The Big Secret to Marketing Your Business

Every entrepreneur wants a magic marketing potion that will attract all the customers and sales they can handle. Many are searching for that one, big marketing secret that will make their business successful beyond their wildest dreams.

These starry eyed people believe there exists one piece of information or tactic that will take them from obscurity to becoming the marketing champion in their industry. Sadly, most will never discover this secret even though it’s hidden in plain sight and instantly available to them at any time.

This Big Marketing Secret is your attitude!

Yes, successfully marketing your business requires the correct attitude. Just like your relationships with other people, the attitude you take decides on what you will ultimately achieve.

Your belief system and your approach play a significant role in your marketing success. It is the starting point what you will accomplish and how much money you earn in your business.

Do you believe that your marketing efforts will pay off in increased sales? Or, do you think that marketing is a waste of time and money because you’ve tried once before and failed to attract any response?

The fact of the matter is that marketing does work when you understand how. Like catching a ball or riding a bike it is a learned skill that anyone can master. All that stops you from achieving more is your attitude toward marketing.

There are millions of people who are now highly successful because they possessed the attitude that marketing is the most important activity in their business. Everything starts and relies on your ability to attract and convert prospects into buyers. It’s the only area of your business that produces the opportunities to make a sale.

When you ignore it, cut the budget when times are tough or just don’t market at all your business will suffer. Without marketing it’s tough to make a sale. Without sales, you have no business; only an expensive hobby!

Successful marketing requires desire, action and commitment. If you lack in any of these three qualities and have a bad attitude, you might as go work for someone else. It’s no secret that your attitude is critical to what you achieve in life and business. When you have a positive approach to your marketing, what you believe will be the most likely outcome.

Like the late Henry Ford said, “If you think you can or you think you cannot, you are always right.”

Need to Improve Your Marketing? Throw a PASS!

Every business has the ability to reap huge benefits by making small improvements in their marketing. By leveraging a few key areas you can create plentiful and consistent sales opportunities. One area that can produce significant improvement is the techniques you use to communicate your marketing message to your audience.

The most powerful force in marketing is the skill of persuasion. Your ability to communicate to your target market the benefits and solutions your product or service provides is the key to your business success.

One proven technique that will improve your persuasion skills is to throw them a PASS with your marketing message.

PASS stands for Problem – Agitation – Story – Solution. This communication technique utilizes a powerful psychological trigger: People are highly motivated to action on problems that cause them pain, stress and discomfort.

Your most qualified prospects are looking to solve a specific problem, dissatisfaction or challenge they are facing in their lives. Your job as a marketer is to focus their attention on this problem and show them that you have the best available solution. You must motivate them to take action by stimulating their emotional need to solve the problem and relieve the stress that is attached to it.

Here’s how to use the powerful PASS technique in your marketing materials.

1. Problem – Define the problem they are experiencing and address it clearly so it triggers an emotional response. Get them to take time to think about the pain or discomfort they are feeling.

2. Agitation – Make them feel the problem by pointing out the possible scenarios that could occur if they don’t take action. Feeling a sense of loss or missed opportunity often compels people to act immediately.

3. Story – Tell a relevant story of someone who shared the same problem and their method of solving it. Focus on the positive results they experienced and how they benefited by solving the problem with your product or service.

4. Solution – Offer them a solution to the problem with your product or service. Provide detailed benefits, examples and testimonials of satisfied clients and customers you’ve helped before.

Your goal is to whip them into a frenzy by using emotional triggers which point out the cause of the problem. Once sufficiently agitated, offer your solution and educate them on the benefits you provide to fix it. Paint them a picture of what their life will look like as a result of purchasing your product or service.

When you use the PASS technique, the prospect will sell themselves on the fact they need to make a purchase to remove the pain and problem. For excellent case studies of this formula in action, watch any of the hundreds of TV infomercials that are broadcast over every day. There’s a reason they utilize the PASS technique…it works!

To find more marketing techniques and for your free report, Ten Critical, Must-Have Techniques To Improve Your Marketing, visit at www.td-marketing-system.com.

To all your marketing victories,
Coach Ron

Applying Leverage To Beat Bigger Competitors

As football coach, if you give me a slight, 150 pound running back and I can show him how to block a 300 pound charging linebacker. It’s the same as in your business…It’s all about how you apply leverage to what you have!

I can be awfully intimidating when you look across the line and see a man twice your size waiting to knock you out. But when you understand the fundamentals and have confidence in your abilities, it is inevitable that you will defeat this bigger, badder opponent.

All it takes is positioning yourself so you can apply leverage to his weakest point.

There is no such thing as a perfect product or service that has the ability to appeal to everyone in the market. It just doesn’t happen. You can be as big and strong as Nike, McDonalds, or Starbucks but you will always have a weakness that can be attacked and exploited by savvy and more nimble entrepreneurs – like you.

Even if you are facing well established competitors with deep pockets, you can defeat them by attacking their weak points and leveraging your strengths. That’s what winning the marketing game is all about…Scoring the most sales by better positioning your offer as the obvious, risk free choice to prospects, clients and customers.

