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Local Marketing: 10 Easy Ways to Sell More to Your Neighbours

Have a business that's purely local, such as a hair salon or dry cleaners? Or simply want to beef up your client roster with more folks from your local area?

Here are 10 simple solutions to your local marketing challenges ...

1. Make sure that your website specifically targets your local market. People are increasingly heading online to find local vendors. Make sure to broadcast your site's URL to all of your prospects and clients, and ask your web designer to ensure that the website is search-engine friendly for people seeking information about vendors in your city.

You might also investigate pay-per-click search engines such as Yahoo! and CitySearch, which offer targeted marketing to people in your local area.

2. Network. I know that the odds are good that you might consider the term "networking" to be almost as bad as a four-letter word, but I assure you that there are ways to meet other businesspeople in town that won't make you feel uncomfortable. Most of us have access to local organizations that are full of nice people just like you who simply want to meet other like-minded people.

The local Chamber of Commerce and other industry-specific organizations in your area are a good starting point. Just make sure not to just go to meetings -- make an effort to get to know people or even volunteer for a leadership position where you can show off your responsibility, reliability and talent.

3. Partner with other small businesses catering to the same group of prospects. This seemingly simplistic tactic works for both service- and product-based businesses very successfully.

If, for example, you are a graphic designer and are seeking additional design work, you will benefit from getting to know a local copywriter or printer who knows plenty of prospects who might need your services. Alternatively, come up with a plan that sells quantities of your wares to local businesses as gifts/rewards for their clients and employees. Either way, it means more business!

4. Give talks at local organization meetings. If you enjoy public speaking, seek out associations full of your target prospects and volunteer to give speeches for free in exchange for the chance to market yourself and your services/products.

5. Send direct mailings to local prospects, and make a quick phone call to each prospect a few days later. The beauty of local prospects is the fact that you can afford to call your prospects for free as a way of following up.

6. Write articles on your area of expertise for the local paper, organization newsletters or your local business rag. Here in the Los Angeles area, for example, there are quite a few possibilities to choose from in the immediate area, and looking beyond what's in close proximity, there are dozens of others in Orange County, Ventura County and beyond.

7. Don't underestimate the power of a good Yellow Pages ad. Local businesses still look in the phone book to find sources of assistance for many types of their needs. The key in all this is to use the space in your ad wisely -- include more copy than your competitors and share insights in that copy about how to select a (Fill in the blank) and give them reasons to get to know you.

8. Hold a contest and get local press for it. Could your business benefit from the added attention of a contest? Get creative and go for it!

In all of these suggestions, I've focused on how you can find new clients, but don't forget: One of the very best ways to make more profits is to get your current clients to spend more on each purchase and/or get them to come back to you more often.

With that in mind:

9. Make sure to educate your current clients about what you do. Regardless of how many clients you have, you need something in place to keep them up to date on what you and your business are capable of.

Recently a listmate on a discussion group I participate in mentioned that she lost business to another vendor because her client didn't know that she could provide that particular service. How much business are you losing because your local clients don't have a clue what you do?

10. Set up a loyalty program designed to keep your current clients coming back for more. Depending on your business, you might want to send out coupons, freebies or even simply send out an update of the types of products/services you offer.

The good thing about most of these methods is their low cost. Regardless of your business's location, make sure to study your local competitors' marketing methods and see what works. Then give it your own personal twist and reap the benefits.

Are you a coach, consultant or other solo service professional who's struggling to grow your business? Find out how you can attract more clients more easily with Jennifer McCay’s FREE audio course and FREE weekly small business marketing lessons at http://AvenueEast.com

What Is A Marketing Initiative?

Marketing is not as simple as many may lead you to believe. In order for your business to be effective, you need to understand what is involved in promoting what you are offering in terms of products and services. That is where a good marketing initiative comes in to play. A marketing initiative is essentially anything that is clearly defined as a marketing effort. Simple, isn't it? It is basically anything specific in your marketing plan. So what types of things are considered marketing initiatives? Here are a few examples that may help you.

For larger companies, a marketing initiative can be a theme. For instance, a set of commercials that use a specific character or funny situation over and over may be considered a marketing initiative. This, though, would certainly be more common with large businesses. An example of this is the Geiko commercials that feature the cute talking gekko. The initiative is to associate their car insurance services and products with a character that sticks in your head. Being cute is an added advantage. This is why many commercials use cute, cuddly characters such as babies and puppies etc.

