How’s marketing going for you?

Happy Monday All!! Hope all of you had a lovely weekend. This past week I was having a chat with a colleague and we were talking about the various ways we reach our target clients through marketing. There are so many marketing outlets for every budget from free to low-cost to a pretty penny that there’s no reason no business can’t market.

In the past we have discussed ways to market on a budget and thinking back to my chat with my colleague it has me wondering, How is your marketing going for you? Is your marketing working for you?

If your answer to the above is not well or no, here are a few points you should look at to make those answers positive.

1. How many outlets are you marketing through? Are you only marketing through one or two outlets? If so, try expanding the number of outlets you market through. Expanding your marketing outlets will help you reach your target audience better and in greater numbers. Check out my past blog, 6 Ways to Market on a Budget, for 6 good outlets instantly.

2. What is your message? Your message is just as important as marketing through the right outlets. Your goal getting the right message to the right audience. When it comes to your message there’s a couple of things we need to evaluate, is your message sending the right message and is your message reaching the right audience. Let’s look at the first. So, it could be you have the right message, but it’s reaching the wrong target audience. This of course can be easily fixed through research, before you even began you should have done research on who your target audience (those who will benefit from your services and/or products) is and you can reach them. If you haven’t done this research NOW is the time.

Now, let’s look at your message. It might be that you have the wrong message reaching the right audience. So, you did your research and you know who your potentials are, but they are not buying from you because your message is all wrong and therefore they don’t know to buy from you. Make your message bold, attention getting, and make sure that it uses a language that the target audience speaks. Remember, they can’t buy what they don’t understand.

Lastly, do you have not only the wrong message going out, but also the message is reaching the wrong audience? This can be confusing for all involved, but again with just some research this can be resolved. Through you research you will discover the right audience you should be marketing to and once you have your right audience you’ll know what the right message should say to attract them.

Let me end by saying, if you feel that your marketing isn’t bringing in enough clients or your desired amount of clients DON’T GIVE UP, KEEP GOING and don’t forget that a successful marketing campaign is not made up of just one outlet but several outlets like pieces to a puzzle they all work together to produce the bigger picture. Happy Marketing and Have a great week!! Also, be sure to download your free copy to find out why they aren’t buying from you today, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”.

Are you discounting your services?

As many of you know, I have been busily putting together my new programme and have finally gotten this brand new programme launched. When building this programme there were many decisions to make like what is the title of the programme going to be, what am I going to teach and what do I want my clients to learn through this programme. One major decision that also had to be made was how much I was going to charge for this programme if anything.

The price you set for your services can be a hard decision to make. When pricing your services you have to decide what you’re going to charge, are your going to discount that, or are you going to give your services away for free. One tactic especially those new to the market will do in order to bring in clients is discount their services below what they normally would or should be charging.

I urge you today to NOT DISCOUNT your services. Discounting your services may work at first to bring in clients but in the long run it will only hurt your business. When you discount your services you: Devalues your services.

Discounts devalue your services and can send the message to your clients that your services aren’t worth what you should actually be charging. Discounts can also send the message that you might not be the best solution to their problem and therefore that’s why you’re offering your services at a discount.

A great alternative to offering discounts is to instead offer clients different set options and different programs at different price points. Try to offer something that could fit with each different budget of your clients and target market. Again, this goes back to research.

Now, don’t get me wrong doing special promotions here and there and for charitable organizations that’s fine, but when not doing a promotion be sure to not operate on a sliding scale, rather have set prices for all your services and packages and most importantly stick to them. Don’t be afraid to charge what you are worth. And please don’t forget to find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, download your free report “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” TODAY!

Could your business benefit from a joint venture?

This weekend I was having a chat with a friend over lunch and of course with each of us owning businesses we inquired about how business was going for each us. Through chatting my friend brought up joint ventures and asked me my thoughts. I shared my thoughts with her and I thought it would also be helpfully to share my thoughts with you, my audience, as many of you might be asking yourself the very same question.

First, let us start with a definition. What is a joint venture? A joint venture is defined as a contract entered into by two or more individuals or companies to engage in a business transaction for profit without actually becoming a legally binding business partnership.