You can defeat that 300pound linebacker you face in your market just by leveraging your strengths against the vulnerable gaps in their marketing. It all starts with your strategies, tactics, and techniques!

It's Time for Some Football!!!

Yippee! Football season is almost here!

As most of you know, I coach football in the falls for my local school district in Dexter, Michigan.

Besides marketing, football is my other passion that I pursue. Hence the name of my marketing system - Touchdown Marketing System.

In my humble opinion, football is the ultimate team sport because it requires a diverse collection of players with different skills working together to achieve a goal. It requires toughness, tenacity and perseverance....just like marketing your business.

I love all sports and have played a lot of baseball, basketball, volleyball, bowling and many others. All these games have merit and I highly respect those who are dedicated to competing at all levels. But football is the most demanding physically, mentally and socially.

There are so many parallels to marketing that I could fill dozens of blog posts. Them most important is the need to prepare before you play. Preparing and practicing for a single game each week is intense and difficult. As small business owner, so is developing and sticking with your marketing to it works.

There is nothing more exciting than scoring a hard earned touchdown in football. To me it's just like winning the trust of a prospect and make a sale.

Marketing Lessons from a Magazine?

I write to you today from the Plymouth District Library. I’m in between appointments with coaching clients and all the tables at Panera Bread were taken because it’s lunchtime.

(Sidebar: when you’re at Panera by yourself during lunchtime on your laptop, get up and let someone who is there to eat lunch have your table. It’s just common courtesy and your $1.69 cup of coffee doesn’t cover rent for 3 hours.)

I’m sitting in the library adjacent to the magazine racks and a magazine caught my attention. On the cover was the title: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

I thought to myself, “Interesting, a magazine devoted to atomic scientists.”

Then I remembered, “There’s a magazine for just about any topic or industry.” Sure enough, after glancing around a little more, I spotted Backyard Bird - for bird watchers, Costal Living – even though Plymouth is land locked, Cooking for 2, Current History, Cosmopolitan, Genealogical Helper, The Herb Companion and on and on.

Each had an attention grabbing headline. Atomic scientists do have a sense of humor; one article is called “Home On the Nuclear Range.’’ Coastal Living is touting “Summer Vacations” and, of course, Cosmo’s is “Taboo Sex.” Each of these did what they were designed to do…stop me in my tracks and notice it!

Magazines are a great place to start as you select your target market of potential fans. They are so focused on a single, niche subject that you can gather a lot of marketing intelligence from the ones that serve your chosen industry.

You may not be able to afford to place an ad in a magazine at this moment. But you can check out the tactics and techniques that are being used to market to that niche. What’s their strategy…image or lead generation? Are they trying to drive traffic to their website? Do they use coupons?

Notice their headlines and ad copy. What’s the benefit their selling? What’s their call to action? Do they have a guarantee? What are the emotional triggers their using?

Check out the articles inside. What topics are they discussing? Are there any trends that you can spot? What’s the point of view and the attitude they are using? Is there anything you can leverage in your marketing?

You can learn a lot inside the cover of a magazine that serves your market. Take the time to do some research in your industry magazines and study the contents. You may find a wealth of ideas and concepts that point your marketing in the right direction.

At least now I know how to reach atomic scientists! Oh, by the way, here's their website - http://www.thebulletin.org

Whew! Here's an Offer You Can't Refuse.

Greetings fellow marketers!

I've been neglecting this blog recently due to the fact that I've been working on my new marketing program - "How to Win The Marketing Game: Six Strategic Fundamentals to Take Your Business From Existing to Marketing Champion"

I must say that writing can be very exhausting and frustrating. I respect anyone who pens any significant amount of copy or content for people to read.

Writing allows me to share my passion for marketing with others. Marketing is a big mystery to a large majority of people who start a business. My goal is to help educate as many people as possible on the need to market their business.

So for a limited time, until July 25th to be exact, I'm offering a free coaching session to entrepreneurs who want to learn how to market their business better. This will be a phone session where you call me and we will discuss the marketing challenges you currently face.

I'm doing this so I can get a better understanding of what you are facing in your business. This will help me develop my next marketing product and to serve your needs better.

You can request your coaching session by clicking this link: Free Coaching Session.

I hope you decide to take advantage of this one-time offer!

To all your marketing victories,

Coach Ron

You Can’t Win With the “Build and They Will Come” Strategy

“Build it and they will come.”

This famous quote from the movie “Field of Dreams” may work in the movies but it rarely is the basis of creating a business.

I recently met with an entrepreneur who has spent countless hours and a load of cash remodeling a building to open his dream business. He called me to design a logo for him because that’s what his ideas of marketing is – a logo to “get the name out there.”

At the end of our meeting I asked him a simple question that resulted in a puzzled look on his face…“Do you have a marketing plan?”

He admitted that he didn’t have one and said, “I’ll do fine. Were the only game in town and I’ve talked to a lot of people who will do business with me when we open.”

