the same goal, which is to help visitors find your website. Ten years ago there was probably nobody searching online for your product or service. Five years ago,... Read More

Target Marketing: The Bell Curve

Finally, Something You Learned In Math Class Makes Sense In Real Life.Okay, here's the day you've been waiting for since 9th grade: today's the day you're going to find out what some of that funky stuff you learned in math class has to do with anything. Believe it or not,... Read More

Becoming The Obvious Choice In A Sea Of Competition

Differentiation, niche marketing, and positioning. These and other related business buzzwords have no doubt crossed every business owner and marketing director's ears in recent years.But what do these words really mean to you in your business? Usually they mean that a business will attempt to sell a product or service... Read More

How to Win a Price War

Any economics student can tell you that price is a matter of supply and demand. The market will bear a certain price point and settle into equilibrium. This is not very helpful when trying to determine the price for a new product. Price is a very confusing area of marketing... Read More

How to Measure the Benefit Your Product or Service Offers

Measuring the benefit of your product or service means putting a specific value on the advantage it offers. For example, it's ineffective to say your light bulbs are brighter and last longer than the competition's. You've got to let people know that they're 50% brighter and last two times as... Read More

Corporate Branding and Trade Shows - 8 Tips for Marketing Managers

Trade shows are part of the marketing mix and the appearance by your firm should be a continuum of your entire marketing including advertising, public relations and events.While you may introduce a new product or showcase a service, many firms make mistakes by not connecting the overall corporate branding with... Read More

Translation and Your International E-Commerce Strategy

Most businesses realize that they are simply a click away from any corner of the globe. Well, actually two if you include the Yahoo! search a potential customer does to access your shopping cart. What most businesses, unfortunately, do not realize though, is that their shopping cart is struggling to... Read More

A Guide to Brochure Printing

Brochure printing can be easy if you first identify your needs and have a clear sense of your budget. Whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or another application, brochures are a great promotional tool.Start with a layout that includes the... Read More

Ten Breakthrough Marketing Ideas

Ten Breakthrough Marketing Ideas1. Create a directory of web sites on a specific topic. Give people the option of adding the directory to their web site by linking to it. Put your business advertisement at the top of the director's home page. This technique will get lots of people to... Read More

Massage Marketing Made Easy: A Simple Nine Step Marketing Plan for Therapists and Bodyworkers

Marketing is actually very simple. It involves telling people what you do...over and over and over. The key to successfully marketing your massage therapy business is consistency.So, first, let's take a look at the difference between marketing a service and marketing a product.Products are tangible... you can touch and feel... Read More

Keep Costs Down and Keep the Marketing Strategy Simple

One of the biggest mistakes we could make as business owners is spending too much money on marketing our service or product without knowing how to market it correctly. I've seen plenty of money wasted on marketing that did not produce any sales and most home based business don't have... Read More

Money Making Real Estate Marketing Ideas

Real estate marketing is a lot simpler than most Realtors make it out to be. Some equate expensive products and services with quality.However, effective real estate marketing does not have to be expensive, complicated, or sophisticated. Sometimes, plain, simple, direct and to the point makes lasting impressions that result in... Read More

Turbo-Charge Your Viral Marketing- Five Easy Ways

The world of marketing has changed. With increasingly better educated and more skeptical consumers, marketing methods must be increasingly accountable.Questions being asked by CEOs and business owners from the largest companies through to the smallest solo operators include:· How can you be more confident about your ability to quantify your... Read More

Let It Ring

Telemarketing has its place in the marketing arsenal. But telespammers - like their digital counterparts in the email marketing world - really make it tough on the legitimate follow-up telephone call from a company with which you have a relationship.Now, even some companies with a legitimate tie to me are... Read More

What Your Customers Want

Your customers don't know what they want. And to assume otherwise is folly. When you begin relying totally on customers to be your product development department, you are asking for serious trouble.I am not saying that you should discount customer input. However, asking customers what they want is a marketing... Read More

Using Business and Greeting Cards Effectively

Business cards and greeting cards almost go hand in hand when being used for marketing and business purposes. With a few exceptions. One is bigger than the other, and needs a postage stamp in order to get to it's desired location, as opposed to the business card which is handed... Read More

Mail Can Make You Money

Are you still waiting for business to turn around before you start direct mail marketing? Waiting around won't get you any business. The time to start is now.Your key to success in direct mail is "List, List, List."1. Target your offer to a very specific prospect. Lists are available for... Read More

Marketing to Women -- Can I Buy You A Clue?

