THE 15 MINUTE MARKETER: POWERFUL PRICING STRATEGIES

THE 15 MINUTE MARKETER: 
Powerful Pricing Strategies To Get Paid What You’re Worth
by Nancy Gerber

Over the past few years, I’ve grown increasingly more
willing to be bold and take a stand for the value of
my expertise, experience and knowledge.  While I still
have a ways to go, I’ve taken to heart the lessons
learned from many of my marketing mentors.

First, we all deserve to be well compensated for the
time, effort, energy, experience, expertise and
professionalism we bring to our clients. Money is not
evil.  It’s not bad or non-spiritual to earn
substantial revenue.  We can do lots of good for
ourselves and others with the money we earn.

Also, how we think about money and what we deserve to
paid for our efforts, how we set and explain our fees,
etc., is about much more than finances. Our attitudes
about revenue, income and pricing can teach us a lot
about ourselves. Working on improving these areas will
impact every other part of our lives. “How we do
anything is how we do everything.”

Rather than charging by the hour or piecemeal, create
packages. Bundle relevant products or services
together that separately would cost more.  Add bonuses
and offer these with either deadlines or scarcity. An
auto repair shop can offer a ‘winter safety’ package
consisting of tire rotation, tune up and heating
system check. The first 25 people who sign up also
receive a free oil change OR when they purchase the
package within 24 hours of the offer they get the free
oil change. A special bonus could be a coupon for
another free oil change in the spring (which brings
them back into the shop!).

Rather than lowering prices, add more value to your
packages and services. A graphic designer could add
in an extra hour of consultation to evaluate the
client’s web site and give advice on redesign ideas
when the client orders a complete identity package.
A coach can provide a complimentary 20 minute session
when people enroll in her teleseminar series.  A speaker
can offer a free follow-up teleseminar for all who
attend his corporate-sponsored workshop.  This costs
nothing except for a little extra time; the value is high
because it gives more one-on-one access to and pearls
of wisdom from YOU, the expert.

Offer different levels of participation — say a basic
and VIP package with lots of extras — at different
price points.  When people see the higher priced
offering, it’s a contrast that reframes the value of
the more modestly priced package.

If a potential client insists that you lower your
fees, even after a thorough review of their needs and
your benefits got an enthusiastic response, one
effective reply is, “Sure.  Which parts of the package
would you like me to remove so that we can accommodate
your request?”

Pay attention to what other types of products and
services your clients want that can open up new
revenue streams.  Look for a synchronicity between
these desires and other untapped areas of skill that
you haven’t yet expanded.  For example, at Marketing
Mambo we’ve just begun to offer Content Development
packages for people who don’t like to write and want
to develop information products.  This leverages my
previously untapped and underutilized interviewing
skills to draw out and spotlight our clients’ unique
expertise. 

This week, use your 15 Marketing Mambo minutes every
day to review your products and offerings.  What kind
of bundles and packages can you create? What bonuses
can you offer?  What new areas can you expand into
that will showcase more of your unique brilliance
while being of best service?

Copyright 2008 by Nancy Birnbaum-Gerber 

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“I stick to my guns.  You have to!  What other guns do
you have?  They’re YOUR guns.”
~ Agnes DeMille, renowned choreographer

THE 15 MINUTE MARKETER: Get Your Newsletter Noticed

THE 15 MINUTE MARKETER:    9 Insider Secrets To Get Your Newsletter Noticed
by Nancy Gerber

Publishing a no-fee newsletter for potential and current clients is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to begin, maintain and deepen relationships with the people you most want to serve.

Here are 9 tips — for on-line as well as print newsletters — that will get you noticed and remembered. 

1.  Know your market.
Get clear about your specific ideal customers, niche and community. Know their language, their culture, their outlook.  You’ll write differently for corporate CEO’s than you will for solo entrepreneurs or working moms.

2.  Be authentic.
Be yourself.  Write the way you speak. Don’t worry about perfect grammar or punctuation (but spelling does count!).  Allow yourself and your distinctive
personality and viewpoint to come through. Use your own life or business to illustrate the points you’re making.