How many is a lot? Fifty…a hundred…five hundred? My guess would be around a hundred.

I then asked him if he had a strategy to turn those people into repeat customers who buy on a regular basis. He said, “No, our product s so good that they will come back again.”

To which I replied, “What happens when you get an unhappy customer and they tell their friends about their bad experience?” He answers, “Oh well, I guess we’ll have to find another customer.”

I could have gone on but it was very clear that he doesn’t understand he must play the marketing game.

This is a classic example of the “Build it and they will come” trap.

The business owner is so in convinced that his dream is so wonderful that people will beat a path to his door without any marketing effort. He is sure that he has a large group of prospects that will purchase out of the goodness of their heart over and over again.

They also believe that no competition exists in their market. There’s always someone to compete with! It may not be in his industry selling the same product or service, but there is another business that is trying to get their attention. If he doesn’t put forth any effort in attracting them, how will they find his business?

And finally, if he lose a customer and has no marketing system to replace them, how can he sustain his business? Marketing is the only way to ensure that he has a sustainable flow of new prospects entering his doors and buying his products.

Yes, he can build it and they may show up when he opens, but the only thing that will keep them coming back is marketing. And without a marketing plan the chances are pretty good that he is not going to be around very long.

“Build it and they will come” works in a fantasy movie, but in the real world of business it’s a strategy that has no chance of winning.

To get out of the fantasy world and focused on real life marketing solutions - click here to discover a valuable tool that shows you how!

To all your marketing victories,

Coach Ron

Dedication, Hard Work, Persistence: The Stuff of Champions

What does it take to become a champion in your market? The same as it take to win the Stanley Cup.

As a resident of Michigan and a Detroit Red Wings fan, it has been a thrilling week. The Wings brought home the Stanley Cup to Detroit for the 11th time in their history.

I've been fortunate to have witnessed four of them and also have seen other championship trophies be hoisted by our local heroes - 2 by the Tigers, 3 by the Pistons and several by the Wolverines and Spartans.

So what does this have to do with marketing? A lot!

The lesson is this: It doesn't matter what you are trying to win, there are many critical factors involved that put you on top of all of your competitors. But, there are three factors stand above the rest: Dedication, Hard Work and Persistence.

This year's NHL champs had a huge supply of each of these qualities. A typical small business owner must also possess large quantities of all three. Most businesses don't go through a defined season that begins at opening day and ends with a trophy presentation. Instead, they compete in a never ending competition each and every day to score sales and win profits.

Every entrepreneur must be dedicated to their business success. Like hockey players, there's a lot of sweat and blood that goes into reaching the top. It's not easy to come out on top with all the hurdles and obstacles that are put in front of you. Being dedicated to your vision and working with a sense of purpose is indispensable to consistent sales.

Hard work is usually the difference between success and failure. As a football coach, I could tell plenty of stories that show a less talented player achieving success because of their work ethic. It's no cliche that hard work is rewarded in business and life. However, hard work must also be teamed with working smart to truly lead to a championship.

Persistence is the most vital intangible in sports and business. Handling adversity and refusing to give up on your goals is critical to winning anything. At heart of persistence is an unwavering belief in what you have dedicated to yourself to. Without this belief, there is little chance of reaching an goal.

Marketing your business must be built on dedication, hard work and persistence. If you lack in any of these three qualities your business will suffer and not achieve the status of being a champion.

You may never get to hoist the Stanley Cup, but as a marketing champion in your industry you could hoist a big, fat wallet full of cash instead.

Go From Underdog to Marketing Champion!

To go from underdog to champion in your market you must master the fundamentals and develop the skills of marketing better than you competitors.

Chances are you are good at what you do. You have the technical knowledge and experience to make the products or perform the services that make you money. But do you know how to market and sell them effectively and consistently?

To do so, you must have a winning marketing system that is designed to dominate your competition!

As a marketing coach, I can help you go from the position of marketing underdog to marketing champion in your industry. I would like to provide you with what you need to win the market game and dominate your competition.

For a limited time, I am offering you a FREE Tryout Membership to my TOUCHDOWN MAKERS LEAGUE.

This is a two month membership which will start you down the path of a marketing champion.

As a league member every month you will receive, valuable tools, techniques and resources that will help you develop the four action areas of your marketing – your game plan, your strategies, your tactics and your execution.

Here’s are the FOUR league member benefits you get with your FREE Tryout Membership:

• League Member Benefit #1: Two issues of the “Marketing Champions” newsletter.
• League Member Benefit #2: Access to my "ChalkTalk Marketing Clinics" teleseminar.
• League Member Benefit #3: Receive by fax my monthly “Hot Marketing Play Sheet”.
• League Member Benefit #4: Access to my "Touchdown Makers Members Only" website.

Together, these four monthly tools will guide you through the fundamentals of the marketing game and teach you how to become a marketing champion. You will gain the knowledge, the skills and the confidence to take on the big, bad wolf in your market and come out on top!

