Using Articles To Sell:
Magnetic Content For Your Website And Ezine

Here’s a super way to promote my stuff!

I’ve written a series of 24 killer articles you are welcome (and even encouraged) to post to your blog, upload to your site, submit to ezines, or send to your e-mail list. These articles are a great way to help promote your product, without any effort at all on your part.

Each article helps educate your prospects about things that interest them: Website conversion, sales, and internet marketing. These are extremely useful articles - and you'll find people will easily look forward to getting them – especially since they’re FREE! So take advantage of using them right now.

Not only that, add your own small ad to these articles as well, along with your affiliate ID!

This is sure gonna super-charge your bank account. People access the Internet because they're looking for useful information and you can help provide them with excellent content on your website. They'll appreciate the effort on your part... and you'll appreciate the money that comes your way when they make a purchase!

Below are the newest articles you can use to promote just about any one of our products. You can use the articles most anyplace you choose … However, there are a few reasonable guidelines that must be followed.

You cannot alter the articles in anyway (except the resource box at the end of the article which I'll explain to you in a moment how it will benefit you).
You cannot claim yourself as the author.
You cannot claim copyrights.
You cannot post, contribute or distribute the article(s) to any other ezines, newsletters, websites, publications, etc. aside from your own.

Each article is written is help educate people about small business and internet marketing, website conversion, and copywriting. These are extremely popular and useful articles and you'll find people will be excited about the ideas in them.

Now, in order to promote your program you'll need to change the resource box at the end of each article.

Here's an example of a current resource box:

Charlie made his first million on the Internet back in the late ‘90s when he created a site that ranked and reviewed Search Engines and then sold it. For over the last two decades he’s been helping business owners avoid the mistakes of conventional marketing. To get his free Marketing Ideas ebook visit www.marktingforsuccess.com (replace this link with your affiliate url linking to www.marketingforsuccess.com)

You have my permission to change the URL at the bottom to your unique affiliate ID# URL. In each case you simply add your affiliate id# to the end of the link (all our products are part of the Insider Affiliate Program so it'll work the same).

When you first signed up, you have received a username and a password, just click here to login to your affiliate control panel.

And click on "Get Links". Your affiliate URL should look something like this.

http://www.mfsstore.com/cmd.php?af=109823

Of course – the number on the end will be different, showing your unique ID instead!
In case you want to promote a different product in the resource box, you have my permission to change the featured product (as long as it is one of MY products).

Obviously you cannot promote someone else's product. (Duh! That was a no-brainer – right? My legal beagle asked me to insert it.)

Also, there are some instances where we've strategically put the domain name of a product in the context of the article. That's another place you'll want to add your affiliate id#.

Articles are a super powerful way to promote your program - so take advantage of these ready-to-use tools to turbo-charge your commissions.

Ready-To-Use Articles:

Article #1: Explaining What You Do In 15 Seconds with Your Marketing Message

Article #2: Do Your Prospects Know What You Do

Article #3: Is Your Marketing Message or Elevator Speech Holding You Back?

Article #4: How to Create Explosive Sales With Your Marketing Message

Article #5: How to Evaluate Your Small Business Marketing

Article #6: How Much Time Do You Have To Get Your Marketing Message Across?

Article #7: Web Site Marketing For Authors, Coaches, Consultants and InfoMarketers

Article #8: Should You Give Up On Cold Calling As A Small Business Marketing Tool

Article #9: What Santa Knows About Marketing

Article #10: When Is the Best Time to Make a Sale?

Article #11: Are You Targeting the Right Prospects with Your Small Business Marketing?

Article #12: Make Your Web Site Sell With These 3 Steps to Improve Your Web Site Marketing

Article #13: How to Beat Your Biggest Competitor with Your Marketing

Article #14: Are You Losing 50% or More of Potential Clients?

Article #15: 3 Ways to Stand Out from the Competition

Article #16: How to Pull in Clients Like a Magnet

Article #17: 3 Steps to Selling More With Your Web Site

Article #18: How Aggressive is Your Marketing?

Article #19: What's the Most Powerful Way to Attract New Clients?

Article #20: Use These Two Numbers to Double Your Business in 12 Months

Article #21: How To Create A Burning Desire To Buy With Your Small Business Marketing

Article #22: What's the Best Way to Increase Traffic to Your Web Site?

Article #23: Why Don't You Have Ten Times as Many Clients? You Could!

Article #24: How do You Know When To Change Your Marketing

Article #25: The Best Kept Web Site Marketing Secret

Article #26: The Two Keys To Web Success

Article #27: Marketing Tricks or Treats

Article #28: What's The Shelf Life Of Your Marketing?

Article #29: How to Measure Your Website's Performance

Article #30: 3 Ways to Increase Your Sales

Article #31: Advertising Campaigns That Get Results

Article #32: How Important is Your Marketing?

Article #33: What is a Marketing Plan Anyway?

Article #34: Improving Lead Generating and Conversation Rates: Think Like a Farmer

Article #35: Making More With Existing Clients

Article #36: Marketing Strategies to Put Yourself Out of Business

Article #37: Growing Your Business With Your Marketing Priorities

Article #38: More Sales with Less Selling

Article #39: Increasing Short and Long Term Profits

Article #40: Winning At Business With Your Marketing Game Plan

Article #41: Which Of These Words Attract Your Clients

Article #42: GOT MEME? How to Attract Your Clients' and Customers' Attention

Article #43: 5 Breakthrough Marketing Ideas

Article #44: Marketing Smarter To Earn More

Article #45: Writing Marketing Copy That Sells

Article #46: 4 Steps to Selling More With Your Web Site

Article #47: Eliminating Objections to Increase Sales

Article #48: Getting Off The Advertising And Sales Rollercoaster

Article #49: How to Get the Right Clients and Avoid the Wrong Ones

Article #50: Are You Marketing Backwards?

Article #1: Explaining What You Do In 15 Seconds with Your Marketing Message

Explaining What You Do In 15 Seconds with Your Marketing Message by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. You're in the elevator and your friend John introduces you to Barbara who is the CEO of one of the companies you'd like to do business with. Barbara asks, "What do you do?" Here is your chance to make a connection with a prime member of your target market. You want to get her attention, make a positive impression and get her interested enough to continue the conversation. You've got about fifteen seconds to do this. Do you have an elevator speech? Whether you are in the elevator, or on the phone, the way you start the conversation will determine whether or not it will continue. You could tell anyone what you do if you had half an hour, but with fifteen seconds you're likely to simply label yourself, as most people do. Labels don't tell us much. Imagine you told Barbara, in the elevator, that you are a coach or a consultant. Are you talking about working with high school kids, senior managers, or actors? Few job labels tell your audience who you work with. Most labels are not only vague but don't help to prompt the conversation to continue. You could be more specific and tell your prospect you are a tax accountant or an automation specialist. That gives people some idea of what you do, but still doesn't explain why your prospect should care. Instead of using a label, you could tell your prospect how you do your work, the processes you use. You might say, "We analyze light manufacturing companies to identify areas where the addition of a programmable logic controller could boost throughput." If she understands what you are talking about, you still haven't given her a reason to contact you. Whether you are an executive coach, lawyer, accountant, or automation specialist, when you start talking about the processes you use eyes glaze over and minds shut down. While you may have developed processes that no one else uses, prospects don't car about the process, at least not initially. One of the most common mistakes people make is assuming their message should be about themselves. If you are in business to provide services and products to clients and customers, your marketing message should be about their needs and wants. Here's the difference: • "I'm a marketing coach." (It's about me, and who really cares?) • "I help independent professionals attract more clients and make more money." (It's about what I do for others and should prompt the question, "How do you do that?") Your prospects' primary concern isn't you. They want to know what you can do for them and how you can help them profit, financially, physically or emotionally. They want to know if you can solve a problem for them. To get attention with a short sentence about the problems you solve, you might tell Barbara you "help reduce manufacturing operating costs and increase profits". Cost containment is a continual problem for any CEO and should pique her interest and prompt follow up. Stop shutting the door to new business with your business marketing message. When people ask you what you do, avoid using a label or a discussion of process. Instead, quickly clarify who you help and what type of problems you solve. One sentence should do the job. Talking about what you do in a new way takes a little getting used to. The first couple of times you stop yourself from saying, "I'm an executive coach or consultant" and replace it with a marketing message or elevator speech that describes how you actually help clients, it will feel awkward. Keep using and fine tuning your small business marketing message and soon it will not only give prospects a clear idea of what you do but you'll be comfortable using it. Once you have a 15 second marketing message that works you can use it in the elevator, in the airport, on the phone, and at parties and watch your business grow. You'll b e more successful with a brilliant marketing message and elevator speech. You'll be able to quickly help people understand how you can help them so they'll buy from you. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #2: Do Your Prospects Know What You Do

Do Your Prospects Know What You Do by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. How do you explain what you do to prompt a sale? Last week I got calls from two people at Wall Street financial firms, who both had the same question. How to explain what they do in 15 seconds or less? Why were these professionals from prominent firms with large marketing departments looking for a better way to talk about what they do? One, I'll call George, had been stockbroker, a profession everyone knew and thought they understood. You may remember stockbrokers got a bad name selling stocks on commission as the last market bubble burst. Now when people ask George what he does, he doesn't want to say he is a stockbroker, and in fact it no longer applies. Recently some of the larger investment firms restructured brokers' jobs, changing both pay structures and responsibilities to provide more comprehensive financial services. George isn't a stockbroker anymore and is having a tough time describing all he now does to prospects in a sentence or two. When you can't describe what you do in a 15 second marketing statement, it is difficult to spread the word about your services.Learn how to find the right words to explain exactly how youhelp prospects. With a brilliant small business marketing message you’ll attract more clients right away. Use the ’15 Second Marketing’ guide to create more business opportunities. If you have trouble explaining what you do, take these steps to develop your marketing message. 1. Identify your target market - Who specifically are your clients? - Who are the people you'd like to become your clients? 2. Clarify your prospects' problems and concerns. - What are they worried about? - How are they wasting time and money? - What do they want? 3. Define the benefit you offer - What do they get from your products or services? 4. Put the above together into a single sentence. Whether you offer one type of service or ten, the objective is to use your succinct marketing message to get the conversation going. Then you can ask questions to clarify your prospect's specific needs and describe the solutions you provide. Don’t get stuck like George without a way of explaining what you do. Get your small business marketing message working and see your business grow. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #3: Is Your Marketing Message or Elevator Speech Holding You Back?

