More Clients More Profits

Are you using both sides of your business cards, or are you wasting 50% of the real estate you paid for. As a marketing coach, I see leaving the back side of business cards as a waste of valuable space. When presenting your card to someone, you have the opportunity — possibly the only opportunity — to give them information. This could include your name, your company name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Or it could also include a special offer, a menu of your services, or other information they would use to make a decision to further interact with you.

How adamant am I about this? Let’s do this. The next time you are going to have your business cards printed and utilize only one side, send me the file and I’ll have the cards printed for you … at my expense. As part of the deal, I’ll have my info printed on the other side. Is it a deal?

Jeanne (my wife), Sophie (my basset hound) and I just got back from a vacation in the North Conway, New Hampshire area. We had a wonderful time, and it began when we arrived at the Village House, a bed and breakfast in the village of Jackson.

We selected the Village House because it is listed as a dog-friendly facility. It was that and more. Our hosts made the three of us feel welcomed from the moment we arrived. After checking in, the first thing we did was take Sophie’s bed from the car and move it into our room. There was no need, however. A dog bed was waiting for her. Then we noticed that two seemingly-new dog bowls were also there for her. How thoughtful this was.

They had us. Not only are the owners of the inn — Sally-Anne and John Partoon — animal lovers, but they also understand that people who travel with their pets are close to being — if not actually — fanatical about their pets. Please the pets and its almost impossible not to please their owners. As a result, I have told numerous people about our experience at the Village House, and we’ve been back less than one day.

So here’s my question for you. What is it that you can do for your clients that will get them talking about you? You can determine the answer to this in a couple of ways, and I suggest both. One is to stop thinking like a service / product provider and start thinking like your clients. The other is to simply ask your clients. It’s that easy.

The point is to get your clients raving about you — telling just about anyone who will listen how you go above and beyond. At that point, the amount of word-of-mouth marketing you garner is sure to steadily increase.

Here’s to your success!
Peter George
Creator of the More Clients More Profits System

2010 … has a great ring to it, doesn’t it? It’s a new year … a new decade … a fresh start!

Many of us, although we want this year to be different from last 2009, are going to do little — if anything — different. That’s so unfortunate. As Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Some of things you can change include:
- your services
- your products
- the way to deliver either of the above
- your marketing
- how and where you network
- developing referral partners- your pricing (higher, I hope)
- number of employees
- how many hours you work (fewer, I hope)
The list goes on.

Perhaps the most important thing — more important than determining exactly what to change — is knowing deep down that things have to change. Many of us know his on an intellectual level, but few of us truly internalize it. We think about it, acknowledge it, and then wait until the moment passes. Please, don’t be one of these business owners. Take the necessary actions to your business the one you envision.

So what are you going to do to make this year — this decade — different? Need some help? Give me a call (401-742-1231) or send an e-mail. I’m always happy to discuss your opportunities!

Here’s to your success!
Peter George
Creator of the More Clients More Profits System

The other night my wife, Jeanne, and I were at a hockey game. Before the game started, advertising — actually television commercials — were running on the four-sided scoreboard above center ice. Jeanne turned to me and said, “It’s impossible to get away from marketing. It’s everywhere you go.”

She’s right. Like most professional hockey venues, there is advertising on the scoreboard, above the entrances, hanging above the walkways, on the walls in the concourse, along the boards, and even on the ice. Of course this is hardly different from just about anywhere one goes. And that’s what makes marketing your business so difficult!

Researchers say that we are exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day. From logos on shirts and shoes to radio and television commercials. From direct mail to newspaper and magazine ads. It almost never stops. As a result, we defend ourselves by blocking out much of the marketing static that invades our personal environments.

But that’s okay. It just means that your marketing messages must resonate with your profitable target audiences in a way that makes your audiences take notice and react. Is it easy? No, it’s not, and it’s getting increasingly more difficult. But that’s not a bad thing. Since it requires thought, trial & error, and diligence, much of your competition will not do it effectively or for extended periods of time.

Getting your message though is indeed difficult, and that is exactly what offers you an advantage. So be sure to market yourself, your company, and your services/products in a way that cuts through the static and makes your prospects and clients take notice!

Here’s to your success!
Peter George
Creator of the More Clients More Profits System

I recently read an article by Jim Rohn, the business philosopher who passed away last month. The article concerned time management — one of the things many small business owners list as an obstacle to their success. In this article, he says that the idea of time management is a myth, if not detrimental … and he’s right.

As Jim goes on to say, we have no ability to manage time. It is going to move on no matter what we do. So believing that we can indeed manage time is setting us up for failure and disappointment.

