Small Business Marketing Tips, what about asking me to return?

What do these three quotes have in common?

1. “But Paul, I don’t want to bother them.”
2. “But Paul, I don’t have the time.”
3. “But Paul, it’s too expensive and they buy from me anyway.”

They are the reasons business owners and sales people give to me for not keeping in touch with their clients.

It’s been proven time and again that the easiest client to sell a product or service to is an existing or past client. It’s also proven that they are the best source of referrals and testimonials. That said, what are you doing to keep in touch with your clients?

Do you:

1. Capture all client names?
2. Follow up with clients to thank them for their business?
3. Keep in touch with phone calls, emails, newsletters, greeting cards?
4. Ask for referrals and have a special offer, discount or gift for anybody who gives you one?
5. Ask for testimonials and get permission to use them in your marketing materials?

If not, start now. If you don’t know how, get in touch with me because I already have these systems designed and can have you trained and using them in a matter of days.

Waiting and delaying is no different than holding the door open for your competition to come in and get the business away from you. One way or another, the level of success in your business can hinge on the outcome.

Copywriting Shortcuts from Jay Abraham

This video gives a priceless copywriting tip from the legendary marketer Jay Abraham.  Many of us in the marketing, copywriting and adversiting business know there’s a goldmine of information in ads, sales letters and other media written by other copywriters.

We have massive swipe files (c0llections of ads) stored away to use when we work on a project. For me, my swipe file is often gives me the mental boost I need to get through writer’s block and crank out a great letter or ad.  In this video,jay shares a great strategy and a free resource for copy help.  You GOTTA see this one!  Enjoy…

Cheap Marketing in a Down Economy

I’m constantly amazed at the number of business owners who tell me they don’t contact their clients because they don’t want to bother them or because, “Nobody wants to hear about _____ (fill in the blank product or service).

If they never wanted to hear anything about it, why did they buy it in the first place? Why do people assume nobody wants to hear from them? I think a lot of it is psychological and related to insecurities and fears they may have related to having to “sell themselves.”

Do you have the “Nobody wants to hear from me syndrome?” If so, you need to get over it. Unless you are a real pain in the neck and are bothersome, the issue is not in your client’s mind, it’s in yours.

Just think about it for a minute… Say you buy something or use a companies services and the owner or sales rep calls you and asks if you were satisfied with the purchase. Do you suddenly freak out and scream, “Why are you bothering me?”

Probably not. You tell them what you thought and thank them for calling.

Now imagine this scenario… This same business sends you a card every few months to thank you for your business and asks you to come back. Once again, do you freak out and scream, “THIS DUDE HAS A LOT OF NERVE FOR BOTHERING ME!!!”

Probably not. You look at the card and offer and either keep it or throw it away. One thing that’s likely is that you have a positive attitude about them.

Your clients are the same. If you do a good job and ask them to do business again, it’s likely they’ll be back. If you ignore them because you are afraid of bothering them, there’s a good chance you won’t have the chance to bother them again.

Something to think about!

Google Friend Connect Additional Features to Leverage Your Social Networking

I’ve been spending a lot of time expanding my knowledge of social media and social networking.  As I mentioned in a couple of earlier posts, Google has some pretty cool tools in the Google Friend Connect products.

The latest tool I’ve added is the social bar, which is what you see at the bottom of my pages.  At first I was thinking, “Is this going to take away from the look or be distracting?”  Then I figured the benefits would far outweigh any minor design issues.  After all, you are visiting me because of my content, not for my artistic abilities.

Another thing is at the purpose of my blog is to tell you about the different marketing tools available.  While I haven’t completely figured out how all the intricacies of Google Friend Connect, I know for a fact that Google is setting a lot of web standards. In addition, social media is definitely the wave of the future and if there are free tools that put me at the forefront, I’m going to use them and learn how to profit from them as quickly as possible.

The toobar I just added is at the bottom of my pages.  It’s very easy to install.  For instructions, go to Google Friend Connect and follow the directions.

Have fun!

Is Google Friend Connect Worthwhile?