A while back a small business owner paid me a visit. He wanted help marketing his fitness business to women. Before we even started talking, he handed me his business card. The card was very professional and said all the right things. But it also included a huge blunder.He was... Read More

People Arent Interested in You or Your Company

Does your Web site talk about your company? Yes, I know, it's your company Web site! But the last thing it should talk about is your company.Yes, I'm sure you're all cool, interesting people, with fantastic skills, but trust me, that's not what you need to lead with on your... Read More

Commercial Collections By Telephone

The telephone enables a credit manager to make many contacts in the shortest period of time. A call permits you to present your case to the debtor for immediate response.During the conversation you can determine whether the claim will be paid in full and when. This is the time to... Read More

The Seven Keys to Marketing Genius: The Complete Guide to Increasing Your Marketing IQ

How smart is your marketing? Do you follow the crowd or set your own standards? People are attracted to innovative leaders, not copycats. Besides, most companies throw thousands of dollars down the drain on ineffective advertising- can your budget afford such waste? Start your education today- follow these seven keys... Read More

Funnel Your Way to Marketing Success

A funnel is a good way to think of the marketing process. The top is very broad and consists of using mass marketing techniques. Mass marketing includes items like mass mailings, national advertising, billboards, and airing commercials during the Super Bowl. The marketing message is sent to a broad audience... Read More

How to Avoid the Line Extension Trap

If you follow the prevailing logic of most modern companies, you will inevitably fall into this trap. Line extension is using an existing brand name or image and extending it to new products. Sounds like a good idea, right? Why not use the equity of your known brand to draw... Read More

How to Write Fundraising Letters That Motivate Donors To Make Donations to Your Non-Profit

Motivating strangers to give their money away is one of the hardest jobs around. It's difficult to do face to face. And it's even tougher to do in a letter. But it can be done. And your chances of receiving gifts in the mail increase once you employ some of... Read More

Fundraising Letter Envelopes: How To Make Them Irresistible

Readers spend only a few seconds deciding the fate of your direct mail fundraising appeals. Either they open them on the spot, set them aside for later, or chuck them in the waste paper basket. Here are some creative ways to tease your donors into opening your envelopes.Hint at the... Read More

A Look at Brochure Printing Services

A brochure can be a wonderful promotional tool for a wide range of professionals, but getting them set up can be daunting. There are many brochure-printing services available that cater to both the amateur and professional. You can find them in a number of ways, including the phone book, the... Read More

The Advantages of Full Color Brochure Printing

A brochure can be a great promotional tool, whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or another application. The most professional and eye-catching brochures are usually those that are full color.Full color brochure printing usually means standard four-color printing, and is... Read More

A Look at Color Brochure Printing

Brochures have become vital in today's workplace, serving a wide variety of purposes. Some are quite complex and others are simpler; color brochure printing is one of the simpler options. It usually refers to printing using only a single color. Because brochures are extremely versatile in both content and use,... Read More

Finding a Brochure Printing Company

A brochure can be a great promotional tool, whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or some other application, but sometimes it's hard to know where to start. Brochure printing companies can provide their expertise as well as a wide range... Read More

Receiving a Brochure Printing Quote

Brochures are a great way to get your message across. While having a brochure can be extremely useful, it is sometimes hard to know whether it is affordable. The price for brochures can vary widely, with many variables contributing to the final quote.There are two basic ways to arrive at... Read More

Where to Find Cheap Brochure Printing

Whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or another application, brochures can be a great promotional tool. They can be very expensive or surprisingly affordable, depending on your needs and where you look. Two of the easiest ways to find good... Read More

10 Reasons Why Businesses Fail at Marketing.

1) They don't fully understand it.Perception: Marketing is advertising. Reality: Marketing may not even include advertising. Perception: Marketing is an expense. Reality: Marketing is an investment. _______________________________________________________________________ 2) They rely almost exclusively on Word-of-Mouth.Word-of-mouth is the best way to get business and savvy marketing helps create it. So,... Read More

Budget Your Branding

It is very important to regularly monitor your advertising activities in the process of brand building, to realize how much they are contributing to the bottom line. Expediting marketing expenses wouldn't generally lead to a stronger brand name. Neither is it necessary that they will give you voluminous sales nor... Read More

Custom Lanyards - The Perfect Solution for Promotion, Branding, and Marketing

Lanyards are fast becoming the new "must have" promotional item.Events organisers in the UK are realising the potential that custom printed lanyards can have in brand awareness. Lanyards are cheap to source, and can be customised to a client's particular requirements, with Pantone colour matching for material and print, and... Read More

The Fundraising Letter PS: 25 Powerful Things To Say There (Includes Examples & Samples)

Donors read postscripts. This is a sad but important reality in fundraising. Sad because the PS is stupid and belongs in another millennium. In this age of word processors, no one needs to add a PS anymore. But important because a donor reading a PS is a donor looking for... Read More

Print Marketing Campaign, Whats Important and Whats Not!

