Generating sales is great. A great way to generate high quality leads that are easy to turn into sales is through referrals.

My goal for you is that you have a group of complimentary businesses that send you leads you can turn into business. You might be an insurance agent, orthodontist, dentist, real estate agent, or business consultant. There are always different groups that you can network with and gain referrals from.

What you will discover in this training is:

• How to generate sales from businesses that you currently network with in minutes without having to spend a fortune.
• Why a different approach to business networking is required in the current economy and for the next 36 months when you want real results.
• How to build a solid network of businesses who can send you highly qualified leads that will generate results in the next 37 days with less than 3 hours of work.

At the end of this training I invite you to call me directly at 303-841-8008.

To your success,

In Just over 6 Minutes Discover 4 Components To Incorporate as Part of Your Newsletter

Newsletters have been part of many businesses marketing strategies for years.  Some proudly display their monthly newsletter on the counter of their store, some mail out hundreds (even thousands) monthly, and still other business owners blast their email list with their digital version.  While many people are flooded with “junk mail” both in their inbox and at home, still some business owners are sending the same tired newsletter.

As a marketing piece, the newsletter is one that often breaks the 7% rule.  Business owners hold on to sending it because they always have a story of that great customer they would have lost if they stopped sending it.  To help you get the most of your newsletter (or even help you get results if you are just starting one) I invite you to incorporate the 4 methods below.

1. Make it Simple – Look at the front of your newsletter, is it engaging?  Does it draw people in and make them want to turn the pages?  From a powerful headline, to images (with a caption) that quickly engage your audience make it easy for someone to see what is important to them.
2. Have a Clear Goal – As a part of your marketing strategy a newsletter can’t simply be to “provide information”.  Each month your newsletter should target a specific goal for your business.  The goal could be more in-store visits, more phone calls, more internet sales, etc.  With a clear goal in mind it will help you adjust everything from your layout to your copy.
3. Speak to them Normally – Whether you are talking about finance or R/C airplanes make it simple.  A newsletter that is too confusing, uses too much jargon won’t get read.  A complex newsletter will only catch your prospects glance as they throw it in the trash can.
4. Have a Clear Call to Action – Preferably your call to action is on every page.  Make it easy for someone to order, call you, or even go to a specific page on your website (hey those QR Codes can sometimes come in handy).

Whether you are sending your newsletter by email or printing it for mailing it is costing you time and money.  To ensure that your newsletter earns it’s keep as part of your overall marketing strategy run it by this checklist to see if it passes the test.

Discover how your newsletter can be just 1 system in your 4 marketing systems that bring you business with my free Marketing Manifesto.

When you are tired of searching the web, downloading reports, and reading endless blogs, call me direct, on my cell phone at 303-841-8008 to discover how I can help you get your business to the next level.

Small 1 Penny Ad on YouTube

As people launch new marketing efforts there is an air of excitement.  Whether it is a new website, using video marketing, launching Facebook ads, or putting a pile of sales letters in the mail it is always exciting to put new systems into action that can generate more sales.

The attraction of putting something “new” into action often keeps business owners chasing “new”.  Should the results not be as fantastic as they anticipated they tend to think “well that didn’t work, I need something better, newer, etc”.  Chasing the silver bullet doesn’t work.  While there is no doubt that at times you do need something brand new to help your business, it doesn’t happen as often as people think.  More often you can make tweaks/changes to your existing marketing that will work just fine.  In fact, sometimes a small tweak to your marketing can transform what is OLD into something that is NEW.

You Don’t Always Need “New” Marketing, You Might Just Need a Change To Your Existing Marketing

Let’s take a recent test that I ran with my team.  Each week, I and my team upload videos into my YouTube channel.  Those videos generate thousands of views and send traffic to my website (which transform into leads and sales).  I challenged my team to get MORE out of the videos.  When I looked at the traffic reports, leads, etc I didn’t feel we were getting the most out of the YouTube channel.  It takes a great deal of effort to record videos, write descriptions, so getting the most out of that effort isn’t optional it is mandatory.

Ask “HOW” Questions When Looking at Your Marketing Systems

Here are the questions that I posed to my team:

• How can we get more traffic from my videos on YouTube?
• How can we get the most traffic without spending much money?

I like to ask “how” questions because it creates the atmosphere of problem solving without placing blame.  After a couple of weeks, my team came back to me with a concept that very few people are using on YouTube.  Dare I say it is near Ninja style with how they put it into action.  Without boring you with the details, here is what the result was:

• An ad pops up only on my videos that directs people back to the site
• The ad costs as little as .01 per click

Would you be willing to pay .01 to get eager prospects back to your website?  I certainly am willing to pay that price and I told my team to keep the process going on all of my videos.