Another example of a marketing initiative is undertaking a certain method relentlessly. Sometimes you may wish to focus your efforts solely on one method of marketing. If, for instance, you decide to implement email marketing with great fervor, then you can call that your email marketing initiative. You will outline a plan very specific to that initiative. And you will carry it out. Focusing your efforts into a sole initiative demands that you understand it intimately. You better know what you are doing if that's the ONLY initiative you've got. In addition you also need to have a backup plan in case your initiative does not come through for you as you hoped. Often, when you put all your eggs in one basket, you better have more eggs!

Another type of marketing initiative you may invoke is a large scale shift in what you are doing. If you are going away from traditional marketing to exclusively use the internet that is a whole new marketing initiative you are putting in place. Though not as specific as other examples, it is certainly something that directly affects the marketing of your company. These types of initiatives are usually done parallely with your existing marketing initiatives. The old initiatives are slowly phased out as the new one takes over.

A marketing initiative can also be as simple as a shift in an idea. You can have a new marketing initiative that simply changes the way you promote your company, or more specifically what about the company you are trying to promote. A shift in positioning is a good example.

Marketing initiative is a broad term that is used often. However, if you understand what it is you will be more able to effectively put an initiative in place if you need to. Changing or implementing an initiative is a big part of the promotion of your business. So it's important that you understand what it means in the first place.

Khemal Dole owns and operates
http://www.PaychecksDirect.com, a completely F*R*E*E
service which helps many first-timers and even
experts find their perfect Work At Home job. Visit
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yourself why so many are flocking to his site.

Business good, but you want GREAAT

Businesses can do well without planning, many do. However,
to become a high performing organization, to grow rapidly,
a company really needs a planning and monitoring process.
Got yours? I sure do have mine!

Back in 2000 a major shift in my business occurred when I
came across the One Page Business Plan (R) process. Now,
don't let the simplicity of the name fool you. While the
process helps you create a business and marketing plan -
its much more.

. Help you diagnosis how every area of your business is
doing.
. Clarify your thinking and focus on the elements that are
the most critical to your success.
. Test your ideas without having to put large amounts of
cash at risk.
. Help you to boost the profits and performance of your
small company or department.
. Be ready to be used over and over again.

If you're on a budget, as many new business owners are, you
can purchase the workbook that includes the Entrepreneur
Toolkit CD (for PC and MAC use) at your favorite bookstore,
although it's easier to find online. It includes
systematic, practical, interactive exercises and templates,
worksheets, powerful sales calculators, mini-sales budgets,
one page performance scorecards, sample plans, and bonus
tools! All created in programs you usually have on your
computer -- MS Excel and Word files.

If you're a more seasoned business owner, department
manager or executive, you can sit down at your PC to create
your plan in courseware called Point, Click, Plan. Your
solid draft will be complete in 1-2 hours.

Together with reading the E-myth Revisited, by Michael
Gerber, creating a business plan are "mandatory to do's"
for all business owners. Why? because the E-myth shows you
what happens when you don't have a plan and systems and how
much better off you'll be with them. And the One-Page
Business Plan processR helps you simply create your plans
and systems to monitor your progress. Creating a plan now,
will save you hours upon hours worth of your valuable time
and will help you make fewer large and costly mistakes.

Isn't that what you need as a business owner? Systems that
work and more time to do what you're passionate about?
Below are 10 key elements of any process. Most are taken
from the One-Page Business PlanR workbook, by Jim Horan.

1. It helps you choose opportunities more wisely and waste
less time because you have a plan in place.
2. A single page can contain all the elements you need to
tell your employees, board of directors, potential partners
or banker where you are taking your business and how you
are going to get there.
3. The most important reason to have a business plan is to
clarify your thinking, regardless of the size of your
company.
4. Knowing where you're going creates hope and enthusiasm
about the future.
5. It facilitates creating and analytical thinking, problem
solving, communication, and teamwork.
6. It also brings out procrastination, frustration,
differences of opinions and possibly anger.
7. Somehow writing initiates the transformation from idea
to reality.
8. Writing allows others to participate in your dream and
give you feedback.
9. You review it each day to create the day's priorities
and make decisions about your business.
10. The Entrepreneur CD, which comes with the book,
including scorecards, templates, budgets, and bonus tools
to help keep you on track!

