Charlie Cook's MArketing for Success Insider's Club

Archive for January, 2009

What’s the #1 Profit Strategy For You?

By Charlie Cook   |   January 27, 2009

Why is it that some entrepreneurs and business owners seem unstoppable, steadily growing their businesses and assets, while others struggle to stay profitable?

Some people have a clear idea of where to focus their marketing and know which marketing activities bring in the bacon and which are just excess fat. The result, successful business owners spend less on marketing and make up to ten times more than their competitors.

I want you to be one of the top ten percent of business owners, one of the people in the winner’s circle. And here’s how you can find out the answers to put your business on the fast track to make an additional $100,000 this year.

Today my Marketing MasterMind Program opens to applications from all of my subscribers and from the general public. As a member I’ll help you discover the #1 wealth-building strategy for you.

Want In?

Use this URL >>

Should You Join?

1. Do you push yourself and your employees to improve every aspect of your business?

2. Are you actively creating new opportunities for success?

3. Do you use your mistakes to create new ways of working?

4. Are you aware of your biggest business marketing weaknesses?

5. Are you currently working with experts who can help you take your business to the next level? If not, are you seeking the help you need to grow your business?

Does this sound like you?

If so, you’d be perfect fit for the MasterMind Program. You are someone ready to really go for it. I’m betting you’re up for the challenge.

If you want expert advice to show you what works, and hold you accountable for getting it done and getting it right, then use the following link to discover if you can get what you want.

https://www.marketingforsuccess.com/mastermind-group.html

-Charlie

P.S. You’re don’t have to do it alone. But you do have to take action now to get in and get answers >>

P.P.S. Space won’t be available for long. So join today.

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What’s Your Plan?

By Charlie Cook   |   January 26, 2009

Building a business that grows steadily in size and profits is like building your dream house. First, you identify what kind of home you want, then you and your architect plan and create blueprints for your house, then you build it, move in and enjoy it.

Now imagine that you didn’t have the time to plan your home but went ahead and hired a builder to get started. How would he or she know what to build?

Without a plan, the result could easily be a post-colonial, modern, victorian mish-mash that would make a trailer home look stylish in comparison. Most likely it wouldn’t your needs and you’d have wasted a lot of time and money.

Everyday I get calls from frustrated business owners like you. Their marketing isn’t helping them generate the steady stream of new clients they want so badly. It’s just not bringing in the revenue that they think they should be making.

My conversation with Ken, from Toronto, was typical. I asked Ken to describe his business and his business goals. I asked him to tell me about his target market and what he is doing attract new clients.

He easily described his technological and design expertise, his Web services and the ads and mailings he was using to promote his business. Then I asked the question that stumps almost everyone who calls me for advice: I asked Ken if he had a marketing plan and what it was. He didn’t have one.

Do you?

You know what your goals are and where you want to take your business. You also know that marketing involves activities such as a website, mailings, advertising and phone calls to prospects. But without a plan tying these efforts together, these activities by themselves may do little to help you achieve your goals.

You need a well thought out blueprint for your marketing, just as you would for your dream home. Here’s how to start putting it together.

1. Identify Your Marketing Goals
What specifically does your marketing need to achieve for your business to grow? You can state this in terms of the number of qualified leads generated each week, the percentage of leads converted to sales, total revenue, and profit.

What are your marketing goals?

2. Define Your Marketing Strategy
This is your overall approach and positioning relative to your goals and your competition. My marketing strategy is an educational one. It is based on giving people ideas and information they can use as a means of getting their attention and demonstrating the value I provide.

What is your small business marketing strategy?

3. Set Up Your Marketing System
Develop a plan of action. To increase sales, your marketing activities and the media you use need to reflect your marketing strategy and work together as one.

What is your marketing system?

4. Map Out Your Marketing Activities
Now flesh out the details. You’ve decided what your marketing activities will be; now for each marketing activity you’ll need to determine who will create and implement it and when.

Who will be responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining your marketing?

5. Sharpen Your Marketing Tools
Each marketing activity involves using one or more marketing tools. These include everything from your web site to your phone scripts to your marketing messages. To cut through the information clutter and get your prospect’s attention you’ll want finely honed tools.

Could you sharpen your marketing tools?

Sound intimidating? It’s not when you have help.

As a member of my Insider’s Marketing Mastermind Program I’ll guide you through the marketing maze. You’ll discover how to create a blueprint for success.