But wait! There's more! (Sorry, couldn't resists.)

I also have four free gifts for you! Just like the four League Member Benefits listed above, these gifts are valuable marketing tools which will help you grow your business.

There is just too much to put on one single blog post, so to learn how to get all of this great marketing information. Click on this link now - TD-Marketing-System.com/freetryout

Somebody is going to win the marketing game in your industry. Is it going to be you?

The place to start is here - with your free league tryout.

To all your marketing victories,

Coach Ron

Is Your Marketing Ready For The Media's Bad News?

In U.S. the Memorial Holiday weekend is upon us and, of course, gas prices have shot up even more. In southeast Michigan the prices are just above $4.00 per gallon.

My sympathies to those who are experiencing even higher, more painful gouging at the pump in their town.

If that's not bad enough, the local news media around Detroit just love reminding us of the rising cost of gas...like we couldn't see it for ourselves. Every time they do a story about this issue for dramatic effect they stand some poor reporter to a gas station around the airport.

This gas station is always has the highest price in the region...about 15 to 20% higher than any store. This last chance station takes advantage of the poor souls who desperately need gas before they jump on the freeway to get home. Most people begrudgingly pay the price because they just want to get home.

The point is that the news media always focuses on the worst case scenario to gain viewer's attention. This isn't limited to only gas prices! No matter what the bad news, they find a way to blow reality out of the water and strike fear into minds of gullible viewers.

Problem is that these viewers are your prospects, customers and clients. Is your marketing ready to counter act the bad news that they are fed by the media? The situation in Michigan with gas prices is a real threat to the huge tourist economy in the state.

Typically, people who live in the lower half of the state migrate to the northern woods and lakes for rest and relaxation. (There is much more to Michigan than the problems of the auto industry and Detroit's mayor!) With these kind of prices, the media is subconsciously telling us not to go up north because it is so expensive. They are actually interviewing people who choose to stay home this weekend because of the added cost.

The message is - "You better not go because it will cost you more." Unfortunately, many will heed this message and change their plans. This hurts the companies in the tourist regions and does more damage to the overall economy. These bearers of the bad "news" are influencing the marketplace negatively and worsening the problem.

So how can you prepare yourself from the influence of these drama queens? First, you need to be nimble and ready to shift your marketing message on a moments notice. This does not mean you get away from your core message, but to address the situation as your company as part of the solution. And, second, change the focus of your offer to match the markets shift.

If you own a small gift shop in Mackinaw City you must develop strategies to get buyers to increase the transaction size of their purchases this year. Store traffic will undoubtedly be lower this summer, so you need to be proactive with your marketing tactics to increase sales.

Retailers in the lower part of the state should market more frequently and change their summer marketing message to capitalize on the pent up demand that will accompany more people staying at home. Reconnecting with existing customers with loyalty programs and frequent buyer discounts or bonuses will strengthen your relationship with them and lead to more sales.

There is a way to defeat these pushers of doom and gloom. It just requires creative thinking and speedy execution. So don't get down and depressed from the situation, get to work and turn lemons into lemonade.

For ideas to get you inspired and motivated, visit www.td-marketing-system.com/seminar and listen to the free mini-seminar on how to score more sales.

To all you marketing victories,

Coach Ron
Unabashed optimist in the capitalist system

A Powerful Referral Marketing Secret: Tell a Testimonial Story

The fuel that drives the referral marketing process is the testimonial story.

Testimonials happen when one person shares with another about the positive experience they’ve had with your company. A good testimonial is worth its weight in gold and is as close as you can get to sure sale from a new prospect. But do you really leverage the full power of testimonials as you work to market your business?

By nature, a testimonial is really a transfer of experience to another person. When one shares their experience they are really telling a story.

Storytelling is part of our human existence. It’s how we communicate at a very basic level. When you go home from a day at work, what usually happens? You tell your spouse or family a story of what occurred in during your day at work.

A good story stimulates the other person’s imagination and helps put them mentally into the situation. When you hear a well told story, you can almost feel like you are the one who experienced it.

In business, we don’t utilize the power of storytelling enough. Typically, most referrals are brief snippets but not the whole story. To become a better referral partner you need to tell more stories to the people you know. Avoid simply giving them the “I know someone” referral. This is only the beginning of the process. Instead, focus on sharing the entire experience you had with the other person.

However, there is a caveat. You must find the right situation to provide a referral story. If you tell boring, unsolicited stories that have no value to the other person, you will come across as annoying. This requires some discretion and utilizing your sales instincts of when to offer the referral story.

Recognizing the opportunity to provide a referral story is a skill that you must be developed. A chance to refer another can come from anywhere. It could be your spouse, your business partner or the guy in front of you at the grocery store. The key is to be ready with your referral story to promote others and they in turn will promote you…the ultimate win-win!

Referrals are the cornerstone of creating relationships - one of the six marketing fundamentals. To learn more about the six marketing fundamentals for winning the marketing game - click here.