3.  Share useful, original content that provides solutions and results. 
Use your passion, knowledge and unique experiences that make you the expert that you are. Steer clear of the “same old same old” generic stuff that people have heard and read a million times before.

4.  Keep it short.
Everyone’s time is precious.  If your newsletter is too long, no one will read it. Make your sentences and paragraphs brief.  The best length for your core
article — which should focus ONLY on one specific topic — is 400-600 words.  

5. Be consistent.
Even if you decide to publish only once a month, make it the same day every month.  Although weekly is usually optimal, even bi-weekly is good enough to create an expectation.  No matter the frequency, establish a consistent schedule and stick to it.

6. Determine what kind of publication you want to be.
I currently publish two newsletters that are distinctive and have different purposes.  “Thoughts For A Thursday” (www.sstones.com/newsletter.shtml) has been published weekly since February 2001.  It’s written to motivate, inspire and transform.  I share personal stories and perspectives.  I only do a small amount of gentle marketing because readers have come to expect the more personal rather than business oriented focus.  “The 15 Minute Marketer” (www.marketingmambo.com) is much more business oriented and focused on education and marketing skills development.

7.  It’s all about the reader.
Unless you ‘re giving a specific example from your life our business that has direct relevance to the reader, they really don’t care much about you. As
noted above, they want solutions, results, useful information  — otherwise they have no reason to keep reading.  Keep in mind that you are writing for radio station “WIIFM” — What’s In It For Me?

8.  Create catchy titles and headlines.
Stir up curiosity, capture attention, and make them unique and memorable. “The 15 Minute Marketer” sparks curiosity and excitement — “Wow! I can do some marketing in 15 minutes?”  “Thoughts For A Thursday” has alliteration and a nice rhythm.  People may forget my name, but when they see or talk to me, I’m that ”Thoughts For Thursday” gal.

9.  Repurpose and recycle your articles.
No need to reinvent the wheel every time you write. Turn your newsletter articles into on-line articles, mini-e-courses, blog posts, pod casts.  After you’ve been publishing for a while you can dip back into your archives and re-publish older pieces — readers won’t really notice! (I do this with Thoughts For A Thursday, since I have 7 years worth of material. But
shhh, please just keep that between us, OK?)

This week, use your 15 Marketing Mambo minutes every day to tap into your expertise.  Brainstorm topics that bring results, solutions or knowledge to your  market.  Once you’ve brainstormed some, pick one and focus your 15 minutes on jotting down as many points as you can think of about it.  Voila!  With a bit of polishing, there’s a newsletter article!

Copyright 2008 by Nancy Birnbaum-Gerber 

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It’s important to talk to people in their own language. If you do it well, they’ll say, “God, he said exactly what I was thinking.” And when they begin to respect you, they’ll follow you to the death.
~ Lee Iacocca

The 15 Minute Marketer: ‘5 Ways To Attract Lifetime Customers With Your Writing’

THE 15 MINUTE MARKETER:
5 Ways To Create Connection and Attract Lifetime Customers
With Your Writing

Whether you like to write or dread it, if you want to be a
successful and profitable business owner, you MUST be engaged
in a continuous conversation-in-writing with the kinds of
people you want to attract and keep as customers. 

Writing is an essential customer relationship tool. We use
it everywhere — on our web sites, blogs, e-zines, articles
and correspondence. Well written copy is a great way to connect
with like-minded people who can become members of your “tribe” 
– those who are your ideal customers and will be eager to
stay in relationship with you and participate in what you
offer. 

There’s a secret to writing in a way that attracts and
keeps customers who are happy to hear from you over and over
again. You don’t need to follow all the rules (although
good spelling does count!). It’s OK to make grammatical
mistakes. You don’t even need to be a native born speaker
and writer.

The most important thing you can do is just be yourself.

After doing business with you for a year or two, there’s a
good chance that customers will move on to someone else in
your field UNLESS they perceive they have a relationship with
you. Good writing is one of the primary ways to express your
personality and individuality to lots of people at the same
time. The more you reveal deliberately chosen aspects of 
yourself, the more they’ll want to stick around.

