Charlie Cook's MArketing for Success Insider's Club

Marketing Tips

4 SEO Strategies You Should Know…

By Charlie Cook   |   March 9, 2009

I know it’s Sunday and I don’t often email you on Sunday’s but there are two important things I wanted you to know about this week. The first is about my one-on-one mentoring program and the other is a list of four search engine tips, which you’ll find below.

One-On-One Mentoring for Higher Profits
I had to close my marketing mentoring program last August because I was completely booked but that has changed for the moment. One client, Mary Ellen and Ed in Southern California, are now bringing in so much new business they are taking a break to hire on new staff. And my new book is out of my hands. It’s in its final edit, giving me more time to devote to helping you.

As of today I’m accepting applications for two openings for one-on-one mentoring.

That’s right, I’ve only got two openings for my one-on-one, hold your hand and show you how to get it right marketing mentoring program. And these two spots may be gone in the next couple of days if you wait. If you’re interested please fill in the form at:
http://www.marketingforsuccess.com/mentoring.html

But before you apply realize you may not qualify. I’m only looking for ambitious business owners, people who can show me a track record of success and people who are doers not talkers. People like Kris >>

I can show you what works and help you double or triple your business but be aware that I expect you to take charge and implement the proven ideas I’ll be walking you through. If you do you can easily add $10,000 to $100,000 a month to your income, depending on your business.

Interested? Use the form at the bottom of the page to apply >>

4 SEO Tips You Should Know
Currently my primary content site gets an average of over 40,000 visitors each month and my store site gets over 17,000 each month for a total of more than 684,000 visits a year. And this traffic keeps growing each year thanks to a few simple SEO strategies.

1. In order to get a top ranking in the search engines find out how your current website scores. HubSpot’s Website Grader does a pretty good job for a look at the on-page aspects. Once you know what to fix you can you’re your site move up in the rankings to get more traffic and sales.
>> http://website.grader.com

2. Boost your page rank by getting more sites to link to yours. To find out how many incoming links you’ve got now you can use Link Popularity >> http://www.linkpopularity.com/

3. Create your XML sitemap. In case you haven’t done this already, you should use Google’s Webmaster Tools – http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools to create a site map so Google knows what pages are on your site.

4. Add more relevant content to attract your target market and the search engines. Why do you think I added the sections on my site about video marketing, radio marketing and marketing slogans? Because they attract my target audience and keep people on the site. Find relevant resources to add to your site to do the same and your search engine ranking will improve.

Gotta go. My wife has this idea that I’m supposed to be working on her honey-do list on Sundays.

- Charlie

P.S. If you’re ready to grow your business this year, get more leads, more interest, get people calling or increase sales with your web site, I’ve got just 2 openings in my mentoring program. Once these fill up the program will be closed and space may not be available for 6-12 months.

Interested in getting in? Apply here >>

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How To Build a Seven Figure Income

Find out which five essential, low cost marketing activities, when used together, can help you automatically attract more new top paying clients every month and generate more repeat business every year. Click here »

The Secret to Marketing When Money Is Tight

By Charlie Cook   |   March 4, 2009

Struggling to bring in new business? Wish you could generate more leads and clients without having to deplete your cash reserves in this tough economy?

Whether you’re just starting out or have a well-established business, the truth is that some of the most powerful ways to grow your business can be had for free! And these work whether you’re netting $50,000 a year or $10,000,000 a year in business.

Here are three no-cost, high return ideas you can take to the bank in this tough economy:

1. Give Away Something For Free
I use a simple report I wrote to bring in an average of 60 leads a day or over 400 each week.  Each week my list of qualified prospects grows. I spent a few days writing the report but after that my lead generation costs went to zero.

Business Week ran an article last year about Chipotle’s successful giveaway marketing strategy. The fast food restaurant chain has handed out tens of thousands of free burritos and tacos as way of building a loyal clientele. In just one day Chipotle gave away 6,000 burritos when they opened a mid-town location in Manhattan.

This customer-satisfying strategy cost them $35,000, just about the same amount they would have spent for a half page black and white ad in The New York Times.

