Are your prices so high that they scare away customers and  reduce your sales?
- or -
Are your prices so low that they’re killing your profits?

You know the problem all too well. The less you charge for a product or service the easier it is to sell. More sales are a good thing — but every time you reduce your prices you shrink your profit margin.

I bet you’ve heard the line, “If you sell for less, you’ll make more by selling higher quantities.” And that’s true– if you’re Walmart and sell massive quantities. For we small to mid-sized businesses with limited ability to cut our overhead, it just means lower profits.

What’s the alternative to reducing your prices?
Find the answer here >>

You could focus your marketing on moving your high-priced and high-profit items. But here’s the rub. It’s harder to get people to buy expensive products and services, so you sell fewer of them.

If low prices kill your profits and high prices reduce your sales, where’s the sweet spot?

What’s the product and pricing strategy that works to maximize your profits? Get the details here >>

The successful strategy is simple but powerfully effective. Don’t think about pricing each product or service individually, but think of you product or service offerings as a team.

Every professional team has its high priced players. They’re the superstars who make the touchdowns, make the goals or pitch the no-hitters. They’re the ones that attract fans and bring in the profits. But put them on the field or court by themselves and they’d lose in a New York minute.

Every superstar needs a supporting team. He or she needs a teammate to feed him the ball so he can sink the shot, a receiver to catch his winning pass, or someone to pass the soccer ball to her at the critical moment so she can kick it in and score.

Ready to discover how to eliminate objections to price and make more? Find out here >>

To maximize your profits and win with your business, your products and pricing need to work as a team too.

How can you win with your business?

Get Your Primary Objective Right
Let’s get it straight. The objective for most small to mid-sized business owners is not to maximize sales of the low-profit items. The goal is to maximize sales of those products and services that make you the biggest profits. How do you do this?

First, prove to your clients that your products and services have high value. Lead with a free offer or a low-priced product to get more new clients in the door and then up-sell them on the higher priced products and services.

The corner gas station in our one stoplight town understands this. People pull in to buy gas (which used to be a low-priced item) and then when they need a new muffler, tires or tune-up they already know and trust the station and are willing to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for the expensive repair.

Pick The Players (Products and Prices)

Every business needs low-priced items to get new clients in the door. Depending which business you’re in, you can provide the ultimate low-priced item, something for free, to get people to contact you.

Obviously giveaways, or low-priced items won’t make you the money you want to send your kids to college or buy your retirement home, but they will grow your list of qualified buyers. The more qualified buyers who know and trust you, the easier it is to sell your high-end products and services.

The key in selecting your products and determining pricing is to offer a range from low to high so that you can appeal to a wider range of buyers and lead customers into the sales process. The range of prices and choices satisfies the need many customers have to trust you before they purchase at your higher end.

Want to appeal to more buyers and make more money? Use this strategy >>

Have a Game Plan

I have one client whose lowest priced service is $8,500. And that’s a killer for many potential clients. It’s just too much to charge before you’ve built a good relationship.

Provide a Range of Options

One of the things that’s 100% clear about a new client or customer is that their buying behavior is unpredictable. You don’t know whether a buyer is likely to only want your lowest priced item or your highest priced one. That’s why you offer options. Most will start out at the bottom but others will buy at the top. Give them a range of options and choices to help them get to know you and trust you.

Don’t let your product lineup and your prices kill your profits or your sales. Get in the game by focusing on the right objectives, picking the right players and using a game plan to maximize your income.

To your success,

Charlie

P.S. Get your products and pricing working together as a team, from your supporting products to your superstar profit generating ones. They won’t do it by themselves, so you’ll need to know how. Here’s how >>

P.P.S. One of the first things I do with my mentoring clients is to review the range of products and services they provide and their pricing. Typically, with a few simple changes, this is where they can pick up an additional $10,000 or more in revenue in the first month. Do you want to add that kind of revenue this month? Start here >>

“I get most of my new business from referrals.”

Every small business owner and marketer wants to be able to say these 9 words. When you can say this, it means you aren’t struggling to increase leads or frustrated with trying to convince prospects to buy from you.

When it’s true, your clients and business associates are doing your marketing for you.

When a prospect is referred to you, they’re relying on someone else, another client or a supplier to vouch for you and your products and your services. Your credibility and the value you provide is already established.

And this is a big relief because I don’t know anybody who truly enjoys having to prove themselves to prospects.

Typically you’ll convert 5 to 7 times as many referred prospects to clients. Let me repeat that; typically, you’ll convert 5 to 7 times as many prospects that come to you through referrals. Referrals make it a lot easier to be highly profitable.