To all you marketing victories,

Coach Ron

The Marketing Game - Win or Lose Its Up To You

Allow me to make a bold statement - there’s a lot of sales being made in your market right now that you’re losing out on because of your marketing.

Think of it this way...if your marketing is ineffective or non-existent your competitor wins the sale and you lose money!

Seems a little harsh but it’s true. When they win you lose. Their sale ends up becoming money in their pocket instead of yours.

There’s no way to sugarcoat it. You can either stick your head in the sand and accept it; or you can get motivated and do something about it.

Winning or losing…It’s up to you!

To come out as the winner, you must know how to aggressively compete and play the marketing game.

That’s right marketing is a game and those who consistently win and get the sales understand how to play. They have developed the strategies, skills and techniques that are required to become a dominant force in their market. Because they excel at the game they become the marketing champion in their industry.

So how can your business become a marketing champion? What must you do to dominate your competition? How do you score more sales and consistently win?

It all begins with understanding and practicing the marketing fundamentals.

To compete and win you must first know how to play. Most small businesses don’t have a clue what it takes to become marketing champion. As a result they waste a great deal of time and money on marketing that doesn’t produce results. Knowing the fundamentals is the surest and fastest way to stop this problem and generate predictable sales and profits.

When you master the fundamentals of the game and apply them in your business, you will see a dramatic increase in your sales and your business will become the dominant force to be reckoned with.

To find out how to become a marketing champion, visit www.TD-Marketing-System.com and claim your free marketing resources.

To all your marketing victories,

Coach Ron

Become a Marketing Rock Star In Your Industry

I just returned from the Glazer-Kennedy Insider Circle Superconference in Nashville. What a great event! It was a gathering of 1,200 like-minded entrepreneurs who understand the power of marketing.

One of the main speakers was Gene Simmons of the rock band Kiss. This was a big thrill for me because in my younger days (when I had more hair) I was a huge fan. Today, I'm still a huge fan but in terms of his marketing expertise instead. Here's your truly with the God of Thunder.

Gene has created a marketing empire with the KISS brand with over 3,000 licensed products. As he says, KISS from cradle to grave - KISS condoms to KISS caskets and everything in between.

One of his main projects at the moment is the marketing of the Indy car series. He has rebranded it with the tag line of "I am Indy". His goal is to connect with more people and make it cool and accessible again. It will be interesting to see if he will be able to make any headway against the NASCAR brand. We'll wait and see.

He also told his life story, especially about his mother who raised him without a father and how she shaped his life. We all have someone like that in our lives but we often take them for granted. Gene certainly doesn't. He had many comments that were very insightful and right on target for entrepreneurs:

• Your most important asset is you, yourself and once you learn that you’ll make a lot more money.
• Put your personality into your work and add a personal touch that makes an emotional connection.
• The harder you work, the luckier you get.
• You might not like rich people, but when was the last time a poor person gave you a job.

Gene also stayed and presented a photo opportunity with about 400 people. He was accessible and friendly to everyone. The man definitely understands what it takes to market and sell. Also on the platform was George Ross, Donald Trump's deal maker and judge from the apprentice. George talked about negotiation and how it is not about winning, it's about making a deal. He shared with us that it is about your personality and a knowledge of human nature.

However, what was most powerful was answer when someone asked him about his philosophy of business. He quickly and confidently answered; Failure + Perseverance = Success. Simple yet profound. Everyone must fail to succeed no matter what you do.

Both of those guys were great! But the real star was Nido Qubien, entrepreneur and President of High Point University. He challenged everyone in the audience to be change their thinking from being "Transactional to Transformational". Make a difference with what you offer people just don't sell them something to create a transaction. A visit to High Point will show you just what he means.

There were many other great speakers and marketing experts throughout the 4 day event. I highly recommend this conference to anyone who markets and sell any kind of product or service. I'll keep you posted with information on next years conference when it becomes available.

Until next time - Keep on marketing like a rock star!

Coach Ron
www.TD-Marketing-System.com

Absurd? Or Brilliant Marketing?

‘There’s a sucker born every minute.’

‘Give the people what they want.’

These two clichés are part of marketing lore. But as I flipped through my local Sunday paper, I wonder which one applies to an ad that caught my attention. I can’t figure it out: has my highly esteemed, pillar of journalism excellence (note the sarcasm) become “snake oil salesmen” or have they had an epiphany of brilliant marketing?

You decide…

The ad was featured in the “Milestones” section of the paper which features weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and achievements. They recently began printing this in color and placing it as the insert cover for all of the coupon ads, flyers and comics…you know the stuff that makes lifting the paper your workout for the day due to it's 20 pound weight.

As you can see, this ad featured a photo of a happy looking dog with the caption of “Happy Birthday Bella!” Under that was the headline – “Give a pet a greeting!” Hmm, a birthday greeting to a dog in the Sunday paper…either we have some smart dogs in Ann Arbor or this is just plain stupid – weird – funny – brilliant – absurd.