Let your prospects sample your ideas or your products. It’s the fastest way to help people understand the value of what you provide, to trust you and to want to do business with you. Chipotle has leveraged this strategy to become one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in the country. Imagine what this marketing strategy could do for you!

Ready to generate more leads and make more money this year >>

2. Create Compelling Offers
In this economy your offers need to grab your prospect’s interest and prompt them to act right away. Special time limited or limited availability offers are what the retail chains are using and you can use too.

People buy your products and services based on their perception of value. Whether you are charging five dollars or five thousand, your prospects need to be convinced that the benefits you provide will outweigh the cost.

To stimulate sales place your offer in the context of your target market’s concerns. Once you’ve clarified how your product or service meets their concerns the value of your offer will be apparent.

Creating a compelling offer is an art and involves blending the following items together to create a sentence or two which will move people to take action, whether it is contacting you or making an immediate purchase.

Include the following items to create an offer that helps sell:

Name – What you are selling
Benefit – The problem it solves
Credibility – Why they should buy from you
Value – How useful it will be to them
Guarantee – Your promise to them
Motivation to Act – A reason to take advantage of your offer today.

Want to know all the secrets to winning more clients and more business >>

3. Get Others to Promote Your Business for You
The goal in marketing is to reach more prospects, get them to trust you and understand the value of your products and services. What’s the fastest and least expensive way to do this?

Get others to promote you.

That’s right. No matter what you’re product or service there are other businesses that offer non-competing products and services to the same target market. Join forces with them and get them to promote your company and you’ve instantly extended your reach, leveraged the trust relationship they have with their list and all you need to do is clarify the value of your service or products.

Want to discover the fastest, least expensive ways to attract all the clients you can handle. Get the details >>

How do you find other businesses willing to promote yours? Let me give you a few examples.

You’re an athletic trainer. You could partner with someone who provides sports massage or nutrition counseling. Even weekend warriors will benefit from this combination of services. You promote each other and all of you could double your clientele without spending a dime.

Or if you own a web site that sells shoes, you could offer a $25 discount coupon with each sale over $75 that your customers can use at another site that sells socks, and vice a versa. You both generate more sales and make more money without actually spending a penny.

Or if you’re a voice coach working with aspiring executives you could partner with a leadership or sales coach. If you each provide your partner with the marketing collateral they need to promote you, your cost is minimal and you both double your marketing reach.

Each time you partner with a business that has a broad customer base, you’ll dramatically increase your sales and profits. And you’ll do so virtually for free.

There are dozens of other ways to position and expand your business, strategies that work whether you’re just starting out or you’re growing a well-established business.

Discover how to leap-frog the competition and double your profits this year. Get the details with this link >>

- Charlie

P.S. What’s the one marketing bible recommended by Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins and Jay Conrad Levinson? Find out >>

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The Easy Way To Sell Anything To Anybody

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3 Ways To Succeed In This Economy

By Charlie Cook   |   February 24, 2009

What’s the number one thing to realize about 2009? It was true in 2008 but by now it should be sinking in.

What’s different about doing business this year and last?

The rules have changed!

For 95% of businesses, you can’t keep growing or making a profit using boom marketing strategies. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that they don’t work. That you can’t make as much as you were much less reach your growth goals if you keep doing the same things you used to do to grow your business.

What are your 5 options for dealing with this economy?

1.    Use denial
Tell yourself everything is fine and pretend that the recession will just go away. Denial is one of the first lines of defense. It’s your reaction to news you don’t want to hear. We all use it, but it’s only a temporary way to block out bad news and no matter how long you stay in denial it doesn’t make anything better.

2.    Be angry
If your growth plans are on the shelf and your profits are shrinking you can look for someone to blame. I can think of a few financial wizards, who are morally bankrupt, to be mad at. But ultimately being angry won’t make you rich.

3.    Get depressed
If you read the news, see how many people are losing their jobs, or take a look at your profits, it’s easy to get depressed. You could just give up and ask yourself, “Why bother with anything?” It’s natural to feel this way but at some point if you want to start attracting more clients and making more money you’ll need to move beyond depression to…

4.    Accept the situation
The few smart economists who predicted this recession tell us that you and I are going to be dealing with it for five to eight years. If you accept this and can move beyond denial, anger and depression then you’ll accept that the rules have changed and you can…

5.    Do something about it
Change the way you market your business. If you want different results you’re going to need to change the way you generate leads, and find out how to close more sales and generate more revenue from each client.