For most small business owners and sales people the occasional referral drops out of the sky like a pleasant surprise. Don’t you love it when a new client is sent your way pre-sold and ready to buy? Everyone does!

If you like getting referrals so much, and they are so profitable, what are you doing to generate more? For most business owners and sales people the answer is… nothing.

What can you do to generate a steady stream of referrals so you can grow your business by leaps and bounds?

Want to know what works? Use this link >>

The 2 Marketing Secrets to Generating Referrals
The simple truth is that generating more referrals is as easy as
growing grass.

Recently my wife and I decided to do something about our sorry-looking lawn. We had done only the bare minimum of maintenance for several years. Last fall we surveyed the weeds and bare patches and decided we wanted to actually grow some grass.

After pulling out the weeds, what was left was pretty ugly. The first step was to spread grass seed. The next was to make sure it was watered twice a day. Without regular watering, as you know the seed would just dry up and blow away.

Here in Connecticut, rain is a random event. If we relied on nature there was a good chance the seed wouldn’t germinate and we’d be left with patches of dirt instead.

The solution? We cranked up the automatic sprinkler system. If you have one you know you can set it to water your lawn twice a day as we did. Now a few weeks later, the seed has sprouted and our lawn has filled completely filled in and looks great.

Want to fill in your sales with referrals so you can increase your profits? Get the details here >>

Generating a steady stream of referrals is the same as growing grass. Here’s the small business marketing ideas you need:

1. Prepare the Seed
To generate more referrals, plant the seeds with your best salespeople. Give your existing clients, suppliers and sales partners the marketing materials they need to promote you so they can spread the word.

This can be as simple as giving them the words to use to describe your business. A concise statement (8 to 12 words) of the problems you solve and the benefits of your products and services will help them spread the word. They can easily explain the value of contacting you to people they know.

You could go beyond just sharing your marketing message and produce a client-focused brochure that paints a clear picture of the situations you help people with and details the benefits of your services.

Or write and share articles that entertain and educate, and help prospects see you as the go-to expert.

And you could make sure that all of this information is readily accessible on your web site, so that existing clients can point people to your site.

In sum, if you want to generate more referrals, give your network of referral partners the right small business marketing tools to promote you.

2. Make It Rain Every Day
The second marketing secret to generating referrals is to make the process less random. We needed the automatic sprinklers to make our grass grow; you need an automated system for following up with your referral partners.

Stay in touch on a regular basis so they know what to do and when to do it. I schedule a call every month with each of my super affiliates, and then ask them to commit to a schedule of mailings and activities they can to do that will send referrals my way.

As a result, I can’t say that 100% of my business comes from referrals, but over 50% does. You can do the same by applying these two simple strategies.

Ready to discover the rest of the secrets to growing your profits that most business owners and marketers will never know or apply? Find out how to reach and exceed your business goals >>

Charlie
Revealing the Small Business Marketing Ideas Used By Self-Made Millionaires

A month ago I was approached by someone who wanted to podcast my weekly small business marketing ideas and tips. No charge. He’d do it in return for permission to use them on this site.

We’ve now got 4 small business marketing ideas podcast. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

Listen to my small business marketing ideas >>

- Charlie
Small Business Marketing For Self-Made Millionaires

To listen to the podcast of this blog online, use this link >>

You’ve got a qualified prospect on the phone and you know they could use your products or services. What do you do? What do you say to convince them to buy from you today?

Should you start by telling them about the features of the products you sell or the high-tech machines you’ll be using to get the work done or about the history of your firm? What should you say first, second and third to make the sale?

Stop! If your primary concern is making the sale, your prospect will know it. No one likes to be sold. So if you’re focused on convincing your prospect of your expertise or persuading them to buy, you’re taking the wrong tack.

What Not To Do
Fran is a search engine expert who helps keep my site in the top ten listings for my keywords. I’d referred one of my clients to her and then followed up a few days later to find out why she hadn’t signed up the client. I knew the client wanted SEO help and Fran wanted to work with the client, so I wanted to find out what had gotten in the way

When I asked Fran how the call had gone, she explained that she had spent an hour and a half talking with the prospect. She gave them a detailed review of their site and explained what could be done to improve it’s search engine positioning. On top of that, she sent the prospect a Camtasia of the call, a video file of the lengthy consultation.

But after all that and several follow up calls Fran still hadn’t closed the referred prospect.

Is it taking you too long to close the sale? Are you getting the brush off? If so, you’re using the wrong approach. If you want to close more sales, use this link >>

There is no set amount of time it takes to close a sale, but unless you’re selling something that costs tens of thousands of dollars, you’re not going to make money if you spend hours with each prospect. In most cases, 30 minutes is all you should need to close the sale.

