Marketing: November 2008

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 a Specific Customer Profile

It''s good to know whether your customers are primarily women or men. Remember, women buy 70% of the books published. Then, figure out the age range of your customer. One 25-year-old male coaching client aimed his motivational book at his age group. He had a lot of insight already because of his age. You may want to know the marital status.

Is your customer married, single, divorced or separated? Does religion or cultural affiliation play an important part in their lives? Location may matter, but remember to think about the vast market Online. These people subscribe to ezines and visit web sites for all kinds of information. Your product or service can easily be just right for them.

It''s good to know as many details from these listings as possible.

Here''s a Check List for your Target Audience:
---What are these people''s biggest concerns/challenges?
---What do these people need and want to have a better life?
---Where does this person work?
---Where does this person live?
---Where does this person play?
---What type of store does this person buy from?
---What magazines or ezines does this person read?
---What newspapers does this person read?
---What radio stations does this person listen to?
---What TV programs does this person watch?
---What organizations does this person belong go?
---What kind of events does this person attend?
---Where does this person go to learn a new skill?
---Is this person teleclass savvy?
---Do these people attend seminars?
---What do these people spend money on?
---Does this person surf the internet?
---Does this person buy online?

Two. Send a Casual Market Survey to your Friends and Associates

Make sure you don''t pose more than 8 questions to this group. Reward them for taking time to respond to your survey. Give them a free eBook or report or a 1/2 hour free session on your service.

What important information do they know about your audience? If they are already your audience, ask them to pick the top 8 questions and answer them in a sentence or two. This creative brainstorming can save you so much time later! Once I applied this in my ezine, I found what questions my clients wanted answered.

When you know your one preferred audience, you don''t spend too much time chasing the wrong buyer. When you focus your marketing on one group at a time you will create phenomenal income success.

Yes, you know other people who can use your product or service, but remember to start with one group and give it
your all for two years. You will be much more successful and not feel so overwhelmed with the task.

To really succeed and do it quickly means you may have to take a promotion or marketing seminar. Be willing to invest some time and money. Take a teleclass on one of the best online marketing methods--writing and submitting articles to opt-in ezines (your targeted market and they are free) and top web sites in your field. This method brought your coach to # one and two in Google and other search engines, plus it increased sales more than five times in eight months.

Three: Now write a personal letter to your one audience telling them why you created your product, eBook or service and what you think it will do for them (benefits).Think of how you can make a difference in your prospects lilfe--what you can bring to help them make them more money, create better relationships, or save time..Make a list of benefits before you start this exercise.

Example for Write Your eBook or Other Short Book-Fast!

Dear Professional (coaches, speakers, writers, authors, seminar leaders, business people):

I''m writing this indispensable book because I know you want to share your unique message with thousands, rather than hundreds of readers. You want to raise the bar and create more credibility in your profession. You want continuous income you don''t have to be present for. This book''s essential "Seven Hot Selling Points" will make your job easy, target your market, and market your book while you are writing it. You''ll produce a great selling book you can sell on the Internet while you sleep! And you don''t even need your own Web site!

Even if you think you can''t write, that it''s too big a job, or it will take too much time, How to Write Your Ebook or Other Short Book - Fast''s forty-five pages plus its three bonuses reports are the fast lane to writing, publishing and selling more copies of your book than you ever dreamed of!

Once you know more about your target market, you can put your time only on what you need to get these people to buy. After you learn some simple marketing techniques, like me, you can delegate it to a low-cost computer assistant and spend less than nine hours a week on this task.

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com', 177, 'How to Discover your Primary Market and Where to Find Them, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'How to Discover your Primary Market and Where to Find Them plus articles and information on Marketing

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 should have multiple marketing strategies. For example, we market on the internet through newsgroups, newsletters, press releases, forums, writing articles. We also market by running support groups, joining local groups and chambers, and being active and getting involved in the community. We give out our brochures and business cards. Your cards and brochures are not going to do you any good sitting in your files. We send out follow-up information for every cold call we make and speak to someone. While we might not do business with them now, we might down the road. However, we certainly won''t hear from them, if they don''t get something from us.

The following happened during a teleclass we sat in on: One of the other participants asked about getting customers for interior design work. She had a brochure with her services, and would give a free consultation to her clients. However, she wasn''t turning those into sales. A couple of things we suggested were to 1) put pictures in her brochure of before and afters for homes she did; 2) offer to re-do a small area of their home for half price, so they could get an idea of her work. She loved the ideas, and thought they would work marvelously for her.

Remember, you won''t get the business, if you don''t ask for it. Along with the marketing you have to also be a salesperson. You have to ask for the sale. You don''t have to be obnoxious about it, in fact, if you are, you probably won''t get it at all. As most of you know, we never push anyone to order or do something with us, it''s up to them. We want our customers to make an informed decision, and for it to be win-win for everyone, and that is how we conduct our business. You should also. However, realize that for certain businesses a stronger approach might be necessary.

For those that work with services only, you have to create a need for that person to act now. Those in real estate know, if the owner is not motivated now and is just fishing for price, the deal might not go. You have to make it go, either by using a new strategy or following up at a later date. There are some deals that do go even if there is not a lot of motivation, but because you were able to come up with a creative real estate strategy that peaked the owners/buyers interest now and for him/her to act now.

For those in service businesses listening skills are a must. If you are not a good listener, learn to be. If you are constantly thinking only about what you are going to say about your product/service, you are missing out on what your customers needs are. The best way to think of your services or products is what are the benefits for your customers. Make a list of them, know them well and then you''ll be better able to listen to your customers.

There are many different ways to get new clients, repeat business and to stay focused.

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it''s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com
', 177, 'How To Get New Business, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'How To Get New Business plus articles and information on Marketing

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 just want to drop off information and follow up with a telephone call.

In order to determine who your market is look at your business plan. How did you define your average customer? What was your estimate of total market size? What territory did you intend to service? You might want to make a table for the following: Product/Service - list your product(s) or service(s). If you offer a variety of models or types, list them separately. This will more clearly define your market. The more specific the answers to these questions, the easier it will be to determine a marketing plan. What marketing techniques did you delineate in your business plan? Are you using them, and if so, how effectively?

One of the best ways to determine what works best is to look at your competition.

What is your competition doing.? How are they marketing? What services do they offer? How do their prices compare to yours? Some of the ways to determine this information is to talk to prospects who are now using your competitors products or service. Ask them, "How can I offer and deliver the same things my competitors do - or better?" Obtain and study your competitors literature, for example, promotional materials that outline price, what services they offer, products they are selling, etc. Keep all the materials obtained on your competition and update this information on a quarterly basis. If there is a industry publication that contains information on your competition, subscribe and read it. You may be surprised to find stories that reveal important information on your competition. Attend trade shows, exhibits, and conferences for your industry. Read the local papers and papers in the area your competition is located. Ask your customers what they like and dislike about your services or products.

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it''s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com', 177, 'Marketing Tips- Who Are You Competing With?, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Marketing Tips- Who Are You Competing With? plus articles and information on Marketing

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 phrases such as "I''d love to have you as a client" or "I''d like to do business with you".

For example, my 30 second commercial goes like this: "Hi, my name is Sue DeFiore and I''m a lease purchase consultant. I can help sellers move their property in 30 days or less, and help buyers get into a home today that they can buy tomorrow. I''d love to help you with your real estate problem."