Here are a few guidelines to help you put more of YOU into
everything you write.

1. Write the way you speak.
So many people make the mistake of writing in a formal and
stilted manner. If you believe that this is the way to showcase
your expertise and give a “professional” impression, it’s time
to adjust your thinking!  This approach drains the life and
personality right out of your material — it comes across as
dry and academic, with no zip or distinction to make it
memorable. Use contractions. Don’t worry about perfect grammar.
Slang and colloquial expressions are fine, too, as long as your
audience is comfortable with them. RELAX! Have fun with it!

2. Keep things short and focused.
Run-on sentences with several ideas are distracting and
confusing. You want your audience to finish reading what
you’ve written knowing exactly what you’re talking about.
Brief sentences and well focused writing is a sure fire
way to do this.  Make certain each has just one subject.
Ditto your paragraphs — 4-5 sentences is a good length
to make a specific point. If you’re not sure how your writing
is being received, ask for honest feedback from people you
trust.

3. Bring in lightness and humor.
One of my favorite quotes is from actor John Cleese of Monty
Python: “Just because you’re serious doesn’t mean you have to
be solemn.”

4. Use your own life or business to illustrate the points
you’re making.
Most people feel a greater connection to an “ordinary” person
rather than an expert on a pedestal. When you share examples 
that are realistic and reachable, your readers can more
easily imagine themselves using your product or service to
enhance their lives. Especially powerful are stories about
your own mistakes or shortcomings and what you’ve learned
from them.
 
5. Be honest and authentic.
I’m not insisting you confess all your sins or put your dirty
laundry on display. What I am suggesting is to give your
readers a peek behind the curtain at the real, imperfect
human being that you are. The more personal stuff you share,
the more connected people will feel. When I began publishing my
inspirational e-zine, “Thoughts For A Thursday” in 2001, I
discovered that I had the greatest response from readers
when I revealed my personal feelings, struggles,
frustrations, triumphs and challenges. Many have asked if
I’ve been reading their journals or tapping their phones 
(http://www.sstones.com/newsletter.shtml — scroll down the
page for reader comments)! That old saying, “The personal
is universal” is powerfully true.

This week, use your 15 Marketing Mambo minutes every day to
get in the habit of writing. Pick a topic that relates to
your business or a product or service you offer. Use the five
tips above as guidelines. No pressure here — this is just
for practice. The more you write, the better you’ll get –
I promise! 
Copyright 2008 by Nancy Birnbaum-Gerber

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“To be successful, you have to be able to relate to people;
they have to be satisfied with your personality to be able
to do business with you and to build a relationship with mutual
trust.”
– George Ross

The 15 Minute Marketer: ‘We’re All in this Together’

During tough times, the best way to make it through and survive until things get better has always been to collaborate and cooperate with others.  It’s one of the most admirable traits of our species. 

 

Even if you’re sensible enough to stay away from the overwhelming US media coverage, there’s as much fear in the air these days as there was just after 9/11.  However, people are responding differently — there seems to be much less of a spirit of cooperation and support than there was at that time.

 

Here are three attitudes to embrace — about yourself as well as towards others — that will smooth out some of the rough edges we’re all bumping into.

 

Now, more than ever, we need to remember to turn to instead of away from each other. 

 

1.  Cultivate compassion. Be kind and gentle whenever you can.

The waters are difficult enough to navigate.  Why throw in extra boulders? Now’s the time to make it REALLY easy for people to do business with you.  A willingness to be flexible and understanding, to create solutions with them, will pay off greatly in the long run.  Plus, it feels good!

 

2.  Try a little tolerance.  Judge a bit less, forgive a bit more.

The people who are most abrasive are often the most frightened or overwhelmed. Remind yourself not to take peoples’ behavior personally.  Everyone responds differently. Some people retreat, some attack, some go numb, some make uncharacteristic decisions.  Try to suspend your expectations a bit and simply meet people wherever they are.

