Charlie Cook's MArketing for Success Insider's Club

 

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

Don’t Forget The Basics

By Michael Angier   |   January 8, 2010

As we begin a New Year—and a new decade—I’m sure you, like many others, are making resolutions, setting goals and creating strategic plans.

It’s hard to beat NEW. Most people look for the new idea, the latest and greatest strategy and the hot tactic of the day.

But in this quest, it’s easy to lose sight of the fundamentals of success and happiness. When we’re focused on the new stuff, it can be easy to neglect the basics.

As my wife and I mapped out the New Year, we talked about new objectives, targets and adventures. But we also talked about the importance of the simpler things; time together, planned IN-activity, sufficient hydration, good exercise and adequate sleep. Read More »

Use These 2 Numbers To Double Your Business in 2010

By Charlie Cook   |   January 7, 2010

Mary called from Baltimore with a question about her web site. She wanted to know what was wrong with it. She had worked hard to put up a site to promote her business but she wasn’t generating enough revenue with it.

Mary had made the mistake that almost every small business owner makes; she was focused on the wrong numbers and it was keeping her from reaching her business goals.

Everyone wants to see growth in sales and net revenue. It’s important for small business owners to set revenue goals and to watch sales results, but too much emphasis on these numbers can prevent you from reaching your goals. Read More »

WOM Helps Customers Make Better Decisions

By Kim Sheehan   |   January 7, 2010

You’ve probably read about information overload…how we all have too many emails/blogs/status updates/newsletters/RSS feeds to read on a regular basis and that just the mere thought of all this information makes some people feel overwhelmed/cranky/like unplugging their computers permanently.

The term is bandied around a lot these days but it is actually a scientific concept that researchers were studying a long time before the Internet exacerbated the problem.

From a marketing perspective, some of the original research into information overload focused on how much information an individual could handle in order to make a good decision.

The research from the pre-Internet days found that in some cases, Read More »

Free PR Only Goes So Far

By Shakira Brown   |   January 4, 2010

I know of a small yet somewhat successful business that just doesn’t understand what it takes to get to the next level after 35 years. Even though someone like me, an award-winning public relations expert, advised the company’s owners to spend a little money on advertising, a resistance to spending money holds the company back like a ball and chain.

Insteadof  becoming profitable, this fledgling company continues to linger on the hopes of press releases with soft news no one cares about. Read More »

A Lesson In Teamwork

By Eric Garner   |   January 3, 2010

For those of who you are regular readers of mine, you’ll know that I love stories that coach.

Stories that coach are great ways to learn. They are fun to listen to and easy to remember. And the best stories always bring a smile to people’s faces and a glow to their hearts.

There exists a tale, handed down from times long ago, of two travelers on a pilgrimage. Hungry and tired from a long day’s journey, they come to a small, impoverished village, where they decide to rest by the side of the road. Read More »

How Important Is Original Content For Your Newsletter?

By Michael Katz   |   January 2, 2010

“I write to find out what I am writing about.”

— Henry Miller

One question that comes up often when I speak to business people about E-Newsletters is, “How important is it for us to write original content?” I’ve been fielding this particular question long enough to know that what’s really being asked is, “Can we just get somebody else to write this for us?”

Much to the disappointment of the questioners, my answer has always been a resounding, “No!” Read More »

The Simple Way To Attract The Most Customers This Year

By Tom Borg   |   January 1, 2010

There is a man from my hometown by the name of Joe Slaga, owner of PJ’s, a baseball card shop. When customers enter his store, he makes them feel comfortable by his easy manner. He is a good people person. He realizes that people don’t want to be badgered into buying anything.

By joking and exchanging stories with them about their favorite sports celebrity, he devel­ops a friendly relationship with all the adults and children who come into the store. He has made it a favorite stopping place for many children to bring their parents to browse and buy. Read More »

Discounting Doesn’t Make You Money

By Jeffrey Mayer   |   December 31, 2009

“Car Incentives Backfire On Big 3”

“Rebates Can’t Halt Big 3 Sales Share Slide” were headlines in the Chicago Tribune.

For years GM, Ford and Chrysler have been using  rebates, incentives, and Zero Percent financing to sell cars. Unfortunately for them, the auto-buying public aren’t motivated by these incentives any longer.

To get a car buyer’s attention they must create bigger – and more expensive – promotions. Read More »

Your Social Media Plan For 2010

By Rachel Minihan   |   December 30, 2009

2009 was a big year for social media!  YouTube starting seeing 1 billion hits per day.  Facebook topped the 350 million users mark.  Twitter became the most used word in the English language. And, the big search engines recognized the power of the micro-blog and incorporated this content into their search results.

Watching all of these successes, the message has come through loud and clear that social media/networking/content is now a significant platform on which we, as business owners, must be present. Read More »

How To Turn Lots of Small “Yesses” Into One Big “YES”

By Mike Jezek   |   December 29, 2009

Creating a compelling sales letter or ad can be looked at as turning lots of small “yeses” into one big “YES!” That big “YES!” being an order for your product or service. Here’s how this works.

Just as in direct sales, you want to get the prospect to start agreeing with you early on. You start off by building rapport, which makes them more agreeable with you. Then you utilize various questioning strategies to get them to nod their head in agreement or verbally state that they agree with you so far.

And you keep pursuing that agreement, asking questions to make sure the two of you are on the same page until you ask for the order. Read More »

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