C2006 A former Wall Street trader, Maria Marsala is a
nationally known business and marketing strategist,
trainer, author and owner of Elevating Your Business.
Maria helps women involved in financial services, as
business owners, independent agents, branch managers and
executive to boost profits, productivity and have more
playtime - faster! Subscribe to Powerful Business
Strategies Ezine to receive your free one-page business and
marketing plan audio in your Welcome Note Visit
http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com

Marketing That Grabs - Uncover This Hot Secret

Boost your marketing with this secret. It is so effective, it

reaches out and grabs your would-be buyer. It doesn’t matter

what your product is. This secret works with everything.

To make it even more valuable, practically nobody uses it. That

is why it's still a secret. What is it?

It is a face.

Everyone loves to see a face. Even your pets like seeing your

face. Look at all the ways in which people are attracted to

faces. A few decades ago, there was the Potato Head craze.

Later, the Pet Rock took us by storm.

People wear the face of favorite cartoon characters as charms

or on tie clips. We are used to receiving “smilies” in Emails

and dashing off a smiley face on a note we write.

Here are 5 ways you can use a face to sell your product:

1) If you have a Web site, include snapshot of yourself. It

builds instant trust. Buying and selling is a personal matter

and customers like to feel they are dealing one-on-one with a

real person.

2) Place a picture of a person on your product. It can be on a

book cover or on packaging. Researchers discovered that viewers

are most attracted by a face that is looking straight at them –

eye to eye.

3) For an advertising piece, such as a mailer or a postcard, a

pet’s face is very effective. It can be used for any type of

product – not just pet products.

4) Testimonials are powerful buying triggers. Would-be buyers

believe others who have already bought. Make your testimonials

even stronger with a picture of the testimonial giver.

5) A child’s face is a winner. A few days ago, I saw a man

selling a filtration system on television. He held a little boy

on his lap as he spoke. Without mentioning the child, he spoke

of the benefits of his filters. Seeing that little boy’s face,

you knew you needed that filter to protect your own children.

Bottom line - put a face on your product as soon as you can.

Your marketing will come alive and good things will happen.

About The Author: Siriol Jameson helps you make m0ney from

home. Choose from over 40 guaranteed profitable businesses and

make m0ney forever. Visit

http://www.easy-home-businesses.com/work-from-home-businesses.html

Subscrobe to Siriol's f^re.e newsletter:

http://www.easy-home-buinsesses.com/newsletter.html

The Secret to Successful Marketing is in the System

The Reality of Multi Level Networking

MLM or Multi Level Marketing offers loads of business opportunities for a business owner, distributor and a consumer. There have been many popular myths on MLM. Some of these myths include the potential to earn mega-dollars for little or no effort on the part of the distributor. This is far from the truth.

MLM as a multi level marketing system works well for business expansion. The chain of distributors gets the business in return for commissions. The consumers can get a better deal by buying at wholesale prices when they become distributors themselves.

The whole concept of MLM is based on the very basics of the term "business". Under the system of MLM, goods and services are distributed via various sublevels in the form of distributors and reach the end-user consumer via this chain of distributors. This system is providing extra income opportunities to thousand of distributors all around the world. Statistics reveal that in the 50 states in America and in over 100 countries world wide, the business model of MLM is successfully functional.

If you are a distributor and looking for a business opportunity using the MLM structure you may want to look into online MLM options.

To work effectively in an online MLM model, you just need to exercise a bit of caution before venturing into a program. This saves you from fraud which is prevalent in this business. Look into companies that have a proven track record. Companies that are debt free and that have been successful in using the MLM structure as their business model for a considerable period are good candidates to consider. Being part of a reputable company ensures your profits and potential loss are kept at minimal risk.

Keep in mind that this type of business is not for everyone. If you are a self-directed person who is full of enthusiasm, online MLM may be suitable for you. You will certainly be your own boss in this venture. The personal qualities needed to succeed in this business are similar to that of being an entrepreneur. The challenges of an MLM business are dynamic and a self directed person would thrive in such a business model.

Lastly and certainly not the least, this business allows you not only to work from home but also when travelling. You can easily do business using a laptop and an internet connection. If you are person on the go this could turn out to be a profitable venture as your potential to earn is related to the flexibility that the business model provides.