 

3.  Seek out and embrace patience.  Make it your new best friend.

Most of us are doing the very best we can.

 

This week, notice how others are treating you and how you are behaving towards others. Make every effort to follow that old golden rule — you know, “DO unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Treat people well even if — especially if — their behavior doesn’t merit it.

 

Notice who drains you with their negativity and pessimism.  Who seems to have jumped ship?  Who’s good for a boost? Who can you still count on for a good laugh or enthusiasm or encouragement? Who do you feel is still on your team? This is a really good time to pay attention and observe peoples’ true colors. 

 

 

The 15 Minute Marketer: “The Business You’re REALLY In”

When someone asks what you do, how do you answer?  When you think about your work, how do you describe it?

Whatever business you think you’re in – coaching, speaking, carpet cleaning, cutting hair, landscaping – that is NOT your business.

The business you are REALLY in is MARKETING your business and services.

In order for your business to grow, survive and thrive, marketing must be your primary focus and priority.  It’s essential to be in constant and consistent action specifically to attract new customers and keep your current ones happy and delighted to remain with you.

You can have the most perfect web site imaginable.  If no one visits, what’s the point?  You can design and build the most attractive retail store possible.  If enough people don’t walk through the doors, you’ve wasted your money.  You can invest in the best professional training and certification processes available.  If no one knows about you, and how you can help them, all that time and effort is meaningless.

As anyone who’s been married a long time knows – it’s all about engaging in activities that keep you connected so that you stay married. 

Everyone who is working to stay active and healthy knows — it’s all about continuing your routine and doing some kind of fitness activity every day no matter what.
 If you don’t keep it going, if you don’t do it, you loose it.

Marketing is not optional. We do it regularly, or our businesses perish.

We must continue to do it — in good times and bad. (Ever hear the phrase, “Dig your well before you’re thirsty.”?)

Whether you’re new in business or a seasoned veteran, accept that marketing needs to be a non-negotiable part of your business day, week, year, lifetime.
So, here’s your “15 Minute Marketer” challenge for this week.  Look at your calendar and daily activities.  Schedule time for marketing — learning it, planning it, researching it and — most important of all — doing it!  If you cannot seem to find the time, ask yourself:  What priorities need to shift? What activities can be delegated?  What needs to change so that I CAN make it my business?

The 15 Minute Marketer: Make It Easy or They’ll Run The Other Way

“Hello.  You’ve reached ABC restaurant.  If you get this message during normal business hours, we are either on the other line or helping a customer. Please call back in a few minutes. If you get this message after normal business hours, please leave a message and we’ll call you back.”

Guess I need to sharpen my ESP skills!

I’m looking for a specific item from a particular company.  The item costs about $4.  I’m told by the sales gal that they do indeed have this item, but it’s only available as a gift if I buy $50 worth of that company’s product. She spends 5 minutes explaining why I can’t get this as a stand alone item — it would mess up their inventory tracking system since the item doesn’t have its own SKU number, and it also wouldn’t be fair to the manufacturer.

Excuse me?? 

I find this elusive item in an outlet type store.  I approach a cashier to pay.  She tells me that I need to stand on the one line that feeds into all the payment stations.  There are a least a dozen people in line for 3 registers, all with a number of things in their arms.  I say, “This is only one small thing for under $4. Everyone else has a lot to purchase. Don’t you have a check out line for just a few items?  Can’t I just pay quickly and be gone?”  She says, “No. That’s the rule.” I decline to wait 20 minutes to make a $3.79 purchase.

In the time it took to have that conversation, she could have completed the transaction.

I’m on a business trip and looking for a rental car.  I call Enterprise because they can pick me up.  They’re very busy and take my number to call me back.  After several minutes I call back; they are still busy and promise to get back to me as soon as they can.  It’s getting close to the end of the day when all the rental companies close down, so I call another company and get someone to drive me there.  On the way, the gent from Enterprise calls me back, apologizing for the delay. When I tell him I couldn’t wait any longer and have made arrangements with a competitor, he says, “OK, great. As long as you’re taken care of, that’s what’s important.  I hope you’ll give us a call next time.  Is there anything else I can do to help you before we hang up?”