The bigger question, for you, is what are you willing to tweak?  It might not be YouTube, it could be your website, your sales letter, your presence on Facebook or any other marketing system, but the KEY part is putting someone else (you already have too much on your plate) in charge of enhancing your marketing systems.

When you want more help tweaking your marketing, generating more leads simply call me direct, on my cell phone at 303-841-8008.

One online marketing topic that hasn’t lost any steam (even with Facebook) is the concept of traffic.  While those of us in Los Angeles may dread the word “traffic” most business owners with an online presence crave it.  After all the more people that you can expose to your product or service the more opportunity you have to generate sales.  It’s really a simple formula when it comes down to it:

X Volume of Traffic * X Conversion Rate = $$ Volume of Sales

Even with this simple formula in place (and yes the numbers can change on a daily basis) the art of getting consistent and reliable traffic seems to be one that most business owners consistently chase or simply “hope” gets better.  With regular changes to search engine algorithms and 100’s of millions of people spending countless hours on everything from YouTube to Facebook it can often seem overwhelming on where to focus your efforts to achieve the maximum volume of website traffic for your business.

There isn’t a silver bullet when it comes to increasing your website traffic

While some people may be chasing the silver bullet, or trying to use killer black hat methods to “game” the system achieving a top ranking isn’t always glamorous (or even quick to be had).  Whether you are competing in a highly competitive local market or you are branching out and competing for traffic on an international level there are key methods that you can put into action that will help you crank up the traffic and sales from your online marketing efforts.

WARNING: The Tips You Are About to Read Take Effort, You Won’t Rise to the Top for $29 and with 5 Minutes of Effort

1. Content – There is no way around it, search engines like content and want to serve up the MOST relevant and engaging content to those who are making searches.  You can’t put up a 20 page website today and say “it’s done” and then wait for the traffic to start pouring in.  Part of the strategy to increase traffic to your website must include a consistent stream of regular UNIQUE content.  Whether this means you dust off your keyboard of outsource the writing of content have a plan in place that ensures your site is updated with fresh engaging content every week (or maybe even daily).
2. Link Building – The greatest website in the world with the largest base of content can get ignored (ok maybe not ignored, but you will be missing a huge volume of traffic) if you don’t let the search engines know there are other sites that “think” your content is great.  This can be a labor intensive job, but there are a few services that can make it easier and still provide quality work.  When you can get a number of quality sites linking to you, with the right keywords, you will be in a position to capitalize on a tidal wave of traffic.  The process of Link Building isn’t one you do 1 time and forget it, it is a process that doesn’t stop (unless of course you want the traffic to stop).
3. Social Networking – From BING to Google the search engines are aware of the importance of social networking.  This includes everything from Twitter, Google +1 to the powerful Facebook.  Incorporating social networking elements in your site and ensuring your social marketing efforts compliment your website will allow you to get more eager prospects to your home on the web.

When you have a online marketing strategy in place that includes fresh content, effective link building, and social networking you will be on your way to driving sales daily from your website.

Start getting more traffic to your website from social networking, link building, and content today by starting with my FREE power-packed Marketing Manifesto.

When you are tired of endlessly searching the internet, trying to find someone to write your content (or even do link building) simply call me direct today at 303-841-8008.

2012 is right around the corner. Planning for next year may not have yet crossed your mind. A business plan shouldn’t take months to create or days to read once it’s done.

The key to business planning is to have a bullet proof plan that works regardless of the economy and yet is easy to follow.

What you will discover in this training session is:

• How to create a business plan that you can follow without having to take a day of work to ready.
• Why planning early in the 4th quarter is the best time to plan for success for the following year.
• How you can create a solid business plan in less than 45 minutes regardless of what you have tried in the past.

Sometimes No Marketing is Better Than Bad Marketing

Most business owners understand that they need to do some marketing.  Counting on people walking by your store or hoping for referrals can leave you stuck in survival mode, or worse.  You can’t just hope people will make a purchase today, so the feeling of putting “something” out there for fresh prospects to engage with can be nearly overwhelming.

You might have considered any of the following (or maybe you have been doing some of these for years):

• Sending out a newsletter
• Mailing out a sales letter to a fresh list
• Creating a new website
• Putting more time into your Business Page on Facebook
• Have flyers dropped

After all just sending out a newsletter gives you a chance at business right?  Or, maybe as that person came to their car and saw your flyer they surely would want to call.  Or maybe that web designer you spoke to a few months ago was right and people aren’t engaging because your website is out of date.