Now, that we have defined joint ventures lets talk about them. The purpose of a joint venture is to of course, is to bring in business and make money. So, is a joint venture for you? As with everything else related to your specific business, it depends. What’s right for one business might not be good for another so as always evaluate the option of joint ventures as it relates to your business.

Let’s now take a look at some of the pros of entering into a joint venture.

• Access to more resources
• They are flexible
• Opportunity to enter new markets
• More exposure in the markets

While there are many benefits to a joint venture there can also be cons.

• All party’s to the joint venture are not clear on their contribution or the rules of the venture
• Risk of joint venturing with the wrong people or companies
• Mismatch of those included in the joint venture assets, expertise, and resources
  

My thoughts? I think a joint venture with the right set of people is worth the risk. The benefits of going into a joint venture can make you and your partners greatly successful, but again it’s all about having the right mix of individuals or companies.

Remember with any partnership such as a joint venture it is a wise idea to draw up an agreement that ALL entering into the joint venture agree on and have each individual or company sign the agreement. The agreement should include all parties to the venture, each parties contribution to the venture, the benefits, and any penalties for breaking the agreement. Each party to the agreed upon joint venture should also receive a copy of the agreement. MTM readers don’t forget to download your free report, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” TODAY!!!!

Get on their level…

Hi all, hope everyone had a great weekend. I want to share with you about a coaching session I had last week. Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with a very frustrated client. The source of my client’s frustration he wasn’t meeting customer goals and he felt the source was his marketing.

So, what we did is we spent the entire coaching session looking at his marketing and then talking about his marketing and ways he could change it for the better. My best advice is look at your marketing this way, the products and services you are selling you are selling to a specific audience well your marketing needs to speak to that same audience.

When drawing up your marketing the #1 thing you need to remember is to get on their level. By their level I mean watch your marketing wording. When drawing up your marketing be sure to use words that’s on the clients level. You need to use words that connects with the client, use words that your potential clients understand and uses. NEVER use words that only you know or that only those in the industry use.

Three words to keep in mind for your marketing is to keep your wording SUM’d up:

            Simple
            Understandable
            Memorable

Keep your marketing simple. Keep your marketing simple by not using jargon and just being straight forward and letting the potential clients know what it is you’re offering.

Keep your marketing understandable. Keep your marketing understandable by not using technical words or words only known or to you. In your marketing use words that are universal and that would be understood easily by your target audience. Remember: They can’t buy what they don’t understand.

Keep your marketing memorable. Keep your marketing memorable by using attention-getting phrases and words. Use words and pictures that will make the potential client remember you and your products and/or services and want to give you their business.

Your marketing doesn’t have to elaborate to be effective, but it does have to be understandable. Remember no fancy words or technical stuff your potential clients might not be members of the industry. Also, still available for download, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”. Get your copy TODAY!!!

What to do when the competitor moves in next door

Hi all,

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

This weekend I received an emergency call from a client that was in panic because as they pulled up to their business they saw a sign where a business that happens to be their competitor would be coming soon and consequently moving in next door. The client wanted advice on what to do especially when the competitor possibly has a bigger budget than you do. To calm the client a bit, I jokingly said some gas and a match is one thought lol. If it’s an online competitor then a special welcome virus for their site would be another thought lol.

After getting the client calmed I expressed to the client that instead of feeling defeated that she should use this as an opportunity to grow, be better, and shine even brighter than before. We then discussed what to do when a competitor moves in and how to use this to your advantage whether than disadvantage.

Whether a competitor moves next door, up the street, or just to close for comfort here are some ways to make sure your business thrives and that you’re the last woman/man standing.

Beat the competitor by changing the rules to the game. Change the rules of the game by offering something your competitor doesn’t and/or can’t. If they’re a large retailer then try offering something extra special remember it’s the little things that count. So, if it’s just something free, a trinket, or  money off their next purchase, offer it. You can also reevaluate your customers values and offer something new that speaks to your customers either through adding a new product or aspect to your customer service.

Beat the competitor by identifying value deficiencies. By identifying value deficiencies this is your opportunity for improvement and to be innovative. Identifying these deficiencies will help you add value to your products and/or services. Focusing on the values that your CUSTOMERS want will help drive the customers your way and away from the competitor.