Although this appears to be a very simplistic approach, your commercial gives the individual you''re talking with a sense of the confidence you feel about providing your service to him or her.

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it''s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com', 177, 'Your 30 Second Commercial, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Your 30 Second Commercial plus articles and information on Marketing

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 is the same as traditional success--promotion, promotion, promotion.

Use these easy ways to boost online credibility and sales:

3. Send Follow up Messages to your Customers, Subscribers and Customers

Do you keep email lists by category such as subscribers, potential clients, customers, or teleclass participants?

Talking with many small business people, I discovered many only keep one list, primarily subscribers. While giving my subscribers information once a month, I make it a point to connect with many other groups. Each month or so, I send them some free information, sometimes with a sales message, sometimes not.

How often do you follow up?

The people who hear from you over time develop trust in you. Once they trust you, they are more likely to buy from you than new contacts.

Keep a file of your loyal customers, your potential clients, your subscribers, your teleclass participants, and ePublishers.

To each of these, send a different, targeted follow up email. Send a "thank you" message offering a freebie. To my loyal customers I offered a free question answered by email.

In the same email, I followed with "Ways to Benefit and Succeed with the Book Coach." These included a free subscription to my ezine, a free teleclass on book writing and promotion, or an introductory coaching price. It''s best to make one offer at a time.

Recycle those articles you post online. Give them away as free reports to your potential clients. No cost to you and they take very little time. When a publisher asks me for a longer article, it''s easy because I have several versions of each article I write.

Put your online promotion groups in a buying mode. Make an irresistible offer that is real. Give them one or two free bonus reports they want. Caution: It''s a turn off when the free bonus reports are worth more than the major package being sold. I just noticed one--the book was $39.95--the free bonuses were supposedly worth $500. That certainly doesn''t speak truth.

For an eBook of 30-75 pages packed with how-to''s and resources, offer two free bonus reports taken from your article files or book excerpts. These can be 3-7 pages.

4. Display your product or service''s benefits clearly.

What do you do when you see in the subject line "Book announcement" or "Book Signing" or "Teleclass Marathon?" What motivates you to want to open that email? Even targeted ezine subscribers are likely to only open 50% of your emails.

Why not give your email lists a reason to open more? Give your potential buyer a picture of how their life would look after using your expertise. Write ad copy that appeals to their emotions, so they feel they must buy now.

5. Place your signature file at the bottom of every email you send.

Entrepreneurs who are new to the Internet may just sign their name at the bottom of their email. It''s time to learn that this signature file is your great sales force. Subtle, but effective, what you put into those 4-7 lines is so important. Include your name and title, then what you do for your audience. For instance, "Helps small business people manifest their book and Web dreams." Include one free offer, possibly your ezine. Name your ezine and sweeten the pot with another freebie such as a free report for new subscribers. Include your Web and email address and your local phone number, so people outside the U.S. can contact you easily.

Don''t disappoint yourself by dropping the ball and not letting people know about you and your products and services. Your customers and clients are waiting for your message.

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com', 177, 'Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions - Part 2, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions - Part 2 plus articles and information on Marketing

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 services. Talk shows, both radio and television. Do something to get yourself noticed and send it to them. For example, we sent a fax to the television and radio stations that for anyone who was unemployed we would do a typeset resume for only $10. Channel 13 came out and interviewed us, and we were on their 6 p.m. news program.

Send press releases to television and radio stations, in addition to newspapers. Make it short, concise, and eye catching. One tip is to put your picture on the press release. Be sure all the information you want to impart is in the first paragraph.

Contact local newspapers, they love to do articles on home-based and small businesses. We have had excellent success getting both our newsletter and directory published in small local papers. In addition, these releases have also gotten us published in New Business Opportunities, Small Business Opportunities, and Income Opportunities to mention a few. Many of the businesses that we have written press releases for also have reported very good results.

Volunteer your services to non-profit organizations. Give seminars and classes to establish yourself as an expert. In addition, if appropriate to your business, advertise on services like AOL, CompuServe, and Yahoo. We had a flood of responses for both our newsletter and consulting service, by advertising on CompuServe.

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it''s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com', 177, 'How Can I Get Name Recognition?, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'How Can I Get Name Recognition? plus articles and information on Marketing

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 success is the same as traditional success--promotion, promotion, promotion.

Use these easy ways to boost online credibility and sales:

1. Market and Make your Ezine a Sales Tool

Ezines are one road to sales if you have targeted subscribers who stay with you at least eight months. After four-seven issues, their trust builds and they eventually will buy from you. At the end of your feature article in your signature file include a link straight to your product or service sales letter related to your piece. Entice your ezine readers to go to your site often and stay a while to see new information, so they will eventually become faithful customers.

Many professionals complain that many subscribe to their ezine, but not many buy. Ask yourself why?

Is your ezine list of subscribers a targeted, preferred audience?

Many business people collect email addresses, but fail to categorize them so they can target a particular message and offer.

Be sure to give your targeted audience what they want. If you don''t know who they are, write a short survey of less than five questions to potential readers. Ask them, "What do you want?" Include the answers in your ezine and send a thank you to those who participate.

As a book coach and Internet marketing coach, my ezine may not appeal to free-lance writers looking for work. While my ezine reports news on traditional publishing route, it focuses on self-publishing and eBooks by non-fiction writers.It shows authors how to sell online, much cheaper, easier and make more profit than traditional marketing.

What do you put in your subject line when you send your ezine out?

Did you know that less than 50% open your ezine? Give subscribers a reason to open your ezine. Put the title of your feature article in the subject line followed by a dash and your ezine title. If too long to fit on the line, just include the part that will be recognized followed by ellipses.

How are you building your ezine subscriber list? What do you offer people who subscribe?

This sign on most Web sites turns people off: "Subscribe to Our Ezine."

What''s the motivation? None. To increase your targeted subscribers include a free eReport or ebook with every subscription. Get a strong testimonial like Dan Poynter''s for The Book Coach Says... ezine: "Filled with useful tips and resources--definitely worth your time." Place it on your home page. Give visitors a reason to buy.

Another way to build ezine subscribers is to submit articles online to opt-in ezines. When you get published your article will be seen by at least 15,000 ezine subscribers looking for information. You can send to 15 or more of these each time.

Many Webmasters and other business people who subscribe will see your professional article and want to post it on their Web sites or in their own ezine. Why? Because they need fresh content for their site and ezine. They want and need your information. While the list changes you might try article_announce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. What great publicity for you! It''s so powerful, my site got to #1 in Google and 35 other search engines in just eight months after submitting 30 plus how-to articles.

You can also submit to Web sites directly such as Marketing-Seek.com. When people see your articles, they will see the link to your Web site and visit, even buy. This viral marketing spreads the word fast and wide. It listed your coach''s URL on 4500 other web sites.

Submitting these how-to articles increases new subscribers from 10-25 each time you send. You can see why I''m sure to submit at least one article each week.

2. Submit Articles to Ezines and Web sites

After seeing different articles by you, your audience from the opt-in ezines and other Web sites will take advantage of your benefit-driven signature file, take you up on your free offer, visit your site, subscribe to your ezine, and eventually buy. Each time you submit an article, like me, you can boost new sales $50 to $100 a day.