Is Your Marketing Message or Elevator Speech Holding You Back? by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Your marketing message or elevator speech is like a key. If you've got the right one, it will help you unlock doors to new business and start the process of converting them to clients. If you've got one that is the wrong size or poorly crafted you'll be locked out in the cold, wondering why your business isn't growing faster. Unfortunately too many independent professionals and small business owners market with messages that just don't work. They may be too long, too short, too common, too dull, or too self laudatory. The result is they don't open enough doors to new business. Your marketing message, elevator speech, unique selling proposition, value positioning statement or whatever you call it needs to describe what you do and the problems you solve in one or two sentences. This may seem like a small part of your marketing effort, but in fact it is one of the most important elements and costs the least to fix. If your marketing message helps prospects understand how you can help them, you are in business. If it doesn't then you'll never reach your revenue potential. Too Long or Too Short When asked what they do, most people either come up with a short label, or a long-winded description. You may tell people you are a lawyer, a therapist, in sales, a management consultant or a systems analyst. The problem with labels is that they don't really tell your prospects anything about what you do or how you can help them. Regardless of your specific capabilities, when you use a label to describe yourself, people tend to assign a stereotype, based on opinions and assumptions. Say lawyer and people may shy away, say banker and people think boring, say therapist and people think of shrinks, say management consultant and people have no clue what you do. Your marketing message should help you distinguish yourself and your unique capabilities. Use a label and you'll be assigned to a category which may or may not be favorable to you, and won't help your prospects understand the value of your services. Some people try to avoid using a label by launching into a monologue listing their services and credentials. One management consultant I met, when asked what he did, said he would be happy to explain, but he'd need at least a half hour to share his elevator speech. Get and keep people's attention, start a conversation with a marketing message that rolls quickly off your tongue or the page. Most people, your prospects included, scan verbal and visual content searching for relevant information that will help them solve a problem or meet a need. If your marketing message is too general or takes too long to hear or read, you are history. Your prospects won't take the time to find out that you may really have the perfect product or service for their needs. Take a look at your marketing materials or your web page. • Are you doing the same thing as the management consultant above? • Are you spending valuable time and space describing services and credentials when you could be leading with a succinct marketing message that actually explains the problems you solve? • Or do you let yourself get stereotyped with a label? Use a Brilliant Marketing Message and Elevator Speech Whether you are talking to someone in person or in your marketing materials, your objective is to engage them, to get them thinking about their needs and wants. Do this successfully and they'll soon be wondering how they can't live without your products or services. Your marketing message should be the catalyst to conversation. When you use it a connection should be made between your services and your prospect's needs. If you had a brilliant marketing message that resonated with your prospects wants and needs you'd have more and more qualified prospects contacting you and more and more business. Does your current marketing message: • Tell people what you do? • Start a conversation? • Create a perception of need? My marketing message is, "helping small business owners attract more clients and be more successful". When I use it I get one of two responses. If I'm talking to someone who isn't a small business owner, they usually want to know how I do what I do. If the person is a small business owner they want to know how I can help them and I'm on my way to converting a prospect into a client. If you want to attract more prospects and grow your business, the first step is to create a brilliant marketing message, one you can use in the elevator, on your business card, on your web site and in your voice mail message. It is not easy to describe all you do in a sentence or two. Capture the essence of who you serve, the problems you solve and the solutions you provide and you'll have a brilliant marketing message. Don't let your current marketing message hold you back. Make sure you have one that works as a key to attracting attention, engaging prospects and opening the door to new business. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #4: How to Create Explosive Sales With Your Marketing Message

How to Create Explosive Sales With Your Marketing Message by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. If you live in a small town like mine on the Connecticut coast, you'll be spending the 4th of July watching fireworks, along with your family and friends and everyone else in town. Why is it that people love fireworks? Fireworks grab attention with a dazzling display of color and lots of noise. Unlike the sparkers you can hold in your hand, the sound and size of fireworks can't be ignored. Imagine if your marketing was as effective at getting people's attention! Diane was starting a new business coaching service and came to me looking for small business marketing fireworks. She knew that she needed a marketing message, one that described what she did and would get her prospects' attention. Her dilemma was that she works with clients to solve numerous types of problems and instead of having one strategic marketing message, she had a laundry list of them. Solving lots of problems is good, but when you are trying to communicate what you do, it's the equivalent of a handful of sparklers as compared to having one large attention-getting display. In order to grab prospects' attention Diane dispensed with her laundry list of messages and replaced it with one umbrella marketing message. Here's how to get started on your own strategic marketing message. 1. List the concerns of your target market relative to your services. This should generate a list of 10-30 problems you solve. 2. Organize your list in order of importance to clients. What are your clients' primary concerns? 3. Use the most important client concern on your list as the basis for your marketing message. If you don't have a summary sentence, then write one. In our town when a particularly spectacular firework goes off, the audience ooh's and ahhs. You may not get ooh's and ahhs from your marketing message but you do want it to prompt prospects to action. When you use your marketing message, fireworks or at least a spark should ignite in your prospects' minds when they make the connection between their needs and your services. If your marketing message has done its job, people will ask you how you do what you do or contact you for more information. With a brilliant marketing message you'll grab your prospects' attention, increase opportunities. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #5: How to Evaluate Your Small Business Marketing

How to Evaluate Your Small Business Marketing by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. What's the first thing you look at to tell if your small business marketing is working? You look at the response you are getting. Each ad, letter, call or web site you have is the equivalent of a marketing action. And each time you put time and money into one of these you want to get a huge response? When you put an ad in the newspaper you want the phone to start ringing of the hook with prospects. Is that what usually happens? If you're not getting the response you want from your small business marketing, the first thing to realize is that the problem is not your advertising, sales letters, cold calling or your the internet. These are just the delivery vehicles for your marketing message and marketing information. Typically a low response is directly correlated with how you talk about your products and services. If you're not getting a ton of calls from your marketing, the problem is your marketing message and your marketing information. While advertising and promoting your business can cost a lot, changing your marketing message and rewriting your marketing copy is relatively inexpensive. Want to grow your business? Test out new ways or talking about what you do. With the right marketing message, you'll see your small business soar. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #6: How Much Time Do You Have To Get Your Marketing Message Across?

How Much Time Do You Have To Get Your Marketing Message Across? by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. This weekend my wife and I took a trip to Maine to visit various relatives and do some kayaking. On the way up and down I tried to see what I could learn from billboards. Why do I care about billboards, which I consider a blight on the landscape? If you have or are planning a web site you should look at billboards too while you drive by at 60+ miles an hour. Ask yourself: How much of them can you actually read? Of the few words you can read do you understand the message? Can you remember the billboard's message ten miles down the road? The way you read billboards is the same way people read your web site. Ask yourself: If people read your web site in the same amount of time it takes for you to pass a billboard, (2-3 seconds) do they understand what you do and how you can help them? If not then it's time to rethink your marketing message. - Charlie Cook The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #7: Web Site Marketing For Authors, Coaches, Consultants and InfoMarketers