I guess, deciding on which adjective that best describes it depends on your perspective.

So being a student of marketing I began analyzing it in terms of the motivation and needs of both the buyer and the seller. The paper of course is a commercial enterprise on a quest to turn a profit (nah, they are in business to provide a vital public service… yeah right). They are basically selling space on a page to individuals that have a need to inform others or experience having their picture in the paper. For many, seeing ones photo or name in the paper is the 15 minutes of fame that they were promised.

The pet owner’s motivations are a little more personal and passionate. To some, a pet is their main companion in life; it’s their spouse, child and best friend rolled into one hairy four legged creature. As such, they project their emotional needs onto the pet. And sending a personal birthday greeting to Fido or Fluffy makes perfect sense.

Forget about the fact that ANIMALS CAN’T READ, that’s irrelevant.

The newspaper is merely filling a fundamental need that pet owners have to make their pets more “human.” Your could get into a lot of deep psychological gunk here, but the fact remains that some pet owners will spring for the $35 to wish their dog happy birthday. Now, it's brilliant marketing if you’re the newspaper selling ink on paper and might find it stupid if you don’t have a pet.

So, I believe the marketing lesson here is that a combination of the two at work – some people tend to be suckers and you must give them what they want. It is the emotional connection with their pet which will drive the sale and the newspaper understands this. I'm sure that this has concept has been done before in other media with great success.

But rest assured - if this pet message thing gets out of hand your local news reporter will inform us that people are getting ripped off by unscrupulous marketers! Or, will they, if they’re the dastardly culprits taking grandma’s money?

Three Steps To Gaining Your Prospect’s Trust

Gaining your prospect’s trust is the ultimate objective of playing the small business marketing game. A sale has little chance of happening without trust being created during the marketing process. Once firmly established, trust provides the ability to score a sale and to accomplish it more often with less resistance. This is where real small business success can be found.

Creating trust is not as difficult as you might think, but it does require the right marketing attitude, a bit of research and a sound strategy. In this article, we will explore practical strategies to help you create a foundation of trust on which you can execute all your marketing plays.

When you analyze it, the marketplace is so saturated with “copycat” marketing. This occurs when similar, competitive businesses in an industry copy each other’s marketing approach. This situation is usually caused by the belief that ‘if our competitors are doing it that way, it must work.” This can be a costly assumption!

You’ve seen it many times before in fast food commercials, car dealership ads, lawn maintenance companies, and many other industries. Nearly every ad and sales proposition you see attempts to communicate the same message so it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between companies.

The result is there is no differentiation or competitive advantage gained. Worse yet, prospects have no way to tell who is competent, who offers the best solution, or who to trust. When everyone looks the same it’s impossible for the buyer to tell who the best choice is.

Because of all the copycats, the need for positioning your business as the most trustworthy, lowest risk solution is more needed more than ever. The opportunity is ripe for you to become the “go-to guy” in your industry.

A copycat environment provides you with an enormous opportunity to dominate your market and make significantly more sales. It’s much easier for your message to stand out from the crowd in these conditions. The differences in your marketing and the competition don’t have to be huge. However, they must be distinct and memorable.

The most effective difference you can leverage to claim your market position as the go-to guy is one powerful attitude: caring more about your prospects. When you show how much you care, your message will stand apart from your competitors. By creating an emotional connection you can communicate that you understand their needs and challenges and are not just trying to sell something.

This attitude lays the foundation for trust because you are perceived as a welcome friend rather than an annoying pest. As a trusted friend, they look to you first for advice and the solutions to their problems. Just imagine how much business you could be doing if people automatically came to you first to purchase what they need.

So how do you create the conditions to gain their trust?

To begin, it’s critical that you show empathy with their situation. You must articulate that you understand their problems better than anyone else. Explain to them that you, or one of your customers, has faced the same situation and tell a story of what solution you provided and back it up with results.

Do you know your prospect’s pain, problems, challenges, needs and fears? Do you know what keeps them up at night with worry? What really irritates them to the point of needing to take action? Everybody has these irritants – real or imagined.

Your target market niche shares common irritants that provoke them to search for a solution. You need to identify these irritants and create a list of the most important ones that you can solve. To uncover these irritants you must do some research. Here are three steps to get you started:

1. Do a keyword search in several search engines and analyze the content theme of sites it returns. Look at the top ten sites then dig a little deeper down the list for problems and irritants that various sites are addressing. You are searching for patterns and trends within your subject so a broad cross section is necessary.

2. Find the most popular blogs about the subject and read the comments people post on them. This will reveal some of the key issues they face and usually include what really irritates and challenges them. You can do the same in forums and chat rooms where they congregate. Both of these provide a raw, unfiltered look at the issues and reveal many hot button triggers you can use in our marketing.

3. Read the magazines and books that are specifically written about the subject. These give you a sense of what kind of information they are now receiving about their issue and show you where the best positioning opportunities can be found.

