- Part 55

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How Can I Compete With the “Big Guys”? And marketing ideas I can use?

By Charlie Cook | September 11, 2006

“We’re a local car rental service and compete with the “big guys”, the nationally know car rental companies. Any marketing ideas or strategies we can use?” – Carla

1. List your prospects’ most common concerns, their problems and frustrations, the little things that drive them crazy.

2. Circle the ones that the “big guys” don’t address and that you do.

3. Use this list of prospects’ problems as the focus of your small business marketing.

Want more marketing ideas to help grow your business? Use this link to find hundreds of tips and marketing ideas you can use >>
– Charlie Cook, Small Business Marketing That Works

When Hokey Marketing Works to Grow Your Business…

By Charlie Cook | July 25, 2006

“Isn’t the marketing copy too hokey? I can see that it might work for small businesses but will it work to attract and convince more sophisticated marketing managers?” – Mark

It’s true you don’t want your business marketing to be contrived or clearly not genuine. That will kill your chances of getting attention from any of your prospects.

What you do want to do is make a connection with your business prospects, get them thinking about the problems you solve and how much better off they’d be with the product or service your marketing.

One of the best ways to get your prospects’ attention and their interest is to tell a story about your clients, what they wanted to achieve, what you did for them and the results. Make it personal and interesting. Hokey? Maybe but it beats the typical boring business marketing that doesn’t get results.
– Charlie Cook
Small Business Marketing Guru Providing Results For Small and Large Companies

How to Market to Women – Suprise, It Turns Out Seduction Isn’t…

By Charlie Cook | July 17, 2006

I had to chuckle this weekend when I read the story in the New York Times titled, “What Women Want”. After years of trying to sell women’s underwear using seduction as the primary marketing tool, big businesses like Sare Lee Branded apparel which owns Playtex, Bali and Hanes has decided to change its marketing strategy.

These corporate giants are testing a new marketing technique. Instead of focusing on super models they’re taking a lesson from the small business marketing approach that smaller companies like Title Nine have been using for years.

Instead of trying to get women to buy underwear based on its seductive appeal, these companies are shfiting their focus to the tangible benefits of their products, comfort, breathablity, flattering fabrics, etc. Instead of selling based on getting women to buy into an unattainable super model image, these companies are starting to sell the products based on their actual benefits.

For years I’ve been helping businesses grow by getting them to stop copying the failed marketing strategies of big business and get them to focus instead on how they help their clients, an approach that has been proven to work over and over. Now even big business is catching on.

To get the details of this proven marketing strategy use this link >>

Best,

Charlie Cook
Helping you grow with marketing strategies that work

How To Market A Different Kind Of Business?

By Charlie Cook | July 17, 2006

“Mine’s a very different business, I’m the executive director of the National Dance Institute. Will your ideas work for my non-profit organization?” Leslee

It’s true your business is different, but here’s what every business needs to improve their marketing.

1. To get your prospect’s attention.

2. To get them to read your marketing materials including your web site.

3. To get them to respond by contacting you to learn more.

4. To send you money so you can continue to grow the business.

The better you can do steps 1-3, the more you’ll be able to do #4.

Discover how to do this with your web site with this link >>

Best,

Charlie Cook
The Small and Not So Small Business Marketing Guru

How To Become Highly Sought After With Your Small Business Marketing

By Charlie Cook | June 20, 2006

“I am a photographer in a highly competitive area, DFW. What can I do to be different, unique and highly sought after? And, unfortunately, I have limited budget” John W., Dallas, TX

Many, if not most, small business owners are in the same boat. They have lots of competition, are without wads of cash to spend to market their small business and want to become highly sought after with lots of clients.

How can you differentiate yourself from all the others who are competing for the same business in your field? The answer is surprisingly simple.

You don’t need lots of money to attract new clients, you need a marketing plan and small business marketing tools that help you get attention, generate a steady stream of leads and new clients.

It’s how you market yourself and your services that makes you different, unique and highly sought after. It’s what you say, how you say it, what you tell people you do, how you get their attention and how you follow up. When you know how to get results with your marketing you can use these low cost and no cost small business marketing ideas to easily double or triple your business within months.

Start with The 5 Principles of Highly Effective Small Business Marketing to put your marketing strategy together and start getting all the clients you can handle. Use this link to get the details >>
– Charile Cook
Small Business Marketing That Gets Results

Should I Use Software To Write My Small Business Marketing Plan?

By Charlie Cook | June 9, 2006

Charlie,

Thanks for all of the great information you provide. I am writing my 1st marketing plan (new product introduction) and I would like to incorporate marketing ideas from the downloads purchased from your site.

Do you offer or recommend boiler plate marketing software, If not, what software would you recommend? I am looking at Software offered by —– Pro 9.0.” – Richard A.

Richard,

Here’s the description of the marketing plan software you mentioned from their site –

“Whether you are presenting a marketing plan to your department, working for a Fortune 500 company or simply looking for a marketing direction for your business,”

Now, I’m sure its a great product but is it the right product for you?