Web Site Marketing For Authors, Coaches, Consultants and InfoMarketers by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. A web site should augment your existing income and allow you to untether yourself from your office, giving you the option of making money from your home, your vacation condo or anywhere. Is your site doing that? Marilyn, a NYC based psychologist wanted her web site to do just that. She had a professional-looking web site that was getting a good number of visitors, but very few of them were calling her, much less signing up for her services. Why not? Why weren't prospects visiting her web site and then immediately picking up the phone? And what could she do about it? Website marketing is about attracting attention; moving people to become prospects, to try your products and services and to sign up for your top end services or buy everything you sell. For many it can seem complex and overwhelming but it's simply a matter of helping people move from point A to point B to point C. Every web site and business owner wants their prospects to become high paying clients, but most web sites don't provide prospects with pathways to follow from point A to B and to C, to become mid-level or super clients. Let me explain... Imagine that you're opening a new restaurant in a three-story building. The first floor is the lobby or waiting area. Moving up to the second floor, customers can order individual items from your menu a la carte; the prices range from $5 to $19. Customers who move up to the third floor can enjoy a spectacular view and a 4 course, fixed price dinner served with wine for $70. You're ready to open the doors and start making money. There's just one problem. The architect for your building didn't include any staircases or elevators. People can't move from one floor to the next. Of course, no one would build a restaurant like that but in fact, that is how many online and consulting business are structured. One of the biggest marketing mistakes people make is not providing prospects with options for moving from point A to B to C. In many cases the pathways don't exist or the doors to the stairs aren't obvious. Ready for your web site marketing to generate more paying customers and or super clients? Want to make it easy for prospects to become super clients? Marketing pundits will tell you that to get prospects to buy your top end services, you first need to get them to buy your $29 product, then your $200 product, and then these customers will be ready to spend thousands. It's true you need to create simple and obvious pathways for prospects to follow to become clients, but don't take this linear pathway idea too literally. While some people will take the easy path you provide, other's will want to create their own. Give your prospects multiple ways to try out your products and services. Structure your web site marketing pathways with the following in mind: 1. Your first marketing goal is to get people in the door so they can get to know you. The best way to do that is to give something away for free. Offer prospects something they want. If you are opening a restaurant, free beer or wine would be a start. Online, free reports, online courses, or audio and video files can be successful offers. Or if you market physical products, you can motivate buyers with special offers or contests. 2. Once you've got a prospect interested, the temptation is to try to make a sale right away. Don't. Take a deep breath and count to three. Rushing the sale can kill it. Prospects become buyers once they are sure you are credible and your products or services are a fit for their needs. You've gotten their attention with your free offer. Now educate them about the core areas where you can provide assistance. Give prospects a sample of your best goods. Finally, explain the solutions you offer in terms of their problems and how you solve them. 3. Your freebies will attract three basic types of prospects: people who like freebies and aren't buyers; people who have limited budgets but will buy your entry and mid-level products; and people who have unlimited funds and may buy one of your entry-level products or may jump right to your top end services. 4. You'll make the most money from people who buy everything you sell or who spend tens of thousands of dollars on our services, so how can you get more people to become these super clients? Every web site and business owner wants their prospects to become high paying clients. The more you give away, the more prospects will move from testing your free stuff to immediately becoming your best clients. Imagine if instead of just offering free peanuts in the lobby of your restaurant, you offered a sampling of the best appetizers served on the top floor along with wine to match. More people would be likely to become high-end spenders on their first visit, assuming your building has stairs or a high-speed elevator. When you offer a bigger carrot or better bait - you'll attract more prospects with larger budgets. Does your web site marketing provide paths for prospects to become super clients? Take a minute to answer these questions: 1. What do you do to attract prospects, e.g. to get them in the door? 2. If you sell pricey products or services, do you have a low-cost way for people to get hooked on buying from you? 3. What pathways do you provide to move first-time customers to become second time customers and spend more? 4. Do you provide enough for free to entice some prospects to immediately become super clients? Ready to make your web site marketing sell and get all the super clients you can handle? Use these 4 simple steps to market your web site and get your prospects in the door so they can become loyal clients. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #8: Should You Give Up On Cold Calling As A Small Business Marketing Tool

Should You Give Up On Cold Calling As A Small Business Marketing Tool by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Ever had second thoughts about using cold calling to find new clients? Before you pick up the phone to make a single cold-call, there are several things you should know. First, few people are naturally successful at cold calling. Second, cold calling has a bad reputation as a marketing tool. Most people find cold calls intrusive and obnoxious. Third, conversion rates for cold calls are typically about 2%, compared to 20% for solid leads and 50% for referrals. With three strikes against cold calling, shouldn't you cross this marketing strategy off your list once and for all? No! The reason most cold calls fail is simply because they're done wrong. If you're thinking of giving up on using the phone to generate leads, first ask yourself if it is cold calling that annoys people, or the way its done. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater - many small businesses have been built on the basis of successful cold-calling campaigns. One of my clients, Steve, confessed that he didn't want to be bothered with most small business marketing activities. Give him a list of leads and a phone and in a couple of hours and he could find a warm prospect. Instead of alienating prospects, his cold calls resulted in more business. Cold-calling worked for Steve because he was a master at it. You too can become a master of cold calling when you know how to prepare and how to make the calls using the strategy detailed below. Why Do People Hate Most Cold Calls? We're all assaulted by hundreds of advertising messages each day. Many we choose to ignore, a select few catch our interest. The ones that annoy us the most are the ones we are forced to pay attention to without any choice. If you want to overcome this natural resistance you’ll need to find out how to make your cold-calls less intrusive. Get Your Prospects' Permission One of the most effective ways to generate a lead on your website is to ask a prospect to give you his or her email address and then, with their permission, send them ideas and information they want. The same is true when you pick up the phone to call a prospect. Get your prospect's permission, give them the information they want, and you can generate a warm lead and a sale. The traditional approach to small business marketing and cold calling shoves a 'sell' in the prospect's face. Most people don't respond well to this. The more effective alternative is to get a prospect's attention, ask permission, find out what they want and then give them what they asked for. How To Generate Leads and Sales with Your Phone Calls Before you make the call; prepare for your marketing success A. Don't blindly pick up the phone and except to get results. When at all possible, research your prospects' needs. The more you know about what they want the more effective you'll be on the phone. Depending on who you're calling, you can: - Research the individual company and person to identify problem areas where you could be of assistance. Send a letter or a series of postcards in advance of your call. - Use a response form on your web site or a postcard to prompt your prospects to tell you what they are looking for. On the form, ask the prospect to tell you what his biggest or most intractable problem is. When a prospect completes an inquiry form on your web site, you've got the most important thing to a successful call; their permission for you to contact them again, to discuss how you can help them. - Survey your existing clients to define the 3-5 reasons they find your products and services valuable. B. Your first objective with a prospect isn't to sell to them. Before a sale can take place you need to establish rapport and find out what they want and need. If you haven't already done this with your marketing then you'll need to take the first couple of calls to do this and then you can move towards a sale. Making the call - partner with your prospect 1. State your name and ask the prospect if they have a moment. (Get their permission to continue the conversation) 2. If they're busy, schedule a time to call back. This way you’ve got their permission to have the next conversation. 3. Give them a reason to listen. Let them know you'll be brief and tell them why you are calling. Tell them what your firm does in terms of the benefits you provide. For example, 'We help hotels like yours increase bookings and generate more revenue per guest.' 4. Tell them you'd like to ask them a couple of questions and get their permission to proceed. Then find out what's working and what's not and what types of solutions they are looking for. 5. Summarize what they’ve told you about their needs and wants. Then ask them if you could solve the problems they just told you they wanted solved, whether it’d be worth schedule at time to talk further. Next, schedule a meeting or follow-up conversation. Advertising, web sites, email, and sales letters are great ways to market your products and services, but... picking up the phone and personally talking to a prospect can get immediate results when you apply fundamental marketing principles and techniques. Use these 5 steps to master marketing on the phone and you'll generate more lead and sales and have more fun marketing on the phone. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #9: What Santa Knows About Marketing

What Santa Knows About Marketing by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. WHAT SANTA KNOWS ABOUT MARKETING... What's that ringing sound you hear at this time of year? It's the sound of store registers ringing up the sales generated by Santa Claus. Just because he's old, overweight, long haired and unshaven and dresses funny, don't overlook his marketing success. Santa is a marketing expert and you can become one, too, if you follow his marketing methods. What's that you say? You don't believe in Santa Claus or you don't celebrate Christmas? It's true that Santa may be mostly mythical, but ask almost anybody who Santa is and what he does, and they'll tell you. And there are millions of children who are convinced he's real. So put your doubts about Santa aside for a moment and take a look at why he’s so good at marketing. A. Knows How to Be Unique Whether it is his trademark red suit, his unconventional transportation, his belly laugh or his occupation, Santa is different. He's one of a kind, and makes quite an impression, one your unlikely to forget. B. Gets Free Publicity He's a master at getting press. He's mentioned in the media constantly during the winter holidays. Many songs, movies and books have been written about him. C. Is Customer Focused While everyone knows about Santa, his marketing isn't focused on his credentials. He rarely talks about how long he’s been in business nor does he bore people with long discussions of his work processes. Instead, Santa makes a huge effort to learn what people want. It is estimated that each year over a million letters are sent to Santa. Santa supplements this effort by appearing in thousands of shopping malls around the country, listening to an average of nine thousand children per mall. He does all this just to learn what his customers want. D. Gives Something Away While most of the presents under the tree are from family, including the annual fruitcake from Aunt Bernice, typically at least one gift bears Santa’s name. How can you not love someone who gives so many presents away each year and whose only expectation is a couple of cookies and a glass of milk? E. Knows What He Is Selling Santa knows what he is selling, and its not just games and toys. Santa sells hope, whether it is for the latest video game, a warm sweater or happiness. Use these five ideas to market more like Santa all year long. 1. Clarify how you and your firm are unique, and what it is that separates you from the crowd. You don't need to put on a red suit or slide down chimneys. Define yourself by the problems you solve, the expertise you provide and what your customers say about you. 2. Get media attention for your business, not just during holidays but all year round. Sometimes imaginative stunts like appearing in a sleigh help. 3. Ask your prospects what they want and then provide services and products that give them what they've asked for. The better you understand their concerns, the better services or products you’ll provide. 4. Give something away. It could be an article, a report, a book or a workshop. Use your free offer to prompt people to contact you and demonstrate your expertise. It works for Santa and it can work for you. 5. Know what you are selling. Your products and services bring in the money, but what do they stand for? What do they represent to your clients? Sell your prospects on achieving their objectives and dreams and deliver with tangible results they can appreciate. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, market like Santa and you too, can have many happy clients this and every season, without having to squeeze down a single sooty chimney. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #10: When Is the Best Time to Make a Sale?