Is Google Friend Connect worthwhile?  Well, it depends if any of the following are attractive to you:

• Having some valuable and pretty cool features added to your site
• Having additional valuable content and applications on yoru site.
• Having your website potentially linked to thousands of THOUSANDS of sites on the web
• Having your visitors, users and subscribers invite THEIR friends from all over the world to your site. You can tap into their contact lists, their social networks, their clients and their friends.  When a friend recommends your site, it is an implied endorsement of you.
• Being one of the first to add a valuable application to your site
• Having your site go viral

Well, you get all of this with Google Friend Connect.  It’s free, easy to install and is definitely the newest must have feature for your site or blog.  This is VERY new and few people outside of the social media gurus are aware of it.  By the way, it’s also free!

Why am I telling you about it?  Well, just so you can get on board and take advantage of the benefits while it’s new and hot.  Of course, you want to add me to your network and invite me as a friend as well.

To learn more, go here – http://www.google.com/friendconnect

Spread the word!

Using Google Friend Connect To Build Your Business

Google Friend Connect is a pretty cool new application from Google that allows you to add social networking features to your site.  It is a quick and easy way to add a pretty cool social tool to your sites. The technology is new, it’s hot and, in my opinion,  it’s a must have.

Look at the home page of this blog, the Small Business Marketing Guide.  See the box with friends listed?  That is where my visitors and friends are adding their google profile to my blog site.  With this application or gadget, as Google calls it, friends can connect  and communicate across sites.

Friends can join and visit each other as well as read and post comments together.  Google makes the installation pretty simple.  You do need some basic knowledge about using ftp to post code to your site but you don’t need to be a techie to make it happen.

You do need a Google account and profile to take advantage of the service.  If  you have a Google account, first be sure that you are connected with me on the Small Business Marketing Guide.

Once you have your account, go to Google Friend Connect and follow the step-by-step instructions to add it to your site or blog.  After you’re done, send me an email with your site and ask me to connect with you.

Should You be on Facebook? Special Event February 18, 2009!

I get a lot of questions from my clients about social media.  The most common questions are about being on  facebook and LinkedIn. For the types of companies I typically work with, the answer is, “Absolutely.”

Social networking is revolutionizing the internet and how a lot of people are doing business.  What social media delivers that was lacking in the earlier days of the internet is the creation of communities of “Friends.” We like to do business with people we trust, people like us.  We love to buy but hate to be sold. We also prefer to buy from friends or friends of friends (those we trust).

Getting involved in social media is actually quite simple and there are a lot of tips and “secrets”  to building a social media presence.  Making money involves more than simply building a “presence.” You want to approach it strategically. How do you do that?

Learn from someone who has been successful, follow their model and implement their system.  When it comes to social media marketing, there are few people who can match the expertise of Brian Campbell,  a friend I met on facebook.  Few people have had the success Brian has had. Those of you who have been following me for any length of time know I am stingy with my endorsements but I have one for you today that you have to follow!

You have the chance to learn Brian Campbell’s Social Media Marketing System.

I strongly recommend you rush over to www.socialmediasource.com and start learning from the master!

I hop you will be there with me when Brian launches
Social Media Mania on
Wednesday, February 18 at 8:00 am.

A Twenty-Four hour event I know I will not miss!

Small Business Marketing Tips – Most Businesses are Making Money In “This Awful Economy”

I gave a marketing seminar this morning to a group of about 30 business owners this morning that was sponsored by the local Small Business Development Center.  We asked the question, “How many of your businesses are doing well?”  Two thirds of them raised their hands.

Of the hands that didn’t go up, a couple of them were just starting out so nearly everyone in attendance was doing well (or faked it to be in the crowd).  Think about it, the companies that are doing well were at a marketing seminar, learning how to do better!  I should have invited a couple of reporters but I wasn’t planning on sharing any bad news so they probably would have ignored my invite.

Bloomberg reported this morning that retail sales actually ROSE 1% last month!  I wonder if the lead-in story on the national news will cover it tonight.  I don’t watch the news so I guess I’ll miss it but I just did a quick look at abcnewscnncbsnew.coms and none of them mentioned it.