Beat the competitor by focusing on a market within your target market. As we all know over time things change so we might have started focusing on one target market, but over time moved into other markets. Use this to your advantage. Once you identify a new market focusing on converting them into customers by aligning with their values.

Not exactly as easy as pouring gas and lighting a match, but it’s legal and will get you farther. So, use these steps to not only beat the competition, but also grow your business and steal theirs. Good Luck and don’t forget still available for download, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”. Get your copy TODAY!!!

Should I Outsource vs. I Shouldn’t Outsource

Just the other day I was having a coaching session with one of my clients. During this mastering the marketing session the client brought up an issue that I’ve been asked about lately and it’s becoming popular among small businesses. That question…..Yvonne, should I outsource? My answer….let’s talk about it and make a decision that’s right for you, your business, and your business goals.

So wondering if you should outsource? Well, let’s talk about outsourcing so just as my client you can make the right decision for you, your business, and your goals. So, again the question on the table is should I outsource?

Well, should you? The answer is going to vary by person and business, but when deciding to outsource or not you should consider these factors. Advantages and disadvantages will be different for every business as well. Also, know you don’t have to outsource your whole business you can just do certain things such as your marketing , blogging,  or webpage and social media management.

So, let’s start with the good stuff…advantages. Some advantages to outsourcing are:

You can save time
Cost efficiency/Decrease costs
Big pool of talented professionals
More Flexibility
More collaboration(remember 2 heads is better than 1)
Reduce bias and get an objective point of view on things
Faster work being produced/more productivity
Expandability

There are many advantages to outsourcing,but as you know with advantages also comes disadvantages. Disadvantages to outsourcing can be:

Loss of your managerial control
Quality problems
Hidden costs
Threats to your businesses security and confidentiality issues

When it comes to the perceived disadvantages of outsourcing I see nothing on this list that can’t be avoided by doing research on who you are considering outsourcing to, making your needs and wishes clear, and having the proper contract in place.

When deciding if outsourcing is good for you and your business not only consider these factors, but ask yourself these questions:

How will outsourcing benefit me and my business? Will outsourcing free up time for you to focus on the strengthening your business? Will it help your business gain a competitive edge? When answering this question focus only on the positive benefits. Here also look at the costs of outsourcing versus not outsourcing as cost savings is a benefit.

If I outsource will I have time to nurture and effectively manage the outsourcing relationship? When you outsource you are gaining an employee and employees must be managed. So, ask yourself will you have the time and energy to meet virtually or etc with whom you outsource to? Will you be able to give tasks, explain tasks, and just deal with them in general on a daily basis? If your answer to this question is no, then outsourcing isn’t for you. It isn’t for you because you have to be able to both nurture and manage the outsourcing relationship for it to beneficial and work for your business.

Am I being realistic? Ask yourself are the goals, expectations, task completion deadlines, and tasks that I’m setting and asking of the outsourced person or company realistic. Remember that no matter whom or what company you outsource to, they are human too so, be realistic. Be realistic by setting reasonable deadlines and expectations or you’re setting yourself for failure and an unsuccessful relationship and outsource experience.  

These are all questions YOU must consider. So, look at the advantages and disadvantages, ask yourself the appropriate questions, and evaluate them in relation to your business. Lastly, make the best decision for you and your business. I can’t make the outsourcing decision for you, but when it comes to outsourcing definitely make sure the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I suggest getting recommendations on good companies to outsource to, research that company or person, pick a company or person that fits your needs and budget, and Good Luck!

Also, YES you can still find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, by downloading “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” TODAY!

But what about your sales copy?

Happy Monday all! I hope everybody had a lovely weekend. So, we talked about different outlets to market on, we’ve even talked about being clear with prospects and how you need a call to action, but what about your sales copy? A sales copy is a sales letter that you use on your website and for your email marketing as well to create sales. Being that the purpose of your sales copy is to create and get sales you definitely want to make sure that it’s effective. So, let’s make sure you got it right.