When Is the Best Time to Make a Sale? by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Do you know when the best time is to help your prospects make their first purchase? Timing is everything in marketing. Get it wrong and you can't get your prospects' attention. Get it right and you'll see your revenue grow each month of the year. My daughter was twelve when we got a dog. She couldn't get enough of that cute, cuddly puppy and made good on her promises to take care of it – at first, anyway. The first week she fed, walked and brushed our new dog. The second week, she fed and walked her. After three months, she was keeping up with the feeding and that was it. When a puppy first comes into the house, its owner is enthusiastic and will do anything and everything for it. If you've ever owned a dog, you know what I'm talking about. It’s called the "new puppy syndrome". Prospects experience the new puppy syndrome with your small business marketing. The first time they sign up for your free offer, stop by for a test drive or visit your store, they're enthusiastic and this is the time they're the most likely to make a purchase. Your prospects' interest wanes with each day that passes. They go from highly interested to mildly interested or not interested at all. You've got two opportunities to help your prospects buy with your small business marketing. The first is during the 7 to 10 days after they became a qualified lead. This is the time you want to follow up with additional information and make an offer they can’t refuse. One of my clients periodically gives talks to coaches, health professionals and other trainers to promote his specialized athletic training business. His unique training system generates a lot of interest, and he collects contact information from many in his audiences. When is the best time for him to make the next contact with these prospects? Immediately! These people are primed to become clients and customers. Imagine how impressed his new contacts would be find an email or free guide, or offer waiting for them when they return to their offices. To help people remember you and act on your offers, give them helpful information along with a "new prospect offer" they can't refuse. Do this once a day or once every other day for the first 7 to 10 days after you've gotten their contact information. Your prospects will remember you and you'll convert more leads to clients. I know you're thinking, "Three to seven contacts per week? That's way too many! I'll lose all my prospects with this approach." The opposite is true. Wait a week or more to follow-up with your prospects, and they'll have forgotten you exist. When they get your note, they'll have lost their initial enthusiasm and curiosity and won’t even read it. There is no exact right number of times to contact new prospects the first week they become qualified leads. You'll have to test this yourself and gauge the results. Obviously you don't want to be annoying. You do want to start a conversation with your prospects about their needs and how your products or services meet those needs. You know your business; tie your follow up with prospects to the business or seasonal cycles or the events critical to your industry or your customers. For example, immediate follow-up is critical when purchasing decisions are event-driven. My client the athletic trainer can't wait to contact a new prospect because the athletes he works with are training for specific competitive events. If he doesn't sell his services soon enough, the event will have passed and he'll have lost the sale. Depending on what you market, the purchase of your products may not be event driven. For example, if you're a financial advisor, no single event will prompt your prospects to pick a new one. Given that time isn't usually a constraint for your prospects what can you do? What do you do about the prospect that continues to be interested after 10 days or so but just won’t commit to a purchase? Some prospects won't buy for months or even years. Keep the conversation going; continue to provide them with helpful ideas a couple of times a month. Continue to educate them about your business and your services. You’ll increase their perception of need and convert them to clients. Want to convert more of your prospects to clients? Follow-up frequently during the first 7-10 days and then regularly each week or every other week until you make the sale. Take advantage of the "new puppy syndrome" and you can double your sales by helping your prospects get what they want when they want it. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #11: Are You Targeting the Right Prospects with Your Small Business Marketing?

Are You Targeting the Right Prospects with Your Small Business Marketing? by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Steve called from Minneapolis to ask how to attract new clients for his auto repair shop. He has been in business for two years and has four trained technicians to keep busy, but he was having difficulty attracting enough new customers. Steve wasn't just waiting for people to show up at his shop. He regularly mailed letters to new homeowners in the area. His rationale was that people who had just moved into town would be looking for a mechanic before long. Steve wanted to know why what seemed like a good strategy wasn’t working. Why was he only getting one or two inquires from each mailing to 500 prospects? He asked me if he was targeting the right people. "Anyone with a car is in my target market, right?" Good question. In theory, yes, any car owner living in the area is a potential client. But in reality, car owners have very different attitudes towards car maintenance. Steve was making the same mistake that most small business owners make in thinking about their target market. He was trying to market to everyone who might use his service instead of targeting the most likely prospects. After trying this for a year, he recognized that this marketing strategy was costly and inefficient. According to Albert Einstein, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Are you getting the number of inquiries and sales you want from your target market? If you're not getting results then why keep marketing the same way over and over again? The alternative to broad based, costly marketing is to target your prospects more precisely and shape your marketing accordingly. There are three types of people in your target market. First, there are people with immediate problems. These prospects have urgent concerns and want solutions today. In Steve's case, these are the customers who come in with a flat tire or a blown head gasket. Second, there are people who have a problem or want to improve their situation and are considering a purchase. They need more information in order to understand why they should use your product or service. They may take more time to reach a decision to buy. Again in Steve's case, these are people who need their disc brake pads replaced before they fail and cause more costly damage, or who could be getting better mileage with a properly tuned engine, or who should purchase new tires soon to avoid a potential accident. These are the people who need to be educated in order to make a decision. Finally, there are people like my dear Dad in every target market. It was a point of pride with Dad to see how little he could spend to maintain his cars. He never took a car to a mechanic unless the broken part could no longer be wired back together or the car just wouldn't start. People like Dad have blind spots in certain areas. The same is true in any business. Some people won't spend money to fix or repair something even if it's barely functioning. No matter what you say or do they don’t want to be bothered. Their objective is to spend as little money as possible regardless of whether it costs them more in the long run or not. Know anyone like this? Even if you have the perfect product or solution for these people, you're not going to get their business. They either know it all or don’t want to know. Marketing to this group is a waste of your time and money. You'll get a much better response by targeting your prospects more precisely. That means marketing to what your prospects are looking for. You'll end up spending less and making more. Steve needed to focus his marketing on car owners who want to fix a problem or prevent one from developing. In Steve's case a few changes to his marketing letter could make a huge difference. With a few questions he could help his prospects identify their concerns and then give them some helpful maintenance tips that involve his services. You can do the same. With a few changes to your marketing strategy and your marketing copy you'll get a much better response and see your business soar. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #12: Make Your Web Site Sell With These 3 Steps to Improve Your Web Site Marketing

Make Your Web Site Sell With These 3 Steps to Improve Your Web Site Marketing by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. "I'm getting zero conversion on my Web site (no ezine sign-ups). What can I do to improve my lead generation and income?" - Beth, from Chicago If you have a web site or are thinking of building one you want it to do two things. You want it to generate leads for your business and help you grow your business. What should you do if your web site marketing isn't accomplishing these two tasks? Imagine you had a new car in your driveway that didn't start reliably or wasn't running well, you'd take it to your mechanic for a tune-up immediately. Forget the fact that you waited months to get exactly the color and options you wanted; you expect your car to work, to get you where you want to go. You should expect the same of your web site. Your web site marketing can generate a steady stream of leads and help you skyrocket your sales. This can be hard to imagine if you haven't experienced it, but believe me, it's true. What can you do if your web site marketign isn’t accomplishing this? My own site currently attracts 450 to 500 new qualified leads each week. I use a strategy I've developed over nine years of web site marketing. This simple strategy has been just as successful and profitable for my clients, in many cases increasing their leads from almost none to hundreds per week. Growing your business online is a three-step process. First, you help prospects find your site. Second, you help them qualify themselves. Third, you convert qualified leads into clients. So far, it's just common sense, but do you know which specific steps to take to achieve this online? Here’s how to do it with your web site marketing: 1. Offer Solutions to Attract Visitors Use the site description that appears in your search engine listing or the copy in your Google Adword ads to motivate people to visit your site. The most effective way to do this is to describe the problem your products or services solve. 2. Give Site Visitors A Reason to Contact You Getting people to your site is the first step, but it doesn't count for much if you aren’t able to convert site visitors into qualified leads. Give your site visitors a reason to contact you (and give you their contact information). Giving something away works for almost every type of business and can work for you, too. 3. Convert Leads Into Paying Clients Follow-up on a prospect's interest by giving them information that has use and value to their business. Give them reasons to trust you, more information about the problems you solve, and more examples of ways that you can help them as you've helped other clients. Tune up your web site - or build a new one that gets you where you want to go - with these three steps you'll and attract more and more clients each month. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #13: How to Beat Your Biggest Competitor with Your Marketing

