Go Back to the Basics AND get clients!

Today, I want to go back to the basics. Sometimes in business we tend to make things more complicated than it needs to be. Like other things in life sometimes it’s just the simple things we need in business to lay the foundation. Like in education in business you need just the basics to lay a foundation.

The entrepreneur is most easily distracted person on the planet, we jump from one idea to the next and if anything seems more exciting we have to be in on it!

You see people going from seminar to seminar buying the next big exciting thing that will help them be successful, they are on-line jumping to the next big idea, but what do you notice about these people? Quite often they are not getting anywhere in their business.
What we need is to pick plan and stick to it. You work the plan and you got results. There is no way in the world you can run around trying every strategy. Pick a model that is tried and tested. Look at those who are successful, pick a role model, and model what they are doing, get mentored or coached by them and put into action what you learn from them. Action is the key here. You can carry on learning and finding new ideas but then you have so many ideas that you just don’t do anything with them, either because you don’t know where to start or because you are still looking for the magic pill. Well I am sorry to disappoint you but the only magic pill is taking ACTION.

So, let us leave all of those bright shiny objects behind and get back to basics. These rules apply to any business whether you are selling off-line or no line, these principles will work.

1. Start with your message

Marketing is all about getting your business message in front of the people who need, or want it and that’s generally it. My message is to service based professional who want more clients in less time with less effort. It’s just that simple.

2. What is your offer

Get really clear on what your offer is. Make it simple to understand and simple to sell. Do some research before you come up with your offer, is it what people are looking for? Is there a market for what you have?

3. What is your media?

Only put your effort into the areas that your market is likely to find details of your product. Are they online or offline? Do they attend certain events? Do they read certain editorials?
This is called direct marketing. You just speak directly to the people who are most likely to need or want your services.

Now, that you have your basics in business, you can now use these basics to to market and reach infinite success. So, remember DON’T forget the BASICS! Also, still available for download YOUR FREE REPORT, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” Get your copy today!

How Viable is your Audience?

This weekend I attended an event and while I was networking it got me thinking about the audience around me. So, do you know who your audience is and is this audience a viable one? Why do I ask?

It is pointless marketing to someone if they are not easily found in large numbers or even when you find them, they can’t afford to pay you.  You want to make this an enjoyable experience, not a struggle.  Once you have come up with an idea of who might be your ideal client, you need to determine:-

1. Can you find these people easily?
2. Where do they “hang out”?
3. Do they belong to associations, groups or alliances?
4. Do they read certain magazines or newspapers?
5. What newsletters would they subscribe to?
6.  Are there lists of them available? For example, you can rent lists from brokers for you to mail to, fax to, phone or email, or certain businesses would have a list of your exact client.
7. What trade shows, seminars, workshops or conferences might they go to?
8. Are there enough people in this sector for you to market to?
9. Do they have a problem big enough that they would pay to solve it?
10. Do they have the ability to pay you?

If you really don’t know how to answer these questions then you need to become a detective.  Find out if your audience is viable. To find out if you have a viable audience why not start with the clients you have that you want more of by asking them to complete a survey? 

Having clients complete a survey is easy.

If you use email, you can set this up easily online.  There is a resource called Survey Monkey which I have used a lot.  You can use the free version and it really is straight forward.  You can find it at http://www.surveymonkey.com . 

Also, you can survey current clients just via a simple email. You may find it more friendly and personal to hand write a list of questions and post it to them.

Don’t forget, still available for download your free copy of the report,  “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”!!

Medicine for the Marketing Blues

Happy Monday All!!! Lately I have run into many clients all suffering from the same problem…..discouragement. This discouragement seems to stem from the same few sources.

So what are the sources of so much discouragement? The sources of most clients discouragement is the economy, their business is not going the way they planned, and goals aren’t being meet.

These sources of discouragement don’t have easy solutions, but with will power and determination there is a solution, a solution that works. Now time for the pep talk.

Some solutions to discouragement is….

Don’t give up so quickly. Giving up is one mistake I see the most. Success takes time especially when first starting out. Also, when first starting out you won’t get everything perfect, even when not first starting out all things won’t be perfect. Just remember in business most things are going to be trial and error until you find what works for you and your business. It’s rare anybody gets it right the first time, so don’t give up so quickly, take your time, and give it time.

Do more research and try something new. If you ever feel something isn’t going right for your business or isn’t working then change it. Now saying change it is easier said than done, so let’s talk about some ways to change it.

1. A way to change something you don’t like is do some research. Research what others in your niche are doing and take what you view as successful and think might work for you and make it your own.

2. Another way to make a change is by trying something new. This is your chance to be creative. Got some great ideas, TRY THEM! You won’t know if your ideas are ideas that work until you try them, all you can do is try. If you don’t have any ideas at this moment have a thinking session and get creative!

Do a re-evaluation. If goals aren’t being met then reevaluate yo goals. When re-evaluating your goals look at two things: The goal it’s self and the length time you gave yourself to achieve it. You want to make sure all your goals are realistic and achievable. Once you have achievable goals then make sure the goal deadlines are also achievable and realistic. Also, realize things happen so not everything will go according to schedule so be flexible.

Discouragement happens, but don’t let it define you. Discouragement can be overcame, so let discouragement only last a moment not a lifetime. Nothing is impossible. Until next time marketers…Stay encouraged and I’m here to help if you need advice or a pep talk. Also, don’t forget to download your free report, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!

