Small business marketing can now be accessed by Google TV for about $100.00 depending upon the run time of your commercial. You can upload a video commercial right from your computer. This is so cool! Check out this video for the full scoop.

What did you think?? Leave me a comment below!

How would you feel if you could sell more products or services,  AND sky-rocket your sales with zero resistance? It’s easier than you think.

Let’s face it, we all hate to be sold. How many times have you entered a department store and had a store clerk ask…”can I help you?”… only to replied…”no thanks, I’m just looking.”

Have you ever avoided a sales clerk because you didn’t want to go through the “selling” process?

Last year when I went down to my local car dealership I felt like Elvis Presley. I never saw so many sales people walking towards my car as I pulled in. I felt like a piece of meat thrown over board into shark infested waters. It was such a turn off, I quickly looked at some vehicles and left.

It’s a fact that 82% of us dislike the selling process and avoid it at all cost.

So how do you sell more with zero resistance?

The times have changed,  selling more by pushing products and services on your clients simply doesn’t work. You have to become your client’s confidant.

We all love to do business with people we like and trust. People we feel are like us, understand our needs, and are willing to listen.

I recently had our air conditioner replaced. I had three different sales men come out. Only one took the time to share with me what would take place, and how it would benefit me. He shared with me how my utilities would decrease, how the air would circulate better throughout the house, leaving it cooler or warmer depending upon the season.

He took the time to explain why it was important to have the air ducts hanging properly without restriction. He also pointed out why some rooms would cool better than others,  and how this would alleviate that problem.

By the time he left my home I felt like he understood what I really wanted from a new air conditioner. I felt as though I had a trusted friend whom I could rely on.

Before he left he suggested a better filter, which I agreed too, and purchased. He also suggested I have the unit serviced once a year, which I agreed too, and also purchased.

In order for you to “sell more” you have to educate your clients about your products and services. Share with them all the “benefits” that your products/services provides.

Let me give you a quick example of how “selling more” would work in a beauty salon,  then you can incorporate it into your small business.

Lets say your staff member is doing a facial for a client. Your staff member would explain what they’re applying, AND what the benefits are to the client. Inform your client on how your product will keep their skin youthful looking with fewer wrinkles. Explain what the sun and wind does to their skin, and how using your product can combat the aging process.

Then simply ask your client if they’d like to take some home to use on a regular basis. Explain the “benefits” of using your creams daily, and why your products out perform the cheaper “store bought” products. This will easily boost your sales with zero resistance, AND it completely removes your staff from the burden of selling. But what you’ll love most about “selling more”, is that your clients won’t even know that they’re being sold…PRICELESS!

Contact me if you need further assistance, AND let me know what you thought of this article by leaving me a comment below. Good, bad, or ugly, your feedback is important and welcome.

Helping you increase your small business sales,

Using direct mail strategies in your small business is useless unless you know for certain that your mail will be opened. One of the biggest hurdles small business owners face is having a compelling message that gets their prospects or clients to act immediately, but their first “major” concern should be to make the mailing  look personal, interesting, or important.

Using direct mail effectively starts with “high impact” envelopes. Check out this 13 minute “how to marketing” video that will have your prospects and clients opening your mail every time.

Technical note: Trouble watching this video? If the video seems to be starting and stopping, try clearing your browsers history. This fixes the problem in about 95% of the cases. For the other 5%… don’t ask me, I only work here:)

Contact me if you need further assistance, AND let me know what you thought of this video by leaving me a comment below. Good, bad, or ugly, your feedback is important and welcome.

To your online and offline marketing success,

Are your employees not performing to expectations? Does it always feel like your business is a revolving door for unreliable team members?

Let me tell you that you’re NOT alone. Eighty seven percent of all small businesses have a challenge when it comes to locating and hiring quality staff.

My wife (Carolyn) is the director of golf operations at an exclusive country club in New Jersey. Carolyn gives me the horror stories weekly about unruly and unreliable staff members who don’t show up on time, make constant mistakes, and gossip about others behind their backs. To be completely fair, Carolyn has inherited these employees. She didn’t hire any of her staff. Carolyn was relocated to this position to see if she could get her staff all marching in the same direction. Poor performance (expectations) apparently has been an issue for quite some time.

This is easily rectified. It all comes down to both parties understanding the expectations, and understanding the consequences (accountability.)