Now, I don’t doubt that a lot of industries are hurting, BIG TIME but it shows there is opportunity.  The worst thing to cut in a recession, marketing, is the first thing way too many companies cut in a recession.  Then their sales suck and they say it’s the economy.

If I were to quit marketing, my sales would suck as well. However, over the past several months, I’ve busted my butt to get new clients and it’s paying off, big time.  A recession is acutally good for my business.  Smart companies realize they need to do smart marketing so they call people like me.

That’s a good note to end this post on.  If you want to increase your sales and are ready to do what it takes, call someone like me. Actually, strike that last remark.  Don’t call someone like me, call me. 513-829-6368.

Top Small Business Marketing Tips – Spend Less to Make More

With the economy slowing, business owners are contacting me more frequently asking what they can do that is is new or different to spur on their business and turn things around.

“Paul, do you think I need a web site?”

“Should I advertise on TV or the radio?”

“Should I join BNI or another networking group?”

“I need something really kick-ass to get people buying more.”

These are all things that I am hearing.  Whether the economy is slow or not doesn’t impact my response.  It still comes down to the basics:

1. Set yourself apart from your competition and give your prospects and clients a good reason to buy from you now with a powerful Unique Selling Proposition. Here’s mine – I’ll increase your sales 20% or more in as little as 90 days, guaranteed.  That’s unique and it gets me business.
2. Be sure that every staff member who is in contact with a client understands basic selling skills. Each of them must kn0w and be given incentive to cross-sell and up-sell.  Focus on increasing the value of the transaction.  I’ve increased client sales by over 10% in 30 days just teaching this one!
3. Get a database program and develop a relationship with your clients.  Communicate with them monthly and ask them to buy from you again.  Ask for testimonials and referrals. Have a strategy to work the referrals.  Add a newsletter and start sending birthday cards and other greeting cards.  This can easily result in another 10% increase in your sales.
4. Get a few joint venture partners with whom you can share lists and market to each others clients.  You endorse them and they endorse you.  It’s that simple. Last year, I made over $24,000 in sales from joint venture referrals.  My total cost was less than $400.  If you aren’t doing joint ventures, you ar leaving a fortune on the table.

There you go.  4 strategies that can easily increase your sales by 25% or more this year. The key is to act now.  It’s smart marketing that can make you an absolute fortune and will save you an absolute fortune in advertising fees.

The reason I guarantee my work is that I implement the above 4 marketing pillars in my clients.  If you are wondering if I can do the same in your business, be sure to drop me an email or give me a call at 513-829-6368.

Small Business Marketing Tips for Increasing Profits in a Down Economy

When I watch TV, listen to the radio or happen to flip through a magazine, I like to pay attention to the ads to try to see if they make any sense. I’m one of the weird marketers who thinks the primary purpose of an ad is to increase sales.  If brand awarness is also heightened, that’s a plus.

I’ve had a lot of high paid marketers tell me I’m full of it and that I don’t realize the value of a brand.  To me, the value of a brand is in the sales and profits it generates, not in how many people recognize the name.  I live in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, which is home to the largest advertiser in the world, Procter and Gamble.

I’ve heard the CEO, A.G. Lafley speak and have read several quotes of his.  When he speaks, he talks about company profitability and sales.  He mentions brands as they contribute to profitability, not how they increase the awareness of the P&G name.  I pay a lot attention to P&G ads.  Every one of them highlights the benefits of using the brand.  Whether it’s whiter teeth, cleaner clothing or cleaner floors, the ads promote what the brand will do for the consumer.  The brand is built and strengthened and more people buy it because it works, not because they’ve heard about it!

The lesson for you, the small business owner/marketer is to realize your ads have one purpose and that is to  generate sales, not awareness.  When the creditors are at your door, you’re paying them with money, not a brand name.  Next time an agency or media rep tells you about brand-building, say “Great!  How will I track sales results from the ad?”

In a slow economy, it’s not time to cut back on marketing or advertising, it’s time to make sure you’re getting a good return on it.  Market smart.  Write good sales copy.  Make your marketing work for you.  Let your competitors build their brands. You can say hello when you are at the bank making deposits resulting from your marketing while they are making withdrawals to pay for theirs.

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