How to Beat Your Biggest Competitor with Your Marketing by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. "Everywhere I look I've got competitors, from the large companies to other independent financial advisors like myself. What can I do to beat the competition and get more clients?" Martha, Financial Services, San Diego CA In 500 B.C. Sun Tzu had the answer; "Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories." In war or business the key to success is to know your competition and understand the obstacles you need to overcome. Do you know who your biggest competitor is? Do you know who or what is stealing your prospects' attention and keeping them from buying your products or services? You may be surprised to learn that your biggest competitor isn't the other firm in your town or is it the large corporation that sells similar products and services. If you guessed these, you'd be right that they are competitors but they're not your biggest one. Who then is your biggest competitor? Before I give you the answer, let me tell you a story. During his first three years of high school, my son was not the student he could have been. All my explanations and entreaties about needing good grades to get into college fell on deaf ears. My spouse and I tried discussions, lectures and everything else we thought might work, but we just didn't have his attention. Sound familiar? The same is true of your prospects. Your biggest competitor isn't one of the other companies that provide the same products or services. Your biggest competitor and obstacle to growing you business is your prospects' indifference. If your prospects aren't responding to your small business marketing, you're not capturing their - - Attention - Interest - Time - Trust - Motivation to act - Commitment There are hundreds of thousands of people who could benefit from what you sell. Why aren't they flocking to your door? Why aren't you doubling your sales every year? Do you have the same problem with your prospects' that my spouse and I had with our son? Halfway through his junior year, we took my son to see several colleges that were within his reach if he just applied himself. He liked what he saw and got excited about going to college (or was it just the idea of getting away from home?) We got his attention by showing him the opportunities he could have if he improved his grades. We motivated him by giving him the information he needed to make the decision to work harder in school. The result? His grades went from mediocre to outstanding. You can overcome your prospects' indifference too by giving them the information they want in your marketing. When you do their interest and motivation will soar. Use these six ways to overcome your prospects' indifference. 1. Don't just shout your name or your company's name; tell your prospects how you can help them. 2. Before your prospects get distracted by another web site, another ad, or another task, grab their interest by making them curious about how much better off they'll be with your product or service. In language your prospect would use, map out their concerns and tempt them with the solution you provide. 3. Your prospects want a solution. Use your small business marketing to demonstrate you can solve their problem. Giving away tips, ideas or a test drive is one way to earn their loyalty and their business. 4. You want your prospects to trust you, so make sure they see and read great comments from your satisfied clients. Place testimonials throughout your marketing so your prospects can’t miss them. 5. Give your prospects a compelling reason to read or hear your marketing message, to contact you, and to buy from you today. If it's possible to put off a decision, most people will. Include something in your marketing that will motivate your prospects to act right away, whether it's an offer too good to refuse, or a time limit on an offer or both. 6. You wouldn't expect a stranger to entrust you with managing their family fortune the first time they’ve read your name. Use your marketing to prompt them to email you, to call you, to get to know you and to trust you. Then help them to make a commitment even if it is for a first meeting or an entry-level product or service. Your biggest marketing battle is to overcome your prospects' indifference. Accomplish this, and you'll attract all the clients you want. Do this, and you'll be so far out in front you won't need to worry about the competition. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #14: Are You Losing 50% or More of Potential Clients?

Are You Losing 50% or More of Potential Clients? by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. If your prospects don't know how you can help them or view you as an expert you’re not going to get their business! If your marketing doesn't help them instantly understand why they need you and then go on to educate them about ways you can help them, you're wasting thousands of dollars on your marketing and your advertising. Say you’d scheduled a meeting with a prospect for a lucrative project. You wouldn't show up in a worn out suit or deliver a presentation that put your prospects to sleep. You'd want to look sharp and impress your prospects in order to prompt them to sign a contract on the spot. Now take a look at your marketing. Is it like an outdated suit? Does it put your prospect's to sleep? Ready to change your marketing and start attracting more clients? You could be attracting all the clients you can handle with a marketing approach based on what works. Here are a few tips to boost your sales. 1. Give examples of the solutions you provide so that prospects can see how helpful you can be and how much you know. Don't just tell people you’ve been in business for 100 years; demonstrate your ability to solve their problems and answer their questions. Don't let your expertise be hidden behind boring marketing copy. 2. Earn the trust of your prospects. What's the quickest way to do this? Leverage the trust you've garnered over the years from past clients and collect testimonials from them. Once you have these gems in hand place them up front or near the top of your marketing materials. 3. Motivate your prospects to contact you. If your prospect doesn't take immediate action when they see your ad, your web site or your sales letter, chances are they're never going to. Give them a reason to contact you; motivate them to act right away. 4. Help your prospects get to know you, understand more about how you can help them and have a urgent reason to spend their hard earned dollars. Don't expect prospects to take the imitative to seek this information out on their own. Expect to need 5 to 7 contacts to demonstrate how helpful you can be and to educate prospects about how much better off they’d be with your products and services. Don’t let your expertise be obscured by outdated marketing. Put your best foot forward by using a marketing system that generates more leads and clients each month. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #15: 3 Ways to Stand Out from the Competition

3 Ways to Stand Out from the Competition by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Whether you're a computer technician, financial planner, real estate broker, copywriter, or other service provider, you've got lots of competition. There are plenty of other people in the same business going after the same prospects as you. You may be wondering how you're ever going to get more clients and take your business to the next level. One thing's certain; you can't expect to stand out from the crowd using the same marketing strategy everyone else does. If you want to transform your business, you need to first transform your marketing. Imagine you raced cars for fun on the weekend. In accordance with class rules your car and everyone else had 75 horsepower and skinny tires. Furthermore, every aspect of your car and driving strategy was highly regulated by these rules. Your acceleration and speed would be limited. Races would be very close and it would be tough to win. Now imagine that the class rules were suspended and you dropped a 400 horsepower engine in your car, added big road gripping tires, you could modify it any way you wanted and there were no limitations on how you drove and, best of all, everyone else was following the old rules. You'd have a big advantage. Your car would leap to the front of the pack and stay there. You'd bring trophies home every week. Marketing the way everyone else does will keep your business stuck in the slow lane. Stick to a typical marketing approach and you'll get the same results. Want to stand out from the competition? Stop doing what everyone else is doing and start using the strategies that help you stand out from the competition and get more clients. There are no marketing rules you have to stick to; it's results that matter. Here are three ways to distinguish yourself from the competition and grow your business. 1. Target Your Market More Precisely It's a common marketing mistake to think that the more types of people you appeal to, the better. The opposite is true. Your prospects are rarely looking for generalists. They want someone who has the knowledge and experience to provide the solution to their specific problem. Be precise about the ideal clients you want to you serve. Define your target market by industry, by size, by length of time in business, by the problem you solve, etc. Of course, you want to make sure that your target market is large enough for your business to be highly profitable. When you are clear about whom your products and services really help, you'll attract more clients and you can charge more because of your specialization. 2. Position Your Firm As Experts Your expertise and that of your competitors may be the same. You've all had many years of experience and are successful to varying degrees. So how do you stand out? If you want your prospects to see you as an expert in your field, don't expect them to seek you out on their own. Demonstrate your expertise and give them a reason to contact you. Create a free, irresistible offer that shows your prospects how well you understand their problems and can solve them. Offer a free test drive, a free report on a relevant business topic, or a free consultation or estimate. 3. Build Strong Relationships With Prospects 'Out of sight, out of mind.' Once you're out the door, off the phone, or your prospect has left your web site, they're going to forget you. They are going to forget you just when you want them to get to know you, trust you and think of you when they are ready to buy. How can you make sure you have a stronger relationship with your prospects than your competitors do? Stay in contact once a week or once a month. Give your prospects ideas they can use that continue to demonstrate your expertise and present them in a personal, engaging way. Your prospects are more likely to buy from the person they know the best. Take Action to See Results If you've been in business for a few years, you may have heard these three marketing ideas. Are you using them to grow your business? For many business people, these aren't secrets or new ideas, but they have yet to put them into action. Targeting, Positioning and Building Strong Relationships are three simple things you can do that the majority of your competitors, if not all of them, are not doing. Do these three things well and you'll add more horsepower to your marketing and stand out from the competition. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #16: How to Pull in Clients Like a Magnet