Before starting to write your sales copy, KNOW your products and/or services as well as your target market. If you don’t know these things go learn them then come back and write your sales copy. When writing your sales copy remember the idea is to connect with the readers which should be your potential clients. With that said when writing your sales copy to connect with readers you want to be sure to feel their pain. In order to connect with your audience you need to connect with them on an emotional level. Another way to connect with your audience is to find common ground. Now, since you have more than one prospect this can be a little harder as everyone is different, but remember the audience you are speaking to has at least one thing in common, THE NEED FOR YOU AND YOUR SOLUTION. You can also find common ground by treating all prospects equal.

NOW, that you know how and what to think about when writing your sales copy in order to be effective make sure your sales copy has these five elements by answering these five questions.

Are the benefits clear?

When writing your sales copy let the clients know what’s in it for them if they purchase from you and/or use your services. The benefits should be listed/stated first in your email campaigns and on your website. Also make sure the benefits stand out so be sure to put in large bold print. The reason for this is because people are busy and don’t always read things through and through at first. At first they will just scan for interesting information so you want the benefits to catch their attention.

Did you mix up your products or services features versus benefits?

When writing your sales copy be sure not to mix up your features and benefits, doing this will just confuse your prospects and result in lost sales. Remember your features are the attributes of your products and/or services, but your benefits are what your product and/or service will do for the prospects. Include both features and benefits in your sales copy.

Do you come off as trustworthy?

We’ve talked about it before and here it is again. Your prospects must trust you before they feel even half way comfortable about doing business with you. Trust isn’t something earned overnight, but it is earned. Building rapport and trust with clients is a must so begin earning their trust today with the small things. Earn their trust today by offering your full contact details (phone, email, phone, fax, and hours you can be reached), a money back guarantee on products or services, and/or a free trial for services.

Is your headline an attention getter?

Your sales copy should have a headline that gets THEIR attention. You can use keywords, attention getting words such as free and complete, big bold even colored lettering, or a combination of all of these.

Did you create a sense of urgency and a call to action?

Creating a sense of urgency can help bring in prospects & improve your sales copy performance. You can create a sense of urgency by using urgent words such as Limited Time ONLY. You can also create a sense of urgency by setting deadlines and limits. Also, be sure to end your sales copy with a call to action. A call to action basically tells your prospect what to do next. So, the prospect is interested, now what? Now what? is where your call to action comes to play. For your call to action use phrases such as Buy Now, Buy Here, Click here to purchase/buy, or Call Now, for example.

Your sales copy is going to be how your clients begin to learn about you and your solution, so make sure you give them as much information as you can. With your sales copy you want to spark curiosity and interest so get those sales with a great sales copy. And don’t forget still available for download, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!

Are you easy?

Happy Monday All!!

Okay so you have a great business offering the right solution to potential clients problems. Whether your perfect solution is in the form of a product or service have you made it easy for clients to attain their perfect solution? It doesn’t matter how great your solution if those that will benefit can’t obtain it. So, get those sales and have satisfied customers by making it easy with these 3 easy tips.

Make your solution easily obtainable by selling your solution not the means to the end. For example, if you are a marketing coach that help coach people about successful marketing. Instead of offering or selling them a coaching session offer and sell them a total complete marketing programme package that includes coaching sessions, follow ups, plans, and etc. The reason for this is that selling a programme package makes your services more tangible and efficient.

Make your solution easily obtainable by having clear pricing. If you sell a solution in the form of a product having clear pricing usually isn’t an issue due to price tags, but when it comes to services there can sometimes be confusion if you’re not clear. Also, since services often times don’t have clear pricing this can make clients uneasy. So, try to put your clients at ease and make it easy for them by having clear specific price points. Try having set prices for your programme packages.

Make your solution easily obtainable by magnifying the benefits of your product and/or service. When selling your solution you should magnify the benefits the client will gain from purchasing your products and/or services. Use your testimonials from clients as well to not only boost your credibility with potential clients, but also to magnify the benefits and what the potential clients can expect from doing business with you.

Remember to get the sales you desire it takes more than having and offering a great product and/or service. Get those sales by making your solution easily attainable to all clients. Also, still available for download if you want to find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, then download this FREE report “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”!

Are you keeping track?