Every company searches to lure customers to their product. Unless you have a monopoly or unique product your marketing goal is to fulfill your customers needs with your products. Today finding that monopoly or unique program is virtually impossible, and even if you do find it chances are someone will... Read More

The Power of a Survey

How many times have you been asked to participate in a survey? If you are anything like me then the answer is probably hundreds. I am often being stopped in the street and invited to take part in a survey that will only take a few minutes. I do feel... Read More

Tracking Your Way to the Top!

I often wonder how people without a plan know where they're going. Or, how they know when they've arrived at their destination.Think about it.If you never specify what your goal is, how do you go about achieving it? And how do you know when to celebrate?Step OneHaving a clearly defined,... Read More

Is It Time To Kill Your Marketing Program?

Ouch . . . sounds pretty drastic I know, but . . .If you've been in business for any length of time, you've no doubt been faced with the question, "Should I dump this marketing program or should I wait a little longer for it to start producing results?"Even if... Read More

4 Steps To Increase Your Job Sign Marketing

It's no secret that using a job site sign can be an effective way to market your company's services to neighborhood homeowners. But most job sign marketing isn't done as effectively as it could be. Here are four tips for getting the most out of your job sign marketing:Do It.... Read More

How To Recognize Your Niche Marketing Agenda

Starting a business, whether it's retail products or services, must establish their own "niche". It doesn't matter how great your products or services is, how great your sales letter is or your headlines, offers or what a great price you're offering. If you try to sell your products or services... Read More

Two Methods of Marketing Using Joint Ventures

Whether you're a contractor a local merchant with 150 employees, whichever, however or whatever, you've got to know how to keep your business alive during rough economic times. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to... Read More

Direct Mail Personalization

A colleague who does work for a nonprofit organization contacted me asking if I could do research on the success rate of personalized direct mail letters (Dear Joe) versus generically addressed letters (Dear Friend). Surprisingly, I didn't find as many statistics as expected, but I found information stating that personalized... Read More

7 Great Ways to Market Yourself and Your Business to Help Increase Sales

Do you own a business and need ideas on how to market your products or services to your customers? Well, the one thing that every business owner needs to know is that in order to survive, you need customers willing to spend their hard earned money for your products or... Read More

Free and Easy School Fundraisers | Elementary and High School Fund Raising Ideas

Parents are always looking for free and easy ways to improve their child's education. School funding plays a big part in the education that your child receives, especially if you are in a smaller school such as a church school or private, independently owned school. There are several school fundraising... Read More

The Exiler

THE EXILER (your search for true brand attributes ends here!)With the advent of new marketing strategies and techniques, many theories have sprouted up telling you many ways to impress your target customers and make them buy your product. But when it comes to practical implementation of the theories, most of... Read More

What IS the Difference Between Marketing and Sales?

There seems to be a never ending argument among marketing and sales professionals as to what really is the difference between marketing and sales functions. More often than not, both business activity terms are used to describe any business activity that is involved in increasing revenues. For small businesses, with... Read More

Integrity and Marketing - Finding the Right Balance

When marketing themselves to leads and prospects there are five common mistakes people make, all which can be easily avoided by finding the right balance to maintain your personal and professional integrity in all pursuits.Five common mistakes many people make are;1. Talking too much.Enthusiasm sells! But don't talk too much... Read More

Budget Marketing: Managing Your Marketing Money Wisely!

There's a saying that half of all marketing efforts are wasted, but it's impossible to tell which half!I know from hard won experience how easy it is to waste money on marketing.When I first set up my own business in 1998, I spent tens of thousands of dollars employing the... Read More

Reinventing The Wheel

Revolutionary ideas have always been the mark of mankind. It's what made us superior to animals and prove that we are the dominant species of this planet. Invention and innovation made life easier yet more complicated. Ironic as it may seem technology is making each generation culturally different.There is an... Read More

Work Backward And Make More Sales!