How can you close the sale in 30 minutes or less?
Use this link >>

How to Pitch Your Prospects
Here’s the secret. The way to close the sale is to avoid pitching your prospect. That’s right; don’t try to prove to them you’re the perfect solution. That’s the wrong strategy and is a waste of time.

The best way to “sell” your prospects is by getting your prospect to do the work for you. Get them to tell you three things:

1. What they are trying to achieve
2. What they want
3. How your products or services can help them

Ask them questions to get them talking about the three points above. Then let them tell you why they should buy from you today.

How would Fran’s call have gone if instead of focusing on proving herself, she had asked questions such as these:

• How many unique visitors are you getting a week currently?
• How many sales does that generate?
• How much more could you be making with 4 to 10 times as many unique visitors to your site each week?
• How would you like me to help you?

Fran would have closed the sale and put money in her pocket and the prospect would be a happy client.

Ready to dump your pitch and discover how to have your prospects pitch themselves? You’ll close many more sales in much less time. Use this link to get the details >>

What’s the perfect sales pitch?

It’s the one your prospect gives you to convince you to sell them your products and services. And it’s 100 times more powerful than any you could come up with yourself.

- Charlie
Small Business Marketing Ideas that Get Results

P.S. Imagine if you could close twice as many prospects with less effort. How much more would you make?

Interested in making twice as much? Find out how >>

To listen to the podcast of this blog online, use this link >>

When a prospect objects to your pricing, it is often the beginning of the end of a potential sale. You can run through all the benefits of your product or service again, but once price has become an obstacle, it’s hard to remove it. Do you offer to discount the price? That’s a slippery slope; how much of your profit can you bargain away?

Want to know how to ensure your method of selling sales overcomes objections to your pricing? Read this week’s marketing idea >>

Follow this link for more Marketing Ideas to boost your sales and eliminate objections to price >>

Charlie
Marketing Ideas That Make You Money

Building relationships with prospects and earning their business by staying in touch over time is a great way to gradually ramp up revenue. But what do you do if you want to make the sale today?

Use these business marketing ideas >>

Charlie Cook
Business Marketing Ideas that Make You Money

At the end of the year some people indulge in making New Year’s resolutions. They promise themselves they’re going to stop digging into the cookies or ice cream before bed, go to the gym more often, get more sleep, close more sales and a whole lot of other stuff.

Have you ever done this? One year later did you keep your resolutions or are you still stuck in the same ruts, wishing you were in better shape, still working too hard and not making as much as you’d like?

Maybe you’re the exception, but hardly anyone I know actually keeps their New Year’s resolutions and the rest don’t make them. Why is this?

Because when you talk about accomplishing something in the future, whether it’s losing weight or closing more sales, it stays in the future in your mind. There is always tomorrow and, as everyone knows, tomorrow never comes.

Want to know a better way to set goals you’ll actually reach in 2008? Use these marketing ideas to ensure your success.

Instead of writing your goals in the future, write them in the past tense, as if you’d already accomplished them. For example:

- “I built my list of qualified prospects to over 5,000.”

- “I increased sales per client by 50%.”

- “I reduced my per lead costs by $50.”

- “I automated my business so I can finally work only 4 days a week.”

See the difference? When you list your goals as accomplishments, you trick your mind into believing you’re already there. Instead of anticipating all the effort required and all the obstacles between you and your goals, visualize yourself already where you want to be. It gives you the mindset you need for success.

What’s the first step to success in 2008?

List the personal and business goals you’ll have reached by this time next year. Be specific. Instead of “I want to make more money” or “I want to work less”, write down goals like, “I increased my take home pay last year by $200,000.” Or “I outsourced all my administrative functions of my business and took 6 weeks of vacation to travel with my wife.”

Do this right now, before you read any further. Make a list of your accomplishments for this coming year. The act of writing them down and sharing them tricks your brain into making a commitment to reach them.

It’s the difference between thinking you’d like to take your spouse on a trip to Hawaii, and actually telling her you’ll be taking her there next December. Once you’ve told your spouse or children you’re taking a vacation together, you’ve made a commitment to them and yourself. The same is true of your business goals.

Now you need an action plan to meet your goals. Start by answering the following questions.

1 - What do you need to do to reach each of your goals?
A faster way of generating leads? >>

A system for growing your business? >>

To close more sales? >>

A web site that converts visitors to buyers? >>

2 - What knowledge and skills are required?
Do you need to discover how to attract more clients, close more sales or finally turn your website into a profit center? Use this link >>

3 - What kind of advice do you need?
Do you need someone to help you organize your marketing and show you how to focus your efforts? Use this link >>

4 - What administrative tasks will you need help with?
Customer support and service, fulfillment, bookkeeping, web maintenance?

