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How To Organize Your Small Business Marketing Plan

by Charlie Cook
Copyright 2005©. All rights reserved.

"I hate sales pitches!" You may have felt this way yourself or heard others say it. If it's such a common response, what's the best way to organize your small business marketing plan to attract new clients and customers?

While getting all aspects of your marketing right can be complicated, the simple truth is that you can attract many more clients and be far more successful by doing just one thing.

To get the attention of your prospects and gain their trust and their business, base your marketing on the way your prospects make buying decisions. Just as a sweater needs to fit its owner, your small business marketing needs to fit your prospects.

Mirror Your Prospects' Decision Making Patterns
How do your prospects make purchasing decisions? A research study by Enquiro and Marketing Sherpa found that 86% of Internet users begin a search using Google. Of these, 63% scan the search results, looking for key phrases in order to determine which sites to visit.

If your target market doesn't find the key phrase they are looking for, they won't contact you. It doesn't matter how long you've been in business or how happy your clients are; if your small business marketing message doesn't match the language your prospects use, tens of thousands of people will n/ever find you. This is true even if they need and want your products and services.

I wrote two manuals to help you match your marketing to how prospects make their buying decisions. The first, "15 Second Marketing" shows you how to create your marketing message and where to use it.

The second "The Insider Secrets to Highly Effective Marketing" shows you how to create and implement a business building marketing plan to attract more clients.

Here the links to get your copies of the 15 Second Marketingand The Insider Secrets to Highly Effective Marketing.

First
If you want people to respond to your search engine listing, billboard ad, radio spot or business card, the handful of words you use need to grab their attention, invest the time and effort to create a brilliant marketing message. Tailor it to your prospects' problems and concerns and they'll take notice.

Once you have your prospects' attention, you may want them to buy your products and services right away, but this is not realistic. While a small percentage of prospects with an urgent need may buy on first contact with you or your web site, the vast majority won't. The research by Enquiro and Marketing Sherpa found over 80% of people looking to buy research a purchase for a period of time ranging from one week to four months, with 54% taking one to three months.

You may be doing a great job at getting attention, but if you're not motivating prospects to contact you, your business is leaking leads. You could be missing more than 80% of potential buyers.

Does your company have a web site?

How many visitors stop by your site each month?

How many of these contact you?

If you're a small business you could easily be attracting 3,000 to 20,000 people a month to your web site. Typically, 10 to 30% of these people can be motivated to contact you, amounting to 300 to 6,000 leads per month.

You may be attracting more leads than you need. Make sure you capture them so you can market to them. One of my coaching clients had a web site that was attracting 40,000 visitors each month. With a site this popular, he should have been able to generate 8,000 leads each month. All he needed was structure his web site to prompt prospects to give him their contact information. Instead he was getting an average of only 10 leads each month.

Learn how to use your web site to generate leads and convert visitors into clients and customers with "Creating Web Sites that Sell."

With "Creating Web Sites that Sell" you'll learn how to structure and write your web site to get attention, build your prospect list and get more clients.

Here's the link to get your copy of Creating Web Sites that Sell.

Second
Motivate prospects to give you their contact information. Give them a reason to contact you. I give away a free marketing guide that prompts almost a thousand people a month to give me their contact information. Once you have your prospects' contact information, follow up regularly to further establish the credibility of your firm and clarify the value of your products and services.

Moving Prospects to Client or Customer Status
When you provide your services or develop your products you shape them to fit your prospects' wants and needs. Similarly your marketing needs to be shaped to fit your prospects' buying patterns. When your small business marketing strategy and materials reflects the information prospects are looking for, you'll get their attention and their business.
----------------------------------------
Charlie Cook helps service professionals and small business owners attract more clients, reduce costs, make more mo.ney and be more successful.

Call 1-800-795-1858 for more information. Or visit
http://www.marketingforsuccess.com/marketing-coaching.html

WHICH TOOLS DO YOU NEED TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS?
Use the links below to find the resources you need to get attention, generate leads and grow your business.