Make Copywriting Easy - Create A Marketing Swipe File

Local Radio - The Golden Nugget in Local Marketing

Social Bookmarkting with Technorati

Take Back Control! (of your Marketing)

Take Back Control! (of your Marketing)

Copyright (c) 2006 Audrey Burton

I have heard "I hate marketing" or some version of that

statement many times, and I understand. I like marketing,

and still sometimes I hate marketing.

One of the biggest problems is that there are so many

options that it's sometimes impossible to know if you're

doing the right things at the right times.  I really do

understand.

If you have thousands of dollars in your marketing budget,

you can pay consultants to help you with creating a plan,

purchasing print advertising, executing a search engine

optimization (SEO) program, creating an effective pay per

click internet advertising campaign and/or creating a viral

marketing movie.  Oh yea, you will also need a highly

effective and gorgeous website.

One way I suggest for business owners to become educated on

the business side of their businesses is to take free

teleclasses.  This is a great, easy way to become educated

on marketing.  Keep in mind that most of the teleclass

leaders are doing the class at no charge so they may

promote their program or product, or both.  Don't buy

anything yet - do more research.  The product will still be

there next week.

Here are most of the 'best' ways in which teleclass leaders

and other experts have told me I 'must' promote my business:

- Blog

- Become an affiliate

- Write and submit articles to banks

- Join leads groups

- Speak

- Create a subscription website

- Give teleclasses

- Create products to sell

- Do PR

- Network

- Teach

- Form exclusive strategic alliances

Since I do not have a very large marketing budget, I also

need to maintain my website, optimize it, write effective

copy, write my marketing plan, and, of course, follow up

with everyone I have met or spoken to, among other things.

If I did all the things the experts tell me to do, I'd be

working 30 hours per day and spending no time with clients.

 It's impossible!

Unfortunately, marketing often requires some trial and

error to learn what works best with your industry, your

personality, your location and your target market.  The

first and most important component of effective marketing

is narrowing down your target market.  It's extremely

difficult to make an emotional connection with anyone using

a watered-down marketing message - which is just what will

happen if you try to appeal to too broad an audience in

your marketing.

See if you can network with someone else in your same

industry and compare notes - what works and what doesn't.

With most businesses, that can be done by locating someone

in a different geographic area.  If that doesn't work, try

finding someone who services a completely different target

market than yours.  For example, I am a small business

coach and have 'buddy coached' with a couple of life

coaches.  We are marketing ourselves in very similar ways,

but looking for completely different clients.

When deciding which ways to market your product, keep your

limitations in mind: time and money.  Also, there may be a

learning curve to incorporate into your plan.  Personal

choices should also be considered - because I'm a single

mom, I don't work nights and weekends.  That affected my

choice of target market!

You will make sense of it all; don't put too much pressure

on yourself.  Stick with it and take care of yourself.

Enjoy the journey!

About the Author:

Audrey Burton, Small Business Coach, is “The Tigress”.  Get

her FREE Special Report, “Closing the Sale is Not

Complicated!” and her FREE monthly email newsletter at

http://www.TigressCoaching.com

It's All About Marketing

Promoting your CD to radio takes a lot of organization and time management skills. Let me help organize your process. First you need to find radio stations that are willing to accept submissions from independent artists (Contact names, addresses, phone and email for radio stations across the globe are listed in “The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money” ISBN 978-0-9746229-4-1 and The Indie Contact Guide – it’s companion book.).

You have to decide whether you are going to local and regional stations (which are a good recommendation if you don’t have a lot of money to work with and you aren’t worried about charting.), or if you are going after national stations, which is only a good idea if you are already established locally and are seeking national exposure and a chance to chart.

As with all submissions, always get permission ahead of time before you submit your music. There are two easy ways to find radio station information. The first is to log onto the internet and search the radio station databases available. This method is free, but will take some time. The best resources I have found are “MIT Radio Stations on the Web” and “BRS Radio.

Most sites list the stations by genre (style of music), state, etc. You should bookmark these sites in your Internet browser. You will find yourself going back to these sites often.

The major advantage the internet offers is the ability to download information into a spreadsheet or word processing document to make labels and save data for your follow-up files.