Want to know more about how the MasterMind Program works? I’ll be answering your questions on Thursday in the free Telecall. Use this URL to ask your questions >>

You and I will work together to apply to identify which marketing strategies are best suited to your particular business and how to implement them.

Tomorrow the MasterMind Program goes live. (Note, those people who added themselves to my MasterMind VIP list already have access).

Yes, at 8 o’clock am est. Thursday January 27th the doors open to officially welcome you to my Mastermind Program.

I’ll be sending you the link to get in first thing Tuesday. I suggest that you look for the email and when you get it go and apply right away to be considered.

What’s your plan? You know you could be doing better. You don’t have to miss out. Make sure to apply to the MasterMind Program first thing Tuesday when you access link arrives.

-Charlie

P.S. Remember people who have a plan and take action achieve success while those who sit on the fence wear out the seat of their pants while watching the winners cross the finish line.

Be a winner! Join the Marketing MasterMind Program.

P.P.S Have a question about the MasterMind Program? Please let me know. Use this URL to ask it >>

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3 Ways To Beat the Recession

By Charlie Cook   |   January 22, 2009

WARNING

This email isn’t for the faint of heart,people who can’t face the music, or stomach the truth. In short, don’t read another word of this email unless you want the unvarnished truth about your business and your profits.

Still reading?

The majority of businesses this year will decline in sales and in profits just as they did last year. And even worse nine out of ten people will come up with some excuse, in most cases a totally lame one, about why their business sales and profits are down.

What are the most common excuses?

–    It’s the economy.
–    Fewer people are buying.
–    I’ve tried everything and nothing I do seems to make a difference.

SORRY! I don’t buy it.

If the above was true, then why did some businesses, in addition to the bankruptcy lawyers, grow last year and why are they continuing to grow in leaps and bounds this year in 2009?

Yes, the economy is in a slump and on average sales are down and most people, 9 out of 10, just keep doing the same things over and over. They keep marketing their business the same way they would in more prosperous times and what do you know – it doesn’t work.

Only one out of ten people, and I’m hoping you are one of them, has the smarts to know that if their business isn’t growing and if sales are shrinking, that they need to change the way they market their business. For these people, the people who seek out and find the profit-building strategies that work in any economy, success is almost guaranteed.

Not everyone’s business is tanking in this economy, many grew their profits by 50 to 100 percent or more last year, and you can do the same.

One client, Ed from California emailed me Tuesday morning to apologize for not getting his assignment done this week. Why? His business is up by 300% compared to last January and he’s swamped with new clients.

Some people like to run around like Chicken Little waiting for the sky to fall, others seek out answers.

Which type of person are you?

If you’re a solution seeker instead of excuse maker here’s three simple steps to keep your business on track and make this year your most profitable:

1. Stay Confident
The biggest mistake you can make is to lose confidence in your products and your services. Starting to doubt your unique competitive advantage and your ability to improve your marketing could kill your business.  You’ve lost the race before the start. Like a bear smells fear, your customers will notice your hesitancy and they’ll buy from a competitor who appears confident of success. They’ll steer clear of you and you’ll lose even more business.

2. Focus On Your Core Strengths
Obviously you’re doing business in a very different economic climate than you were a few years or even a few months ago. The marketing strategies that may have helped you stay afloat in the past could easily sink your business this year.

To succeed in this economy, your small business needs to be more focused and specialized. Big companies like Circuit City who sold a bit of everything are closing their doors, but I see this happening to small businesses as well. Small companies that try to provide too many products or services are struggling. And for good reason; prospects can’t figure out what they excel at.

On the other hand, businesses that target a specific service or product are holding their own. I’m hearing that business is steady and, in some cases, growing. Online, many niche services and products are growing too, including online bookkeeping, online virtual assistants and niche information products.

3. Find Out How To Attract More Buyers
There are plenty of buyers out there. All you need to do is attract a few more. The first step to increasing your profits in the next 12 months is to find out how to:

• Help more people know how you can help them,
• Gain their confidence so that you can give them what they want,
• Give them an urgent reason to buy.

To make it easier, I’ve created the lowest cost way to access the strategies you need to maximize your profits in less time this year. I’ve put together a monthly mastermind program to show you exactly what works and how to do it.