It goes against the grain, especially for those of us used to "business at the speed of light." But bear with me. I'm not trying to teach you Zen philosophy. But I am going to show you how working backward can move your business forward.Let's start with a purchase. That's... Read More

How To Get Your Prospect To Take Action

There's really only one thing that separates Image advertising from Direct Response. Image advertising just wants you to think about a product in a certain way. Direct Response wants you to do something about it. Now.Direct Response can be entertaining. It doesn't have to sound like a used car salesman... Read More

Discovering The Benefits That Hook Your Prospect

Benefits! They're what marketing is all about. No doubt you've heard the mantra over and over: "Benefits, not features.. Benefits, not features."So how do you tell the difference, anyway? And how do you choose which ones will get your prospect's heart pumping?First, let's set the parameters: A feature is a... Read More

There Are Benefits... And Then There Are Benefits

Not all benefits are created equal. Knowing which ones to use when can make a big difference in the credibility -- and success -- of your marketing campaigns.There are three basic levels of benefit to any product or service. The first is just one step away from a feature, and... Read More

Package Your Products for Thunder Thigh Women - Big Butts Too

Wake up women (and you men too). I think we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Madison Avenue is getting real about advertising campaigns for women. Following the unparalleled success of Dove line of personal-care products sold by Unilever, the company introduced what it calls a "campaign... Read More

Create Free Internet Buzz with Your Workforce

There are many different ways to increase your traffic on the web. Just as there are get rich quick schemes, there are get traffic quick schemes. These can backfire on you just like any other shortcut to results.As part of your overall strategy, it is possible to create a plan... Read More

Help! What Happened?

Let's be honest, when you're writing sales material for a product, there are a frightening number of things that can go wrong, aren't there?Remember Murphy's Law: what can go wrong will, and at the worst possible moment. Well, we're going to try to gain some control over events and the... Read More

Radio Advertising Works With These Tips!

Advertising on the radio can be an effective lead generation strategy. But like all marketing tactics, success or failure lies in its implementation. Here are 15 important tips to help make your radio advertising more profitable.1. Make sure you match the station to your intended target market. For instance, if... Read More

25 Ways To Make Your Next Direct Mail Campaign Work

This list contains 25 powerful strategies to improve your direct mail results. It would be wise to use this as a checklist to ensure you've included as many as possible in your advertising. Any one of these strategies could measurably boost your response. How many of these are you using?Have... Read More

The Advantage and Consequences of New Economy Marketing

Some of the research that has been done today gives us a lot of information on the values of today's society. What I'm referring to is a lifestyle in which there is more to do in generally less time in which to accomplish it. There's more to spend money on... Read More

Full Color Postcard Marketing: 7 Reasons Why They?ve Become the New Direct Mail

The most crucial aspect of having a high response rate to any direct mail marketing list is to keep your business' name in everyone's mind, constantly. But how do you do that without annoying your business customers, or divvying up a lot of time and money?A full color postcard can... Read More

How to Magnetize Your Business

Do you ever wonder how some businesses always seem to be doing so much business? And how they seem to do all that business without really trying that hard? Most of us would like to have business come to us, rather than chasing it. Think of a magnet ? pulling... Read More

Five Marketing Tips to Double Profits

It's a startling fact: almost all entrepreneurs aren't marketing their businesses effectively. Marketing goes much deeper than advertising. It begins with having the proper mindset. These five ideas will send you on the right path to building a solid marketing foundation for your business.1. Start with yourselfAsk yourself this: are... Read More

Devious and Deceptive Packaging

Have you read anything in the news lately about childhood obesity, Jose Canseco and steroids, or fat free foods? Where is the truth in any of that?If only we lived and shopped in a pure world where labels told the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But while consumers... Read More

Small Business Marketing Tip ? Putting the Customer First.

I am a great believer in the keeping to the basics ? the totally obvious things that we all learn in Running Your Business 101, and then promptly forget. I often have people come up to me after a speech and say, "This is all blindingly obvious, just common sense."... Read More

Small Business Marketing Tip - Get Attention and Be Remembered

We live in a world of noise ? not just auditory noise but total sensory overload. Everywhere we go marketing messages are shouting at us day and night. Hundreds of TV and radio stations, thousands of newspapers, magazines and books, millions of ezines, brochures, and leaflets, billions of emails and... Read More

Optimizing Your Email Marketing

Email CampaignsEmail marketing can be a tremendously valuable tool for web businesses. Because it is so fast, cheap and easy, and because it is everywhere, email lends itself ideally to direct marketing. In this day and age, to say that the whole world is on the Web is not a... Read More

Direct Mail Still Works!