No one likes to be forced to change but if you want your business to survive much less prosper – it’s time. Don’t worry it’s easier than you think.

3 Ways to Succeed In This Economy
Last year, in early 2008, just when this recession was really kicking in, I got a call from Mary Ellen and Ed, a pair of therapists in California who were struggling to attract new clients and build a profitable practice. They were at a break even point but needed 50% more clients to reach their goals.

Here are the 3 simple strategies I showed them.

A. Create A Top Converting Lead Generation Website
When we started working together, their web site was closer to an online brochure and it wasn’t working to generate leads.

I showed them how to replace boring copy with the key phrases they needed to use to keep people reading and which elements to include on the page to prompt people to contact them.

The result? They’re now getting two to three times the leads and the ones they are getting are more qualified and closer to the ideal clients they want.

Interested in making your site more profitable too? Start here >>

B. Replace Expensive Online Advertising With Top Search Engine Placement
In an effort to drive traffic to their site, Mary Ellen and Ed had been spending thousands of dollars each month on pay per click ads. With a site that wasn’t working to convert visitors to valuable prospects this was a waste of money and killing their profits.

Instead of costly advertising, I showed them a few key SEO strategies that ramped up their traffic making it possible to cut back on the expense of pay-per-click ads and increasing their profits.

Want to know how to get all the traffic you need to be more profitable? Go here >>

C. Improve Follow-up To Increase Prospect to Client Conversions
Ed had been writing a newsletter but it seemed like no one was reading it much less picking up the phone to talk to him or Mary Ellen about their services.

I showed Ed how to make a small shift in focus and content and turn the newsletters into a proactive conversion tool, increasing calls and clients.

Ready to improve your follow-up and close more online sales? Use this >>

3 simple changes – done right – the result?

Last year in 2008 Mary Ellen and Ed more than doubled their business and now in early 2009 have reached their goals. They have all the clients they can handle.

Let me ask you three questions.

1.    Do you want help reaching your goals?
2.    Would you like to have all the clients you can handle?
3.    Want to make more this year?

If you answered yes to any of these, then it’s time to move beyond, denial, anger, depression and acceptance and take action to find out how like Mary Ellen and Ed, you can put your business on top in this economy.

- Charlie

P.S. Most business owners are in denial about their websites. They don’t work, so they give up on them. Don’t make this mistake. With a few quick fixes you can easily use your site to double or triple your income.

Interested in making more with your website? Find out what to do >>

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Which Words Will Make You Rich?

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2 Simple Marketing Strategies To Grow In a Down Economy

By Charlie Cook   |   February 9, 2009

Is marketing your business in this economy more of a challenge than ever? Has it gotten harder for you to generate leads, close sales and meet your profit goals? Are you worried that it’s going to get harder in the year ahead? You’re not alone.

No question that the recession has focused our attention. Small business owners like you are looking hard at their marketing strategies and wondering what to do next.

Here are two simple marketing strategies to make your marketing rise to the challenge. Maximize your marketing and you can continue to profit in this economy.

1. Get The Most For Every Dollar You Spend
There I go again, stating the obvious. But too many business owners are resigned to poor returns on their marketing dollars. Don’t be one of them.

Almost every fall, my wife and I drive over the mountain from our Vermont vacation home to a family-owned orchard in Monkton to pick apples. We enjoy choosing different varieties for cooking and eating — and nothing beats the crisp taste of an apple right off the tree.

It’s easy picking, too; the trees typically are heavily laden with apples. The family that works the orchard has been pruning, grafting, and fertilizing so that every branch bears as much fruit as possible so they can maximize their profits.

The same is true with your marketing. You want each of your marketing activities to bear good fruit. Are your ads, mailings and website generating the maximum number of leads and sales? Or are they more like an apple tree, with only one or two apples on it.

Typically, small business owners spend plenty of money on marketing but get only a fraction of the business they could from it.  Look at your website, for example.

- How many visitors do you get per day?
- How many of those visitors contact you?

If the number is anything less than 10%, you’re not getting the results you should from the money you’re spending.