Have you ever heard a family member or friend ask their child to clean up their room? What usually happens? NOTHING! Why? Because most parents want their children to clean their room but don’t expect them too, and worse, they don’t hold them accountable.

It’s the same for your employees! You have to ask yourself…have I been very clear on what I expect from each employee about each particular job requirement. If so, am I willing to hold their feet to the fire and make sure that this job is done “on time” AND to my highest expectations? The second your employee crosses the line there has to be immediate accountability.

If your dog chews the furniture and you choose to do nothing, guess what? Your dog will continue to chew the furniture, and then maybe move on to your shoes, linen, and clothing until you draw the line.

I was working with a client several months ago. He was struggling to attract new clients. I gave him a clear precise set of instructions as to what he needed to do in order for me to help him change his circumstances. Two weeks later we had a “scheduled” conference call. I had my folder open so I could write down everything that he accomplished. It wasn’t but one minute into our conversation and my client began shooting off pardons for his inadequate performance (I didn’t have time, my computer went down,  I forgot the number, I got caught up doing paperwork, etc.)

I quickly interrupted him and said…”Steve, my folder only has room for accomplishments. It says right here at the top of my folder in bold print “ACCOMPLISHMENTS”. There are no spaces in my folder for “excuses”. If you want my help, and you’re willing to commit, I can help you. If not, let’s not waste each others time.

Two weeks later Steve accomplished everything I asked of him. WHY? Because he understood my expectations, and he knew I would hold him accountable.

So here’s your blue print for hiring a successful staff/employee. (I understand that you cannot discriminate, but you still need to have a good sense of who fits, and who doesn’t.)

1.    Write down the perfect characteristics your employee must have in order to perform at “your” highest expectations (Out going, attractive, well dressed, well spoken, aggressive, team player, leader,  etc.)
2.    Write down your job description in detail exactly as you want it performed.
3.    Write down exactly what you expect from your employee daily (cleanliness, on time, out going, smiling, enthusiastic, etc.)
4.    Write down exactly what you will NOT tolerate (gossiping, tardiness, bad attitude, poor performance, etc.)
5.    Write down as many “open ended” questions as you can think of that will get your prospective employee talking (what do you like most about (fill in job description?) What do you like least? How do you feel about working late, or coming in early? Why did you leave your previous job? What makes you a good candidate for this position? How do you adapt to new ideas and instructions? How well did you get along with your previous colleagues? What do you do like to do in your spare time? etc.) You can weave simple yes or no questions between your open ended questions so that your potential employee doesn’t pass out.

By asking open ended questions you’ll get a great feel for how your potential employee will act with your customers, colleagues, and for you.

In order to have a staff that works in harmony, comes down to your ability to be up front and honest about what you expect from each of them on a daily basis.  When they decide to test you…and they will… you need to hold your ground and take immediate action.

Once they see that you’re NOT a push over, they will fall into formation and enjoy a structured work environment where everyone is created equal.

I hired and fired a maintenance crew for a country club for 6 years. It took me one year to remove the poisonous staff members, and one year to build it back up. When I was through the country club had the ability to run on its own without supervision, because each staff member understood their job requirements, expectations, and consequences.

Contact me if you need further assistance, AND let me know what you thought of this article by leaving me a comment below. Good, bad, or ugly, your feedback is important and welcome.

To your marketing success,

I received a call from a potential client yesterday. She told me that her salon wasn’t attracting enough clients, and her beauty salon was down 33% for the year. (Yikes!)

To make a long story short, I asked her what she was doing to acquire clients,  she told me that she had an ad running in her local newspaper, a web site, and she relied on referrals.

So I began with some diagnostic questions like…

* How much money did you plan to make this year?
* How many clients do you need each month to reach your goals?
* How much money do you have budgeted for marketing your salon?
* What contact information are you collecting from your current clients?

Fortunately Debbie contacted me before her salon went into an acute comma never to be resuscitated.

First, you have to know your numbers (yearly gross, monthly break evens, number of clients needed, average monthly sales,  marketing budget, etc.)

Second, you can’t expect to catch a “net” full of fish with one or two poles. Meaning, you have to have a minimum of 6-8 ways to attract clients depending upon your specific goals, and needs. Ask yourself this question…Where would my potential clients go to look for my services? (newspaper, yellow pages, website, mailbox, internet, etc.)