Direct Mail CampaignsDespite the proliferation of communication facilitators--mobile phones, faxes, emails, PDAs--the mail still plays a vital role in successful marketing. Direct mail marketing continues to be one of the leading methods for effectively reaching prospective customers because it can be focused, predictable and economical.Direct mail is effective and efficient... Read More

Eight Advantages of Fundraising Letters Over Other Methods

1. Personal Fundraising letters are about as personal as you can get with a donor without meeting face to face or talking on the phone. Unlike special events, fundraising letters let you have a one-on-one "meeting" with each donor.2. Can be passed along Unlike personal visits, phone calls and special... Read More

Does Your Marketing Plan Need Changing?

Change is good, right? Not always. But when is it bad? Is it a question of good or bad? Sounds philosophical. Maybe it is.Philosophize on this?why would one take something that is going good ? no.. great ? and change it? Obvious answer is to make it better. Not!In business... Read More

Promotional Lanyards to Market Your Products and Services

It has become fairly common place to see Id badges dangling from a persons neck on a short cord, and on the cord or small rope itself, is printed the name of a company, or a school or an event on it. When you spot one of these, you can... Read More

Why Pay for Online Press Release Distribution?

We've all heard that "free advice is worth what you pay for it..."Shakespeare put it a little more eloquently in King Lear, when the aging monarch admonished his daughter Cordelia, "Nothing shall come of nothing..."And when it comes to distributing press releases online, I now know from first hand personal... Read More

Eleven Reasons Donors Stop Responding To Fundraising Letter Appeals

Donors will stop responding to your fundraising letter appeals for many reasons. Some of which you can manage, but many of which you cannot. Use these findings to retain as many of your donors as you can.1. They forget I suppose you could call this a case of "poor institutional... Read More

Small Business Marketing Tip - Focus on a Niche or Target Market

I think selling and marketing today often feels a bit like talking to a brick wall and that in interesting metaphor to help grasp the importance of niche marketing especially when it comes to small business marketing. Imagine for a moment that you are attacking that brick wall with a... Read More

Listen To What The Marketing Experts Say

But more importantly, watch what they do. If you do much online shopping, you're sure to have seen some great, and not so great, sales letters urging you to get that oh-so-fabulous product that will solve all your problems right now.Some of those letters probably make you want to whip... Read More

4 Alternative Ways To Gain Lifetime Customers

You will always have more people that turn down your offer than actually buy. They might not have bought because of your price, payment options, or any other possible reason. You will just end up loosing all these potential lifetime customers. However, there are many ways you can minimize the... Read More

Be a Smarter Marketer - Learn the L-A-W for Trade Shows

People attend trade shows because they are in a specific industry and want to learn more. They want to know what's new and how you will help them.So, you print up lots of fancy brochures, develop demonstrations, have unique gifts or hand-outs - and want to get rid of it... Read More

Always On Stage - 3 Quick Tips for Trade Show Exhibitors

Do you feel uncomfortable when you're in the trade show booth? Like folks are looking at you? Like you're on stage? Got as little stage fright?Well, folks are looking at you. Yes, it's like you are on stage.Here are three quick tips to make you comfortable when in the booth.1.... Read More

Your Ideal Client

A lot of small businesses make the mistake of thinking that their product or service is good for just about anyone. The logic is "why should I limit my market to a smaller segment of the whole and sacrifice a sale." The problem with that logic is that for most... Read More

10 Start Up Marketing Tips

This list has been compiled as a result of years of working with business owners who didn't quite lay the right groundwork when they started up, and ended up paying for it later. Sometimes, what seems like a means of saving money actually ends up costing more in the long... Read More

Loyalty Cards ? Tips To Consider Before Committing To One

Loyalty marketing has been around for as long as retailing ? attractive stores, good service, and a quality product line all contribute to building up a loyal customer base.With the growth of larger stores, a relatively new marketing component ? the loyalty card - has been added by many retail... Read More

Loyalty Cards Systems ? Beware, Some Should Be Avoided

Recently, I discussed a loyalty card system with a vendor who was selling quite a number of his systems to restaurants. I was shocked to discover the lack of detailed information that this vendor catered for, and the opportunities the system he provided squandered.The way their scheme works is that... Read More

The Battle of Positioning -- Altruism or Paranoia?

Competition in the past has embodied such beliefs of "kill or get killed" which has fostered paranoia with many individuals and companies. Our competitive thinking has been to: defend, hoard, knock off competition, defame and win at any cost. A view propagated by Intel's Andy Grove that, "only the paranoid... Read More

Think Creatively While Reinventing Your Marketing and Selling -- Its For Your Survival!