I doubt it and here’s why.

Marketing strategies that work for Fortune 500 companies with marketing budgets in the tens if not hundreds of millions have no bearing on what works for small business owners. They don’t work. When small businesses apply big business marketing strategies they go broke and quickly put themselves out out of business.

I’d be very skeptical of any marketing plan that says it works for both small and large businesses.

Are you a small business owner or marketer?
Want a marketing plan written to help you with your small business marketing?

You’d be best served by finding a guide to writing your marketing plan written for small business owners and marketers. Discover how to get results with your small business marketing with this link >>

Or take a look at the other marketing resources for small businesses >>

– Charlie
Helping you get results with marketing

What’s the Single Most Powerful Small Business Marketing Idea?

By Charlie Cook | June 7, 2006

Want to know one of the most effective ways to generate sales? Use this small business marketing strategy!

Last week I needed to get a signature notarized so I walked over from my office to my bank. Most banks will notarize customers signatures at no cost. I walked in to find only one of the three bank representatives at their desks and she wasn’t a notary public. Her suggestion was to drive to another branch in the next town.

Is this a good way to market a business? Of course not.

What was my local small town bank has been bought and sold many times in the last few years and is now owned by a large corporation that is focused on increasing profits by cutting staff. They market to small businesses but they don’t back it up with service.

My response was to walk across the street to Wachovia, the competing bank in town. I asked about getting my document notarized and even though I’m not a customer, they instantly agreed and pointed out they had four employees currently in the bank who were notary publics.

When I left I started to wonder where I should be doing my banking – with a bank that is cutting back on service or with one that welcomes people and provides simple services like notarizing documents for free.

Giving away a service or information for free is one of the most powerful small business marketing strategies on the planet. Each time you use this marketing strategy you attract business and build loyalty moving prospects that much closer to becoming customers.

Want more clients and people buying your products? Use this simple – give to get – small business marketing strategy to get more prospects and more business.

Discover which small business marketing strategies work to attract clients with this link >>

– Charlie Cook
Helping you with small business marketing ideas that get results

Why Do My Emails End Up in People’s Junk Mail?

By Charlie Cook | April 25, 2006

“My outbound e-mails keep going to people’s junk mail folders. Any idea why?”
– Tina

Spam filters block emails for a lot of reasons. The result is, as you’ve found out, that many of your legitimate emails don’t get through but lots of spam still does. Here are three ways your email could be getting caught in spam filters.

1. Bad words, like here, now, etc.
Use to many of these and the spam filters block your email. Here’s a list of many words to avoid >>

One preventative measure to take is to check to see if any of the words in your email might trigger a spam filter and than edit accordingly, though it’s not clear that all spam filters will block your email if it uses an “offending word once or twice”.

Here’s the link to one free spam checker you can use as a guide >>

2. Use of characters or unusual spellings that the spam filters think you could be using to avoid them. For example trying to slip sales by as ‘s.ales’.

3. Your mail server. Unless you’re using a service that regularly makes sure they are on the white list of approved bulk email senders, you’re email can get blocked even though it’s legitimate. Here’s the link to the email broadcast service I use >>

– Charlie
Small Business Marketing That Works

Why Most Web Marketing Doesn’t Work For Traditional Businesses

By Charlie Cook | April 22, 2006

What’s the problem with most business marketing web sites and why don’t they work to improve marketing and sales?

Most business web sites are designed and written using a business marketing model that simply doesn’t work online. They’re created using marketing strategies and marketing copy based on traditional models, traditional branding and sales strategies. No matter how hard you try to market your business using these approaches, you won’t succeed.

Why?

You’re trying to use a key to unlock the door to increased web profits that doesn’t fit and never will. To increase your online lead generation and sales you need to discover the key that works to open the door to new prospects and more sales.

When your prospects are searching online, they’re not looking for the traditional branding or sales information, they’re looking for ideas they can use. They want tips and knowledge they can apply. Tempt them with something that helps them right off the bat instead of trying to sell them and you’ll be on your way to having a loyal customer.

Discover exactly what to do to unlock the door to increased online profits with your marketing. Use this link to get the details > >

Charlie Cook
Business Marketing That Works
Visit The Small Business Marketing Store

Getting Return Calls With Your Phone Messages – Small Business Marketing Tips

By Charlie Cook | April 13, 2006

As part of your small business marketing effort you make calls to prospects. Working from your list of leads you pick up the phone to call a prospect. What happens?

80% of the time, the person you’re trying to call isn’t there. Of course you leave a message. Then what happens?

Usually nothing. You don’t get any return calls even if you make a hundred. Well maybe one.

What’s the one mistake most small business owners make marketing their business over the phone? They leave a message that pitches their products and services.

Trying to sell cold over the phone is the best way to ensure you won’t get a call back. Instead your objective should be limited to one thing. Focus on trying to get your prospects to return your calls.

Don’t try to sell anything when you leave a phone message.

– Charlie Cook
Small Business Marketing Guru

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