I’m staying at a hotel for a conference that has promised free WIFI, but their system is down with a part needing replacement. Due to miscommunication among the staff, I’ve spent hours trying to fix what has turned out to be their problem. I ask to see the general manager, who makes time for me right away. He listens fully, apologizes for the inconvenience and misunderstanding.  “What can I do to make this better?”  he asks.  “Well,” I reply, “I’ve got some critical time sensitive things to complete. I’ve had to rent a car so I can go somewhere that has Internet access since you promised I’d have it here and you don’t.  How about paying for the rental car?”  “No problem,” he says, “Just get me a copy of an invoice and we’ll take that amount off of your bill.”

The biggest lessons you can learn about business are from your own experiences.  No matter what field, good outcome or bad, if you take the time to observe, consider and adapt, you’ll learn essential fundamentals that will put more money in your pocket.

So, do you make people jump through hoops or is it easy and pleasant to for them to connect and transact? Which kind of business owner are you?

The 15 Minute Marketer: ‘5 Reasons Why Writing Is An Essential Marketing Skill

Whether you’re an expertise-based entrepreneur or a brick-and-mortar small business owner, being able to communicate well in writing with potential and current cusomters is an absolute must. 

Whether you like to write or dread it, if you want to be a successful and profitable business owner, you MUST be engaged in a continuous conversaton-in-writing with the kinds of people you want to attract and keep as customers.

Writing is the primary way we stay in touch with, serve and grow our “tribe”.  If you’re an on-line company, it’s about e-mails, signature files, bios, web sites, sales letters and blogging.  Others who have more traditional types of businesses often use mailers, print or email newsletters, and “sales brochure” web sites (these don’t work really well, but that’s a whole other article!).  [NOTE:  Many off-line businesses can get great ides from the on-line folks, and vice versa.]

Unless you’re among the lucky few who have the means to hire a professional copywriter, here are 5 reasons why EVERY business owner needs to continuously learn and keep working on their busines copywriting skills.

1.  According to marketing guru Dan Kennedy, after doing business with you for a year or two, there’s a good chance that customers will move on to someone else in your field UNLESS they percieve they have a relationship with you. Good writing is one of the primary ways to express your personality and individuality to lots of people at the same time. The more you reveal deliberately chosen aspects of yourself, the more they’ll want to stick around.

2.  Many business owners work in fields with large numbers of other professionals who, on the surface, all look pretty much alike.  Even modestly Well written marketing materials in your unique “voice” help you stand out from the crowd.

3.  Most people don’t take the time to pay attention to their writing, and so it winds up sounding generic and vanilla.  Sometimes there are glaring mistakes that give an unprofessional impression.  Even as little as an hour or two a month dedicated to sharpening your writing skills will have a huge impact.

4.  We’re all busy and overloaded with more and more information.  People only visit a web site for a few seconds unless something captures their attention. Articles, letters, e-mails, blog posts, newlsetters et.al. will wind up in the trash unless you grab your readers’attention with your headlines and first couple of sentences. You CAN learn how to do this well enough to get the results you want.

5.  Everyone’s tired of fluff and BS. Time is precious. We long for things of substance, authenticity and worth.  Write well so that you can deliver the brilliance within you that will serve others and enable them to transform their lives.

This week, use your 15 Marketing Mambo minutes every day to get in the habit of capturing ideas: 
1. Get yourself a great looking little note book and cool pen.  Carry them everywhere.
2. Start noticing stuff that happens around your brilliant topic(s). It’s kind of like buying a red car and then noticing all the other red cars on the road.
3. In your little book, jot down your observations, ideas, ironies, annoyances around this subject.  Let it flow.  Start with simple words or phrases to remind you. Be free, be bold, be honest. NO judgment — capture it all.
4. Watch what happens and write that down, too!

The 15 Minute Marketer: Make Time For Your Most Important Client

One of my oft-repeated ‘mantras’ is that the most important job of every business owner is to market their business.  When I ask entrepreneurs about their biggest challenges, one of the most common things I hear is, “I just don’t have the time to do marketing!”