As sales have tightened in a number of industries many people are pushing to do anything that will shock prospects into taking action.  The real question becomes though

Is Some Marketing Better Than Doing Nothing?

In some cases it certainly can be better to do nothing.  When you don’t have a specific marketing strategy in place, sending out a few 100 newsletters isn’t going to save the day (it’s just going to waste your hard earned money).

Before launching any marketing piece (whether you have been doing it for years or are just starting something new) ask yourself the following questions:

• How many prospects do I need to call (or visit your store) to make a sale?
• What will I change if it doesn’t work as I expected?
• Why would a prospect want to take action?
• How can I separate myself from the competition?

Marketing isn’t something you “do” just because you have done it in the past your competition is doing it.  In order to drive sales daily your marketing should systematically deliver fresh opportunities from emails, phone calls, to even in store visits.  Take a hard look at what you are doing with your marketing and never again will you have to say “well it’s better than doing nothing”.

When you are tired of trying to figure out a marketing strategy that ACTUALLY brings in sales, simply call me direct today at 303-841-8008.

Don’t Let Your Magazine Ad Suck…in 4 Minutes and 14 Seconds Discover Key Marketing Tips for Your Next Ad

Even with the onslaught of new media, smart phones in nearly every persons hands, iPads, and Android tablets seemingly everywhere magazines still exist.  Walk by a newsstand and you will find everything from a local publication to national magazines available.

For many small business owners, print marketing has been a part of their business for 20+ years.  As business owners have seen struggling revenues many have pulled their ads due to a lack of response.  Some people are launching new magazine ads and then cut the ad after 1 run because they didn’t get any leads which must mean “print advertising doesn’t work”.

A Great magazine Ad can be part of your overall marketing strategy

Unless you paid for an expensive ad to run in a publication that has 0 circulations it is unlikely you can point the blame at the magazine.  Far too often entrepreneurs take an extreme amount of time deciding on WHICH magazine to put their ad in and then spend very little time actually working on the ad.  They listen to the “sales rep” to get advice and then they wonder why the ad didn’t generate a single call, email, or inquiry.

Magazines are still a powerful way to pique interest from prospects and compel them to take action.  As people sit on a Sunday afternoon, sipping their coffee, you have an opportunity to grab their attention, WHEN you know how to make your ad stand out from the rest.  To avoid throwing your hard earned money away on a Magazine Ad that Sucks, I invite you to consider the following marketing methods.

• Why should someone call you?
• Does your ad look different than your competition?
• What is the purpose of your ad?
• How quickly can someone find out how they can contact you?
• How are you tracking responses?

Making an excuse like an ad is for “branding” or because that’s what “everyone else does” is a sure-fire way to end up broke.  Each piece of marketing that you launch should fit within your overall marketing strategy.  When your ad is published you should be able to count on a certain number of phone calls, email inquiries, or even in-store visits.  If your ad isn’t generating consistent results, then it is likely your ad sucks.

Discover today how your magazine ads, online marketing and more can be part of a complete strategy for your business.  Download my FREE small business marketing manifesto today to help you generate daily leads and sales.

When you want me to personally review your ad, give you feedback, call me direct, on my cell phone at 303-841-8008 and I will share with you how you can get your ad to me for my review.

The Difference Between Someone Who Makes it Look Good and Someone Who Makes Your Phone Ring

Marketing departments exist in companies of nearly every size.  They usually get a bad rap.  They are blamed when sales are low and rarely get credit when sales are good.  For the marketing departments that support sales teams, they are usually deluged with endless requests that can entail anything like the following:

• Where is my new brochure?
• Are you going to create a new flyer for our latest offering?
• Can you design me a comparison chart by tomorrow I have a client meeting?
• Where is a page on our website that shows how great our latest product is compared to the competition?
• Do you have any postcards for me to send to my prospects?
• And on and on and on….

Most marketing departments get so inundated with requests from their sales professionals, sales managers and more that they become little more than a design shop.  They pump out new material endlessly to keep the team members happy and rarely have a chance to step back to see what’s going on.

Find out what you need to do from a MARKETING stand-point

As marketing departments pump out massive volumes of high-end graphics on newsletters, flyers, postcards, and more they rarely have a chance to look at the fundamentals of marketing.   This means that you may get a “pretty flyer”, but ask yourself the following (on any piece of marketing that you have shared with a prospect lately)

• How easy is it for them to contact me?
• What makes my marketing piece look different than the competition?
• If I look at this for less than 5 seconds is it clear what I want the prospect to do?
• Do I have a clear marketing message?
• Is my copy interest piquing?