At this point, you may be thinking, “This is being too literal. Everyone knows we can’t manage time itself. ‘Time management’ is just a label applied to a possible solution.” Well, that’s true, yet the inability to effectively work within times constraints still persists. It continues to sap efficiency and profitability from businesses of all sizes, especially small businesses.

Time blocking
One possible solution is time blocking. This is the practice of allocating blocks of time for specific activities. For instance, you may block time for your weekly meetings. Time for other important tasks, such as marketing, bookkeeping, and networking, would be blocked. Not only does it put aside time, but the exercise itself reveals any lack of adequate time to complete all your activities. It also shows inefficiencies in your schedule.

Self-management
So the answer is obviously time blocking, right? Well, according to Jim, it’s not … and neither is any other practice. His point is that the only thing we can truly manage is ourselves. And that’s where many of us drop the ball. I can’t tell you how many people I talk to who grasp the idea of time blocking, understand its usefulness, and still do not implement it. Even though they understand this may be the answer to their problems, they are too stubborn to change their habits. (I wase for quite some time.)

This being the case, we have to learn to learn to change of frame of mind. We have to do whatever it takes to be more efficient and effective when it comes to utilizing the time we have. This could be time blocking or other idea — whatever works for you. But make no mistake, no matter what you implement, you have to manage yourself first!

Here’s to your success!
Peter George
Creator of the More Clients More Profits System

“If Johnny jumped off a bridge, would you jump off too?” I can’t remember how many times my parents asked me that when I was a kid. So many times I told them that I did something because my friend Johnny did it first. I bet you remember similar times from your childhood. Perhaps you’ve done something similar more recently.

It happens all the time. Businesspeople base their marketing on others — their competitors, companies in dissimilar industries, much larger businesses — to name a few. Few things could provide a worse marketing strategy. Few things could harm a company as deeply when it comes to promoting themselves. Few things leave me shaking my head in such wonderment.

Here’s an example that’s literally close to home for me. A couple of years ago, there was a company that was pounding the local airwaves … radio and television. They were getting a lot of attention. People were talking about this small company and the exposure it was getting. Many of the same people concluded that the company must have been doing great and that the advertising must have been providing at least an acceptable return on investment. “Why else,” they concluded, “would a company invest so much money in marketing?”

In fact, as a result, a number of competitors decided to step up their marketing. They were going to compete on the same playing field. Then they too would get a share of the seemingly valuable business the other company was getting. What they did not take into consideration was that the highly-visible company may have been spending money it didn’t really have or didn’t get back in sales. What they did not take into consideration was that even if the highly-visible company was marketing effectively, it didn’t mean that the same would hold true for others who tried similar tactics. What they did not take into consideration was that they most likely didn’t have the same budget or goals as the highly-visible company. All they wanted to do was jump off the bridge because they saw that company doing it and assumed it was successful.

So, after a while, the highly-visible company’s marketing came to an abrupt end. No longer were you seeing or hearing all the commercials. In fact, unless someone brought up its name, the company was out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Recently, I drove by their location and noticed that they have gone out of business. Likewise, some of the companies that jumped off the bridge after them did not survive. They suffered the same fate as would be expected for anyone who indiscriminately jumps off a bridge.

So my advice to you is to take others’ marketing into consideration, but plan your marketing based on your goals, your budget, and your capabilities. Do not jump off a bridge just because Johnny did it. If you do, in fact, blindly follow their lead, you may not like how the trips ends.

Here’s to your success!
Peter George
Creator of the More Clients More Profits System

To run a profitable business, you must connect with your most profitable target audiences. Better yet, they must connect to with you. You see, it’s their choice whether or not to do business with you. However, it’s your job to consistently tell them how you benefit them and why they should, in fact, choose to pay for your products and services.

One of the best ways to do this is speaking in front of an audience made up of your prospects. It offers you so many advantages, such as demonstrating your expertise, skills, and even your personality. All of these are judged as you stand before your audience. As a result, some people may think you know what you’re talking about but don’t have a need for your services at the time. Others may not make a connection at all. Still others will connect so strongly that they feel as if they have already established a relationship with you.

Let me tell you a little story; I think you’ll find it relevant. I am a huge fan of the rock and blues guitarist Eric Clapton. I have been to 29 of his concerts, including a private concert for only 250 people. And I have just about every album he has created. Over the years, he and I have developed a relationship … a very strong relationship. The thing is .. he doesn’t know it. In fact, he doesn’t know I exist. But that doesn’t matter.

All that matters is that I believe that there is a relationship. (No, this does not go to the point of being a stalker. At least I don’t think so.) I believe there is a powerful connection. So, of all the musicians in the world, he is the one on whom I will spend the most money and time. Yet all Eric has to do is perform.