Read articles on "How to Write a Publishable Article," "How to Write an Article Fast," "How to Submit Articles to Ezines and Web sites." Remember, the trick to promoting yourself and your products is giving away free information. It''s like tasting chocolate cookie samples at Mrs. Fields. Visitors will be more likely to buy after they experience a piece of you.

Keep your articles categorized too. At first, I submitted random articles. Then I realized 20 years of coaching experience could be put into six categories:

- Writing/Publishing
- eBooks
- Online Promotion
- Web Marketing/Promotion,
- Offline/Traditional Marketing
- Under 500 words

Like me, you can offer these categories and a new tip category by auto responder to specific audiences who want specific kinds of information. They appreciate the categories and the easy way to receive promotional articles. To receive over 100 articles on these categories go the web site link at the end of this article.

For the largest profits and connecting with people so they will want your product or service the two best ways to promote online are:

- Write a sales-oriented ezine and send regularly
- Send weekly how-to articles to your opt-in ezines and their publishers

Together they work beautifully to make you well known on the net.

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com', 177, 'Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions Five Ways - Part 1, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions Five Ways - Part 1 plus articles and information on Marketing

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 1000-500,000 visitors each day.

1. Run a search on the top search engines to find the top ten Web sites that need your content and will gladly post your articles. Try Alta Vista at: www.altavista.com or Google at www.google.com.

2. Use this great shortcut to find sites your articles will fit with. Instead of searching for "product marketing" or something that is targeted, use the keyword "business" without the quotations. Type in "business" in the blank "search for" box, then search. You will have several million Web sites that are about business.

Next, replace the keyword "business" with two words: "submit article" then click on the box just below the "search for" box and click where it says: "Search Within these results" Now, do that sub-search and see the pages that allow you to submit business articles. Reaching these sites gives you great publicity as it helps increase your credibility.

3. Visit the Web sites to see their layout and whether or not they have a regular ezine that needs tips, excerpts, or stories. Notice the different article categories to see where your work fits. Check to see if they want new content in the article format. On some sites you can even see how many hits your article produced.

4. Submit two or three well-edited articles at a time to save time and effort. Submit one or so articles each week if possible. When you practice writing regularly, your articles improve. When you submit excellent articles full of useful, unique information, you will start to be known as the expert Online. You''ll love it when people want to use the articles they see on one site for their own.

5. Submit these articles and get listed regularly by the search engines. The key words in your articles attract new visitors and potential clients and customers to your Web site or email address.

Get ready for web marketing. This proven way will bring you many rewards: new clients and new customers. You''ll also become a household name in your field.

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com', 177, 'Promote your Business and Products through Submitting Articles to Top Web Sites, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Promote your Business and Products through Submitting Articles to Top Web Sites plus articles and information on Marketing

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 call your target market; attend group meetings and seminars for your target market (conventions for doctors, lawyers; computer seminars); attend local Chamber of Commerce meetings; join groups related to your target market; if your target market uses a specific system, for example accountants use the SafeGuard system, contact them and tell them that you are available to teach them how to use the system or you can do it for them. Knock on doors and call others in your line of business for overload work, or clients they have trouble working with. Send surveys to your clients. This will also help you to obtain testimonials. Do a general survey of your target market. This will give you better leads. For example, for my classes, I have a survey I use that contains, what type of equipment is being used, what type of programs they are using, and whether or not they do desk top publishing in-house. This survey gives me the name, address, and phone number of the person to send my class listings to, in addition, to determining whether or not they are a desk top publishing prospect.

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it''s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com', 177, 'Marketing Tips 101 - Where Can I Get Clients From?, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Marketing Tips 101 - Where Can I Get Clients From? plus articles and information on Marketing

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 of
none.

Personally, I take this risk: as a marketing consultant, I move
from one market to the next frequently, and I am often involved
in "mass-marketing" - such as with infomercials selling weight
loss or cosmetics.

But I definitely prefer niche markets. I specialize, by
preference, in only three or four target markets. I target my
own businesses.

And I would suggest to you that the key to risk reduction; to
safety in marketing; to the shortest, most probable path to a win
- - - "you can never be specific enough."

I have taught this as "Message-To-Market Match" for over ten
years. It is absolutely, inarguably proven valid. And, as an
almost inviolate rule, the tighter, the more precise, the more
perfect the match is, the better the results.

A Horse Is A Horse, Of Course, Of Course - But . . .

Consider the person who has a new nutritional formula for horses.
It improves the overall health, vitality and stamina of the
horse. It can be sold to owners of show horses, thoroughbred
racehorses, standard-bred (harness) racehorses, quarter horses,
rodeo horses, and so on.

But let''s recognize, for example, that people involved with
thoroughbreds dislike, distrust and disavow kinship with those
involved with standard-breds. It would be a big error to use the
same message for both. Try crossing over one testimonial and
you''d lose a whole market.

Now, let''s take just the thoroughbred market. Trainers who
specialize in bringing along youngsters will respond differently
than the "journeymen" trainers who work mostly with already
broken, older horses.

Trainers who frequent the West Coast tracks do not like the East
Coast guys and vice versa. And, in each case, the more perfectly
I matched my message, my talk, my testimonials, etc. to the
specific sub-sub-sub-section of the market, the better the
results I would get.

This sort of thing exists everywhere.

I used to market a lot to chiropractors. In fact, I built the
largest integrated seminar and publishing company exclusively
serving chiropractors and dentists in North America, in only
three years.

There are about 35,000 chiropractors; we did some business with
over 10,000 of them --- that''s 30% market penetration. But did
you know . . . there are "straight" chiropractors, holistic
chiropractors, chiropractors who specialize in work injuries,
chiropractors who only use the Activator method. . . that there
are individual constituencies within chiropractic tied to
different practice management gurus. . . a small number who
practice cooperatively with medical doctors, but most are at war
with medical doctors . . . ?

Well, if you don''t know all that, you can''t message-to-market
match.

And you may go off so half-cocked you get clobbered. This is
why you or your expert-partner must really know your target
market inside out and upside down. And you should still do a ton
of homework. It still amazes me how many people are eager to
spend money but too damned lazy to spend a week at the library.

I routinely beat most graphically jazzed up, colorful, slick
brochures with a long-form sales letter. Give me typewriter and
I''ll give you a sales letter that''ll outperform one that was
typeset at much greater cost. Simple is better.

So the bottom-line is: Keep it simple and market to as highly-
targeted a market as you possible can. You-and your pocketbook-
will be glad you did.

Dan Kennedy is a marketing consultant and copywriter who helps
entrepreneurs cut waste out of advertising, end cold prospecting,
sell at prices higher than competitors and dramatically increase
profits.The author of "No B.S. Business Success" and other books,
as a speaker he has frequently appeared on programs with former
U.S. Presidents, General Colin Powell, Larry King, Zig Ziglar,
Brian Tracy and Jim Rohn. For info on his monthly "No B.S.
Marketing Letter" go to http://www.DanKennedyLetter.com

NOTE: You may run this article provided you run it with the bio
box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with article
in it to Mr. Kennedy''s publicist at ArticleDeptBill@rtir.com
', 177, 'A Jack Of All Trades Is Often The Master of None, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'A Jack Of All Trades Is Often The Master of None plus articles and information on Marketing

The Money Making Secret of The Toll Booth Position

I''m a marketing consultant and at one of my client-companies, a
company that, in less than 10 years, has gone from a $10 million
to a $100 million dollar business one of the people I work with
frequently has jokingly given herself the title, ''Vice President,
Back-End.''