If you think you’ve got what it takes…I’ll be looking for you to fill in the application next week when the program opens.

Make sure to apply as soon as the Mastermind program opens. If you’ve put yourself on the Mastermind VIP list, you’ll get access on Monday a day ahead of everyone else. Make sure to watch for the email Monday about where to apply.

If you haven’t done so already and want early access to apply, use this URL in the next few minutes and get access to my free telecall next week >>

But wait there’s more. Right.

In order to join the Insider’s Marketing Mastermind group, you’ll have to qualify. This is an exclusive group. I can only accept 25 people into the program. To be considered, fill in the application, and then on the next page, submit your deposit. Jessica will be interviewing all applicants and we’ll let you know asap whether you’re one of the lucky ones to get in.

In the mean time remember to sign up as a VIP for the free telecall scheduled for the 29th, where I’ll be sharing the #1 Profit-Building Idea for 2009 >>

-Charlie

P.S. Forgot to add yourself to the Mastermind VIP list to apply for early acceptance?

Sign up for the telecall to discover the #1 Profit Building Idea You Can Use for 2009 and we’ll add your name to the Mastermind VIP list >>

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Can We Talk – from Charlie

By Charlie Cook   |   January 21, 2009

Want to know the #1 secret to making 2009 profitable?

Want to know how to make marketing simple and make it work for you to grow your business that no one tells you?

Grab a pen and some paper and jot down this important date. January 29th, 2009. I’ll tell you why in a second.

Over the years I’ve personally helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners increase their sales by huge amounts.

The secret?

It’s a lot easier than you ever imagined when you understand this one idea. When you do you you’ll know exactly how and where to focus your marketing and see your sales soar.

I’ve never revealed this before, though my clients have benefited from it. It’s the #1 Way To Increase Profits In Any Economy and I want to share it with you.

I just got off the phone with my teleconference company. We’ve arranged to reserve a special time slot set aside for you and me to get together so I can share this one secret to success with you and to answer all your questions about my Insider’s Marketing Mastermind Program.

I’ll be hosting a power-packed, live telecall on January 29th at 3pm EST.

If you’ve signed up for the Mastermind VIP list, you’re already registered. If not, sign up now >>

Even if you can’t make it, make sure to register to be provided with access to the audio after the call.

During this call you’ll get a fistful of valuable information. Take away ideas you can implement right now, guaranteed to make you a tidy profit.

Register with this URL before it fills up >>

What’s the cost to you of registering and attending this call?

Nothing! It’s FREE!

There are only 300 phone lines available. To make sure you get a spot on the call you will have to act fast.

One caveat here. In the interest of full disclosure I must tell you that only a few of you, 10% will qualify for the Mastermind Group. It’s only for those who are serious about succeeding this year.

Your time and mine is the most valuable resource we have and I don’t want to waste yours or mine if you’re not a forward thinking, take the bull by horns and get it done type of person.

What I’ll be sharing on the call is not for the weak or the squeamish. If you can’t handle the truth I don’t want you on this call.

Admittance to my Insider’s Marketing Mastermind Group is not for everybody. Sorry to burst your bubble, but while membership has it’s perks it will also require you to put in some serious effort. If you’re just looking for a magic pill to grow your business – look elsewhere.

This may seem harsh, but in today’s business climate you need to be realistic. If you think you are one of the 10% of people who are doers, action takers and will follow through on the profit-building ideas I’ll be sharing, please register for the call and let’s get going >>

When you do your call details will arrive in your inbox.

-Charlie

P.S. Your call date again is January 29, 2009 at 3:00 PM EST sharp.

If you can implement a few simple marketing strategies in your business and follow through—then you’ve got what it takes. Show me how interested you are in your success >>

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4 Steps to Higher Profits This Year

By Charlie Cook   |   January 20, 2009

I just got off the phone with one of my clients, Carlos from Chile.

Here’s what he said: “Charlie I followed your suggestions for writing and sending out my newsletter to generate new business. I couldn’t believe what happened next. We got 25 responses and set up 11 prospect meetings in 2 days since the email went out. I couldn’t believe it.”

The first step to increasing your profits in the next 12 months is to find out how to:

* Attract more prospects,
* Clarify the value of your products and services,
* Gain your prospects’ confidence,
* Motivate your prospects to buy more and buy today.