 

How do we find the time to do what is THE most critical element in the continuing success of our companies? 

It’s all about creating new habits of thought and action, one step at a time.

 

There will always be urgent and important items that require our attention.  There’s a never-ending stream of e-mails to answer, phone calls to make, bills to pay, topics to research and meetings to attend.  If you keep expecting to ‘find’ the time — you won’t. The key is to adjust your thinking:  it’s about MAKING the time. 

 

When we attract a new client, we delegate tasks, postpone reviewing e-mails and eliminate all other distractions so that we can focus completely on their concerns and goals. We must begin to treat ourselves in exactly the same way — in essence, to realize that we are our most important client.

 

When you make a commitment to a client, don’t you keep it?  When you’re meeting with them, you set aside specific, uninterrupted time completely dedicated to them, right?  It’s time to think of yourself and your company as deserving — and needing — the same treatment.

 

Here are two suggestions for your 15-minute-a-day Marketing Mambo activity for this week:

 

First, to create a new thinking habit, it helps to observe your beliefs and attitudes.  Pay attention to your self-talk whenever you think about marketing or someone mentions it.  What are you saying to yourself? It even helps to write these thoughts down.

 

Often a shift in language — even one word — can change everything.  For example, if you’re thinking, “I can never find the time!” notice that.  Catch yourself, and ask, “OK. I’m going to MAKE time this week for marketing. What needs to happen for me to do that?” Take a moment right now and consider both of these self-talk options. 

 

Which one is energizing, hopeful, action oriented, promises possibilities?  Which one shuts down thinking, closes off opportunity, derails problem solving?

 

Changing behavioral habits CAN be accomplished, step-by-step.  Start by looking at your calendar for this week.  Come on, grab that day timer or open up your Outlook!  Block out 2-3 small segments — 15 minutes each — during which you will ABSOLUTELY COMMIT to working on your marketing. Pretend these slots belong to a brand new client who is paying you the highest fees you have ever received. 

 

The specifics don’t really matter — do some reading, start revising your bio, make a list of e-zine topics — just as long as you are focusing on taking actions that directly relate to marketing YOUR business.  And, to help you keep your commitment to yourself, share your intentions with someone who will hold you accountable — a business buddy, coach, assistant.  Set yourself up for success by telling them what you’ve scheduled.  Promise to let them know that you’ve kept your appointment with yourself and share what you’ve done. Request that they follow up with you if they don’t get your report. Often, just knowing that someone else is expecting to hear from us propels us forward!

 

In the safety lectures before flying, we’re told that if oxygen masks drop down we need to help ourselves first by putting ours on before we assist anyone else. A great reminder!

The 15 Minute Marketer: ‘Feature Your Benefits To Boost Your Business’

Imagine this:  You arrive home from a day out to find water leaking from under your kitchen sink and rapidly spreading across your newly installed wood floor. You grab your phone book and call a plumber, who happens to be in the neighborhood and shows up within a few minutes. So far, so good.

She sets her bulging bag on your counter, and begins to sketch out her background for you — when she first decided to become a plumber, where she received training, with whom she apprenticed, how long she’s had her business. Then, she opens her tool kit, and starts to describe in detail the purpose and function of each piece of equipment.  Meanwhile, the water continues to spread — now it’s approaching your new carpeting in the living room!

Aren’t you excited to learn about all these features?

Of course, no plumber in her right mind would behave this way — that is, if she wanted to have a successful business!  The very first thing she’d do is find that leak and stop it a quickly.  The benefits — of minimizing the damage to newly installed flooring, of saving the customer money, etc. — are evident, and need to be immediately addressed.

One of the fatal mistakes business owners often make in their communication and marketing materials is focusing on the features of their product or service rather than the benefits.  They spend too much time highlighting information that doesn’t address what their (potential) customers actually want.