Then you want to make sure that you have as many marketing strategies that YOU need (poles in the water) that will put you in front of your perfect prospects consistently and cost effectively.

Here are just a few marketing tactics that will help you get your message in front of your perfect prospects.

1. Direct Mail: (Postcards, sales letters, and fliers.)
2. Newspaper: (Make sure it’s your “local” paper.)
3. In Store Fliers: (Promotional programs, etc.)
4. Web Site: (Make sure your web site is optimized for your local area, you should dominate page “one” on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask.)
5. Social Media: (You can find professionals and potential clients in your local market using Facebook & Twitter.)
6. Text Messaging: (Keep in contact with current clients.)
7. Email Marketing: (Another way to inform your clients about up coming promotions.)
8. Newsletter Marketing: (Position yourself as the “expert,” and offer your tips, products, and services.)
9. Referral/Affiliate Program: (Get your happy clients referring friends, family, and colleagues.)
10. Yellow Pages: (More people are looking on the internet, but still a viable media.)
11. Val-Pak: (This is a good place to do one of your “value added” marketing promotions.)
12. Article Marketing: (Write and submit articles showing the world your expertise.)
13. Networking: (Join a group of like minded individuals. Local Business Assoc, Toast Masters, Marketing Assoc, etc.)
14. Radio/TV: (This is expensive and it’s a “shot gun” method.) If you use this method wait until your small business is thriving, AND test small before you spend thousands of dollars.

If you have several small business marketing poles in the water “simultaneously” I guarantee that you’ll attract more customers. AND the 13 (minus radio/TV) small business marketing strategies mentioned above are all “cost” effective. These are just a few marketing poles that you can implement immediately to attract a consistent flow of new customers.

When you know your numbers you can set up a marketing “system” to attract enough customers so that your small business doesn’t end up in the emergency room.

Remember… “If you don’t take the time to work on your business, the business you once thought was the key to your freedom, could easily become your captor.” Glen Andrews

Contact me if you need further assistance, AND let me know what you thought of this article by leaving me a comment below. Good, bad, or ugly, your feedback is important and welcome.

Helping you increase your sales,

Newsletter marketing is one of the best ways to keep your business in front of your current customers. This is one of the most powerful marketing strategies that you can incorporate into your business.

The great thing about newsletters is that it allows you to show your “personality,” and your expertise.

Let’s face it people buy people, it’s that simple. We gravitate towards people of influence who we like, and trust. There’s no better way to build likability, credibility, and expert status than by using a simple newsletter.

Newsletter marketing begins with great “usable” content. This keeps your reader’s eagerly awaiting next month’s issue. When I ask my clients if they use a newsletter to market their business, the most common reply is… “I simply don’t have the time or the knowledge to write a newsletter.”

If you have similar thoughts, let me erase this obstacle once and for all. If I told you that you could easily double your income in the next 12 months by using a simple newsletter, would that make a difference?

Okay, so you don’t think you can write a newsletter, I get it! None of us want more work, but this one strategy will have a huge impact on your business. Let me offer a simple suggestion. Let someone else write most of your newsletter. They understand how to make money using newsletter marketing strategies. Click here

Now that you have no more excuses not to incorporate a newsletter, let me share with you the magic behind a newsletter that makes you money.

• First, you must collect and have the full contact information of each and every one of your customers. This includes full name, phone number, address, and email address.

• Remember that you can do newsletter marketing both on-line and off-line. I suggest doing both, but if you’re short on cash, an on-line newsletter is the way to go. If you need a professional newsletter template click here.

• Your newsletter only needs to be 2-4 pages to start. Make sure you personalize your newsletter (use the customers name).

• You must have something to say worth reading. Make sure you have great useful content, something that will enrich the lives of your readers. If you send out crap, nobody will read it.

• It’s imperative that you let your “personality” show in your newsletter. I talk about what I’m doing, where I’m going, my wife, my dog, my struggles, and my victories. This is how you become the “Rock Star” of your niche. People gravitate to people they like, trust and relate to. Why do you think “Harry Potter” was so successful? People love the character.

• Newsletter marketing allows you to craft special offers that can benefit your readers, and you. You can weave your sales message throughout your newsletter so it sells naturally. NO HARD SELLING ALLOWED!