As Carlos discovered, it’s not that hard to position yourself for windfall profits in your business. The key is knowing what works and taking action. Carlos had been thinking of sending out a newsletter for over a year but didn’t know what to say in it that would make his prospects open it, read it and contact him.

Like Carlos did you can easily discover the answer and within weeks be eating your competition’s lunch. Enjoy.

To make it easier for you, I’ve created the lowest cost way to access the strategies you need to maximize your profits in less time this year. I’m in the process of putting together a Mastermind VIP group to show you exactly what works and how to do it.

Already some of you emailed to find out more. When Jessica told me how many email requests we’d received – I couldn’t believe it.

This shows me you really are serious about beating the gloomy sounding economy this year.

I was thinking that maybe 30-40 people might be interested but I was wrong!

So far over 274 people have contacted me asking to get on the VIP list for an Insider’s Marketing Mastermind program. All this within mere days of just mentioning the idea. And the requests for more info just keep coming.

I’m still working out the details but given your enthusiasm and interest I’m committed to making this work for those of you.

Given the numbers of people who are interested, it looks like we’re looking at an application process. While I could just go ahead and set up multiple groups to cover the demand, I made a decision to only open up one this quarter, to make sure the people that make it in get what they need.

But after reviewing some of your requests it seems pretty obvious you’d be interested. So if you want me to get this thing off the drawing board – here’s what I want you to do.

If you’re really serious about being part of an elite Mastermind group with private access to me and you haven’t done so yet,

Sign up here to get early access to apply >>

But that’s not all. If you head over to this page you’ll get more valuable information to help you today >>

-Charlie

P.S. Want to make 2009 a year to remember for your successes?
When you take responsibility for getting the knowledge, support and guidance you need you’re on your way.

Sign up today >>

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How To Achieve a Breakthrough This Year

By Charlie Cook   |   January 19, 2009

Are you ready to make this a blockbuster year?

I’ve been getting a lot of email from people wanting to know how to get into my new Mastermind VIP Group that will launch in just a few days.

If you missed it, the URL to get early access to apply is >>

Like you, they all want to know, “How will it benefit me and my business?”

If you’ve been in business for a year you know that clients and money don’t just drop out of the sky, particularly in a down economy.

You know that you need an effective marketing strategy to attract clients and earn more. You know that you need to have a way to attract clients, a way to clarify the value of your products and services, a way to get clients to trust you and a way to close the sale.

And you may even know that with an effective follow-up strategy you can increase your profits by 300% or more.

You also know it can be tough trying to go it alone. You wear many hats during the course of your day. But what if I could share proven ways to bring your success closer to reality and faster too?

A major benefit to you is, you will be part of an elite group which is greater than the sum of its parts. Having access to many minds makes it easier for you to win. You’ll have the benefit of receiving decades of proven in-the-trenches strategies which have worked not only for me, but for other group members as well.

You are not alone. Think of it as having your own private think tank of like-minded people you can bounce your business ideas off of. All with out incurring the cost of hiring outside consultants or traveling to seminars. Your time will be well-spent focusing on your business.

And of course I’ll be there to give you a kick in the pants if you need it to get going. In other words you will be held accountable for reaching your goals.

My Mastermind VIP Group offers you the best chance of success in reaching your goals in the shortest time possible. And making a nice profit along the way.

I’ve got news for you, whether you realize it or not-it’s crunch time. This is the year where you either make it or break it. You don’t have to take my word for it. Just look around. Maybe your business is already feeling the pinch.

It’s been said “When the going gets tough the tough get going”.

Do you think you have what it takes to ride out the coming storm by yourself? If you do then good luck. I hope you make it.

But if you’re ready to ride a tidal wave of prosperity within the security of an elite group of marketing savvy entrepreneurs-led by yours truly-then there is only one thing you can do.

Again, if you haven’t signed up for early access to apply start here >>

Make a decision now to take a stand against failure and defeat. Together we have unlimited power.

I’ll be making another major announcement in a day or two. Stay tuned.

In the mean time, imagine yourself not only achieving all of your most adventurous business goals, but easily reaching the peaks you’ve only dared dream about. That’s real power.

Go here now for a little inspiration on making a breakthrough with your business >>

-Charlie

P.S. Keep an eye on your inbox for another major announcement very soon.

Here’s 3 more business breakthrough ideas >>

P.P.S. Your best shot at business survival this year is to utilize the strength and power attainable in my Mastermind Group. Together we’ll apply tactics and strategies used by only one in a thousand business owners. Imagine yourself at the top of your field.