How to Pull in Clients Like a Magnet by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Your marketing could be pulling in clients and profits like a magnet. Think about how many people could benefit from your products and services. Even if only a fraction of them bought from you, you'd be amazingly successful. It doesn't matter if the economy is headed up or down, there are plenty of people looking to spend money to solve their problems and meet their needs. People are happy to spend money on things they want, whether it's a five thousand dollar painting, five-dollar cup of coffee, a golf lesson, a new computer or a new web site. With all these prospects searching for products and services to buy, how can you attract more of them and increase your profits? Makes sense that the best way to get people to spend money is to give them what they want. But, and here's the amazing thing, most small businesses don't market to what their prospects want. Too much small business marketing is about the business owner and what he or she wants, not what the client wants. Typically, ads or web site pages begin with; - The name of the business - A picture of the product, the owner, or the company's headquarters - A list of product names - A company history - Company hours and contact information Many small business owners use this format because they see everyone else doing it. While it may be the most common approach, it's usually the least effective. When a prospect views an ad or a website that doesn't speak to their needs, they ignore it. Even if the prospect wants the product or service you're selling, chances are they won't respond. They've got too many choices of similar ads from competitors and will end up just choosing the last one they looked at. To stand out from your competition, get a response to your marketing and increase your sales and profits, you need to take a different approach. To get attention and grow your business, you need to focus your marketing on what your prospects want, then once you've got their attention you can work on building a mutually profitable relationship. Give Your Prospects a Reason to Buy Your prospects are out there searching for your products and services but they're doing so as fast as they can surf the net, flip the pages of a magazine, sort their mail or scan the yellow pages. Give them a reason to stop and read your ad, sales letter or web site. "Welcome" or a company name or simply naming your product won't grab their attention. Tell your prospects how you are going to help them. Tell them how they'll benefit from your products or services. You want this information to jump out at prospects when they see your materials. You may be thinking, "How can this work, when every large corporation in the U.S. features its brand name in their ads? Every magazine I read is full of these brand-focused ads." Focusing on a brand or company name is important for multinationals like Coke or Nike, but keep in mind that these companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year building brand awareness and maintaining their brand image in every media and every market. Without a hefty advertising budget, this approach won't work for you. Give your prospects a reason to stop what they are doing and read your ad or your web page. Give them a reason to read the first paragraph, then the second, and lead them to contact you and buy from you. REI sells outdoor sports gear and apparel in stores and online. Their Christmas catalogue is a great example of giving prospects a reason to buy. They identified a problem that plagues their customers at Christmas time; figuring out which gifts to give friends and family. REI speaks to that need on the front cover of the catalog with a great photo of a woman and a man climbing a snow covered mountain and a single line of text; "We'll help you find great gifts for everyone on your list." Inside, below each product photo, they've listed the product benefit; "Keep him toasty even in winter's worst"; or "Built for deep snow and bitter cold"; or "Keep kids happy on hikes with their own hydration". Below that is the description of the product. Finally, below that, you'll find the name and price of the product. Getting your prospects' interest and their business is simply about helping them get what they want. The first step is to give them the information they want. Your next step is relationship-building, helping your prospects get to know your business and to trust you. Are you as successful as you want to be at helping your prospects get what they want? Do you know how to get their attention? Do you know how to get prospects to trust you? Then, do you know how to get them to take action and contact you? What are the crucial steps to getting a client to commit to spending money with you? When you discover the answers to these questions you'll attract clients like a magnet and grow your business faster and with less work than you ever imagined. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #17: 3 Steps to Selling More With Your Web Site

3 Steps to Selling More With Your Web Site by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. "What's the most important function of your web site?" Most small business owners will explain, "To tell people about myself and my services." This sounds like the right answer, and it's the one I hear most often. But it's wrong! Build a web site focused on yourself or your products and it is doomed to fail from the start. No matter how hard you work to promote it or make it look impressive, it won't pay for itself, ever. What is the primary purpose of a web site? Keep reading to find out. There are 3 key steps in the web marketing process. Understand the purpose of each and you'll be able to bring in more new business with your web site. You need to attract prospects, convert them into qualified leads and then convert leads into clients. The problem for most people is that despite their best efforts to collect thousands of leads, they only end up with a few clients. Sound familiar? Your marketing is like New York City's water system. In upstate New York they use reservoirs to collect rain. This water is then piped down to New York City and finally when apartment dwellers turn on the tap, they've got clean drinkable water. The only problem with this system is that for every ten gallons of rain that falls into the reservoirs the city only receives eight to nine gallons of water. What happens to the missing gallon or two of water? It's lost through an antiquated leaky piping system. Is the same thing happening or worse with your marketing? Are you losing the majority of your prospects due to an antiquated marketing and follow-up system? If you are, don't despair. There is a simple solution. You can use the 3 key steps below to help you plug the leaks in your marketing system and get new business pouring in. The 3 key steps to improving your web marketing 1. Get More People to Your Site Your first objective is to get the greatest number of people to visit your site. If you use pay-per-click ads such as Google Ads, take a look at your clickthrough rate. Are you getting at least 1.5 to 2% of the people who see these ads to visit your site? The purpose of any and all of your web advertising is to get people who might be interested in your services to visit your web site. If your ads don't prompt at least 1.5% of viewers to respond, test alternative headlines and subheads. You'll have the most success with headlines and subheads that focus on your prospects' problems and concerns. In my experience with my own sites and my clients' sites, changes in the wording of headlines and subheads makes a huge difference in response rates. You can double the number of people who click on your ads - and double the number of potential clients visiting your web site - by changing a few words in your ads. 2. Convert More Web Site Visitors to Leads Let's say a hundred people a day visit your web site. How many leads do you generate? With the right copy (headlines and text), sales offer, and page layout, you could motivate 15 to 25% of the people who visit your web site to contact you. Instead of a handful of inquiries from site visitors each week, you could have dozens. At the beginning of this article, I asked my client John what the main function of his web site is. This is it. > The primary purpose of your web site is to get the greatest number of visitors to email you or call you with their contact information. Your site may be the best looking site in the world, but if it doesn't motivate your prospects to contact you, you've lost them and won't get their business. Few people buy products and services the first time they visit a web site. Most look at dozens of options. Unless your site is as well known as aol.com or amazon.com, your prospects won't remember your site's URL ten seconds after they leave for another site. Before another prospect leaves your site and forgets your business, start using your free offer and your site layout to prompt at least 10-20% of all site visitors to contact you. 3. Convert More Qualified Leads to Clients If you've taken the first two steps above, you'd have more people responding to your ads and more people contacting you. You’ve probably guessed; the next step is to follow up and convert the greatest number of prospects to clients. Depending on the type of business you're in, your follow up process may include a phone call, a mailing, a series of emails, or some combination of these. Whichever system you use, you want to increase the percentage of people who buy your products and services. It sounds obvious to both you and me, but this is where 80% of new business is lost. Is your web marketing system leaking more than New York City's water system? Take this Quick Quiz 1. Is the clickthrough rate for your pay-per-click ads 1.5% or better? Yes – No 2. Do 15 to 20% of all unique visitors to your site contact you? Yes – No 3. Do you have an automated system for following up with leads generated from your web site that generates sales from 4% or more of your prospects? Yes – No If you answered "No" to one or more of these, you're in the same boat as most business people on the web. Your web marketing is full of leaks and with a few changes you could be collecting a lot more leads and converting more of them to clients. Discover how to get a better response to your ads, get more people to contact you. Your sales could skyrocket within weeks. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #18: How Aggressive is Your Marketing?

How Aggressive is Your Marketing? by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Cathy, a business writer, emailed me and said, "Boy, do I need to work on my Web site this year!" I gave her a couple of ways to improve her site and had her look at several websites that sell effectively on the Internet. Her response was a common one; she thought those sites were marketing aggressively and she worried about turning her prospects off with a "hard sell." Are you concerned about being too aggressive in your marketing? No one in business wants to be seen as the stereotypical used car salesman, who tries to sell you a lemon by claiming the car was owned by a little old lady who never drove it. And are prospects really convinced by promises that are too good to be true? "Start your own business and make $200,000 in just two weeks!" Then there are the salespeople who drive everyone crazy with their annoying cold calls at dinner time... You could try the "soft sell" approach; in your marketing materials, simply state your company's name and include a list of the products or services you sell. This is a very common approach. But it doesn't work. It's true that if you're too loud or annoying, you may scare your prospects away, but if you're too subtle or you sound the same as the competition, no one will ever read your materials. Let me clear up one misperception right away. Aggressive marketing does not mean deceiving your prospects or deliberately pestering them. Don't make claims that you can't back up, and don't annoy your prospects. You want them to become satisfied clients, after all. When you think of aggressive marketing you may think of being aggressive as "showing a readiness or having a tendency to attack or do harm to others". Instead, think of aggressive marketing as "characterized by or exhibiting determination, energy, and initiative". (Definitions from Encarta) When people read your marketing materials, your sales letters or your web site, you want to grab their attention, to impress them and to prompt them to contact you and buy from you. To get attention and do well, you need an aggressive marketing approach that demonstrates your determination, energy, and initiative. Remember your school days. If you sat in the back of the class and never raised your hand, never asked a question or participated in discussions, it was tough to get top grades. No matter how smart you are or how good you are at what you do, if you don't let your prospects know how you can help them and convince them of your credibility, you won't get their business. You want the people reading your sales letters or visiting your web site to contact you, get to know you, see you as the expert to rely on and buy from you. It's reasonable to expect at least one out of ten web site visitors to contact you. Some of my clients are getting one out of five site visitors to contact them. If you're not getting that kind of response, chances are that you're not being aggressive enough in your marketing. How aggressive are you in your marketing? Take the 10 item quiz below to find out. Circle yes or no next to each question. 1. Have you written down your business goals for the next 12 months? Yes No 2. Is one of your goals to grow your list of qualified prospects by 5% each month? Yes No 3. Do you have a written marketing plan that guides your daily, weekly and monthly marketing activities? Yes No 4. Is the first and most prominent element in your marketing materials a one-sentence explanation of how you help your clients? Yes No 5. Do you feature client testimonials or case studies that provide proof of the results your products and services generate? Yes No 6. Is the first 50% or more of your marketing copy in your marketing materials focused on your prospects problems and concerns relative to your products and services? Yes No 7. In your s.ales letters and on your web site, do you use a free offer to prompt prospects to contact you? Yes No 8. Does your free offer prompt hundreds of people to contact you each week? Yes No 9. Do you follow up each prospect inquiry with an immediate response and at least 6 follow up contacts? Yes No 10. Do you continue to stay in touch with qualified prospects at least once a month, sharing an idea they can use and demonstrating the solutions you provide? Yes No Your Marketing Aggressiveness Score and What It Means Count the number of your "Yes" answers and see below. 1 to 3 You're a marketing wallflower. You may be brilliant, and you may have great products and services, but your prospects have probably never heard of you and aren't buying from you. Make a marketing plan and discover how to create a steady stream of prospects. 3 to 6 You are on your way to becoming a successful marketer and to growing your business. You just need to discover how to generate more leads and more sales. 7 to 10 You're an aggressive marketer. You've been in business for at least a couple of years and understand the core marketing techniques that provide results. Next discover how to further increase your conversion rates and sell more to new and existing clients. Whether you scored 1 or 10 on the quiz, there are steps you can take to improve your marketing and grow your business. You understand what your prospects want; use your marketing to motivate them to buy from you. Remember that aggressive marketing is about demonstrating your determination, energy, and initiative. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #19: What's the Most Powerful Way to Attract New Clients?