Although that clearly opens her up to be the butt of many jokes,
it does very accurately describe her very, very important area of
responsibility, in direct marketing parlance. At least 80% of the
company''s profitability depends on her contributions.

If the term "back-end" is new to you, it means everything you
sell your customers after their initial purchase (that first
order is called the "front-end"). For instance, let''s say you
sell instructional video tapes to golfers on how to play better.
You advertise in golf magazines and your lead product is a $25
video on putting strategies. That''s your "front-end" because
that''s what people buy first. But then once people purchase that
first video, you send them a catalog offering them over 50 other
golf videos ranging in price from $50 to $99. Those follow-on
videos are your "back-end."

In many businesses, there is a relatively brief period of time
during which there are significant, exciting profits on the
front-end, that is the very first sale to a customer.

But that happy situation dissolves over time, as you "cream" the
market. And, as you go deeper and deeper into a market, the cost
of making the first sale (acquiring a customer) goes up and up.
For instance, in the above example of the golf videos the first
time you run a magazine ad you might pull 100 orders. But if you
keep running it every month, your order volume will probably drop
off steadily. Within six months, you''d be lucky to be selling 30
videos from the same ad in the same magazine. As some point, it
gets so high it is no longer practical to advertise and sell that
product to that market.

Nothing is forever. This fact of life is what mandates being
smart about making all the money that you can from the back-end.

The good news is that your satisfied customers are probably
willing to buy other things from you -- and they don''t even have
to be your own products/services. You can make deals with other
companies to offer their products/services to your customers in
exchange for a piece of the action.

For instance, let''s go back to our example of the golf video
company. You might do a "joint venture" with a manufacturer of
special golf clubs which sell for $1,500 a set. You''ll mail a
letter to your customers telling them how well these clubs will
improve their golf game and you''ll get $750 on each order placed.
If your customers trust you, they''ll be much more likely to
respond to your letter than they would be if the golf club
manufacturer mailed to them directly.

Of course you only want to recommend high-quality products and
services which will be of value to your customers. But you get
the idea. You could make similar deals with other companies who
sell what golfers want -- golf apparel, golf trip and excursion
operators, even custom home builders who sell houses near golf
courses. They''d all happily pay you a ''toll'' commission to sell
their wares to your customers.

No matter what your business, one of the most valuable assets you
have is a list of satisfied customer, predisposed to buy from you
again. When you control a sizable list of customers who bought
from you, know your name/business name, are happy with what they
bought and with the ensuing relationship ... and are pre-disposed
to read your mail and buy from you again, it''s like owning your
own "toll booth."

A pioneer of direct marketing, Harvey Brody, taught me the power
and value of getting into "The Toll Booth Position" and I''ve been
teaching it for years. Imagine owning your own toll booth on the
highway near your city. Anybody who wants to get to the other
side of that toll booth has to pass through its gates and pay you
money.

As the controller of a responsive customer list, that''s exactly
where you are; sitting there in your own toll booth and anybody
who wants to get their appropriate product or service to those
customers you control, has to pay you money.

You can collect a toll through joint ventures, as described above
wherein you do an endorsed mailing to your customers and get a
piece of all sales that result.

Or, if you build a list of 50,000 or more, through outright lists
rentals. I have a number of clients who pay all their overhead
expenses every year just with the checks they get from the list
broker representing their list to others.

I have often paid others to pass through their toll booths ---
and done so cheerfully. I have also been paid by others eager to
get through my toll booth, to my customers, with my endorsement.

In the direct marketing business, it''s a well-known fact that
most of the profits is derived from back-end sales to existing
customers. Yet outside that business, I rarely encounter a
company which comes anywhere close to tapping the potential of
establishing their own "toll booth position." Get started
building yours right now and start charging others to go down
your road.

NOTE: You may run this article provided you run it with the bio
box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with article
in it to Mr. Kennedy''s publicist at ArticleDeptBill@rtir.com
', 177, 'The Money Making Secret of The Toll Booth Position, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'The Money Making Secret of The Toll Booth Position plus articles and information on Marketing

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 is aimed at the right individual.

Second, describe the products or services that you think best apply to each client. This is not a sales forecast but rather a listing of products you think can best help his or her business.

Third, make a list of your competitors. Include their products and any marketing programs they have. If they use fliers, advertisements and so on, list them and, if possible, the dates they appeared.

Fourth, write down the marketing plan you''ve used for each client. If you send anyone literature, be sure to include the date and result. Was a purchase made? Was there a request for more information? Did someone call? If no action was taken, note that, too.

Last, but not least, keep track of your marketing costs per client or prospect.

A well organized plan will get you the results you need, and give you the information you need to make any changes in your strategy.

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it''s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com', 177, 'Marketing Worksheet, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Marketing Worksheet plus articles and information on Marketing

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 of the 10 Cornerstone Principles of Marketing, success will come. Here are the 10 Cornerstone Principles to Marketing Success

1. The Principle of Packaging. The way you package your product or service is a deal breaker. If you sell a product, it has everything to do with the packaging, the colors, the box, the container -- everything. If you sell a service and offer just one service, there still needs to be packaging. Just a different time. Packaging for a service provider resides in their offer. If you offer one solution which most independent professionals do, like an hourly or day rate, then you don''t have a package. A package is a combination of items that create an offer that support the client in accomplishing their goal.

2. The Principle of Differentiation. You want to be the red crayon in the box of white crayons. You must know how you are different from your competitors and you must be able to convey that in all your messages in a way that your prospects pick it up simply. If you think you don''t have any competitors, you do. If you know you are different and don''t convey it, you lose. You must leverage your differences.

3. The Principle of Repeat Business. One-time buying is short-term revenue and requires ten times more work to find new clients. Keeping multiple, a lifelong paying client is your objective. If you offer a one-time event, you do not have a marketing process -- you have a single sale. A marketing process sells to clients over and over again.

4. The Principle of Frequency. The number two reason businesses fail is because they don''t stay in touch with previous clients. Frequency builds trust and trust is a requirement for a sale.

5. The Principle of Multiple Streams. Having many ways for people to buy from you always provides the desired revenue results. This requires a combination of active sales (where you participate) and passive sales (that sells without your presence).

6. The Principle of Reciprocity. This principle, also considered an exchange, is about relationships and networks. If you want to be alone, then your battle is gong to be long, hard, and it will fail. Build your vendor team, your Research & Development team, your administrative team, your strategic alliances, your bartering team, and your attraction will multiple. This works on the principle: "you scratch my back and I will scratch yours." It is not just about relationships, it is about the value of those relationships.

7. The Principle of Likeability. If people don''t know you, how can they like you? They need to like you before they will trust you and they must trust you before they buy from you.

8. The Principle of Communication. This is the most valuable asset you have. Communication is like your bank account: when you communicate correctly, you have a deposit, when you fail to communicate you will have a withdrawal. If, on balance they get "insufficient funds," that client is gone. Always ask, "Am I providing value that creates a deposit?"

9. The Principle of Perception. Your client''s perception creates the sale. So many business owners think their service or product is absolutely great and they cannot understand why it is not selling. It is because they developed their product or service according to their perceptions and not their prospects'' needs. Perception begins with what your employees think of their job, so start with their job responsibilities and titles. If your receptionist is the main point of contact for your company, change her perception of her position and your client''s impression will alter. Call her the "Director of First Impressions."