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The #1 Small Business Marketing Tip for Outrageous Profits

By Charlie Cook   |   January 5, 2009

How can I generate more leads, more sales and make more money?

That’s the one marketing tip I hear struggling entrepreneurs and small business owners asking for. Do you know the answer?

The answer is simple. Give your prospects a chance to test out your expertise, your products and your services. This is the fastest way to demonstrate the value you offer and to develop the trust you need from a prospect to make a sale.

Say you’re in the market for a new car (lucky you, in this economic climate!). You walk into a car showroom – in my case it’d be the Audi dealer’s – and what do you want to do before you make any decision to buy?

You want to take at least one car out for a test drive, see how it handles, check out the leather seats to see how comfortable they are and even test the GPS, and the other bells and whistles.

Now imagine that when you walked into the showroom, the sales associate told you you couldn’t touch the car, get in it or take it for a test drive; all you could do was look at it.

What would you do? You’d leave and go find a dealer that had their head screwed on right. It’s hard to imagine a salesperson that wouldn’t let you test out a product or service.

Yet that’s what most business owners do: they try to sell their products and services without giving prospects a free test.

Too often business owners worry so much about their profits they they lose sight of the face that profits come when their prospects experience the benefits of their product or service. Big mistake!

In fact, the more you give away to prospects the more money you’ll make in return.

Now I’m not talking about giving away your products. I’m talking about giving your prospects a taste of your knowledge or your services so they can get to know you and trust you.

For example, you’re getting this newsletter because I gave you a free ebook. And it wasn’t something I just threw together; it represents some of my best ideas. This simple giving strategy has prompted over 40,000 people to add their names to my mailing list.

You may use an initial free offer simply to build your database of prospects like I do, but at some point you’re going to want to prompt your prospects to buy. What kind of offer will motivate people to buy?

Again, give away something for free or for practically free:

* Oreck successfully sold one of it’s vacuums by offering it free for the first 30 days along witha $130 iron as a gift.

* Time magazine’s online offer is: “Subscribe to TIME! Plus, get 6 months more for 1 cent!”

* Cingular offers “Free Camera Phones” when you sign up for a 2 year agreement. Other phone services “give away” free minutes when you sign up.

* Send people a check. AT&T mailed out 200 million checks to former customers and 10 million became clients again. By cashing the check, prospects agreed to sign on with AT&T.

* A local Stamford, Connecticut investment adviser gave away a free workshop and grew their assets by $20 million.

* Google gives away its top quality search services in order to attract viewers for the unobtrusive ad space they sell.

* Charles Schwab gives away access to its select list of mutual funds.

* As a skier, this is one of my favorite offers; Andes Tower, a small ski area in Kensington, Minnesota, started a free after-school program three evenings a week that included transportation to the hill, equipment and lift tickets for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. In other words, they gave away everything and then some. The benefit? Their ski shop immediately sold out of every piece of junior equipment (for 7th-12th
graders).

The long term benefit is that they’re grooming a generation of kids who love skiing. They’ll be back with their parents to buy more gear as they grow. And who knows? Down the road they may be back with children of their own.

Want to supercharge your small business marketing and your profits?

The more you give away in terms of perceived value, the more money you’ll make.

Give something away that your prospects need. Give away ideas your prospects can use and help them understand when and how to use your products and services. It’s the best-kept secret to success.

This year I gave away more free ebooks than every before. The result? 2008 has been my most
successful ever.

Give to Get! That’s the core marketing tip. Put it into practice and you’ll see your profits soar, too.

What is your Give to Get strategy?

-Charlie

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How To Use Post Cards To Get Phone Calls & Referrals

By Jeffrey Dobkin   |   January 5, 2009

I don’t have a lot of space so I’ll get right to the point: A personal letter is the best marketing tool for personal communication to your personal clients, even when sent to all 100,000 of them. referral marketingWhat? You don’t have 100,000 clients. Me neither. Sigh…

In a letter you have time and space to sell sell sell. You can explain benefits, features; show facts and figures. A consultative sell?

No problem in a letter: you can explain what you’re selling, why you’re selling it, then why your customers absolutely need it because it will be so good for them and best for their family, just initial here and here and send back, and we’ll take care of the rest. Read More »