However, if you decide looking for information on the internet takes too much time, an alternative is to purchase books that already have all the information for radio stations listed in them.

When finding radio stations to submit to, it’s best to start with college radio first, especially if you are a new act without a track record. It will be easier for you to get added on college stations, which are usually “free format” and are more likely to air something new and exciting.

If you decide on the college route, make sure you have verified they have a format for your music. Most college stations have a variety of music styles and Music Directors.

Rock, Jazz, and Alternative Music tend to be the main stay for college stations. Country acts will have a more difficult time on college stations and there are many that have Folk Music programs. For Country acts you’ll have a better opportunity at stations that play Country Music specifically and/or those that play Americana.

Once you conquer the college charts, you will have a solid base and track record to promote yourself to the larger stations. It’s like a snowball that rolls down the mountain. The more it rolls, the larger it gets. Make sure when approaching larger stations that you ask specifically if they play independent artists.

If they tell you they occasionally give an independent artist an opportunity, and you have the extra resources, go ahead and submit your CD to them. You never know, they may play it.

But if you hear: ‘No. We only play major-label releases, or artists that are in the top 50 of the Billboard charts, but why don’t you go ahead and send it along anyway.’ Think long and hard about it before sending your CD. You’re better off to be patient, record the comment on your spreadsheet and wait until you chart before contacting that station again.

If the goal for your music is charting you will need to make sure that all of the radio stations you submit to, report to the same charts. This will help ensure that all of your “spins” count. (Spins are the amount of times a song is played.)

If the radio stations don’t report to any charts, or the charts they do report to are not consistent with those you already have, you may want to think about passing on them until you have more resources. It would be like sending an unsolicited press kit to a management firm that doesn’t accept them. It’s a waste of time, energy and press kits.

If you are only looking for exposure, then by all means send it to every radio station you get permission from as long as your budget allows. However, try to stay in one local/regional area so it’s saturated with your music. It will give you a much better chance at lining up a distributor as well as selling more CD’s.

It is easier to get added to a play list on stations that don’t report, than do. The competition is not as fierce. Remember: air time is an important commodity to a radio station. Each station only has so many hours and slots they can play songs. If you can get your song charted, you will have a better chance of getting into one of those precious slots. You have to decide which route you want to take.

Once you have found the radio stations you plan to submit to, and you have entered that information into a database, you are ready to send the press kit out (assuming your CD is ready).

At this time, make sure to call the radio stations again and verify that all the information you’ve gathered is still the same. The industry is very volatile. Stations get bought and sold very quickly, and there is an extremely high turnover rate for personnel. You don’t want to send your Heavy Metal CD to a station that is now a Smooth Jazz station. And you don’t want to send something out with the words “Material Requested” on it, to someone who no longer works there.

You’ll need a cover letter for your press kit, make sure to suggest the tracks you think radio personnel will like, and the ones you think are more commercial. Give them an opportunity to listen to several tracks, but don’t ask them to listen to the entire CD. It’s not professional. Radio promoters push one track at a time.

Pushing only one track will show them you know what you are doing and are respectful of their time. To push a track means to tell the radio personnel which track you are suggesting at this time for airplay. Tell them it’s the first release off your new CD.

In order to chart you must have a substantial amount of “spins”. Here’s another major reason to push only one spin: If you have a lot of tracks that are being played, but no stations are playing similar tracks, your chances of charting for a particular song are very slim. While you really don’t have a choice of what is played, you can help it along by constantly suggesting the same track.

Most Program Directors (PD’s) and Music Directors (MD’s) have specific call times, on specific days, every week. You can only call them on these days or they will not take your calls. Once you have sent your press kit out, wait approximately two weeks, then call and confirm that your CD has arrived safely.

If the CD has not arrived, wait one more week and call again. If at that point the CD has still not arrived, tell the PD or MD that you will send another package and then send it. Wait another week and then follow up again.

The life of one song is anywhere from 4 - 6 weeks. You can’t just assume that at the end of 6 weeks the radio station is going to automatically play another track from your CD. It’s up to you to suggest it.

At the end of your first 4 weeks of air time, continue to push the first track but also start suggesting the next track you plan to release. Start building a rapport with the PD’s and MD’s. Find out their likes, dislikes, and interests. You will get much farther if you are truly interested in who they are and what they do, than if you are only interested in what they can do for you.