What's the Most Powerful Way to Attract New Clients? by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Do you know what one of the most powerful incentives you can use in your marketing is? One that is guaranteed to capture your prospects' interest and attention? You may be surprised to learn that it's not money or love. Is it making offers of products that are "guaranteed", "limited", "proven", "easy and simple to use", "on sale", "includes a free offer", or "new"? You're getting warmer. Offers like the ones above are helpful in getting a prospect's attention and are some of the most important words you can use in your marketing, but they pale in comparison to the number one motivator that makes your products and services irresistible to your prospects. What is it that makes your target market want to read your marketing materials, email you, call you and buy from you? Before I give you the answer, let me tell you a story. I remember getting up at five on Christmas morning when I was six years old. I tiptoed halfway down the stairs and sat there in my pajamas looking at our Christmas tree and the presents underneath. I stayed there for hours until my parents finally got up sometime after seven. What got me out of bed so early? Yes I was awed by the tall tree draped with lights and dripping with tinsel. But the presents were the key motivator. Not so much because I was dying to possess more toys or eat more fruitcake, but because I wanted to know what was in each one of those colorfully wrapped boxes under the tree. My curiosity was so powerful I couldn't sleep and I was up long before anyone should be on Christmas. Whether you're six or sixty, curiosity is one of the most powerful motivators. What prompted you to read this far? You wanted to know the answer to the question I posed in the article's title. We're all curious. Dorothy Parker said, "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." Spark a prospect's curiosity about your product or service, and there is no stopping them. They'll want to know if you can help them and how you are going to do it. Get them curious and you'll get their business. How can you use curiosity in your marketing? The headlines you use in your marketing are like the brightly colored wrapping on Christmas presents. With the right words, you'll grab your prospect's interest and it won't let up until they've satisfied their curiosity. Below you'll find two ways you can use headlines to prompt prospects' curiosity. Suggest a New Solution to A Problem. Use a question or a statement such as: "Want to Attract More Clients and Grow Your Business?" "How Much More Could You Be Making With These Ideas?" "Discover How to Attract All The Clients You Want" "Sign Up For Your Financial Analysis To Find Hidden Resources You Can Retire On." Ask a question that is relevant to your prospects, and they will look for the answer to follow. Promise a solution to a problem and its guaranteed to get the curiosity of your prospects and prompt them to contact you. Then deliver on your promise. Use unusual and provocative headlines to engage your prospects. Get their attention with a headline that is thought provoking or incomplete. Create a "cliffhanger" with your headline and prospects will read your marketing copy to satisfy their curiosity. The tabloid newspapers use this strategy to sell papers every day. Take a look at these three samples: "How to Use Liposuction to Repair Adobe Reader 6? And give it mouth-to-mouth respiration too" - from the Inquirer "Monkeys At My Car!" - from the SUN "February To Be Canceled" - from the World Wide Weekly News Unusual, unexpected or incomplete headlines can generate interest. The problem with many of the tabloid headlines is they aren't always credible or accurate. Instead you can use the cliffhanger idea, but use it ethically and accurately to catch your prospects' attention. For example: "My Prize-Winning Roses Would Wither Up and Die If It Weren't For" "Soup on the rocks." - by Ogilvy for Campbells "Have you ever seen a bald-headed sheep?" - from a 1954 ad for NIL-O-NAL, a lanolin cure for baldness "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano But When I Started to Play!" - written by John Caples for a mail order course A creative headline will make your audience pause. It will prompt people to read your marketing materials and lead your prospects to buy. Curiosity is a powerful motivator. Put it to work for your business. Create curiosity with your business card, mailings, s.ales letters and website. The more curiosity you create on the part of your prospects the more inquiries and sales you'll generate. 2005 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #20: Use These Two Numbers to Double Your Business in 12 Months

Use These Two Numbers to Double Your Business in 12 Months by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. Everyone wants to see growth in sales and net revenue. It's important for small business owners to set income goals and to watch sales results, but too much emphasis on these numbers can prevent you from reaching your goals. Using your revenue figure to guide your marketing is like driving by looking in the rear view mirror the whole time. That number tells you where you've been. It doesn't tell you how to get where you want to go. There are a couple of key numbers and ratios to keep in front of you that will help you get to your sales 'destination'. Like an Iowa farmer growing soybeans, you've got to carefully plant seeds and nurture plants to maturity to ensure a good harvest and a good profit. The amount of seed you plant and the percentage that germinates and grows well determines your farm's profitability. The same is true in marketing and sales; the number or leads you generate and the number you convert to sales determine your income. These are the two most important numbers to pay attention to in marketing. Use them to evaluate your marketing and determine how many sales you'll generate: 1. The number of qualified prospects in your database. These are people who've told you they have a concern or problem you can help them with and who want to hear from you again. 2. Your prospect to client conversion rate The percentage of qualified prospects you convert to paying clients. The math is simple; the more qualified prospects you have and the higher your conversion rates, the more revenue you'll generate. Your sales will stay frozen at present levels if you focus on how much revenue you're making and ignore the importance of building your list of qualified prospects. You could double your business in the next few months by building your database of qualified prospects and improving your conversion rates. Marketing Numbers You don't need to be a math wiz to become an expert at marketing math. Pay attention to these numbers on a weekly basis; - The number of people who saw your ads, read your articles or received your mailings. - The percentage of these people that responded to your ad or article. It's not how many ads you run, but how many people pay attention to your ads that matters. - The percentage of respondents that actually gave you their contact information and added themselves to your database. These are the people who have identified themselves as qualified prospects who are interested in learning more. If you're marketing through your web site, it's incredibly simple to identify these numbers daily and weekly to track the success of your marketing. Here's how; 1. Look at the number of unique visitors to your web site daily or weekly. 2. Divide this number by the number of people who contacted you. This is your conversion rate of site visitors to qualified prospects. If your site is set up correctly, at least one out of ten people should be contacting you and adding themselves to your list of qualified prospects. If you use Google Ads to drive visitors to your site, you can send visitors to specific landing pages and increase your conversion rate to 20 or even 25%. What should you expect from your web site? For every hundred unique visitors to your site per week, 10 to 25 should be sending you an email requesting more information about your products and services. Each month your list of qualified prospects and your sales should grow. Before you finish this article, make a commitment to apply this simple marketing math to grow your business. Set a goal for your business. Look at how many qualified prospects your marketing is currently generating. Write this number down, then put a diagonal line across it and next to it write down the number of qualified prospects you want to add to your database each week. I've been doing this little exercise for two years with my current web site. My goals for acquiring qualified prospects get larger each month as my business grows. My latest goal is 500 new prospects per week. This translates into 6 to 7 percent more business each month. With a little planning, you can see your business grow just as fast. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #21: How To Create A Burning Desire To Buy With Your Small Business Marketing

How To Create A Burning Desire To Buy With Your Small Business Marketing by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. You could be generating 50% to 100% more sales with your marketing. How? By working with basic human nature to convert more of your prospects to customers. Each week 100 or 1000 people visit your web site or read your small business marketing materials but only a handful of those are contacting you. You can double the number of people who buy your products and services and double your profits. The biggest mistake made by small business owners is that they treat marketing as if it didn't need to follow basic rules of human nature. It's like trying to force feed broccoli to someone who hates vegetables or trying to get a vegetarian to eat roast beef. Similarly, it just doesn't make sense to try and force your prospects to do something they don't want to do. I'm amazed at how many people throw away huge sums of money on a marketing strategy that continually frustrates them and doesn't bring in the sales they need to grow their business. Here's the simple truth about small business marketing. If you want to sell to people you need to take into account basic characteristics of human nature. You can't just get your name out there or get the name of your product out there and expect clients to flock to your door. This marketing strategy doesn't work for small business owners and it won't work for you. The good news is that it's not complicated or confusing to market your business successfully and close twice as many sales. All you need to do is understand a couple of obvious things about human nature and apply them to marketing your business. Effective Marketing Is Based On These 3 Rules of Human Nature ---------------------------------------------------- > First Rule Of Human Nature: People are attracted by solutions to their problems Your prospects want to know what your product or service will do for them. They want to know if it will help them solve a particular problem. Your marketing should lead with the product benefit and then go on to explain more about how your products or services help them and you’ll capture their interest. Lead with pricing, obscure product names or too much technical detail and you'll l0se your prospects. Their overriding concern is how your products or services will help them. > The Second Rule Of Human Nature: People forget Think about your own purchasing behavior. What do you do when you’re looking for a new computer, a new lawyer, a new investment, or a new graphic designer? You may have seen an ad that attracted you or visited a web site that looked helpful, but can you remember where? Most people take some time to make their decision, often weeks or even months. Even if they've read your marketing materials and even if you've got the perfect product or service for them, your prospects are most likely going to forget you exist. 80% of potential new business is lost because small business owners don't have a marketing strategy for following up with prospects. Each time your prospects hear or read about another similar service or product your information gets pushed further down into the recesses of their brain. Eventually it just gets forgotten and you've lost the sale unless you have a strategy that helps them remember your products and services. > Third Rule of Human Nature: People want to be confident they are making the right decision Whether you're buying a new car, a new computer or l.egal or financial services, you want to know that when you make your purchase you'll be satisfied with the products or services you buy. Your prospects are the same. So how do you help them trust you and your products and services? Give them proof! Prospects want to know if your products or services worked for others and if they'll work for them. When you use referrals, testimonials and 'test drives' you provide proof that helps them feel confident in making their purchase. Common Sense Small Business Marketing It's common sense to base your marketing on these three rules of human nature. If you want to increase your sales, you need to give people the information they want and need to buy from you. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #22: What's the Best Way to Increase Traffic to Your Web Site?