Take a look at the e-mails, sales letters, web site copy, commercials, display ads, etc. that regularly cross your path.  How much space is devoted to describing features — business owner bio, company history, how a product works compared to a competitor’s, and so on.  As a potential consumer, how much of that matters to you?  If, for example, you’re looking for a business coach, do you really care which coaching school they attended or what their business philosophy is? What do you REALLY want to know?  For me, it’s usually about the kind of results they’ve helped others produce, and how their coaching will be of immediate help with the areas in my business that are either most challenging or in need of deeper skill development.

Now, here’s your 15-minutes-a-day Marketing Mambo activity for this week.  It’s a 2-parter. 

First, start studying others’ marketing material with a critical eye and hear.  Observe how they present benefits vs. features.  Especially interesting are successful infomercials — they wouldn’t continue to air if they weren’t bringing in the big bucks and tons of new customers. Look at the ads for Nutri-Systems, Pro-Active, and similar products.  Also pay attention to e-mails and sales pages of successful Internet marketers.  Look for the benefits — you’ll see them prominently highlighted in formats such as testimonials, before and after comparisons, and in sentences with lots of action words.

Part 2 is about YOU and your marketing materials.  Review your web site, e-mails, sales pages — anything you’ve put out there to attract new customers and keep current ones active.  Do your messages focus more on benefits or features?  What needs to be adjusted?

If you’re not sure what your customers want, what their most pressing needs are, find out!  It’s the only way to present the correct benefits that your ideal clients are looking for and are ready to spend money on acquiring — from YOU.

The 15 Minute Marketer: ‘One is the Scariest Number’

One of my most influential marketing mentors, Dan Kennedy, always says that one is the deadliest number for entrepreneurs. Think about it!

 

One big customer on whom you focus most of your time and effort.  One staff member who knows critical information or procedures.  One type of marketing all the time.  One revenue stream.  One technical resource person.  Only one way of delivering your service. 

 

What would happen if that big customer went away? If all of your time and energy has been spent on them, and you haven’t been doing much marketing because your revenue was great, WHAT NOW? Imagine the effect if your critical staff member became ill — even if only for a few days.  What if it were YOU — with all that information that’s only in your head? How would you keep your business going?

 

When it comes to marketing, the “one Factor” is critical. 

 

Are you using the same single marketing strategy over and over again and expecting (praying for!) different results? 

 

Are you relying completely on e-mail to get the word out about your programs or services? What about people who spend more time blogging or on social networks? Or those who are not as “plugged in” as you assume they are and let their messages pile up for days? 

 

Do customers have only one way to reach you?  Do you provide only one option on your web site or in your other communications for people to contact you?  How would clients with critical issues or concerns reach you if something vital came up that couldn’t wait?  How would a hot prospect who left their blackberry at home this morning know how else to reach you?

 

How many booby traps are there in YOUR business? Here are a few simple ideas to help you diffuse them.

 

1.  The more ways you give people to respond, the more likely the are TO respond! Along with an e-mail, provide a phone number, snail mail option, etc. in every message, display ad, flyer, letter, web page — in other words, every piece of communication.  Let people choose how they want to reach out to you.

 

2.  Deliver your product or service in more than one format. You can re-purpose the same content in several different media to address the variety of ways people learn and absorb information. Only doing one-on-one coaching? Start some groups; present speeches; write articles; interview experts; offer teleseminars. Got a weekly e-zine?  Start a blog or a podcast.  Create an Internet radio show (do it for free on www.blogtalkradio.com).

 

3.  Have a multi-option strategy for client attraction.  Are you a chiropractor who wants more new clients?  Expand your activities.  Join leads groups.  Participate in health fairs and charity events.  Give speeches at private health clubs.  Offer low cost high school sports team exams to PTA members.  Approach physicians in complimentary fields (orthopedics, podiatry, dentistry) and meet for lunch to discuss a mutual referral system. 

 

OK — now it’s your turn.  Use your 15 Marketing Mambo minutes every day this week to observe and notice where the “ONE FACTOR” is in operation in your business.  Which three items are the most critical?  Which one is the MOST important? What are your first 3 steps to address this concern?  When and how will you begin taking action?