Because Program and Music Directors have different call times and days, time management is essential. To help make your job a little easier, create a database to hold all your contact information and keep track of calls and call times. If you have succeeded in getting a station to add your music, here are some questions you should ask:

• If they are playing your CD, ask them how your CD is doing at their station.
• Ask them if they are playing the track you specified in your promotional package, and if they have had any listener response.
• Ask if there is anything additional that you can do to assist them.

More often than not, you will only be able to leave a message when you call. If you are able to contact them directly, always ask them if it is a convenient time for them to talk to you. If it is, keep your conversations short, as they are extremely busy people. If it is not a good time for them to talk, ask them when you can call them back and then do.

Keep them informed of any newsworthy items. Every time you succeed in getting another station to add your music, go a little further on the chart, or score a major gig, send out a press release by faxes or emails, and definitely hype it on the phone during your conversations with them.

Build excitement so you keep yourself in the forefront of their minds. Keep them interested in your music. Offer to do interviews and liners. Liners are a small commercial you record for the station. For example: ‘Hi! This is Joe Smoegh and you are listening to today’s hottest mix on such and such a radio station.’ I will say it again, be persistent and pleasant.

If you have not been added, or you are not receiving airplay yet, continue promoting yourself to these stations via email, fax, or doing your follow up phone calls. Ask them if they do test spins. If they do, ask them if they would try your CD during one of their next test spin slots. Additionally, stop by radio stations in your area and make live appearances.

Bring something special, perhaps pizza or donuts and soda. You will bring a smile to their faces and create a personal association. Try to come up with unique ideas to “sell” your CD to them. Additionally, when you release your CD to radio will affect how much airplay you receive.

If everything fails, try to remain upbeat and positive with them. Radio is very political. Remember there is only so much air time and only so many time slots available. Most will not pick Joe Smoegh over Britney Spears. After repeated efforts have failed and you’re still not getting any air time, it may be time to call it quits on that particular station and stop contacting them with your weekly phone calls. You should still continue to keep them informed of your comings and goings via email.

Jaci Rae is a #1 Best Selling author of The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money and Winning Points with the Woman in Your Life One Touchdown at a Time. Book Jaci for your next show: http://www.jacirae.com/ and hit contact button for her publicist

Small Business Marketing Is More Like Romance Than You Might Think: Make Them Fa

People like to do business with people they trust. And more than that, they like to work with people that they like.

The "courtship" phase of your relationship with your prospects is critical to your small business success. So are you giving your clients the reasons they need to fall in love with what you offer?

First of all, do you know why you're the best choice or -- even better -- the only choice worth considering?

If not, it's high time you found out. Take a look at 4 or 5 competitors' websites and see how they communicate their services.

What works? What doesn't?

Do they focus on the results they achieve for their clients? Do you? Results you have achieved for other businesses can be powerful stuff.

Do they specialize in exactly the same market? Do you currently have a specialization? If not, would this help you?

If you're not a better option on paper, find ways to set yourself apart, such as choosing a market niche that is slightly different or deciding to add your own personal twist to your marketing. You might see success just by adding helpful articles and a more client-focused approach to your marketing mix.

Are your marketing materials full of powerful statements that show your prowess in your field, without being pushy? Or are you mainly sending prospects the marketing equivalent of cheesy pickup lines?

Anyone can come out with a promotion that says they offer the best-quality services in your line of work, but unless you can back it up with real proof, it can easily sound slick and untrustworthy.

Be yourself.

It's a common mistake that especially newcomers to self-employment sometimes make to try to put on airs in order to appear more successful, but frankly, this almost always backfires. For starters, you won't feel confident during the exchange, which means that your personal passion will not shine through. And having the passion to help your clients goes a long way toward building trust.

What's more, you might promise more than you can deliver -- and the very best way to make clients unhappy is to do just that. Instead, promise excellence and then deliver even more than you promised!

And remember, even if you're not confident about your marketing, you are unique. No one else can offer exactly what you can. Use your current marketing techniques to express your personality, your business's brand, to let people get to know you.

Listen more, talk less.

Have you ever spent time with someone who really listened to you? Talk about an amazing way to make you feel special.

