Charlie Cook's MArketing for Success Insider's Club

 

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

Pan For Gold at Amazon

By Joan Stewart   |   May 28, 2010

If you’re trying to position yourself as an expert, hop on over to Amazon.com and start panning for gold.

The popular website where you can buy everything from books to wireless telephone service is one of the best places on the Internet to promote your expertise, get in front of a targeted audience of buyers, and really flaunt your stuff–even if you aren’t selling anything. That’s because Amazon gives you 17 ways to show what you know.

Just ask Don Mitchell. The management consultant ranked as the Number One non-fiction book reviewer on Amazon. He’s so well-known by business authors that he’s flooded with galleys and new books from eager publishers who literally beg him to offer his comments. Read More »

How to Leverage Your Time for Greater Success

By Jeffrey Mayer   |   May 27, 2010

Jim and I were talking the other day. He was grumbling because it’s the end of the year. He’s worked very hard.

* Put in too many hours at the office.
* Put too many miles on his car.
* Spent too many nights in hotel rooms.

And didn’t spend enough time with his family.

To top it off, he didn’t hit his sales or financial goals.

He’s tired. Stressed out. Exhausted. And frustrated. Read More »

Why a Former Client is the Best Client

By Paul Martinez   |   May 26, 2010

Last time, I told you about an easy an inexpensive way to grow your business by marketing to your past customers and maximizing your referrals.

This time around, I’m going to go into more detail and explain how to overcome the two biggest obstacles to creating your own past customer marketing program.  And I’ll even give you a simple strategy to reactivate “lost” customers—complete with a form letter you can swipe.

Now, most of us know how important marketing to our past customers is.  And yet, over 80% of business owners don’t have any sort of post-sale follow system in place. Read More »

How to Create Top-Selling Products

By Charlie Cook   |   May 24, 2010

What’s the simple secret to creating products and services that sell like crazy?

In 1996, a month after I launched my first website and couldn’t find it in the search engines, I knew I had a problem. I’d spent $34,000 on the site and it was hardly getting any visitors much less generating any income. It was clear I needed to find out how to get it noticed and get it to the top of the search engines so I could start bringing in more traffic.

The answer? I wrote one of the first ebooks on search engine marketing – and it sold like crazy. Not only did I need a simple system for improving my search engine rankings, but so did thousands of others. Read More »

Solving The Social Media Puzzle With 2 Magic Words

By Susan Rice Lincoln   |   May 24, 2010

Are you tired of hearing all about the wonders of social media but experiencing none of them? Do you want to finally start capturing the benefits of social media (increased traffic, bigger community, more clients, greater brand awareness and increased sales)?

The key to getting what you want out of social media lies in two simple but magical words:

Magic Word Number One:  CONTENT. Read More »

How to Get the Client to Talk So You Can Close

By Tom Hopkins   |   May 23, 2010

It’s essential to keep control of every selling situation. Too many salespeople learn this lesson the hard way—for some it takes more than once. You keep control by asking questions that steer the conversation/presentation in the direction you want it to go.

If a potential client hesitates, stalls or objects to something during your sales process, use these words with sincere concern, “Obviously, you have a reason for saying that, Jim. Would you mind sharing it with me?” You’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you hear next.

Most people will tell you exactly what’s bothering them about making the decision. At the very least, you’ll hear more about their primary objection to your offering. Then, you’ll have something to move forward with whether it’s handling money issues, clarifying a point of knowledge about your product or expanding additional benefits of ownership. Read More »

Take a Bite Out of Publicity

By Rick Frishman   |   May 22, 2010

In our busy world, no one has time for the full story—they want a synopsis, a digest, a capsule that takes only seconds to deliver, is easy to swallow, and resonates in their minds. And it must contain everything they need to know.

Since publicity is about getting your message across, brevity is a must. You must create a short introductory message that will cut through the din and draw attention to who you are, what you do, and the benefit it will provide. We call these messages sound bites.

If you want to get your message across, you need a great sound bite that will immediately capture the attention of busy people. When you get an opening to deliver your sound bite, you better make it good! You must deliver your sound bite quickly, clearly, and compellingly. The more briefly you say it, the better it is. Read More »

6 Tips to Create an Attractive LinkedIn Profile

By Jan Vermeiren   |   May 22, 2010

You have made a Profile on LinkedIn, but never have given real thought what to write so potential customers or other people who might be interested in your Profile can find you? Or when they have found you that they are interested in contacting you and start a business relationship?

Then apply the 6 tips:

1. Name: since LinkedIn is website for business networking, use your own name and not a “nick name” you would use on other websites. Read More »

It’s Your Thing

By Kim Sheehan   |   May 21, 2010

In my last blog post, I wrote about how using photographs of people and places in your online work can help generate word of mouth and engagement with your brand.

The final category of photographs is the category of ‘things’, which basically can encompass the items that your business sells. “Things” can be a little tricky, particularly in the food area. While many restaurants may be eager to photograph entrees, food is notoriously difficult to photograph, and it is possible that the food will end up looking inedible or unappetizing.

Not the image you want for your business! For food establishments, it may be better to stick with photos of either drinks or desserts, both of which tend to be more appealing in a photograph. Read More »

Change the Rules of the Game

By Jeffrey Mayer   |   May 20, 2010

RFPs. Requests For Proposals. What do you do when you get them?

* Get all excited because you think you’ve got a hot prospect?
* Start thinking of all the ways you can spend that big commission check?
* Figure this BIG sale will make your year, help you beat your quota and keep your boss happy?

If you picked any of the above answers, you picked the wrong answer. Read More »

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