10. The Principle of Emotion. Eighty-five percent of the buying decision is made from emotions and then justified with logic. This means you must first connect with their emotions and then give them the logic to justify what they bought. You cannot do one without the other.

Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Additional Articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com', 177, 'The 10 Cornerstone Principles of Marketing, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'The 10 Cornerstone Principles of Marketing plus articles and information on Marketing

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 into greater details on:

* Why slogans are important in today''s society fast-pace information systems.

* What is a slogan?

* Learn the six major types of slogans.

* The many uses for slogans.

* Seven ways to make slogans memorable.

First, lets create a clear definition for a slogan. A slogan is a noun, usually repeated and persuasive that creates a memorable catch phrase, motto, or jingle, that expresses a particular aim or concept. A concept that you want to stick in your audience''s mind like glue to paper.

Second, what makes a slogan memorable? Brevity is first in line -- normally 10 words or less. Rhythm is the only exception to brevity. Rhythm is easier to create if there is an association to the receiver''s past -- like a particular jingle on TV during their teen years for those now in their 50s. I still hold one from a TV ad long ago, "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should." And I never smoked.

An additional method is through repetition or language vividness. More on this later.

Third, what are the benefits for using slogans? Brevity, as mentioned earlier, meets the requirements of today''s fast pace. Slogans also influence decisions, persuade, and add credibility. Our brains are like filing cabinets. A slogan makes it easier to file and pull when needed. For NLPers, neuro-linguistic programming, slogans create anchors. When people repeat the slogan, then consider it filed.

There are five major slogan types:

(1) A feature -- a uniqueness or difference between a substance, product or object. Ex: "Write an ebook in 7 days."

(2) A benefit -- a result that someone receives. Remember, this saves you [time or money].

(3) A question -- thought-provoking methods. "How would you like to be a millionaire in three years?"

(4) A challenge -- a dare. Ex: The Marines, "We are only looking for a few good men."

(5) A structure -- a design or collection put together for a single purpose. Ex: "The Abundance Center holds all the information you will ever need to know on abundance."

There are seven ways to make a slogan memorable:

(1) Make it exciting

(2) Be boastful or exaggerated

(3) Self-referencing

(4) Metaphorical, playful or humorous

(5) Inspirational or uplifting

(6) To trigger painful memories or possibilities

(7) Use of vivid or freshful language

Okay, the basics are out of the way. Yet to come: How to use slogans in your personal life, career, and business. Including examples for re-enforcement.

Create Life Slogans

Life slogans help energize goals, dreams, and even change beliefs. One of my favorite slogans gets me jumping out of bed every morning (benefit, self-referencing): "Everyday begins as a clean new slate, I am free to choose what gets written there." Is there a slogan that swirls around in your head in the morning? Share it with others -- write a poem or create a story about it.

Playtime: Create a life slogan, two or three, that get you hopping. Try them out for a day or two. Measure their energy from 1-10 (10 being highest). Share and ask for feedback.

Do you have children? Create positive slogans that rhythm and trigger action. I don''t recommend negative slogans like, "Last one in, is a rotten egg." Create positive slogans, "First one in, gets a hug (rhythm and action). This slogan is a little too cute, yet it makes my point.

Create Career Slogans

Do you belong to Toastmasters or give presentations? Use slogans for the title, then repeat it in your content along with its meaning, and as the last line. Watch how many mention its affects afterwards. Create a new one for each speech.

Create interview slogans. Ones that help them remember you. Know the company''s slogan. Create a slogan that builds on you''re your features and benefits of why they need to hire you. Use it during the interview. You can create one that can use one or two of the different types: self- referencing, metaphorical or inspirational.

Slogans are powerful enough that people, like comedians and actors, have developed entire careers around them. You don''t need to be famous to start. Slogans can even become book titles later on.

Business Slogans

In business, slogans are usable for self-introductions, prospective presentations, on web sites, in e-mail signatures, and even speaking engagements.

Example: You are a coach giving a presentation for a contract with a company for life coaching or business coaching. Create a slogan for a process or concept on what applications you will be using. Or give the process an acronym, like S.T.O.P. [something]. Let the acronym be the start of the slogan. Create one for your complimentary sessions. You can also create a slogan to share each week with your clients.

Be creative, use a slogan in each of your sales and marketing processes, change them frequently if you need to. Sold a contract a year ago with one slogan, create another, and sell them another contract this year.

Use slogans in article titles, ebooks or books. Sometimes a slogan takes off and becomes so memorable it becomes the brand for a company. Coke Cola with the slogan, "The real thing," took themselves to first place in the marketplace with these three words. Everything afterwards just wasn''t the real thing.

Creating a Slogan

Where do you start to build slogan''s? Re-read any of your notes or material. Highlight phrases that contain high energy. Do you lead teleclasses, like I do? Ask participants at the end of each call for two or three words of what they are taking away. Whatever they provide was memorable for them. Hear it multiple times, those are sure slogans. This also applies to pilot programs you might give. Ask for feedback, they are usually built in slogans.

Ask, "What do I want people to remember about [me][my company]?" KISS it -- keep it simple and short. That is possibly a slogan.

Next, ask, "What do I want them to do?" This is another type of slogan. Yellow pages had a great one for years, "Let your fingers do the walking."

Another way to create a slogan is to take two phrases that have parallel construction and place them together with a comma. Ex: Prizefighter Ali, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

Rhyme helps create memorable. Read poetry for triggers or language that influences or inspires.

Ask friends for help. Make it a game at a meal event. Ask clients too on feedback as to what makes you memorable to them. They always keep it short.

Be playful when creating slogans. Keep take of them too in your business journal or in a slogan file on your computer. Add and use them frequently. Encourage others to do the same. Success attracts success. Share it and it will, "Always attract back everything you need."

Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Additional Articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com', 177, 'Slogans: Creating and Using Them In Life, Career and Business, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Slogans: Creating and Using Them In Life, Career and Business plus articles and information on Marketing

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 to this list. Brochures are not a good investment for a first piece. When someone asks for a brochure and you don''t have one, this doesn''t mean you ignore their request. Worse scenario, you may run wildly around using up a large portion of your year''s marketing budget completing one.

If you move or update your materials frequently, it isn''t wise to spend thousands of dollars on new material. Here are a few alternatives. You can use a professionally created folding business card as a main document. Another option to expensive letterhead is to print your own in a two-pass process. Use a color printer in the first pass for your logo and use a black and white pass through for the content. Use Kinko''s if you don''t have a color printer (http://www.kinkos.com). At Kinko''s you can send them a file via Internet, have them print the color portion on high quality paper.

Mailing out a marketing piece weeks after your first contact is too late. When opportunity knocks, be ready. Timing is everything. If you don''t, the extra time allows them to solve the issue on their own, or change its priority.

It is always preferable to have a serious phone discussion even before an in-person meeting. If they don''t show up for the call, it is easier to recoup your time, and it indicates they aren''t ready to buy. All you need to do is follow-up lightly to remind them to contact you when the time is right. Send them a newsletter, template letter, or flyer and not expensive material. People generally toss items they receive on the first punch. Save the best for a time when the punch is more effective. Multi-follow-ups show them that you aren''t a fly-by-night going-to-fad-in-the- next-few-months provider.