More than one love relationship has been ignited by such simple means -- and the same tactics work for your prospects, if you are truly sincere about wanting to hear about your prospects' concerns. I know that every time I open my ears and shut my mouth, I learn more about my clients' needs and am able to better help them in the future.

Besides, there are plenty of "experts" out there who can talk all day and all night about what they know and what a great a "catch" they are (in the business sense and otherwise!). But who likes to deal with talking heads who are full of themselves? That's not attractive in the slightest.

The last bit of wisdom that I might offer is to take a step back and allow your relationship with your prospects to progress at their pace. You should stay in touch while the decision is being made, but don't force the issue.

As I said, marketing your small business is a little like dating. If you keep the pressure off, share your strengths and set yourself apart, your relationship with your clients will be founded on trust, respect and -- yes -- you'll find that your clients actually like working with you very much.

Are you a coach, consultant or other solo service professional who's struggling to grow your business? Find out how you can attract more clients more easily with Jennifer McCay's FREE audio course and FREE weekly small business marketing lessons at http://AvenueEast.com

Marketing Success Secrets Of A Homeless Man: Fishing In The Right Pond

Success speaker Earl Nightingale, who with the revelation gained from the idiom "We become what we think about," wrote and recorded "The Strangest Secret." It helped him to pioneer the personal development industry, and defined success as "the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."

We live in a society where the amount of money a person banks often equals accomplishment. The pinnacle of success for business owners and entrepreneurs rest on what they do rather than what they own.

It may be a stretch to consider someone without a home to call his own as being successful. Yet, I deem a homeless man that I see on a regular basis at an intersection of a major freeway in Humble, Texas as "successful," mainly because underlying marketing efforts result in him getting (progressive realization) a good number of "donations" (his worthy goal)every day.

I dare not make light of the homeless situation. I agree with Sharon Cohen, writing in "A Day in the Life of the Homeless in America" when she states: "From villages to large cities, homelessness has spread like dye through the weave of America's social fabric. A single day in the life of the homeless reveals hundreds of thousands without shelter, and blame goes to everything from the lack of affordable housing and unemployment to drug abuse, mental illness and a flawed foster care system."

However, some enterprising "homeless" people use the system to their advantage and actually earn more money begging, than when they were gainfully employed. You might ask, "How do they do that?"

In two earlier articles, we established the first two tenets of success for any business owner: looking the part, and possessing tenacity in the face of adversity. The third marketing success secret of the homeless man I speak about in this series focuses on, "Fishing in the Right Pond."

Internet marketing legend Marlon Sanders says, "If you want to catch fish, the very thing you have to do is find a pond of hungry fish. That is your target market. A lot of people are racking their brains trying to get fish to bite first. The problem is their fish aren't hungry. Man, you got to have hungry fish."

The intersection where this particular man begs daily makes up the right pond for what he does. Because of its proximity to middle class and upper middle class neighborhoods, I believe he plays the numbers' game, betting that x amount of drivers will show enough compassion for him to spend the extra 30 seconds or so to give him a dollar or two or whatever spare change that might be riding along in their vehicle's console.

Fishing in the right pond also means knowing your niche. The homeless man knows that he stands in the right place (pond) where paying clients (fish) will pass by.

Maybe without fully realizing it, he discovered that the power of niche marketing stands as one of the most underutilized marketing weapons for small businesses. Niche marketing means you market to customer groups that fit the demographic and psychographic profile of your target market.

You see, the homeless man does not try to be everything to everyone. He waits for one specific customer to pass his way; he seeks to cross paths with his ideal customer.

Now to me, although begging works for him, he expends a lot of time on it for the amount of money he gets in return. Yet, if it meets his need (I suspect he makes more money than we think) -- if he achieves his goal for today, consider him a success.

In my book publishing and author services' company, it took me a while to learn the value of fishing in the right pond. Although I am aware of the statistics which state that 81% of people believe they want to write a book inside, clients needing my services became readily available when I started speaking to writer's groups, book clubs and the like instead of waiting for potential clients to find me.

Marvin D. Cloud provides a self-publishing alternative through http://www.mybestseller.com/. For a free writers' workbook and online marketing ideas, go to http://www.mybestseller.com/html/marketing_tips

Searching for marketing ideas?

Searching for marketing ideas?

Copyright 2006 Kelly Robbins

At one point or another in our marketing careers we face

the challenge of coming up with new marketing ideas.