• Let the reader see proof of how your products or services have helped others. You cannot imagine how powerful this is when you’re trying to influence a buying decision.

• Let your customers have access to you. They can send you questions that you can answer in your newsletter. This will help keep customer readership and retention. Allow them to submit their own stories and how you’ve helped them. Getting your customers involved in your newsletter helps to add “quality” and “believability” to your content.

• The biggest key to newsletter marketing is sharing quality information that can help your customers reach their goals. If you can supply your customers with what interests them, you’ll have a successful business, happy customers, and a newsletter that makes you money.

Let me know what you think of this article. Good, bad, or ugly your feed back is encouraged and welcome.

To your marketing success,

Positioning strategies are all about how your prospects perceive you. To start off, nobody likes to be sold. Give your prospects enough information to make a buying decision in a safe environment and watch your sales soar.

Would you rather come to a decision on your own after acquiring the proper information, or would you rather have a pushy salesman try to convince you that his or her services are perfect for you?

Decide how you can position yourself as the expert in your field. People are easily persuaded by people of authority, and by people they perceive to be experts.

Let me ask you this. When your doctor prescribes you medication, do you question their judgment? No! Why not? Maybe because you consider your doctor to be an expert in the field of medicine. Lets say your lawn guy come to you and tells you that you have a disease that’s killing your grass, would you believe them, and be willing to take the proper steps to prevent it? In most cases yes! Why? Because you see them as the expert, someone who has the knowledge to solve a particular situation.

We have been programed from childhood to respect and listen to experts and authority figures. Or at least people we think are experts or authority figures (Dentists, Doctors, Nurses, Lawyers, Police, Politicians, Engineers etc.)

So, how can you position yourself as an expert? It’s fairly simple. Set up marketing systems to let your prospects acquire more information about your expertise. You can do this through websites, Free recorded message lines, audio CD’s, free reports, articles, and direct mail.

If you set up this system properly, you’ll only deal with prospects that are ready and eager to do business with you. You have to STOP trying to convince your prospects that you’re their solution, and allow them to come to that conclusion on their own.

When you’re trying to sell someone on doing business with you, what’s their first reaction? No thanks, just looking. They immediately pull back and reach for their canister of anti-sell mace, they shoot you right between the eyes, you tear up, and go running to momma without a sale. Okay, so I got a little carried away, but you get the picture.

We are all programed to want what we cannot have. Let your prospects jump through a few hoops. Let them come to a buying decision on their own by the information that you provide. The information you provide will position you as the “Rock Star” of your industry. Let them acquire the knowledge they need to make a decision by themselves.

When you let your prospects come to their own conclusion they’re less likely to have buyers remorse. Positioning strategies allows your prospects to come to the conclusion that you’re the expert, so you’ll rarely haggle over price. And in most cases, you’ll be able to charge a premium.

Positioning strategies should be incorporated throughout your marketing material (website, direct mail, free recorded message lines, your staff, your articles, videos, free reports, etc.)

The way you market to your customers or prospects either strengthens or weakens your position. If you’re marketing your business in the same boring way as your competitors, you’re doomed to mediocrity. If you’re sitting around waiting for prospects and customers to come to you, you’re doomed to mediocrity. In today’s economy you have to use positioning strategies in order to make things happen.

Positioning strategies start with how your prospects receive information from you to make a buying decision. If you have a prospect call you to set up an appointment, and the appointment is made for next week. Why not send them a free report on all the benefits your services or products provide.

Explain how your services or products compare to your competitors. Explain exactly what your product or service will do for them, and how it will make their lives better. You can send testimonials along with a free report. You can send case studies proving your expertise. You can have celebrity endorsements. You can have before and after pictures.

Do you think you might have a better chance of doing business with this person? Of Course! And you won’t waste time trying to convince him or her of your expert status. Testimonials are a great way to let your customers do your selling for you.

One of my clients received a phone call from a potential prospect who was inquiring about his services. Before understanding these positioning strategies, he naturally tried to sell his prospect over the phone (ugly, painful, and time consuming.)

Once he understood these strategies, he immediately turned prospects into customers. When speaking to a potential customers, collect their name, address, and phone number. Let them know that you’ll send them more information on your products or services.