We live in a world that for many has become technology advantaged in business and life. Imagine, for a moment, just how communication, science, art, medicine, automation, supply chain and products have all been reinvented.Even consumers' behaviors have been unearthed and changed beyond recognition. Consumers have become more assertive, demanding,... Read More

Online Advertising Versus Traditional Media Advertising

Before I compare today's online advertising with traditional media advertising I will make an analogy.If you've been on the Internet for as long as I have, you probably noticed that things have changed dramatically. About 6, 7 years if you were using online dating sites it was a lot easier... Read More

Want to Increase Your Business? First You Need to Understand where You are at!

Are you having trouble understanding basic situational marekting concepts? Then this article is for you.Alex Margarit shows you a simple step by step way on how to put together a basic situational analysis. Before developing any given marketing strategy it is important to conduct some form of analysis.... Read More

Why Surveying Matters

What is the single most important thing you can do as a business owner? That is a question that this week I think I have found an answer to. The answer? Keep your ear to the marketplace by listening to your customers.Ford's MistakeIn the early 1920's Henry Ford launched his... Read More

Creating Your Future with a Marketing Plan

Almost everyone who dreams of starting their own business is familiar with the fact that they should create a business plan. However, often that's where many people stop. When you created your business plan, what did you do with it? You actually have the base for the next step, which... Read More

Dear Friend: Dont Start Your Non-For-Profit Fundraising Letters As A Stranger

Dear Friend:Don't do it.Don't start your fundraising letters with "Dear Friend."After all, when was the last time you received a letter from someone dear to you, addressing you as "Dear Friend?" Never, right? The days of the Dear Friend letter are dead. So let's bury the Dear Friend letter together.I... Read More

What Are Focus Groups & How Do They Work?

Businesses and other organizations use focus groups to research consumer and public opinion concerning a variety of issues. Corporations look to focus groups for general help in selling their products to the world at large instead of any type of direct marketing efforts.Focus groups are usually conducted by Market Research... Read More

Wooing Women With Packaging

In just one month three California vineyards have introduced new wine product lines specifically targeted to women. The product offerings are intriguing with names such as "White Lie" and "Mad Housewife" to the latest introduction "Working Girl White." These wine companies are responding to the message: A wine just for... Read More

Have You Tried Cause Marketing?

To help promote your small business or professional practice, consider tearing a page out of the corporate marketing playbook. For years big companies have partnered with nonprofits to co-promote their brands. And it has worked well because they keep doing it.In fact, since 1990, cause related marketing (also called corporate... Read More

Top 5 Kick Butt Marketing Requirements

Cinch your success with 8-second leaders! Step into the saddle and ride to the buzzer ? but first, get outfitted for success. Some things are necessary to have on hand in order to be prepared for coming out of the chute. No cowboy worth his chaps would step onto a... Read More

Ditch Coupons Before Customers Ditch You

Everyone wants to feel like they're getting a good deal. Merchants often attempt to capitalize on this desire through coupon offers, rebates, and "special discounts." Coupons have become the promotional drug of choice to woo more business from new and old customers alike. Unfortunately, coupons can destroy customer relationships almost... Read More

How Price Gouging Can Hurt Your Business

"Price gouging" is an emotional, inflammatory term. Everyone is against it, but only buyers, angry over excessive profit-taking, proclaim it. As a seller, how can you reap the profit rewards you deserve without being accused of price gouging?From a marketer's perspective, attaching a price tag to a product or service... Read More

10 Simple Ways to Boost Your Sales IMMIDIATELY!

Alright you've got yourself a nice website with a great design and a good steady traffic coming in...After that what are you going to do? Do you really have what it takes to make a website that sells? Or is it just another website?Now what I'm about to give you... Read More

How to Conduct a Successful Fax Marketing Campaign

1. Focus your fax marketing on one objectiveFax is a flexible medium, and is being used by Adestra clients to sell off-the-page, to conduct research, for broadcasting newsletters, for generating prospects and for database cleaning. Avoid diluting your message by keeping it simple and being clear about what you are... Read More

Marketing in Business and Commerce in the New Consciousness

The point is what you give to another you give to yourself; the reason being that there is only one of us. You are apart part of the Universal life force just the same as your customer is. If you want to have any experience in your life, just course... Read More