Consistently coming up with ideas for new ways to attract

prospects attention or to keep your name in front of

existing clients can be exhausting and frustrating.

Sometimes we just plain run out of ideas.

Here are a few ways to get ideas flowing if you find

yourself stuck:

1. Read. Read everything you can get your hands on.

Marketing articles (like this one), business articles,

industry journals, the daily newspaper. You don't get new

ideas from doing the same thing every day. Be learning and

looking all the time.

2. Go outside of your industry and read what others are

doing. It will give you a different perspective on things.

Read general business or start-up magazines like

Entrepreneur or Business 2.0. These publications are filled

with success stories from a variety of businesses.

3. Find someone (or several others) that does what you do

in another part of the country. Watch their ideas and

marketing techniques. Sign-up for their ezine. Try to get

on their mailing list. In addition to finding similar

companies online you may try to network with someone

through a national association or at a networking event.

4. Allow yourself one day a month to get outside your

office -- outside your normal work environment -- and

brainstorm. Find a relaxed setting where you can sit down

for a while and just write. Write down what’s happened over

the last month or so, where you're heading, and where you'd

like to go in the future.

Find out what environment works best for you to do this

exercise. It may be finding a big comfy chair at Starbucks

for a few hours, or working from home instead of the

office. It's hard to come up with ideas when you're in the

thick of things; so get out of your work environment and

relax. The ideas just might flow.

5. Search for marketing ideas online. You may have some

ideas you've been kicking around but haven't fully

materialized. Jot down some key words and just go digging

around. You never know where your next great idea will come

from.

If you don't have much time and are feeling pressured to

come up with a marketing promotion right away, at least try

to back away from your problem for a little while. Ideas

don't generally flow when you're under pressure. Watch a

movie; read a novel. Your great idea may come while you're

sleeping or in the shower once you relax. Oftentimes you

have to let things go so they can come to you.

About the Author:

Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed and The

Healthcare Copywriters Toolkit, Kelly Robbins is a

healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She

also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection

(http://www.healthcaremarketingconnection.com), a free

e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to

receive her free report, "5 critical things you must know

when writing for the healthcare industry" —

info@KellyRobbinsLLC.com or 303-460-0285.

Why Your Marketing Plan Is Important To Your Business

You hear the term "Marketing Plan" thrown around but it's sad how many businesses don't know what it means to have one. Perhaps the most vital aspect of any business is the marketing plan. A business cannot really get off the ground until they sell something. And that is what marketing is all about. If marketing is how sales are made, then a marketing plan is about figuring out how sales will be made. Developing a good plan is a way to overcome your shortcomings and increase your business’s income. No plan equals to no sales. Which in turn means your business is not going to make it. This is why a solid marketing plan is a MUST.

A marketing plan prepares your business to be proactive in what the market does. Without one, you end up reacting to changes and to competition, which means you are always a step behind those who are already prepared. So, then, a marketing plan is crucial to being ready to deal with the ebbs and flows of the market. It's always better to anticipate and plan for a market change well ahead of time rather than find out about it later on. You need to be in the leading edge and not the following edge.

At the beginning of the process of forming a plan for your marketing, you should make sure you have answers to basic marketing questions like: Who are your customers? Know your competition. For you can be sure that they know you. And how do you put your product or service into the hands of your customers? What's the most effective method to do so? In addition to several others that address where you are as company and where you are going. You need to know where you are before you can figure out where you want to be.

Once you have those questions answered, your marketing plan will essentially write itself. You will form ideas about where you want to go, and you will know how you want to react to changes and challenges from the marketplace. A well planned plan means nothing though if it's not well executed. Make sure that once you make a plan you put it motion by delegating it to the right people.

Overall, if you have a good marketing plan in place you will have a business that is in control of itself. When you're in control, yu cans steer it towards profits. You will be able to stick to certain sales strategies and have an idea what kind of results you want to see. Measurable mile stones will let you know if you are on track. All advertising efforts are targeted at a specific goal, and overall you will know what success looks like to you and your associates. A good plan with tell you exactly what to expect to see and when to see those results. This is an indicator of how successful your plan is. A well placed and established marketing plan will help your business, big or small, to unite in a common effort and will promote teamwork. Ultimately you, as a whole, will see your business grow.

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