Let the information that you provide, prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you’re the qualified expert, and that your products or services are far superior than your competitors. Let your prospect know that their search is over, and there’s only one expert, YOU!

Putting these simple positioning strategies to work in your business, will give you market dominance. Do you think your competitors are using these positioning strategies to make their prospects feel more comfortable about buying? Nothings worse than trying to beg, force, or convince your prospects into doing business with you. It’s easier to position yourself as the expert. Give your prospects the information they need to make a buying decision in a safe environment, and watch your sales skyrocket.

Let me know what you think of this article. Good, bad, or ugly your feed back is encouraged and welcome.

To your marketing success,

In this blog I reveal the secrets I’ve learned about small business advertising strategies and how it can dramatically increase your sales. Whether you’re a solo or small business owner you can double your sales within twelve months using these simple “cost” effective strategies.

In today’s economy marketing your business can be a daunting task. The questions I receive so often are…Should I spend less on advertising, should I do more web advertising, should I be doing more targeted advertising? My answer to all of these questions is, Yes!

You need a new marketing plan in today’s economy. Remember, you can not market your business “one” way and expect to attract new customers consistently. You must quickly realize that in order for you to thrive in a down market you must use multiple small business advertising strategies to be effective (email, newspaper, social media, S.E.O, Direct mail, video, Blogs, etc.)

While your competition is slashing prices and butchering their small business advertising budgets you can gain a strong presence in your market by using simple low cost targeted marketing strategies. If you incorporate 6 to 10 small business advertising strategies into your business, you can become the “rock star” of your industry within a short period of time. If you want to succeed in today’s economy you need to stand out in your market. Make sure your advertising looks completely different from your competitors.

If you want to attract more customers, make more money, and attain the success you desire, then begin to ask yourself these questions…How can I advertise my business so I stand-out from all other competitors? What can I provide to my customers that’s not currently being offered by anyone else?

It can be as simple as changing your customers buying experience. After you acquire a customer or client, do you follow-up with a nice “thank you” letter? Most don’t, and that’s why you should. Do you collect your customers phone numbers, addresses, birthdays and anniversaries? If you’re like most small business owners, you haven’t taken the time to realize that your current customer is your biggest asset. If you don’t collect your customers contact information you’re literally losing tens of thousands of dollars.

How do you think you’d feel if you receive a nice Birthday or Anniversary card from your local retailer? I’m sure it would bring a smile to your face, and maybe a little disbelief. But I bet you’d make a conscious effort to return to his or her establishment because of this warm gesture. I’m also certain that you might tell a friend or two about your exceptional experience. I mean really, who sends warm fuzzy cards any more, certainly NOT your local retailer.

That’s how easy it can be to grab your customers attention and get them talking about you.

Remember, little hinges swing big doors, and in a bad economy this can be critical to your success. You can literally dominate your market with just a few “simple” adjustments to your customers buying experience. Give your customer’s an exceptional experience and they will return to your business again and again. This will also separate you from your competitors, and recession proof your business.

Let me share with you a quote from one of the best marketing minds that has ever lived. “Do what you do so well that people can not stop talking about you.” Walt Disney

Let me know what you think of this article. Good, bad, or ugly your feed back is encouraged and welcome.

To your marketing success,

Do you have a business system in place that removes the guess work from your staff so that they can run the day to day operations without you constantly having to be there?

Too often we get caught up running the day to day operations of our business to take any real time to… “work on our business.”

Do you find yourself stamping out fires on a consistent basis, constantly dealing with unruly staff, not having enough clients or sales?

Have you ever wondered how Subway, McDonalds, and Wal-Mart  serves, hires, fires, promotes, and sells billions of dollars of products and services each and every year?

Every successful small business has an operating system to do for them, what they cannot do for themselves.

Now I understand that you’re not a billion dollar company, BUT you can still set up systems in your small business that will remove all the guess work. A system, that once in place, will run like a well oiled machine. You don’t have to be Wal-Mart or Subway to have a business system that sets up boundaries and expectations in order for you to create an exceptional experience for your clients, keeps your staff in check, and allows you more freedom.

But you should take into consideration that Subway, Wal-Mart, and McDonalds started out just like you…as a dream that was turned into reality, through vision, hard work, and systems.

So what’s your business system? Do you have one?