After you have researched the issues and created an irritant list, you need to develop a personal story that communicates that you empathize and understand their irritants. This story must be true and show that you have stood in their shoes and were able to overcome the problem. Remember, in their mind they are looking for solutions not products or services to buy.

A word of warning; be careful not to give off the appearance of “selling” at this stage of the marketing game. Prospects are very wise to sales techniques that set them up for the close. There is no quicker way to ruin your credibility and destroy the empathy you have created than pitching them a sale before trust has been firmly established.

For more ideas on how to establish trust within your marketing efforts, visit TD-Marketing-System.com and get your copy of the “Six Fundamentals For Winning The Marketing Game” from marketing coach Ron Abbott. Don’t just compete in your market…dominate it!

Small Business Marketing Success: It’s All About Your Attitude

Small business marketing success can only be achieved when you are mentally prepared to be persistent and tenacious. Having a winning marketing attitude is the first step in creating a business that dominates your market and defeats all of your competitors.

What's your marketing attitude? Do you see yourself as confident winner or a cynical loser?

Most small businesses fail because of lack of sales brought on by a neglect of marketing. Typically, the business owner is wearing so many hats and battling endless problems that they push marketing aside until it is too late and they are hemorrhaging money. Marketing usually takes a back seat to employee problems, meeting payroll, dealing with vendors, satisfying customers, and fighting off competitors.

Unsuccessful business owners perceive marketing as an obstacle to be avoided rather the engine that drives the cash producing machine. Conversely, businesses that thrive for many years understand that marketing is the key to their success and that nothing else they do is more important. It's all about marketing attitude.

Here are six marketing attitudes that generate sales and lead to success:

1. A Belief in the Power of Marketing: Nothing else you will do in your daily activities will create sales and profits more than your marketing activities. Marketing is an investment that generates positive results, everything else creates costs.
2. Persistence and Tenacity: You must never give up and constantly market your business no matter what the market conditions or who the competition. Most small businesses owners quit because of a few of their marketing plays fail to produce. A never-give-up marketing attitude is a must.
3. A Systematic Approach: Successful marketing is a methodical process that requires strategic planning with defined goals and consistent execution with results that can be measured. Most businesses plan by tossing a coin to decide where and execute a single, one time marketing play. This approach never works.
4. Resiliency and Immunity to Failure: When you play the marketing game you will face failure. Not every sales letter, advertisement, or post card you send will get people to act in your favor. You must accept the failures and use them to adjust your approach until you win. Your favorite marketing phrase should always be - 'What's next?'
5. Relationships Matter: Successful small business marketing is the result of creating relationships with clients and customers built on trust. When they know you and like you they will buy from you without hesitation and not consider your competitor's offer.
6. A Winner's Mindset: Marketing is a game that is played on a tough battlefield with many worthy adversaries. Being shy and timid about letting your prospects know how you can solve their problems and improve their lives can be disastrous. A confident message with an aggressive approach is the only way to take on your competition and come out victorious with the sale.

Having the right attitude toward your small business marketing is the surest way to achieve the level of success you desire. It can mean the difference between you enjoying the thrill of victory or the bitter taste of defeat.

To learn more on how to create a winning marketing program with the right attitude, download a complimentary report "Six Fundamentals For Winning the Marketing Game." You can claim your free copy at www.TD-Marketing-System.com

To all your marketing victories,

Coach Ron

Create a Winning Marketing Game Plan

Creating a winning game plan must be the first task you concentrate on before you enter the marketing game. At the heart of your game plan is your strategic approach. It is the ‘how’ of your marketing. Without it you become guilty of what I call “Coin Toss” marketing.

A quick glance through your local newspaper or yellow pages will show you lots of companies who are guilty of “coin toss” marketing. This is the type of marketing that is executed on a whim without any serious planning and strategizing. It’s more or less determined by chance; like flipping a coin. You’ve probably watched the beginning of a big football game on television when they toss the coin to see who gets the ball first. There’s a 50/50 chance who guesses correctly and wins a small victory.

Many small businesses do the same thing. They randomly select a few marketing tactics and guess which one will work best. Take a look around you. Most of the advertising that you receive is sent arbitrarily by businesses that have no game plan. Businesses that have no game plan will select anything they think will work.

Usually they are selecting their marketing in one of two ways:

First, they fall into the “coin toss” trap by jump at any kind of marketing that is pitched to them by a friendly advertising salesperson who calls on them. Yellow pages, newspaper, card deck, or even the local church bulletin; they throw money at it to “get their name out there.”
The friendly salesperson seldom has the business owner’s best interest in mind. They are only concerned with selling ad space and meeting quota. They don’t have a clue about the marketing needs of the business or the desires of the target market. After a few failed ads are run it doesn’t take long for the business owner to become critical of the value of marketing their business. As a result they turn their backs on marketing completely.

The second reason why people fall into the “coin toss” trap is because they are desperate for sales. This happens when sales are low and need a kick start to generate cash flow for the business. So the business owner decides that he’ll send out a post card with some discount coupons. He’s convinced that people are just waiting for his mailer to arrive and will drop everything to redeem it once they pull it out the mail box. A few customers do trickle in but he is disappointed with the results and considers marketing a waste of money.