Pay for Performance Pricing Models for Search Engine Optimization

I do think that it is entirely possible for an SEO and client to work out a pay for performance pricing structure that is fair to both. Logistically, though the tracking involved to this would add additional layers to the total process of ranking and reporting. If both the SEO... Read More

The Importance of Business Marketing

Business marketing is one of the most important parts that your business needs to be addressed with careful attention and proactive thoughts. In last decade or so, the importance of business marketing has increased volcanically, as the advent of Internet and online business has ushered a whole new era in... Read More

What to Look for in Display Graphics and Trade Show Graphics

Display graphics are graphic images used for illustration or "display" purposes. Display Graphics are usually printed on paper, vinyl or fabric using a "large format" printing device. Normally display graphics are over-sized graphics printed on paper or some other material, and then mounted or hung on a graphic display unit... Read More

Test Marketing--How to Increase Your Direct Mail Marketing Response by Using the Internet to Test

I've discovered a really fantastic way to discover what works best in direct marketing, BEFORE doing traditional direct marketing. Use these internet tools to find what works best, then apply what you've learned to your traditional direct marketing, direct mail, etc. It's fast and less expensive.How to Find What Works... Read More

Fundraising Letters Are Easier To Write With AIDA

Learn a lesson from professional direct mail copywriters. They follow a time-tested format in their sales letters, a format that you can also follow when writing direct mail fundraising letters for your non-for-profit organization. All you need to remember is AIDA.AIDA is an acrostic for the four things you need... Read More

2 Little Words That Work Marketing Magic

In his classic best-seller, "How To Win Friends And Influence People," Dale Carnegie's second chapter is entitled The Big Secret of Dealing With People. The secret is summed up in this principle: Give honest and sincere appreciation.Carnegie said there is only one way to get anybody to do anything --... Read More

The Testimonial Writing Machine

Almost every small business marketer knows that they should gather testimonials to use in their marketing materials.The problem though is that getting your clients, the ones who know your greatness, to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and crank out a glowing testimonial can be a bit of... Read More

Nine Must-Do Positioning Steps

Every professional or consultant knows that clients typically hire people they know, like and trust. But how do you build trust with strangers?As Ralph Waldo Emerson's 150-year-old essay titled "Compensation" teaches, first you must give if you want to receive. The best positioning strategy for professional service firms is to... Read More

Has the Internet Killed Off the Direct Mail Baron?

Over the past 30 years, direct mail has been responsible for generating vast amounts of money for businesses and individuals alike, but is it still an effective means of marketing?The short answer, in the short term, is yes. But the Internet has without doubt diluted the power of pen on... Read More

Lessons Learned at the Harvard Business School

"If God wanted to create a perfect punishment for a high achiever, then He would have that person manage a professional service firm," says Professor John Gabarro of the Harvard Business School.Gabarro is on the faculty of the Leading Professional Service Firms program, an intensive, one-week executive education program taught... Read More

Provacative Research Works

If you want to double your business, then you need to get inside your client's head through proprietary research and provocative results.By conducting proprietary research, you obtain special information that prospective clients can't find elsewhere. The foundation of client seduction is to give away useful information that demonstrates to clients... Read More

Down To The Wire

When you want to win and woo new clients with national publicity -- and don't have an enormous budget to distribute your message -- turn to the news wires. But first, be sure you're telling a story that's worth printing.The best publicity draws on one of a handful of tried-and-true... Read More

21 Must-Have Web Site Elements

Your Web site should be the cornerstone of your client seduction efforts. The site is your silent salesperson -- the one with whom prospective clients visit before granting you permission to meet with them.A top priority for any firm that competes in the professional services or technology space is to... Read More

Gift Cards - Is It Time to Use Them for My Business?

You're probably thinking, here we go again somebody is trying to sell me something that I really don't need. I'm sure it will benefit them, but will it benefit me? Firstly let me say that my company, Solutions Ink does sell gift and loyalty cards. The market out there while... Read More

The Mighty Marketing Brochure

"Brochure" is French, and it comes from brocher, meaning to stitch. According to The American Heritage Dictionary, a brochure is "a small booklet or pamphlet, often containing promotional material or product information."Accurate, yes. And also incomplete.For one thing, brochures aren't always small. Sometimes they're quite large. As for brochure contents,... Read More

A Pass / Fail Test for Any New Market

If you are considering entering a new target market, with an existing or new product or service, it makes sense to first systematically analyze the market in question via some fundamental market evaluation criteria. It is not only rational but most cost effective to determine if a new market pursuit... Read More

