Andy Beale's Post

Came across Andy Beale's article on Marketing Pilgrim site. It is dated over a year ago but the information is still good to use.

This is great for any small business wanting to monitor the profile and enhance their reputation - have a look at Tools for Buzz Monitoring

Marketing your Business

I asked a client recently what she had been doing to bring in clients and she replied that she had her business cards, the website is finished and she joined some networking groups. But there has been no interest….

I asked these two questions:
- Who do want to have a customer or client?
- What solutions do they want?

To the first question, I got the answer, women between the ages 35 and 55 who want to realise their dreams.

Well this is a start, but how can you find only those women who are wanting to realise their dreams. Is that every women? Is it peculiar to a specific location? Or are these women living in every third house?

You see you have to be able to find your prospective customers and clients. You have to be able to identify them in detail so you can find them and start a conversation with them. And, starting the conversation is essential. Because, it is from the conversation that the problems they have and how they plan to resolve will be discovered. And, that is the start of marketing.

No post for so long!

I can’t believe it has been so long since the last post. I am writing now because I am back to my morning ritual of exercise, meditation, writing and focused work. It really makes a difference. I wrote about that in October – Developing as an Entreprenuer

What happened over the past couple of weeks was illness and then chasing my tail playing catch up. Yet, the past few weeks has been interesting because it really came home to me that by listening to my body I am able to stay true to my path. There was a time whne I would have just shrugged off the illness, the feelings of unease, the accidents etc and just carried on….. Now, I don’t know about you, but it tended to end up in tears!

So, how does this relate to marketing?

As micro and small business owners, people buy from us as people and the value we offer. So, when we are ‘under the weather’, this comes through in our choice of words, our mannerisms and the timeliness of our responses.

People remember how we communicate long after we have forgotten the sentence or the post because we were not ourselves! The aim is to be consistent in all of our communications – this is much easier to say than do! But, your prospects and customers are more forgiving when you just own up and say “I screwed up!”

People buy through their emotions so will respond to the emotions we display – consciously or unconsciously! Looking after our emotions is key to us looking after our businesses.

Keep well and stay true!

Twitter - relationship builder

I was first introduced to Twitter in the summer and thought this was great. I foolowed a few people for a while and become enthralled with the informaiton I was getting, the frequency, knowing when people were sleeping, watching TV and having a family meal opened a new dimension for me.

But, it wasn't until October that I took the plunge myself and started twittering. Even though, I don't tend to tell people when I am eating etc., it is great to share information, provide updates on your whereabouts, ask for help to questions. I have posed a few questions and have found someone in my network responds with directly or through a message.

Last week, I was poorly and through Twitter I received lots of get well messages - really perked me up!

Why should you have Twitter? Well, it is a great way of learning about topics and insights from people you wouldn't otherwise have access to and you let the world know what intersts and insights you have. Through relationships you build a business.

Rather than go through all the whys and where fors to join Twitter, I am recommending you read the four part blog written by Exerience The Blog Here lots of the applications, tools and jargon is listed so you can learn about Twitter first hand.

Happy Twittering and please join me on Twitter

Words and all they conjure?

Marketing conjures up different images for different people not all of them positive.

It could be replaced with

Bartering: exchange of goods and services for other goods and services
Exchanging: to give something and receive in return

The difference in the meanings of marketing and the words above is the element of presenting them in a desirable manner.

And, is that so bad?

Is this snake oil, a gimmick or just innovative?

I launched the 30 Day Challenge earlier this week to a somewhat mixed reception. Some coaches found the concept exciting and have grabbed the opportunity with both hands, while others saw it more snake oil or nothing more than a gimmick.

So, this is to set the story straight…

You can create a product within 30 days, from scratch, if you know how to do it and have the templates to work from. Here’s the breakdown:

Days	Activity
1	Review your list of contacts, customers and clients and places in which you are known
2-7	Set up a survey and promote to your target audience
8-9	Analyse the findings of what topics generated the most interest
10	Prepare the first draft of the copy
11-24	Prepare the entry level product. This can be test based, audio, a workbook or a mixture
24-27	Approach your testers to have feedback on the product and gather testimonials
28	Revise the product in line with the feedback
29	Add the testimonials and revise the copy
30	Product ready for launch

Now, granted this timetable isn’t possible for coaches who have no background in this area. But, it is possible when you have the know how, the templates and the contact with your target market. In fact, with practice, you may be able create a new entry level product in less than 30 days!

I wonder whether the coaches declaring this initiative as a gimmick or snake oil are really sharing their fears about and hostility to both marketing and their commitment to building their coaching business to make a difference to lots of people’s lives.

Here's a link to the 30 Day Challenge - It runs between 14 November and 13 December so you can enjoy Christmas knowing you are ready for the New Year.

Unknown P of Marketing: Attracting Wealth!

Some months ago, I came across this Wealth Attraction Exercise in one of the Dan Kennedy books on Marketing and Wealth Attraction and thought I would give it a try. I had nothing to lose, so to speak….

The exercise lasts 90 days and requires you to set up two accounts – one for giving and the other for your wealth.

Next you decide how much of your income you will set aside for these accounts. Now it could 10%, 5%, 1% and is really based on what you can do. And, let me say, that no matter how much or how little money you have, you can always set some aside. The important thing is to decide what you are to do and commit to it.

Each time you receive money, you transfer the agreed percentage to your accounts.

For the giving account, look out for ways to donate this money to charities or groups that would benefit. You can do a search for charities in your area of interest.

For the wealth account, this can only be spent on activities that will help to increase your wealth further. It can only be spent on bills if it is to make an additional payment but not the current payment.

What I found is that you feel richer by giving. You are more generous in your giving. You also have money available to use to increase your wealth – whether that is attending a course, purchasing a product of book that fills in some gap in your knowledge or pays for a subscription – you gain new insights, new skills to increase your ability to generate income.

So, what has it done for me? Well, I have shared 5% of my income with charities and groups who work with disadvantaged children and I have spent some of my wealth account but over half is still available to me. But, what is really interesting is that my income has increased 10 times compared to the level in the months prior to starting the exercise.

So, it does work. Have a go, but please don’t be tempted to use the wealth account for everyday expenditure. Instead, plan to use your available cash more effectively.

Oh and, let me know how you get on.