Take the time to create a marketing plan and use it to drive all of your marketing activities. For more useful ideas and information, go to the Small Business Marketing Hub.

To your marketing victories,

Coach Ron

Are You In the Marketing Game or Just Watching From The Sidelines?

Marketing is a game – plain and simple. Someone is going to win and someone is going to lose. Some will get after it and play aggressively, while others sit on their hands waiting for business to happen. Heck, some don’t even bother getting in the game and are losers before they even get started!

As a marketing coach, I’ve been approached by many business owners to help them get more customers and increase sales. The problem is many of these entrepreneurs procrastinated and came to me too late. The outcome of the game they were playing was already decided. Because they chose not to get in the game, or didn’t know how, they were already defeated by more aggressive competition or unsympathetic market forces.

It’s very sad to see well intentioned, hard-working people suffer as their entrepreneurial dream is beaten down like an over matched opponent. If only they had known that to achieve success they must get their butts off the sideline and take control of their own results!

Marketing is a contact sport. You can’t stand by and watch the competition dictate the game. You must join the action and become a force to be dealt with. You must adopt an action oriented attitude. And, you must claim your position on the field and defend it with all your might.

Simply put – you must get in the marketing game or end up losing anyway. It’s up to you!

For more marketing ideas and information, visit the Small Business Marketing Hub.

To your marketing victories,

Coach Ron

Do You Have What It Takes to Become a Champion Marketer?

The most successful businesses are typically the champion marketers in their industry. They’re the ones whose image and message that you just can’t escape. Everywhere you turn you are exposed to their marketing. They have mastered the marketing game so well that you could recite their jingle or tagline on the spot. Because of their mastery of the game, they are the most formidable competitors who intimidate others into doing nothing because of their shear presence in the marketplace. Yes, these companies have the knowledge, skill and techniques to play the marketing game.

The good news is that you always have the opportunity, and ability, to get in the game, dominate your competition and become a champion marketer! You can take on the “intimidator” in your market and defeat him on his turf.

All that is required of you is the dedication, the knowledge and courage to get in the marketing and compete at a high level. Most companies are always on the defensive because they stand on the sidelines and let the "intimidator" dictate the terms of the game.

As we discussed in my previous post, you must focus on the fundamentals to compete at a high level. It starts with having the capability and confidence to dominate your competition. No matter what stage of your company’s development, you must adopt a stance that you will do what it takes to reach the top and be a champion.

This requires a new mindset and shift in your thinking. about marketing and a realization that it is the most important function of your business.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in business for many years or you just took the leap and opened your new business, your attitude toward marketing will determine your level of success. Just look at what the New York Giants accomplished. They believed in themselves and were committed to becoming the champs. Small businesses must also adopt the mindset.

You must prepare to win, play hard and execute relentlessly. Now, get off your butt and get on the field and start playing the game like a champion.

Until next time, to all your marketing victories.

Coach Ron

Winning the Marketing Game Requires Mastering the Fundamentals

Every game has fundamentals that must be mastered to achieve a championship level. In baseball, it’s hit, throw, run, and catch. Basketball requires you to dribble, pass, shoot and rebound. The game of football demands you to run, throw, catch, block, tackle, and kick. Each game has its unique rules and playing philosophies.

Marketing your business is no different.

When you play without knowing the fundamentals you will quickly fumble away your chances of winning. Many small business owners fly by the seat of their pants when it comes to the marketing fundamentals. What they usually do is copy what their competition is doing!

This is the probably the worst idea they could possibly have. What if their competition is doing it wrong and getting terrible results? What if the competition is going after a totally different target market? What if the competition is pricing their product or service to cheaply to make money? Does soundly like a good approach, does it?

That’s where the fundamentals come in. You must focus your efforts on four different areas of marketing to win the game:

1. Market: Know your target market and what they want, need or desire

2. Message: Create a clear, consistent and compelling message

3. Media: Deliver the message through the media your target market prefers most

4. Relationships: Create, nurture and leverage relationships with your customer or clients

Each of these areas are totally dependent on the other and must be addressed to work. Typically, only one or two are addressed by the small business owner. They create a message and give little thought to what the market wants. Or, they discover a media method to deliver but fail to develop a compelling message that works (think internet websites).

Just like if you were playing for the Super Bowl title in football and didn’t know how to tackle, you wouldn’t have a chance of winning. No matter how well you ran or caught the ball you would lose the game because you lack this one key fundamental.

So as you play the marketing game remember these four fundamentals – market, message, media and relationships.

It’s because business owners and entrepreneurs are struggling to find qualified prospects and communicate a clear, simple offer to them…that leads to steady and repetitive sales. The owner is usually great at doing whatever it is he or she does but has absolutely no “marketing” skills. But…if they only knew how to market clearly, consistently, and relentlessly they would dominate their competition and not worry about how they are going to pay the bills!