Achieve your goals with these four tips

Happy Monday to all!! Achieving goals is often easier said than done, but today I will share four easy steps that will help you achieve all the goals on your list. Yes, achieving goals takes dedication and hard work, but it doesn’t have to be difficult or frustrating if you do this.

Achieve your goals by first deciding what you want. In order to achieve goals you need to first decide what you want to achieve. Once you decide what you want to achieve order them by what you would like to achieve 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so forth.

Achieve your goals by staying firm on achieving the goal, but flexible on how the goal is achieved. Being flexible on how the goal is achieved allows for a better chance of the goal being achieved successfully and with perfection because you’ll be able to lay the proper and correct groundwork.

Achieve your goals by taking action. Okay so you have a list of goals you want to achieve, not what? Well those goals on that list aren’t going to achieve themselves. Once you have your list you need to take action or those goals will just be a list of words on a piece of paper. So, determine your goals and then as Nike says, JUST DO IT!

Achieve your goals by being prepared for setbacks and not giving up. Setbacks are little bumps in the road when on your journey and you should know setbacks happen and yes they are disappointing. So, instead of being discouraged by setbacks be prepared for them. Setbacks is also another good reason you should be flexible on how your goal(s) are achieved. Even with setbacks never give up and remember any goal isn’t achievable until you say it’s unachievable. Don’t give up just because something didn’t go as you had planned, but instead be flexible and create another path possibly an even better path.

So, use these tips and start achieving your goals today. Remember just like there’s more than one way to skin a cat there’s more than one way to achieve a goal. Goal achieving is a multi dimensional process not uni dimensional. Also, still available for download  “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”. Get your copy today!!

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”.

Stop The Sabotage Today

Sabotage is known as the deliberate intention to destroy something. Sabotage can happen in any part of our lives. Today though I want to focus on the sabotaging of one big part of our lives, Sabotaging our business. Sabotaging is something that could be done both consciously or unconsciously, but either way you need to STOP, you are destroying your business. Avoid sabotaging TODAY with these tips and take a right turn towards success.

Here are 5 steps that will keep or stop you from sabotaging your business and be success you’re destined to be.

Stop sabotaging your business by simply becoming aware of how you sabotage/stop yourself and business progress. Changing a behavior always starts with awareness of that behavior. Once you aware of your sabotaging behavior , acknowledge it, and  take action. Take action by working to stop those sabotaging behaviors.

Stop sabotaging your business by having an accountability partner. Hire a coach or enlist a friend to help you stay on track. The accountability partner will check in on you and make you accountable by answering to them if something isn’t on track. Make a list of goals and deadlines and then give a copy to your accountability partner. Setting deadlines and goals will help minimize procrastination and you from setting up self-made obstacles.

Stop sabotaging your business by making a list of your daily practices. Making a list of things that need to be done everyday will help reach your goals and keep you from self sabotaging because you have a list of to do’s that MUST be done daily.

Lastly, Stop sabotaging your business by automating as much of your work as you can. Running a business is a lot of work and there’s only 24 hours in a day. So, make your life a little simpler, save some time, and in the process have more time for other tasks by automating tasks such as your marketing plan and other tasks that can be set up to be done automatically such as auto bill pay.

Again, sabotaging your business is something that can occur both consciously and unconsciously, but be aware and don’t let it happen to you. The goal for you and your business is success not failure and sabotage will lead to nothing but failure. Also, if you haven’t already 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 “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!

6 Simple But Effective Steps To Get You What You Want AND When You Want It

The week is once again almost over, but 2011 is still just beginning. While it’s still early 2011 and not too late I want to revisit goal setting. Setting goals is an important aide in achieving success and now more than ever you definitely need to have goals set if you haven’t already. So, think…What goals have you set for yourself this year? Or what goals have you set for this business quarter? How determined are you to achieve them? Here is a reminder of the criteria we use to set powerful, achievable goals.

Did you know that 70% of people who set new years resolutions will have abandoned them by the 3rd week of January and of the 30% that don’t, 90% of them will have given up by June?

SO……..what can you do now to ensure that you arrive at the end of 2011, in the top 5% of those that do follow through and achieve what they set out to achieve at the beginning of the year?

Follow my top tips for setting and achieving goals and notice the difference when you see yourself still on track as the months go by.

Step One
Always write your goals down on paper. It is proven that you are 70% more likely to achieve your goal if it is written down.

Step Two
Use my SPADE criteria when setting your goals:-

S stands for specific. Be as specific as you can. If your goal is to earn more money, then exactly how much? If you earned an extra £1 ($1.64 US) you would be earning more so your subconscious needs to know exactly how much more.

P is for present and positive tense. Write your goals as if they are happening now and always in the positive so don’t write what you don’t want, write what you do.

A is for achievable, you don’t want to set yourself up for failure.

D is for date, When are you going to achieve this by?

E is for emotional evidence. You need an end step so that you know that you have got your goal and put some feelings into it.

SPADE – The essential tool for digging great goals!

Step Three
Now you have your goal you need to chunk it down into manageable milestones and diarise them.

Step Four
Read your goals every day and visualise yourself there. Imagine that it’s happening now. Remember, you get what you focus on so focus on what you want to be happening.

Step Five
Take action. Ask yourself everyday, “what can I do to get me closer to my goal.” “Is what I am doing now moving me closer or further from my goal?”

Step Six
ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!

Remember goal setting is a must and it’s not too late to get goals set and accomplished for 2011 and get a jump on setting goals for 2012. So, get set and reach those goals. Also, if you haven’t already 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 “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!