If you want 2008 to be more successful than 2007, think differently and plan differently. You may need fresh marketing ideas and different skills; to find new partners or associates, a better ways to organize your business and even a mentor.

Instead of making resolutions for the New Year, implement these marketing ideas and define what you’ll have achieved twelve months from now, and by that time you’ll have reached your goals. A simple strategy, but it works by creating a mindset of success that will last all year long.

Charlie
Marketing Ideas That Work

Don’t you wish you could leverage the holidays to generate a surge
of sales, no matter what you sell?

You can, using these marketing ideas!

The Friday after Thanksgiving, “Black Friday”, is the day many
retailers count on to pull them out of the red and turn a profit
for the entire year. Here in Connecticut, shoppers line up before
daylight to be the first to get into stores at the local malls. By
noon, I-95 slows to a crawl with all the shoppers on the highway.
It’s the beginning of the retail holiday spending spree.

Are you benefiting from the spending spree, or do your profits
suffer at this time of year?

Many business owners and marketers will tell you that their sales
slump in December. Yes, many people are distracted and busy with
holiday shopping and other holiday activities. If you aren’t in
retail, the question is, how can you turn the holiday season into a
sales opportunity, not an obstacle?

During the holiday season your prospects are in a mindset to spend
money, and are more than willing to spend money on themselves.
They’ve got their credit cards out and are ripe for you to market
to them.

What’s the secret to tapping into this holiday spending spree? Use
this link to find the answer >>

Retail holiday sales are a success because they rely on a handful
of tried and true marketing concepts. Use these simple marketing ideas to
create a tsunami of year-end profits:

1. Wish Lists
Many people make wish lists of presents to give and get during the
holidays. Why not ask prospects to create a wish list for
themselves and their business. Ask them what they want and need to
be more successful next year. Then sell them the solution.

2. Urgency
Once people have decided they want something, whether it’s a
present for a loved one or a new car or a better computer or new
marketing collateral, the quickest way to get them to buy is to
tell them might not be able to get it unless they act now.

When people head out to shop after Thanksgiving, they’re taking
advantage of short term sales, feeling the pressure of the limited
shopping days until Christmas, and they know that the stores may
run out of the items they want if they don’t act right away.

Creating urgency is one of the most effective ways to increase
sales, no matter what or when you market. Even if you’re selling
HVAC maintenance contracts or snowplowing services, marketing
limited availability or limited-time offers is a big motivator.

3. Special Offers
Typically, you may associate Christmas sales with toys, TVs and
personal items. You’re right, that’s where much of the spending is.
But there are no rules that say you can’t have a holiday sale on
your products or services, whether you provide computer systems or
accounting services.

Whether it’s a discount on price or a special bonus, when you give
your prospects something extra it increases their perception of the
value of your offer. Add in a sense of urgency, and you’ll have an
irresistible offer.

Are more clients and profits on your wish list? Use this link to
get them >>

In past years have you given up on the weeks between Christmas and
New Years and assumed you’d be lucky to ring in a few sales? If you
did, you’re missing out on some of the biggest selling days of the
year. The holiday shopping season generates about 20% of all retail
sales for the entire year.

With the right marketing strategies, December can be your best
month ever. And if it hasn’t occurred to you yet, you can use these
same strategies to generate a holiday rush of sales, all year long.

Ready to bring a flood of sales all year long? Use this link to
find out how >>

Charlie
Marketing Ideas That Make You Money

“I’m working for a company that sells windows for highrise apartments. I love my job except one thing is my company doesn’t keep their promises. They don’t deliver on time and customers get upset.

How should I handle it, to keep my customers?”
- Peter T.

How do you keep your customers happy even if the product doesn’t get there promptly as it should? Use this marketing idea and this idea to manage your boss.

Manage Your Customers’ Expectations
Let them know that even though delivery is scheduled for two weeks that it usually takes four weeks or whatever. No one likes surprises but most people can adjust to a realistic delivery schedule even if its the three to six months it takes to get a couch made and delivered here in the U.S.

Do the Math.
Calculate how much more business you’d be getting if your customers windows were delivered on time and they were happy. E.g. with happy customers you get reorders and referrals which can easily double your sales.

Then take your report to management and ask them if they are interested in increasing sales by 25% or more next year. Show them how much more they could be making if they delivered the product on time and ask them if they can make a commitment to improving delivery times.

- Charlie Cook
Marketing Ideas That Work

Marketing Ideas #5

How can you fuel your business profits? Use these marketing ideas .

- Charlie Cook
Small Business Marketing
That Puts You In The Fast Lane