Giving too much information early in the marketing process overwhelms customers and jeopardizes the sale. It makes them nervous about you. This is, of course, if you are selling services or products worth more than whatever your market considers discretionary.

Instead, create a call to action to get them to visit your web site periodically, send them an "I''m still here for you when you are ready" note, or a printed copy of your latest newsletter or ezine.

Selling a product? Send an oversized post card or direct mail piece. The direct mail piece needs to use an "I''m- following-up" language and not a "you-never-met-us-yet" dialogue.

Have template letters, Word or Act, ready to go with a few clicks. Design them so the first or second paragraphs are easy to add a personalized follow-up dialogue.

When you drive along the same route and one day you spot something that seems new, only later discover it''s been there all along you are pleasantly surprised. For even when we seem fully awake, many things pass our radar. .

In marketing, it is the same experience. We don''t see something that''s been there until something happens and wakes us up. The seven-times rule, a proven marketing principle, is the "you have demonstrated credibility" and "I now see you" model. The seven-time rule applies whether the main marketing draw is a web site, networking, direct mail, or a combination. People who don''t like to sell stop after the first or second punch.

Printed materials do indicate credibility and quality counts in most cases. If you post your brochures at your State''s visitor''s center, you will see that they stand next to many similar ones. What stands out are the one-half page black and white flyers or the like. In this situation, the plain black and whites get the attention of many. It is important to know how, when, and where your materials are going to be viewed and be represented.

For mailings, this doesn''t mean send the best stuff first and let it do the sale for you. No, no, no. Printed material seldom makes the sale. It''s just another contact point. First punches are either tossed or buried in some stack.

If your price is under $100, send them to your web site. Over, send them material for added credibility. This also depends on the target market value of your price. If your market considers $500 a drop in the bucket then credibility perception changes.

Interview past purchasers. Find out when did they first take notice and how many before they took action. Was it when they received a certain number of contacts? Always. When did the need make it a priority. Create a list of the triggers and look for those signs in future contacts. Model your follow-up program accordingly.

In several studies, 92% of the purchase makers cited that letterhead, envelopes and business cards where the major factors in how they rated creditability.

Credibility can be lost if your material includes careless mistakes or omits vital information. In the buyer''s perspective, all the answers need to lead on how they can feel confident about your service or product and how it solves their need.

One of my services is printed material and web site analysis. After reviewing 294 brochures, I found 81.5% of the information dancing around solutions instead of commitment to direct and clear solutions. Non-commitment is the biggest sales destroyers. Don''t send them material about X when they inquired about Y. If it doesn''t answer Y, it''s tossed. And you have 30 seconds to 3 minutes to complete their question. Long sales letters demonstrate commitment in receiver''s minds because of the thought and care it took to create and address their challenge.

Also, don''t send Y, with the "I think we need to offer this because we''ve received a few inquires lately even if it''s off our path" feeling. If you are unable to fit in the time to write a letter explaining how and why you can provide Y, then pass it up. This may be a "good" opportunity but not be the "great" opportunity you truly want to attract.

If, on the other hand, their issue isn''t clearly understood or known, then you''re asking the horse to jump the fence without knowing how height. It''s a wasted effort and you can lame the horse. Don''t mail it with an "if it works, okay, if it doesn''t oh well" energy. This gives the impression that you weren''t listening. A big strike against you. Usually one too big to overcome.

For service businesses, it is best to complete your first contact verbally and follow-up with printed material once or twice, then verbally, then twice, etc. Give prospects the 1-2-3 punches if you have the answer. Be honest if you don''t provide what they are seeking. Don''t adjust and accommodate because sales are down for the month. This is a disservice to your customer and your business. This will diminish assets later. Share the wealth; earn a life-long customer, and new collaborator with your referral.

Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Additional Articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com', 177, 'One-Two-Three Punch Marketing, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'One-Two-Three Punch Marketing plus articles and information on Marketing

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 turning a deaf ear to their market. Yet it can be easy to do since most of us have a jammed packed life already, with little time to spare let alone to listen to what our market is saying. Yet, we can''t afford not to, or we lose our revenue. Relying even 40 percent on push marketing turns off the sound to your market. Okay, Catherine, what is push marketing?

Push marketing is when you use brochures, flyers and other material -- including your business card -- and you push them out into the market praying all the time you are doing it, hoping they read them and will take the action you want them to. This is an easy rhythm to get into because it allows you to hide and not feel any rejection. Yes, if you don''t know who they are, they can''t reject you.

Materials are supporting documentation and should never be used to push what people need to buy from you. Yet, business owners, especially independent professionals and newbie''s (under 3 years in business) use push marketing to frequently to "feel" like they are marketing. Then when the response rate is nil or real small, which is always the case, they get disappointed, give up (major reason for dissolutions in the first 3 years of businesses), and begin to think they can''t market, or marketing is "t-o-o" hard.

Then they walk around pointing out why people aren''t buying. Take a moment, do it now before you forget, and make a quick list of what you use to market your service -- brochures, business card, flyers, what else? Yes, most web sites are push marketing -- you need to push people to get them to visit. Of course, there are some exceptions.

Now ask, "How much do I count on for these materials to market for me? Do you go to networking events and push your business card into everyone''s hand?" Oh, did you feel that whoosh of negative energy with that sentence? I sure did. Next time, keep those business cards in your pocket until asked for one and then still hesitate to give it out without some boundaries or criteria.

Why, because a business card has all your contact information on it. U-know, name, phone number, and maybe a logo that took you a year or two to develop that your market could care less about.

Your business card doesn''t say how kind, understanding, caring or what you know or the value you bring to your clients. Its just flat energy.

Well, then, Catherine, how can you do this differently? Thought you would never ask.

Be creative. Think of a few things you would prefer to do to establish a relationship with your market. How about printing a copy of your ebook or latest article and discussing the topic instead of handing out a business card. Take one or two copies with you to give to qualified leads.

If someone else sees you giving the ebook out, and you want them to, invite them to a free upcoming teleclass and say its part of the handouts (even if it isn''t). Take out a small note sheet that has your name, web site, and phone number printed on them (here''s a vendor I recommend if you don''t have any of these already -- various sizes -- Day Timer http://www.daytime.com), and write down the name, date and time of the next teleclass and tell them they can register by visiting your web site.

KEY: The moment you use ink and take the time to write it down it, you move from push marketing to relationship building marketing.

Make it your goal to connect and begin building a relationship with your market. Look around and take measurement on how you are using with your material. Create a "measurement moment" and check in regularly. I do. Ask, "How can I do something different this week that builds connections?" Make a list of one or two you can do differently. Then test them. Be creative.

Ask, "How can I learn about at least one of their challenges?" After you do, spend some quality time thinking how your product or service answers that challenge. If not, and it fits into your niche, then ask the universe to send you some options on how you can. This will open new doors of creative flow for you.

Remember, this is a learning curve, behavioral change, and shift in mentality. So, adapt and adopt with patience and love.

When you connect with others you double, even triple your attractiveness and money. Solo attracts solo.

Questions to support your evolution

> Is your marketing communication two way?

> Is your push marketing percent too high?

> How can I ask prospects to share with me their biggest problems or challenges?

> How does that relate to what I am offering?