What's the Best Way to Increase Traffic to Your Web Site? by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. You built a web site to create a surge of inquiries and new business, but hardly anyone even drifts by, much less stays to learn about your company. Given the time and money you've spent, you're frustrated that your web site hasn't turned into a profit center overnight, and you're inclined to dismiss its revenue-generating potential. Don't! There are three excellent ways to bring people to your web site. 1. The Best Way to Attract Visitors Unquestionably the best way to channel a flood of visitors to your web site is to get it listed at the top of every search engine. If prospects can find your web site in the first ten spots on Google, Yahoo and MSN, you'll get plenty of visitors. Even a listing within the top twenty will bring in a steady stream. You know that search engine position depends on keywords and the way they are used on your site. Search engines look at the frequency of use on your page and number of links to relevant pages. If you've ever worked with the site code yourself to try to get to a top position in the search engines, you know that it is not obvious how to succeed at this. The experts (and many who claim to be search engine specialists are not expert) charge $12,000 to $30,000 and up annually, per site, to achieve and maintain top search engine positions. Thanks to top placements for several keywords, my site attracts over 35,000 unique visitors each month. You or someone in your firm can achieve this, too. Don't have the time to do your own search engine positioning or a budget of $12 to 30 thousand dollars for the task? Write me and I'll refer you to a reputable firm that can help you. 2. The 2nd Best Way to Attract Web Site Visitors Top search engine positions make a big difference, but if you don't want to invest the time or money to put your site at the top of the search engines, there is a virtually no-cost technique you can use to bring in qualified prospects. Thousands of online ezines and newsletters are hungry for content, and your prospects are always looking for ideas that will improve their businesses or their lives. Write short articles with ideas and information that your target market can use, send it to the ezines, and links from those back to your site will bring hundreds or thousands of prospects right to your 'door'. One article I sent out last December, 'What Santa Knows About Marketing' was picked up by over a thousand ezines, newsletters and web sites, and is still listed ten months later. 3. The 3rd Best Way to Attract Web Site Visitors I love Google Ads and you should, too. They are simple to set up, you pay only when people click on your ads, and you can set daily budget limits. They look like the easiest way to attract qualified leads to your web site. Why aren't they the number one way to attract web site visitors? Because making Google Ads profitable is more complex than it first appears. Have you tried Google Ads? What were your results? Lots of companies use Google Ads, but few can justify the cost based on the sales generated. It turns out that to make your Google Ads pay for themselves, you need to pay careful attention to keyword selection, the wording of your ad, and the layout, wording, and links on the page that people are sent to from the ad. Given the challenge and the cost associated with search engine positioning, and depending on your particular product or service, Google Ads may be the best way to attract visitors. Use the approach outlined above to put them to work for your business. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #23: Why Don't You Have Ten Times as Many Clients? You Could!

Why Don't You Have Ten Times as Many Clients? You Could! by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. You know that hundreds, if not thousands, of people want and need your products and services. You're spending good money on advertising and mailings and you have a great looking website up, but you're still not getting all the clients you want or could handle. Why aren't more people responding to your marketing? The most likely reason is your small business marketing materials aren't answering the questions your prospects are asking about your goods and services. Imagine you wanted a new car and walked into a dealer's showroom. You spot the sleek looking model you’re interested in and go over to take a look. It's at this moment that a salesman walks up to you and introduces himself. You start asking him questions about what makes this car worth so much, what it's good for, what features are included, guarantees, etc. Then you ask him if you can take the car for a test drive. now imagine that the salesman responded to each question with a shrug and said, 'You'll just have to buy it to find out if it is what you want.' If the salesperson couldn't or wouldn't answer your questions, you'd most likely walk out and head for a car dealer where they could give you detailed answers to all your questions. You don't want your prospects to walk away and possibly turn to one of your competitors do you? Of course not. But if your marketing isn't answering your prospects' questions you're going to continue to see most prospects walk away from your marketing materials and look to make their purchase elsewhere. My small business clients generally report that once they meet with a prospect, they can close 20 to 50% of sales. The problem is getting prospects to contact you or selling services and products without a sales conversation at all, through the Internet or direct mail. Your marketing has to be as good as you are face-to-face. Is it? Bob and Dennis from Kansas called with just this small business problem. Once they meet with a prospect and present their information, their closing rate is almost 50%. The problem was that despite getting ten thousand visitors to their web site in the last couple of months, only a handful of these had contacted them. You can't close more sales without qualified leads. When you're face-to-face with a prospect, you know how to get a conversation going and to answer all the questions they have about your products and services. Prospects reading a sales letter or your web site or listening to an ad also need their questions answered. No answers, no sales. Once I explained to Bob and Dennis how to focus their web site marketing and use it to answer their prospects' questions, and they made the necessary changes to their site, they saw their leads and sales surge. So what are the questions your small business prospects would ask if you were meeting with them? What do they want to know in order to be convinced you can help them? What are the questions your marketing needs to answer? What information should your marketing materials give prospects in order to make a sale? Whether you're marketing a product or a service, your prospects want to know: - Who is it for? - What's the primary problem it solves? - How will I be better off with it? - Will it really do what you’re telling me it will? - What specifically will it do to solve my problem or answer my concern? - Is this information for real? - Is it the newest or latest model? - Who else has bought it? What did they think of it? - Why should I trust you? - Is yours the best company to get this item from? - Is it a fair value? - I really want it, but how can I justify spending the money? - Do I really need it now? - Why should I make this purchase today, or this week? - How can I make sure I'm not making a mistake? - Okay, I’m ready to get it, but tell me again why I should want it? - If I buy it, how complicated will it be to use? What kind of help will I get? - How long will I have to wait to get it? - Yes, I made the purchase, tell me again why it was worth all the money I spent? - I own it, now how can I get the most of out it? Want ten times as many clients? Start by giving your prospects ten times as many reasons to contact you and buy from you and you'll see your sales soar. If your small business marketing isn't generating all the clients you can handle, it's not giving prospects the information they need to make a decision to contact you or buy. You can keep using the same small business marketing strategy, the same marketing materials and the same marketing copy and get the same results — or you could discover how to give your prospects the information they want and see your sales skyrocket. 2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com

Article #24: How do You Know When To Change Your Marketing

How do You Know When To Change Your Marketing by Charlie Cook ©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved. When you put an ad in a magazine, send out a sales letter, or put up a web site, you want results. You want your prospects to contact you and to buy from you; you hope to get a flood of calls and sales. If your marketing isn't generating the results you want, then it's time to change your marketing strategy! Don't expect to improve your results using the same strategy. Here's an example. A search engine positioning firm I work with was having trouble generating leads. Yes, in spite of their superior ability to put their site at the top of the search engine listings and do the same for their clients, they were hardly converting any of their site visitors into leads and then clients. They were getting well over a thousand visitors a week to their site and generating at best a single inquiry per week. Think about this for a minute. Most people assume that getting your web site to the top of the search engine listings will solve all their web marketing problems. The reality is that it doesn't matter how many visitors you get to your web site (or how many s.ales letters you send or ads you place,) if you aren't generating leads and converting them to sales. The search engine positioning firm I was working with has many satisfied national clients, are highly skilled and great people to work with, but their marketing strategy was broken. Their website looked very similar to their competitors' sites. In fact, with a lot of information about what they do and who they are, it read like a blend of the information found on websites of other firms who offer similar services. Many small business owners look at their competitors' marketing materials and cobble together the information for their own pieces based on what they see. The problem with this approach is that they are copying a strategy that isn't working for someone else. Once they publish their materials, someone else copies the same stuff and tries to make it work. Know anyone who has done this? Nine times out of ten, marketing materials put together in this way lead with the company name and then list services or features. I can guarantee that if you are using this approach to marketing your business, you’re not happy. This marketing strategy doesn't work. Is your marketing working? Ask yourself the following questions: - How many leads did my web site generate relative to the number of visitors it gets? - How many leads did my ad generate relative to the cost and number of people who saw it? - How many leads did my sales letter generate relative to the number of letters I sent out? Then ask yourself: - Given the number of leads generated, how many did I convert into s.ales? - What was the dollar volume of sales generated from each lead? It's not a matter of time, either. If your marketing materials aren't pulling in clients within a few days, they're not going to do any better if you keep running them for months. This client had the same problem with his marketing that my Dad

Using Articles To Sell: Magnetic Content For Your Website And Ezine

Using Articles To Sell:
Magnetic Content For Your Website And Ezine