Another advantage he has by performing is that he reaches millions of people. Just think of the economies of scale. And that’s what speaking in front of an audience offers you — an economy of scale. Okay, you may not be in front of millions of people, but you could be in front of dozens, if not hundreds. You stand a far better chance of connecting with larger numbers of prospects than you would if you were cold calling or marketing to smaller numbers.

So how can you address your profitable target audiences? How can you best showcase your expertise? How can you demonstrate your ability to help others accomplish whatever it is they need or want to do? How can you gain exposure in a way that offers others the opportunity to make a connection with you? You may never gain the status of a rock star, but you just might be recognized by some as the expert in your field. As a result, you’ll have prospects coming to you, ready to pay for your products and services.

Here’s to your success!
Peter George
Creator of the More Clients More Profits System

When Super Bowl Sunday arrives, I watch the event with great anticipation. Yes, I like football a lot, but that’s not necessarily my greatest interest. Being a student of marketing, I am very much interested in the highly-touted commercials. All though I have to admit, lately I’ve been disappointed.

To me, that ads are less than stellar. They just don’t make me want to run out and buy the products. But then again, the companies that are featured in the ads might be okay with that. For the most part, they aren’t targeting me. The vast majority of the commercials indeed target men, but not those in my age bracket. So when I sit there and say, “I don’t get this commercial,” or “This commercial does nothing for me,” that’s fine … as long as those who are targeted are inspired to buy the products.

This is the point for small business owners. It doesn’t matter if people who don’t buy your products and services don’t get your marketing. All that matters is that your marketing connects with your profitable target audiences and that it inspires them to take action … to contact you and make a purchase.

So the next time a well-meaning business associate, friend, or family member criticizes your marketing efforts, judge their comments on the fact that they are or are not in your target audience. If they are, give more weight to their critiques. If they aren’t, take them into consideration. What you really need to do is go out and get responses from actual members of your target audiences. Then make any necessary changes so you get the results you’re looking for.

With all this said, there were just too many commercials in this year’s Super Bowl that featured people walking around in their underwear. I just don’t get it!

Here’s to your success!
Peter George
Creator of the More Clients More Profits System

I mentioned in last week’s feature article that each year I wait with great anticipation for the Super Bowl — not just for the game, but also for the commercials.

The hype surrounding the commercials is almost as great as that surrounding the game itself. Newscasters report on the cost of a 30-second spot. The list of advertisers is pored over, as is the list of previous advertisers that decided not to participate. It’s covered on television, radio, newspapers and magazines, blogs … seemingly just about everywhere.

The big question
It used to be that people talked about the commercials the day after the game. Now, discussions take place immediately. Focus groups are assembled, interactive polls are done, marketing groups watch and grade the advertisements. It’s become a game onto itself. And then there’s the question — do the commercials make you want to buy the products?

This question (and the answers to it) are cause for a great deal of debate. “Sales,” some say, “are the barometer of a commercials effectiveness.” Others profess that, “People talking about a commercial is what matters.” Well, the answer is “it depends.” The success of a commercial is determined by how well it addresses the intended results. Some commercials are made to drive sales, while the function of others is to create and sustain publicity.

For your greatest success
So when it comes to your marketing, you have to know exactly what it is you are trying to accomplish. Are you trying to increase sales, or are you looking to generate publicity? Do you want immediate return, or are you planning on bolstering your long term exposure? Once you decide on the purpose of a particular tactic, then you’ll have a much better idea about how you want your audience to react and what you want them to do. That’s how you develop strong marketing with worthwhile results. That’s how you build a profitable business!

Here’s to your success!
Peter George
Creator of the More Clients More Profits System

PS

An idea for one of next year’s Super Bowl advertisers
If I were marketing a company that was looking for publicity and willing to spend more than $3 million in order to get it, here’s what I would do.

First, I’d contact the major national and local news organizations, alerting them to a very special news opportunity taking place during the Super Bowl’s halftime. When they arrived in the company’s parking lot, they would see three million $1 bills, piled high. Then, when they were all set up to record, I would pour lighter fluid on the money, light it, and let it burn.

Think about the coverage. Think about the number of times the images would air. Think about how many hits on You Tube there would be — people watching in amazement as $3 million goes up in smoke. It would work, and I’ll prove it to you. I’ll do it next year. All I need is $3 million.

Jan 14NETWORKING TO BUILD YOUR BUSINESS

Jan 26
AMERICAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION LUNCH AND PRESENTATION

Jan 26
I SHOULD START A BUSINESS, SHOULDN’T I?

Jan 28
HOW TO BE THE RECOGNIZED EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD AND HAVE PROSPECTS COMING TO YOU

Feb 2, 9, 16, 23 (four week course)
HOW TO CONSISTENTLY ATTRACT MORE PROFITABLE CLIENTS

For more information about these courses and workshops, go to Ocean State Small Business Center