Your marketing department likely has to service 10, 20, or even more professionals.  With massive people to satisfy and tight deadlines it is unlikely they have time to ask themselves these questions on each piece they turn over to you for your use in the field.  Before you pick up the phone to blame them, ask yourself the following:

• How can I be proactive to reach my sales goals?
• What changes can I provide the marketing department that will increase my conversion rate?
• How can I get more use out of each piece of marketing they hand me?

When you don’t want to guess on what to write on any marketing piece and you want to increase your conversion rate simply request my FREE power-packed Manifesto.  If you want direct help today, simply call me direct at 303-841-8008 and I will share with you how we can help YOU and maybe even help your entire department.

Another Day at the Office for a Select Few

Many industries have gotten hammered by this economy.  From real estate to service businesses to major retailers like Circuit City nearly every type of business has been hit by the economic downturn.  For many business owners they have said it feels like a “punch in the stomach” watching their sales figures fall and having to lay off employees.

A metaphorical “punch” might feel painful, but what if each day you went into the office someone physically punched you?  Not just a light punch, but punched you as hard as they could, how would you feel then?  Would you get up each morning with a smile on your face, ready to tackle the day?  Would you try to find another way into work?  Maybe you would just hang up the towel?

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Todd Ewen, who played professional Hockey for 13 years and was in the role known as an Enforcer.  In this role, not only did he have to be a highly skilled player, he also had the role of protecting his team’s top scorers which means he inevitably he was going to get in a fight (you can see some of his fights at HockeyFights.com).

When business is really challenging, you continue to try new marketing systems, new scripts, and it doesn’t seem to be going “your way”; I invite you to consider asking yourself the following questions.

• How can I redefine my niche?
• Who could I partner with where I can add value to their business and they can add to mine?
• Am I getting stuck in “busy” work each day or focusing on MONEY making activity?
• How many NEW conversations am I having each day related to business?
• What other industries can I model for success?
• Who do I need around me to help me grow my business?
• What 3 items can I work on this year that would get me closer to becoming GREAT?

These are just a few of the questions to ask yourself when you want to break through the barrier you are encountering in your business.

When you want to discover what it takes to succeed in business and the NHL® then dive-in today with a CD from my business Success Series, where I interview Todd Ewen and get him to share how he has had success both on and off the ice.

This action packed Business Success CD was previously only released to members involved in my exclusive 1 on 1 program and now I am giving you the opportunity to have it delivered directly to you.

Discover Key Sales Letter Tips to Avoid a Sales Letter that Sucks

In today’s age with sexy marketing options ranging from Facebook to Google Pay Per Click the traditional sales letter sometimes gets forgotten.  After all with 700+ million people on facebook and billions of searches performed each month on Google, who wants to send a few 100 sales letters?

While the internet is grabbing the headlines in the media sales letters are still working.  For an elite group of entrepreneurs, sales professionals and business owners they bring in fresh new calls and business.  With falling mail volumes and increased costs of postage some people are steering away from direct mail and that is what your competition hopes you do.  Those who are growing in any market understand that a sales letter is key to a complete marketing strategy.

A powerful Sales Letter can perform as well as any pay-per-click ad

A good sales letter can work just as well as a great pay per click ad.  By sending out a killer sales letter to a targeted group of users you can get the customer who isn’t looking online for help, but truly needs your assistance today.  Sadly, most people who start a direct mail campaign get discouraged by dismal results.  They grab a template from word under “business letters” and try to “fill in the blanks“on their way to generate business.

To stand out from even the limited competition in the mailbox it is key to make sure that your letter is different.  Just like your marketing strategy online, the key is to grab your prospects attention in seconds.  Consider these key steps for your next sales letter.

1. Headline – Spending even 80% of your time on a powerful headline would not be time that was wasted.  Consider what is most important to your prospects.  What is causing them the most pain?  What are the fears in their head?  When your headline can poke at the fears and pain they have experienced they will continue to read.
2. How easy is it to Read? – Is your sales letter chocked full of text?  Does it look like a term paper?  Look at your letter quickly and see how quickly someone can get the point of your letter in seconds.  Consider putting items such as bullet points, sub-headlines, and even bold words to ensure a prospect can read your letter quickly and easily.
3. Make it Easy to Reach You – Is it easy for someone to tell how they can reach you?  Is there a direct line where they can call you?  Do you give them a website link that has a form where they can make an instant request?  Make it clear and obvious what you want them to do to empower them to take the next step in your sales cycle.

When you want to avoid a sales letter that sucks take time to ensure you have a powerful interest piquing headline, make it easy to read and ensure you make it as easy possible to reach you.

To have your own sales letter created or simply find out HOW you can get your business to the next level, call me direct at 303-841-8008.