Want to get more return for each dollar you spend on marketing?

Start here >>

2. Take Every Dollar Off The Table
After months of looking for a new bed, my wife and I finally agreed on a cherry bed frame from a craftsman in Maine. When my wife called to place the order, the savvy sales person asked her if we also wanted matching nightstands. He showed her several styles that would complement the bed, explained how easy it is to customize them, and offered free shipping on all the pieces if we decided within a week.

We hadn’t planned to buy night tables, but the logic of getting furniture that matched and the discount persuaded us.

Are you being as smart as this furniture sales person?

Once you have a client ready to make a purchase, they’ve already crossed the purchasing threshold. If you have more than one product or service, this is a good time to sell them more. You can increase the amount you make from each sale by 30% with an effective up-sell or cross-sell strategy.

And that’s only the beginning. With the right follow up marketing strategy, you can get your loyal clients to buy from you again and again.

The goal is to help your clients get not just the product or service they initially asked about but the best complement of products or services you provide. In doing so, you’ll maximize the value of each of your clients. You’ll make 30% to 100% more from each client.

Imagine you were in a meeting with a client and they put $1,300 hundred dollars on the table – money they had available to buy your products or services. Would you take $800 and walk away from the rest? Of course not, but that is what most business owners do every day by not optimizing their cross-sell, up-sell and follow-up strategies.

Want to find out how to take every dollar off the table?
Use this strategy >>
-Charlie
MarketingForSuccess

P.S. Every week I talk to small business owners who are struggling in this economy but haven’t bothered to optimize their marketing to get the most out of every dollar. And they’re leaving money on the table with existing clients.  Are you one of these people?

Find out how to grow your business in this economy >>

P.P.S. Are you one of the few who are succeeding in these tough times? I bet you could be making more. Find out how >>

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5 Easy Ways To Flood Your Site With Targeted Traffic

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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.

http://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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The #1 Way To Multiply Your Online Profits

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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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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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4 More Low-Cost Marketing Tactics To Maximize Small Business Sales!

By Charlie Cook   |   December 3, 2008

Just one month left and we’re in the midst of the holiday shopping season. Are you on track to make your revenue goals? Should you just sit back and wait for 2009 so you can get a fresh start?

Regardless of how you did the rest of the year, whether you’re on track to make 2008 your best year ever or you’re sales stagnated, don’t quit yet. December can still be your best month.

The days are counting down, with less than 30 left in the year. NOW is the perfect time to apply these last-minute holiday marketing strategies to end the year on a high note.

Time is running out… don’t procrastinate, take action today!

You’ve got just a few weeks left to achieve your small business marketing goals for this year, don’t let them slide by and wish later you’d done something to maximize your profits.

Apply these 4 low-cost and no-cost small business marketing strategies TODAY!

Strategy #1: “Target Your Sales Copy to What’s On People’s Minds”

Most people are thinking about giving and wondering two things:

* What would make a great gift for my son or daughter,
* What would make a great gift for my spouse,
* What would make a great gift for my father or mother in-law.

… and they’re wondering

* What should I put on my own holiday list,
* What gift should I give myself this year, Yes, a lot of people, while out buying gifts for others, buy gifts for themselves too!

You get the idea. Don’t assume people know what they want to buy. I’m often at a total loss myself as to what to buy for my 22 year-old son. So whether you sell to businesses or direct to consumers, help them out with your sales copy by targeting the questions that are on your customers’ minds at this time of year.

Strategy #2: “Use the End of The Year To Up-Sell & Cross-Sell Clients”

December 31st marks the end of 2008 and while it’s just a day on the calendar, it has a strong emotional effect on your prospect’s and clients. People see it as a clear ending and Jan 1st as a new beginning.

At the end of December people tend to reflect a little bit on their past performance and on their aspirations for the coming year. This is the perfect time to tap into their psyche and get clients to review their needs, what worked and didn’t work, and what they’d like to do better next year.

Whether you sell consulting services, or flat screen TVS, the end of the year is an ideal time to cross-sell and up-sell your products and services.

Strategy #3: “Strengthen Your Relationships with Prospects and Clients”

Your primary small business competitive advantage is the number and strength of your relationships with prospects and clients. Use this time to show your appreciation to them. How?