> How can I change this right now?

> Have I put my "measurement moment" on my regular agenda for next week, next month?

> What 3 questions can I have in my arsenal for my next point of contact (include e-mail in this as well)?

Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Additional Articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com', 177, 'Knock, knock. Whos There? Your Target Market, Are You Listening?, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Knock, knock. Whos There? Your Target Market, Are You Listening? plus articles and information on Marketing

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 or by you, your product catalog or list and even your business card.

1. What is the one single important subject from your experience or knowledge that you want to tell the world about? If you have a list or create a list, which one speaks to you the loudest?

2. What are you most frequently surprised about that people ask about in your subject area? Track all the questions people are asking -- they are telling you what they are willing to buy. It is usually something so common sense to you that it escapes your radar. Be observant for a month and you will be amazed on what pops up.

3. When you created your list or selected the single important subject, look to narrow down this topic into segments. Can these segments be a product or service on their own? Most of the time it can be.

4. How will you spread the word -- what will be your marketing tool for this subject/segment? Think how buyers want to hear about it (not what''s in your comfort level -- that is if you want it to be easy as possible -- however it doesn''t have to be). Can this become a profit center for you? If yes, how? What are your ideas and thoughts?

5. What is the top thing you want people to know about this subject/segment? Is it a new skill, perspective, attitude, expanding general knowledge, wisdom -- what?

6. Does the information need to be presented in logical order or randomly?

7. What do you want people to do or not to do, change or move during or afterwards with this? How will this benefit them?

8. Who besides this market can benefit from this? Are there any other specific markets that this would apply to? Manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, who?

9. Is there any specific words or language for this topic/subject/segment? If not specific, what words appear more frequently than others? Create a list of keywords that you might search on the Internet if you were looking for information on this.

10. Think back to a time when you first learned about this topic/subject/segment. Did you keep any notes or journal entries? Did you receive an aha moment when you learned a principle or key about this? Yes, then write about the story/aha moment.

11. Do some research on the Internet and Amazon. What other information is available on this? How old is this information? Create a file in your word processing software and call it "[your topic/subject] research." Do the research in small chunks or big ones. Don''t read until you have collected 10-20 pages. Set a time limit on the research and/or number of pages of research notes. Don''t forget to track the URL source. Keep cutting and pasting the information in as you progress.

12. What do people need to know about you? Why do you want to tell this or teach it? Do you have any credentials, if not, that''s okay to, however, what is your experience on this topic? More times than not, life training is worth a lot more than credentials.

13. Do you have any other information that connects or compliments this topic/segment? Another article, booklet, audiotape -- anything -- go-ahead pull it out and gather it all together.

14. Have you heard any short anecdotes on this topic? If so, what were they, who was the source? Can you interview them to hear it again? Give them the credit; it makes you more attractive on the topic?

15. Does your information need visual assistance? Graphics, pictures, charts, models. Anything come to mind as a possibility? Draft out every idea so they can grow. Use the research you are doing to spark your creativity. If someone presents it in words, can you do it in a model or drawing?

16. Are there any ebooks on the topic? What about special reports? Paid or free? If purchased, does it compliment your topic or how can you create a different angle and use it to compliment? Can you create an affiliate with their product? Do you want to use it as a marketing lead-in or as a bonus?

Boy, that was tough thinking about all this and answering these questions. Yes, I agree. Yet, as I know you well see while reading them, how important they are to your success.

Now, the tough time comes, you need to sit down and answering them. Not just once, however, on a regular basis. Like minimum once a year.

Take the time, it''s the best time you will ever spend working "on" your business. Best wishes on your journey. If you need guidance, let me know.

Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Additional Articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com', 177, 'Creating Assets: Spark Your Thinking With These 16 Comprehensive Questions, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'Creating Assets: Spark Your Thinking With These 16 Comprehensive Questions plus articles and information on Marketing

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 that might be interfering.

Higher paying clients are easier to work with, appreciate your work more, pay quicker and are more profitable.

Whenever I am asked by a independent profession how to get a client to pay more money, the first answer tends to be "you can''t." It is very difficult to raise your rates with your existing clients. You generally need to find new, higher- paying clients.

1. Equal stature. People usually take the time to listen to people who are just as important as they are. Are you on their listening level? Dress the way they do, even if you deal with them only over the phone. Speak in their language. Show the same type of authority and posture. Avoid jargon and words they aren''t familiar with, yet use ones that they are. Talk across or equal not down or up. Take control of the relationship. This may seem to aggressive, however, this is the way you raise yourself to their equal.

2. Thoroughly know their challenges and what solutions your service/product provides.If you can''t relate to their "world" then they will not let you in. They are proud of their "world" because they made it so.

3. Be friendly with all those that surround them. Administrative secretary, receptionist, any of their gatekeepers. Yes, they will report about you on your behavior.

4. The higher the ladder you go, the more likely they will be a visionary. This means they are more concerned about the future and will talk and think in those terms. Visionaries are not price sensitive so don''t even place that on your radar screen with them. Know what their visions are, support those visions in any way you can. If you have a product or service that can make their business better, you will have a sale. Remember though, it''s their perspective of "better" and not yours.

5. The higher you go, the more they expect in great service and additional services outside the scope of what you provide everyone else.

6. ALWAYS keep your promises before an after the sale and they will keep the relationship. Break it once, yes, usually just once and you''re history.

7. Don''t brown nose. They smell it a mile away. They will either quickly turn you away or play you for entertainment and then toss you away. Once you get this label you can almost hang it up in their circle unless you fess up to your inappropriate behavior.

8. They don''t have the word "mistake" in their vocabulary. Everything to them is a "learning lesson" and is connected to a price tag. If you are even harboring some person beliefs of making mistakes, they will sense this as fear. And since fear has a special energy/vibration they have keen senses for it.

9. Their first response to your proposal will always be "how can they do it in house themselves." Expect to be able to demonstrate the specialness and if you can particular show how it can be completed in-house, the more brownie points you earn. The higher your expertise or specialties the less chance they can "create it in house." This is because higher paying clients tend to gravitate to specialists.

10. The higher the clientele, the better their leveraging skills are. If they can figure out how to leverage it better and cheaper, you will lose. This isn''t always true, most times if they have too much on their plate already and don''t want to spend their focus time away AND they like you, you can get the sale.

11. "No" is a test. Don''t take anything for granted. Flexibility and diversity are important in riding out the storm.

12. Find clients to whom your work is not only valuable, but essential to their goals.

13. Know your worth and stand by it.

14. Remove the "under earner" mind set.

15. Make it easy for them to work with you. Remove any hoops or extra steps that take up their time.

16. Decide in advance what you''re going to do if they don''t accept your higher fee.

17. Presentation level needs to be on their level or perceived to be there.

18. Rely more on referrals for this market.

19. Be confident and know you can attract them. Feel and allow the possibility without question -- 100%. Remove any doubt.

Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Additional Articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com', 177, '19 Ways To Attract Higher Paying Clients, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', '19 Ways To Attract Higher Paying Clients plus articles and information on Marketing

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 sister easily threw another student flat on his back. What staggered me though was the size of the student.

He was huge.

But she didn''t strain or struggle. She simply appeared to step calmly backwards as he approached and let him fall over her in a big circle to land flat on his back.

I was amazed and by the look on his face so was he.