Polishing Your Translation Style - Marketing Your Services

You have read part 1 & 2 of this article series (see below for link). And, you are probably asking yourself "what else is there to say about improving one's translation style?" The answer to that, my friends, is the most important part of the message. Let's for a... Read More

Write Effective Fundraising Letters By Being Conversational (Includes Examples & Samples)

I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer, trying to get my thoughts out of my head and into a written form that will help you make a decision. In this particular case, I am trying to write a few intelligent remarks about sounding conversational on paper. You... Read More

Basic Brand Building

A brand is the essence of who you are. The more powerful the brand the more memorable you will become. Think about brands that you can identify with. What impresses you about them and what attributes make you remember them? Brand icons didn't get that way over night and many... Read More

How to Promote your business website using free online resources.

There are many ways to promote your website for free online. Here are 10 highly effective strategies you can use right now.1. Write articles or free reports for other webmasters to publish and put your website address in the by-line. If you write good content, your articles will be published... Read More

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Like Brushing Your Teeth

What do the following things have in common: brushing your teeth, regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, paying your bills on time, cleaning your gutters, spending quality time with your... Read More

How to Turn Your Promotional Products Expense Into a Profit Center

If you use promotional products you probably already know the power of giving away freebies. You may use them to thank current customers, or to give incentives to potential customers.When... Read More

Principles of Marketing 101

Marketing results should be measured in only one way ? increased sales. Marketing should not be considered an art form. Its mere existence is not enough. Marketing is the first... Read More

How Do I Define My Market?

Your market is who you want to reach. Your customer. Who is your average customer? What is your estimate of total market size? What territory do you intend to serve?... Read More

Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind

What's black and white and read all over? A newsletter of course! And while there are perhaps hundreds of ways to market your business and increase your bottom line, one... Read More

Marketing: Can I Trust You?

We live in an unprecedented era of communication. Because of this, your prospects are literally bombarded from all directions with marketing messages. They've heard so many hyped claims, that they... Read More

Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions Five Ways - Part 1

Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written articles do you submit per week to opt-in online ezines? How often do you send thank you's and follow up... Read More

How Gratitude Works

Want to know what the highest-impact, lowest-cost tool is in your marketing toolkit? First, here are ten reasons to start using this tool right away:1. It won't get tossed out... Read More

The 7 Commandments of Marketing

Marketing is the key to success with any business, online or traditional. You can have a website or business location. You can have a great product. However, if no one... Read More

Lessons From a Six Year Old

My 6 year old daughter Emily knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up. Two weeks ago she knew that she wanted to be a teacher. Last... Read More

Marketing Tips- Who Are You Competing With?

Before you can market, you need to know who you are marketing to. Who is your customer? How will you market? Will you cold call, mail, set appointments or employ... Read More

Preventive Marketing Offers Small-Mid Sized Business Owners An Ideal Way To Maximize Their Results

As the owner of a creative services boutique - I have realized that at least 9 out of 10 prospects/clients have suffered from one or all of the following (very... Read More

Getting Ideas for Your Postcards

If you're going to do postcard marketing on an ongoing basis, it's a good idea to have a collection of cards to inspire you. In advertising and marketing circles, this... Read More

Marketing to Hispanics/Latinos

A powerful consumer market with annual spending power exceeding $350 billion, Hispanics-or should that be Latinos?-have become the largest minority group in the United States, and a marketplace well-worth looking... Read More

Spring Cleaning: How To Do It In Your Business To Make More Room For Success

With the arrival of Spring, I decided to get outside and into my garden. I had neglected to do some basic maintenance during the previous months and wondered if my... Read More

Brochures that Generate Sales Leads (and How to Write Them)

One rule in direct mail is that your letter sells your offer and your brochure sells what you're selling. For example, let's say you mail a classic direct mail package... Read More

6 Simple Ways to Determine Which Marketing Ideas Are Best for Your Business

Did something catch your eye in a direct mailing this past week? Have you recently gone to a website and encountered something entirely new that caught your attention? Did a... Read More

Business Card Design - How to Stand out and Get Noticed

One of the most powerful, yet over looked weapons in your marketing arsenal is your business card. If designed properly this little 3 x 2.5 piece of paper will not... Read More

Great Marketing is Like Making a Great Movie

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCEThe Oscars will be handed out soon, and it's a perfect time to keep this in mind: If you're a business owner or manager, it's wise to think... Read More

Marketing Copy - Brand Identity Guru

Tips on writing great copy for your marketing efforts.It's just four steps that I call the Writing Path1. I create a deadline for something to be produced. This creates pressure... Read More