Small Business Marketing Strategies

Blog » Archives for small business marketing strategies

small business marketing strategies

What Do I Do Now For My Small Business Marketing

By Charlie Cook | July 21, 2009

“What do I do now?”

Is that a question you’ve asked yourself recently about your business?

For most entrepreneurs and small business owners, the past 18 months have been tough. It doesn’t matter how smart you are or how great your products and services are, in the midst of a recession it can be easy to get bogged down and watch while your profits plummet.

Most summers for the last 50 plus years, I’ve spent a week or more on the coast of Maine. And much of that time has been spent in boats: rowboats, canoes, kayaks, sailboats and small motorboats.

When the sun shines and the sky is blue, it’s easy to go for a picnic or motor across to the nearest store to pick up groceries. But when the Maine fog rolls in and blankets the bay, it’s easy to get disoriented and lost.

The current recession is just like a big, damp, cold fog bank for most businesses. It’s disorienting and many people are panicking and losing sales and money.

What can you do?

Discover what works even in a recession

Years ago, I discovered that with a few simple skills I could navigate through the thickest fog and magically get where I wanted to go, most of the time, much to the surprise of my friends. Now with a GPS it’s so easy anyone can do it.

The same is true with your small business marketing. Once you know how to stay focused and navigate through this recession you’ll amaze yourself as you see profits pouring in.

Use the following five steps:

1. Begin with an urgent and compelling goal. Pick a goal that’s vital to the success of your business. It could be lead generation, referrals, increasing repeat sales, customer retention, etc. But whatever you pick, it should be so important that it motivates you to follow through.

2. Pick something you can accomplish within a few weeks, a month at most. If your goal is to write a book, identify a short-term sub goal, such as completing the first chapter.

Or if you want to get referrals, you could start by writing the sequence of questions you’d use to get existing clients to tell you how much they love your products or services and than to get them to give you 1-2 names of people they’ll help you contact.

3. Pick something you can measure. Improving customer service is a nice idea, but you need a specific sub goal you can measure. Increasing repeat sales this month would be a good measureable goal.

4. Make sure the larger goal and the sub-goal you have picked is one that everyone on your team can commit to. If half your team doesn’t agree that it’s urgent, it won’t happen.

If everyone can agree, for example, that they’ll focus on adding one more sales partner each month, it’s more likely to happen.

5. Pick a goal you can accomplish with the people and resources you have. That way you’re not dependent on additional funds or new resources.

That’s it. Now get started.

Pick an urgent small business marketing goal, stay focused and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish. Anyone with motivation and determination can bring in more sales this way.

- Charlie

P.S. Remember, that to change the behavior of your prospects, to get more people buying, you first need to change your own behavior.

P.P.S. Ready to stop struggling and start profiting from your small business marketing in this recession?

Get a team of experts working for you

About Charlie Cook
Related Resources
More Posts by Charlie Cook

To discover the easy and inexpensive ways anyone can attract more clients and maximize their profits, sign up for your FREE Profit Now Report.

How To Cash In On Social Media Marketing

Listen in as 8 top social media experts reveal their innermost trade secrets to using free social media tools to pinpoint and profit from hungry buyers in any market before it's too late. Click here »

How To Sell More With Your Guarantee

By Charlie Cook | May 19, 2009

“My new software application is getting rave reviews from the people who use it, but I’m having trouble making sales. What can I do to convince more prospects to buy?
- Kelly Sanders, OH
—–

Having trouble with skeptics and getting people to take action from your small business marketing?

Forty years ago I had my first experience with mail order. I know it’s hard to imagine but the Internet didn’t exist. Most people actually bought stuff in stores. Hard to believe but true.

I’d heard about a mail order outfit called L.L.Bean. And I was interested in ordering a sleeping bag for an upcoming hiking trip I was planning. But I wasn’t sure if, sight unseen, I’d be happy with the one I’d selected from the catalog.

What got me over the hump? What got me to go ahead and make my purchase?

L.L.Bean has always had a 100% satisfaction guarantee. With it I felt confident that if I wasn’t happy, I could exchange the sleeping bag or send it back for full credit. And I’d heard stories of people making good on the guarantee and being “100% satisfied.”

Now a guarantee won’t sell your products or services by itself, but without one you won’t sell as much as you could.

Are you a skeptic?

Many of us are. It’s smart to be one. So how do you sell to skeptics?

One simple strategy is to eliminate any perceived risk in making a purchase. When your prospects feel confident that they’ll either love it or that they can easily get their money back, you’ve eliminated the risk, making it easier for them to give your products or services a try.

Want to convert more prospects into paying customers? Get the details >>

What stops people from buying? The fear of being ripped off…the fear of paying something for nothing…the fear of looking foolish. No question about it. If you want to turn interested, but skeptical prospects into buyers, you need to conquer fear.

What helps put that fear to rest? A risk-free guarantee of satisfaction.

In a tight economy like this one, people are especially concerned about money. Many business owners respond to those fears with lower prices, but they still can’t make sales. When you decide to take full responsibility for your customer’s satisfaction, you make it that much easier for a prospect to decide to buy from you.

Want to know how to get more people to buy from you? Start here >>

So what kind of a guarantee should you offer?

The one that will be the most meaningful to your prospects, of course.

If you offer a subscription to Forex investment tips, for example, a 6-month ‘read it, use what you learn, and then decide’ guarantee would be effective. It demonstrates that you’re so certain your system will work, that you’re willing to give the consumer 180 days to succeed with it.

A good guarantee will make sales. A risk-free guarantee will make more sales, double…even triple what you could make without one. Here are some templates for some guarantees that I’ve used successfully:

- “Subscribe today. If you think your first issue—or any issue —doesn’t deliver at least $XXX worth of ideas and information, you can tell us to take a hike. We will cancel your subscription and send a prompt refund for all un-mailed issues, no questions asked. We won’t be happy to know that we failed your value test, but that will be our problem, not yours.

- You can’t lose with our guilt-free, no-risk guarantee and access to the entire program and every one of the bonuses…all for only <$>! If <product name> is not everything we say it is and you are not completely satisfied with it, then we will refund every penny of your money with no questions asked. That’s more than a guarantee; that’s a promise.

- My guarantee is to ensure you are 100% happy with <product name>. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied, I will refund your money. No questions asked. This is an ironclad guarantee, no ifs, and no buts. If <product name> doesn’t deliver, your money will be happily refunded. In fact, you need no reason to ask for a refund whatsoever. Just tell us the dog ate it! We trust your integrity and honesty absolutely. We take the risk and you have nothing to lose, so take your 90-day trial today.

Let me ask you one last question. Do you expect the companies you buy from to stand by their products and services?

Of course you do. Use your guarantee to let your prospects know you do the same, and you’ll turn skeptics into buyers and see your sales soar.

Interested in finding more ways to convert prospects to buyers? Find out the simple formula to increase your profits >>

- Charlie

P.S. Yes, I include a guarantee with my products. Take a look here to see it >>

The #1 Way To Multiply Your Online Profits

You'll find out exactly how to transform your website into a lead generating, sales producing success. Whether you just launched your site or it's been up for years, this is the quickest way to increase your online income. Click here »

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 >>

Ethically Steal ALL These Money-Making Secrets

No matter what you sell, you can skyrocket your business by using the most powerful ideas of these top marketing and sales experts - updated every month. Click here »

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

The #1 Way To Multiply Your Online Profits