Running a business is challenging and time consuming enough, so do yourself and don’t fix what isn’t broke. So, if you feel like you’re reinventing the wheel month after month stop reinventing and start tracking. Reinventing the wheel day after day or month after month is not only time consuming, but it’s not good for your business so instead if you have a system and marketing outlets that brings you business then track those results, study those results and stick to it.

Start tracking your customers and marketing efforts today by: Tracking where your clients are coming from. Are you getting most of your clients through word of mouth or referrals? Are you bringing in most of your clients through one of your advertising campaigns such as your magazine ads, twitter posts, or blog readers? Did they see you at show or conference? Or did they hear you speak at a conference or lecture?

To track your client source and marketing efforts try setting up a system. The system doesn’t have to be complicated, you can use software that will automatically do this for you or you can manually do this. A simple way to track your successful efforts from the non successful is by creating a simple excel worksheet with the clients name and when they make a purchase or sign a contract of services simply ask them how did they hear about you. Take the clients answer whether it be referral, saw you talk at a conference or saw your ad,and record that answer next to that clients name. An added bonus to asking this question is if the client is a referral then be sure to ask who they were referred by so that you can show that client a little extra appreciation for bringing business your way. Side Note: You also might want to think about, if the budget allows, having some sort of referral rewards program.

Once you have started your clients source and marketing spread sheet and have significant data don’t forget to review it periodically. When doing your review you’re looking for what marketing outlets are working for your business and what doesn’t. After reviewing the data and gathering the information you need to make decisions you want to of course keep what’s working and eliminate what’s not. Eliminating what doesn’t work allows you to stop wasting and free up resources as well as focus more on what is working.

Focusing too much on what hasn’t worked and not given you results is a waste of time and resources instead focus on what has worked and stick to it. So, become a more efficient and successful business just by tracking your clientele’s source and sticking with what works. Remember, To find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, download “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!

Does your plan include these 7 essential things?

It’s Monday again already! Last week we talked about taking responsibility for ourselves and our business. So, with that said to also ensure we are taking responsibility and on the road to great success I want to make sure you have all the tools you need to do that.  Today we will discuss the basics you need in any marketing plan.

Every marketing plan you have should include these 7 things:

A marketing plan should have and know it’s segmentation. Segmentation is perhaps the most important because segmentation is your audience, who you are going to market to? Don’t know your segmentation, then start doing research as quick as possible. Again, you need to know your audience so you know who to market to and how to market to them successfully.

A marketing plan needs to have a back up plan. From a competitive standpoint having a back up plan is ideal. Having a back up plan should also include you doing a little research on your competition. Your back up plan should include responses or comebacks to competitor campaigns as well as alternative marketing you can implement when needed.

A marketing plan needs to feature your points of value. Why should the consumer buy from you instead of the competition. Your points of value will be what sets you apart from the competition. Your points of value will be the benefits of buying products from you and/or using your services. So, be sure to have strong points of value and let your audience know what they are?

A marketing plan needs to have a strong message and positioning. Be clear with your message. The worst thing you can have is confused potential clients and clients, so BE CLEAR. Use your points of value to create and send a strong message to your potential clients and position yourself on top.

A marketing plan needs to have goals with set deadlines. When developing your successful plan be sure to set different benchmark goals to reach. Also, when setting goals set deadlines for reaching the different goals. We all know having personal and business goals are important and for those same reasons having marketing goals is important too. Goals with deadlines help you to stay focused.

A marketing plan needs a plan of implementation. So, you’ve developed the perfect marketing plan,so? That marketing plan can’t be successful if you don’t implement it. So, on top of developing your marketing plan you need to also have a plan for implementing your marketing plan and getting your message out to your audience in a successful way.

A marketing plan needs a budget. You want to develop and implement a marketing plan you can afford. So, set a budget and keep all your marketing within that budget. Need ways to market on a budget check out my blog called 6 Ways To Market On A Budget for tips as well as I did a whole series on free marketing outlets you can use to market.

Having a marketing plan with these elements will put you on the road to success. So, be sure your plan includes these 7 essentials things today, your marketing and business success depends on it. Still available, you can find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, with my free downloadable report “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”.