* Tell them. Thank them for their business and loyalty. Gifts are nice but ultimately it’s the thought that counts. Make sure to let them know you value their business and enjoy working with them.

Unless you’re the only source for a product or service clients can always find someone else to buy from. The best way to prevent this is to maintain a strong relationship and this starts with saying thank you.

* Send your most valued clients a gift, but not just any gift. For years I had an investment advisor who each Christmas sent me something from Tiffany’s that cost hundreds of dollars.  As you may know by now, I’m not a Tiffany’s kind of guy and ended up returning almost every one of these to the store.

The key is to give something that your client would appreciate. It’s hard to lose with food. In my case I would have been much more impressed if my investment advisor had sent me something that was 25% as less expensive like a lift ticket or ski lesson at my favorite ski resort.

Strategy #4: “Offer Special Deals For A Limited Time Only”

The end of the year is fast approaching and everyone likes a deal. The problem is we all tend to procrastinate. What’s the solution?

You have the products and services prospects want. Now all you need to do is motivate them to buy.

Combine special offers with limited time availability. If you have a website you can put a countdown timer on your offer sales page to increase the sense of urgency.

Just use the links below to find code you can easily add to your web pages and include your countdown clock. There are tons out there. Here are three.

http://www.christmasbuzz.com/countdown/
(the site I grabbed my Santa countdown from)

http://www.countdownclockcodes.com/christmas-countdown-clocks/

http://www.7is7.com/otto/countdclock.html

That’s it!

Four easy, no-cost ways to increase your end-of-the-year sales and beat, or at least get closer, to your goals for the year.

And don’t forget the countdown clock is ticking for YOU too. If you’re at all interested in getting into the Monthly Marketing Mentoring Program for 20% off the first month, you can… if you take action today!

Go ahead and “play Santa” and buy yourself access to this wealth-building program, but act fast if you want in. There are were only 15 holiday specials left last time I looked. And whether these sell out or not, this offer ends on December 20th.

Grab it before it’s gone >>

-Charlie Cook

Small Business Marketing That Gets Results

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35 Profit Building Giveaways

By Charlie Cook   |   December 1, 2008

This has been a tough year for many small business owners, but I’m feeling great. Why? There are 3 reasons. I’ve had my best year ever, with sales growing each month right through November. Second, my clients are experiencing similar results. Last but not least, it’s snowing in Vermont.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my work and work comes first, but skiing is my second passion. The mountain where I ski has already gotten 35 inches of snow. I’m stoked and feeling generous.

So generous that I’ve decided to help you put your marketing and your profits on track with my Monthly Marketing Mentoring Program. To get you started, I’m going to give away 35 new member bundles at 20% off.

That’s one new member bundle for each inch of snow that has fallen so far this ski season at Sugarbush in Vermont, where I’ll be found carving turns any day now.

I’ve only set aside 35 new member bundles, each worth over $1,024, for this holiday snow special and I’m giving them away for just $39.95. But to get one, you need to take action right away.>>

When you test-drive this membership program you’ll discover:

- How to Make 2009 Your Best Year Ever
- How to Close the Sale and Make $20,000 More Next Month
- How to Think Like a Winner
- Which Mistakes 95% of Small Business Owners Make and How to Avoid Them
- 4 Easy Ways to Sell More
- How to Fix Your Web Site in One Week or Less

And I’ll include:
- The Essential Marketing Checklist
- The Ultimate Copywriting Checklist

And if that’s not enough, I’ll send it to you free if you claim your copy today.

Let it snow,

-Charlie

P.S. If Sugarbush gets more snow before December 20th, I’ll release an additional copy at this ridiculously low price for each inch of new snow. Otherwise, once the first 35 copies are gone, this special will be sold out. So unless you know how to make it snow, take action in the next few minutes before this offer sells out >>

P.P.S. Here’s what Rob Calabrese, from Sydney, Nova Scotia had to say about the monthly marketing mentoring program:

“Using just one idea from this program, I landed a new client in 40 minutes. These monthly CDs are full of small steps you can put to use immediately to get results with your marketing.”

Want to find out what he did to land a new client in 40 minutes?
Sign up >>

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