"I love your manuals so much that I've bought three, my favorite being 'Creating Web Sites that Sell'. I used to see marketing as a puzzle; now all the pieces are falling into place.

Your manuals contain a wealth of information that simplifies what I do. They have helped me be more productive and get many more clients. Highly recommended."
Susan Robichaud, Visual Communications Inc.

How to Get Attention
Learn how to write and use your marketing message to get attention

Learn how to use your articles to position your business and get people to contact you

How to Make Better Use of Your Time and Earn More
Learn how to focus your marketing on the strategies and techniques that will help you generate more leads and make more money with "Earning More by Marketing Smarter."

How to Attract More Prospects and Sales
Learn the marketing strategies and tactics you can use to pull in more clients and be more successful each week and month.

Learn how to improve your online marketing to attract more prospects, generate qualified leads and increase Sales with "Creating Web Sites that Sell"

How to Grow Your Network of Prospects and Increase
Referrals
Learn how to generate leads by the thousands with a better networking strategy.

Marketing Tools Catalogue
View all the marketing tools

How to Take Your Business to The Next Level
Learn how to earn your first hundred thousand or your next million. Get expert marketing assistance. Write me to discuss your needs and objectives. I take on a limited number of coaching clients, so if your serious about growing your business get in touch with me as soon as possible to make sure I can fit you into my coaching schedule. Write or call me at 1-800-795-1858.

"Charlie, you've helped me improve my marketing, and increase my revenue."
Bob Nelson, Retailing.com

"I now have all the clients I can handle. I couldn't have done it without Charlie's invaluable help. Highly recommended."
Amy Schoen, Coach

"Charlie, you showed me how to focus my marketing Our sales not only increased, we had the best December ever!"
Carol LeRoy, KneadingTherapy.com

"Charlie, working with you the last several months has been a tremendous assistance."
Julie Chance, Marketing Coach

"Now, with the help of your book, my marketing message sparks interest and a conversation, and I'm getting more clients!"
LaShauun Tappler, Graphic Designer

"I'd recommend '15 Second Marketing to anyone in Sales or management. It works for developing a marketing message, creating a 30 second commercial and even the company's mission statement. I more than got my m0ney's worth."
Ron Morgan, Sales Manager

"The 'Insider Secrets to Highly Effective Marketing work! I'm getting many more calls and new clients since I started using your ideas in my ads and mailings."
Myra Shelton, Realtor

"One of the best investments I ever made in my business. It absolutely improved my marketing It so good I wouldn't recommend "The 5 Principles" manual to my competition; it is that good, although I will be telling all my clients about it." Dionne Carver, Owner, Accounting Firm

"Charlie, your manual has the most practical applications of any marketing book I've ever read. I was able to put your ideas to use immediately. It helped me target my market and improve my advertising. I'd strongly recommend it to any small business owner as well as other UPS stores. Definitely worth the money!"
Shawn Cochran, UPS Store owner

"Excellent marketing tool! An absolute must for anyone serious about business. The 'Insider Secrets to Highly Effective Marketing' manual provides a great mix of practical advice and marketing theory. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat to new and existing entrepreneurs, business coaches, marketing students, and publicity specialists."
Rick Dunn, SCORE

"Your manual, 'Creating Websites That Sell' is awesome. It shows just what to do to create a web site to generate profits. Highly recommended."
John Waiveris, Web Designer

"I've been designing web sites for years and I found tons of ideas I could use to improve my own marketing as well as make my clients' sites more profitable. Charlie really understands how to use web sites to increase Sales Strongly recommend for anyone who wants to market their web site".
Diane Varner, Web Designer

"Creating Web Sites That Sell is a must-read for every web site owner and webmaster. It is like an intensive course in everything you need to know about selling online from site design, to writing compelling copy to optimizing your site for the search engines. Get it and get results from your web site." Milana Leshinsky, ACCPOW, Executive Director

"Opening Doors with Your Articles produces results!, I’m getting more hits to my web site and selling more books. Highly recommended to any author or anyone using articles to promote themselves."
Randy Gilbert, The Inside Success Show

Questions
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