You may be mistaken in thinking he was going easy on her, but he wasn''t. There was something in the way she reacted to his movement which gave her this enormous power.

Something in the technique she used that enabled her to lift a 20 stone man off the ground and plant him flat on his back.

I''m now going to share her secret with you with ideas for applying these principles to your own business...

Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo devised a theory known as "kazushi" which essentially means, "Using a minimum amount of strength, it is possible to throw your opponent if you force him off balance by breaking his posture."

Kazushi (unbalancing your opponent) is effectively promoting the idea of "Minimum Effort - Maximum Impact". Which, by no coincidence, happens to be the key concept behind Lean Marketing.

This understanding of Kazushi is what gave my 10 year-old sister the power and belief she needed to throw the 20 stone man.

She yielded to his forward momentum and put her foot in a position low enough to act as a lever which had the effect of disturbing his balance with the full force of his own momentum and weight behind it.

In other words she harnessed all 20 stone of his weight, combined it with her own and used it all against him!

So How Do You Use Kazushi In Your Business?

Key #1 - Balance Jim Rohn once said, "The same wind blows on us all, what matters is the set of the sail." You need to make balanced, reasoned decisions to be most efficient.

This means you need to realise the harmony in all parts of your business. It''s no good chasing new business if you ignore the clients you already have. There''s no point in striving for financial success at the cost of your health, friends and fun.

Balanced thinking also means the ability to put things in perspective. Small problems affect us all. It''s when we see these small things as big that we get carried away and can over-react.

Key #2 - Momentum I talk a lot about using pain and gain as a motivator. This is essentially a tool for creating momentum. But momentum without a direction is waste.

Make sure you have vivid, powerful goals. Keep your end in mind and be willing to go with the flow and will of others where necessary so that your outcome can still be realised.

Don''t tackle problems head on but guide people in a direction that is mutually beneficial. Argument and conflict is wasteful and should be avoided where possible.

Pace people. Show them you understand them. Then guide them and allow their own momentum to do the rest.

Don''t get carried away pursuing things that do not lead to your desired outcome - otherwise your momentum may be the very thing that trips you up.

Key #3 Leverage By recognising levers you''ll be able to harness the power of momentum and make it your own. Effectively harnessing energy in the same way that a sail on a boat uses the wind to make it move.

Knowing where and when to take action and understanding that the little adjustments and small things can make the big difference will give you unlimited power.

Gain support. Ask for favours. Use your network. Make other people''s time and money work for you and them simultaneously and you''ll achieve a lot more a lot sooner and with a lot less effort.

As the saying goes: "If you give enough people what they want - they''ll help you to get what you want too.

4 Out Of 5 Small Businesses Go Bust Inside 5 Years! Finally - A Guaranteed Way To Make Sure You''re Not One Of Them... http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk/toolbooks', 177, 'How A Tiny 10 Year Old Girl Can Throw A 20 Stone Man - 3 Key Lessons In The Gentle Art Of Business, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', 'How A Tiny 10 Year Old Girl Can Throw A 20 Stone Man - 3 Key Lessons In The Gentle Art Of Business plus articles and information on Marketing

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 E Gerber, US Department of Commerce)

In The UK...

- 2003 Saw 423,100 New Businesses In England & Wales Startup

- Over Half of All New Firms Fail In The First 3 Years

- At Least 211,550 Of These Businesses Will Have Failed Before The End Of 2006

(Source: Barclays SME Market Research Team England & Wales Statistics Based On Business Current Account Customers)

Unfortunately more and more people are being encouraged to go it alone by government agencies and banks while being given out-dated advice that doesn''t actually work.

The advisors in these organisations typically have experience in larger production / manufacturing / financial businesses and share marketing advice that really doesn''t work for the majority of small service-based businesses today.

Their text-book marketing principles simply do not translate to businesses with limited money to invest in advertising, direct mail and telesales.

In many cases these advisors are telling people how to run a business even though they''re actually working for a bank or government agency themselves. They have no real experience spending their own money to grow a business.

Survival and inevitable success means being lean, mean and focused on getting a genuine result (in the form of profit) from the time and money you invest.

So here are 5 tips you can use to take the power back and begin "fail proofing" your growing business today.

#1. Question "Experts" Thoroughly

Be wary of government funded trainers and / or advisors put forward by banks.

These people, in many cases, don''t have a clue what its like to run and grow their own business. Make it your job to "suss them out" before taking anything they tell you too seriously.

Some questions that I like...

What''s your experience of starting and running a small business?

Have you actually spent your own money trying to make a business work?

What mistakes have you made? What lessons can I learn from your experience?

Will this advice / support / idea cost me money or make me money?

Who really benefits when I take the course of action you''re recommending?

#2. Model Excellent Businesses

Now by this I don''t mean simply copy random things they do.

Just because the boss of a successful firm like yours drives a brand-new Bentley it doesn''t mean you should rush out and buy one too. That won''t guarantee success.

You''re looking to find the things that she did in order to afford the Bentley in the first place.

So find out as much about their processes and systems as you can and then look for evidence to support applying similar things that work for them to your business.

Subscribe to their mailing list. Visit their premises. Talk to their staff. Talk to their customers. Read their ads (or notice that they don''t advertise). Network with them.

You can learn just as much from non-competing businesses too. So why not set up a support / learning group or see if a successful entrepreneur would be able to mentor you.

#3. Have A BIG Goal

Big goals, by definition, should be easier to hit than small goals. So don''t think small - think big.

After nearly 8 years in business I still like to set regular, big, 90 day goals. I call these goals SHAGs - Short Hairy Audacious Goals.

Too many businesses focus on surviving. They think in terms of what they don''t want. They miss the opportunity to really succeed and then get what they were desperately trying to avoid - failure!

Focusing on what you don''t want really doesn''t work. If you don''t want to fail you should focus on succeeding in a big way.

#4. Improve Constantly

Have goals and set targets. Know what outcomes you want and quantify them where possible.

Then work towards your goals using the following cycle...

1. Implement (Do Something) 2. Measure (Test & Review) 3. Improve (Learn & Adjust)

As my friend and firewalk trainer Sanjay Shah says, if you simply improve by 1 percent a day, you''ll have improved 300 percent (allowing for holidays) in a year!

#5. Don''t Follow The Crowd

Look, we both know most businesses fail so don''t do what most other businesses do or you''ll get the same results.

Don''t just advertise because every other business seems to advertise. Make sure advertising will make you money.

Don''t just do telesales because that happens to be the service your local Chamber of Commerce is selling.

Don''t measure turnover when profit and cashflow is usually more important.

Don''t take on staff just because other businesses believe more people equals growth. More people often just means less profit!

Don''t do the same thing, in the same way, to the same people as every other business like yours.

Do something different!

4 Out Of 5 Small Businesses Go Bust Inside 5 Years! Finally - A Guaranteed Way To Make Sure You''re Not One Of Them... http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk/toolbooks', 177, '5 Steps To Help Fail-Proof Your Growing Service Business, Marketing, Marketing articles, Marketing information, about Marketing, what is Marketing, Marketing Information', '5 Steps To Help Fail-Proof Your Growing Service Business plus articles and information on Marketing

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Creating Assets: Spark Your Thinking With These 16 Comprehensive Questions

19 Ways To Attract Higher Paying Clients

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

5 Steps To Help Fail-Proof Your Growing Service Business