Let me share with you 3 critical business systems that will make your business more profitable and less stressful.

1.    Having a simple script that your receptionist can use will help remove your caller’s doubts, questions, and fears about doing business with you.

Have you ever called a business to find out more about their services only to be turned off by their receptionist? If you loose just one client a month because your receptionist isn’t out going, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about your products and services you’re going to lose thousands of dollars each and every year.

Once you have your script in place have a friend or colleague randomly call your business to see how your receptionist is answering the phone. You might be surprised at what you hear.

2.    You have to have a business system for attracting new, and bring back existing clients consistently and cost effectively.

Are you running a consistent ad campaign, email campaign, postcard campaign, sales letter campaign, or an in store flier campaign? If you don’t have a marketing calendar filled out at the beginning of each year, how do you know if you’re hitting your financial goals. Are you waiting, guessing, or hoping for your clients and prospects to call, or stop in?

As a business owner you have to take the initiative in order to get new and existing clients spending more with you. Guessing and hoping is NOT a plan! Okay maybe it is a plan, a plan to fail. I don’t want that to happen, and I’m certain you feel the same.

Your business system for attracting clients must include several marketing funnels (Website, newspaper, email, social media, direct mail, affiliates, word of mouth, articles, etc.)

You need to use several different marketing funnels simultaneously in order to attract enough clients consistently and cost effectively so that you’re never in dire straights when it comes to revenue.

3.          What’s your business system for following up with your current clients?

The best clients are the ones you already have. These clients are 63% more likely to spend with you again. So why do so many of us forget to follow up with other promotions when in today’s world it simple and cost effective. If you don’t have an email auto-responder I use and suggest http://www.aweber.com

Aweber allows you to set up a business system that keeps in constant contact with your current clients 24/7. Once you have a follow up system in place you can then move on to other business systems.

These are just 3 critical business systems that will help any small business grow.

Setting up business systems is critical to building and growing your business. However, it’s more important that you set up these systems so that you have the ability to control your business instead of it controlling you.

Don’t be another parent who gets lost in their business because they think that they have to do it all themselves. Take the time NOW to set up your business systems, so that your business provides the lifestyle YOU want, and your family deserves.

(I speak to business owners every day who thought their business was the key to their freedom, only to realize that it’s become their captor.)

Let me know what you think of this article. Good, bad, or ugly your feed back is encouraged and welcome.

To your marketing success,

I want to share with you the pros and cons of small business target marketing verses mass marketing, and then you can decide which is best for you.

Mass Marketing (Radio, Television or Large Circulation Newspapers which cover a wide area.)

Pros…
•    You get your business in front of a lot of different people
•    It’s easy to implement
•    You get to see and hear your name on TV and radio
•    Done often enough gives you name recognition
•    You can attract a wide variety of clients
Cons…
•    Hard to track results
•    Reaches a large audience that doesn’t need or want your services
•    Very Expensive
•    Not a good return on investment (marketing dollars)
•    Reaching prospects that are to far away to justify the commute
•    The producers control what you can, or cannot do in your marketing

Target Marketing (website, postcards, sales letters, fliers, and small targeted newspapers.)

Pros…
•    Spend less to get your message in front of a specific prospect
•    You can track results and make adjustments quickly and easily
•    You get to decide exactly who receives your message
•    Better return on investment
•    Quicker return on investment
•    Targeted to your specific community
•    Name recognition within your community
•    You can target specific carrier routes, zip codes or demographics with ease giving you a higher response ratio
•    You get to place your promotion directly into your prospects hands via United States Postal Service
•    You get to farm a small area which keeps your business in front of your clients and prospects
•    You can set up a marketing calendar month’s in advance because you’ll know exactly where your best clients are coming from, and what your exact return on investment will be.
•    Easily implemented with the help of a mail house
•    You get to be creative and have fun with your promotions keeping it fresh and new.

Cons…
•    You have to understand simple “direct response advertising strategies.”
•    You have to send your marketing piece to the mail house for distribution
•    You have to come up with a promotion
•    You have to know “who” to target

I was asked this question many years ago by one of the best marketing minds in the world… “If you had to attract 20 new clients every week for the next 30 days, and your marketing had to pay for itself (return on investment) or you’d go bankrupt, which strategy would you employ to save your business”?

Leave me your answer below!

To your marketing success,