Charlie Cook's MArketing for Success Insider's Club

 

The Top Experts Reveal Small Business Marketing Strategies
That Get Results In This Economy

20 Top Sales Tools: Books, Blogs and Videos

By Charlie Cook   |   May 9, 2016

Toolbox with various tools

“Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.” — Peter Drucker

This list started as way to help a new sales associate get up to speed with the ideas our team uses.

Make sure to check out the two funny ones at the end. And let me know which resources you found the most helpful and which ones you think should be added to the list.
Read More »



How To Unleash The Potential of Your Company

By Charlie Cook   |   March 10, 2015

success and winning concept - happy business team giving high fiEver feel like you’re herding cats at your company?

You know, where you’ve got clear goals but your staff, your team, all seem to have minds of their own and everyone is going in somewhat different directions?

Six months ago, I hired a new account manager for our growing company, someone who could sell ice to eskimos. I’ll call her Sarah. Read More »



The Secret to Getting a Flood of Referrals

By Charlie Cook   |   February 19, 2015

Cute And MysteriousIn my current business, 60 percent of sales come from referrals. Which is fairly common – good but not great.

It’s good that our happy clients are telling other people but we could be generating twice as many referrals if we did one simple thing.

You know what it is? Read More »



What You Need to Know About Branding…

By Charlie Cook   |   January 30, 2015

Brand Concept Red Marker My wife and I disagree about branding. She got her MFA in graphic design from Yale and I got my degree in marketing from growing companies online and off. And while you may argue with your spouse about replacing the dining room table with a pool table, we argue about branding.

Her viewpoint is Read More »



What Santa Knows About Management and You Should Too

By Charlie Cook   |   December 11, 2014

Santa Claus or Father Christmas carrying a sack full of gift wraWhat’s that ringing sound you hear at this time of year? It’s the sound of sales generated by the holiday season and in part, thanks to Santa Claus. Just because he’s plump, doesn’t shave, and dresses all in red, doesn’t mean you should discount his success. Santa is a management expert and you can become one too, if you follow his methods.

What’s that you say? You stopped believing Read More »



The 21 BIG Lies That Limit Us

By Charlie Cook   |   December 2, 2014

Businessman In A Tight Cardboard“Be honest with yourself, and you will find the motivation to do what you advise others to do.” ~Vince Poscente

We all do it, tell ourselves lies to avoid facing the truth and taking action. And while these lies may seem small, they limit what we accomplish and our potential, at work and in our personal lives.

21 common lies we tell ourselves… Read More »



5 Steps to Making a Virtual Team Work for Your Company…

By Charlie Cook   |   November 18, 2014

A hand holding a remoteIs it a good idea to hire staff and build a team of employees you never or rarely actually see?

For the last twenty years, I’ve run virtual companies and the answer is – it depends on two things:

First, your business needs to Read More »



A.D.H.D at Work…And What to Do About It

By Charlie Cook   |   November 13, 2014

Paperwork OverwhelmRecently, I joined a new business where despite the founder’s knowledge, strong relationships with clients, and a huge opportunity, the business was losing more and more money every day. The problem?

According to every symptom, my partner was a classic example of someone with A.D.H.D. Despite a surfeit of motivation he suffered from inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. He’d do things like be in the middle of a key project and then suddenly Read More »



How To Make Success A Habit At Your Business Too…

By Charlie Cook   |   November 11, 2014

Keys, isolated on white background.I was walking to work last Thursday when I had a moment of doubt. I checked my pocket and found that, yes, I had remembered to put my office keys in my pocket. I leave them on the bathroom vanity at the end of each day and load my pockets each morning. And without this simple habit I’d probably show up at work and be locked out a couple times each week.

I got to thinking about all the habits I use and I’ve been teaching my virtual team to use that help us make each day, well most, a success.  Read More »



How to Motivate Employees With Pay…

By Charlie Cook   |   November 6, 2014

Pay DayIt’s been almost 2 years since I took over the management of a small service business but I was lost. Which actually was good news…

Last week, I found myself struggling with questions about compensation -how to focus and reward our growing team. You see the failing business I took over and managed to turn around has been on a hiring spree and is up to a dozen employees. This may not seem like a lot to some, but it brought me to a crucial juncture.  Read More »