If your business doesn’t stand out in today’s hyper-competitive market place there’s a good chance that you won’t be in business very long. There are countless others vying for the same slice of the pie that you are. There are dozens of competitors just up the road doing all they can to get the attention of your customers and take money out of your pockets.
It’s called “marketing,” and some are probably doing a better job of it than you are and some probably worse. What can you do to position your business as the one customers notice? The secret to effective marketing is: think creatively.
Case in point: like every other struggling writer on the planet, I’ve written a book that I would like to see on the shelves at Barnes & Nobles. Now I know that the only way I can get my book in front of a big time publisher is to have it submitted by an equally big time agent. And the chances of convincing a big time agent to represent me are about one in a bazillion. Most writers have a better chance of getting eaten by a shark in the Sahara than signing with an agent who gets them a big publishing deal. Being one to never let made up statistics stop me, I forged a creative marketing plan to make sure my book (my business) was noticed.
First thought: what’s the best way to get face time with a big time agent? I knew that the normal rules of marketing would do me no good. I couldn’t run a few radio spots or buy ads in the newspaper. I had to go where the agents were; in this case a book publishing convention in Orlando, Florida. I bought my ticket, booked my plane and hotel, and waited for the time to go to Orlando and pitch my book to every agent I could find. I was prepared to pitch them standing outside a bathroom stall door if necessary (no pride here).
Then it hit me: I’d probably have less than a minute to give these agents my elevator pitch. They would be swamped with every hack writer within a ten mile radius. I had to do something different. I had to market creatively.
I knew that every other Tom, Dick and John Grisham would be shoving business cards and tattered manuscripts at these guys, so I opted to do something different. I created a business card CD that had my picture on the outside and my manuscript on the inside. It looked like a business card, but when they popped it in their computer it brought up a nice presentation starring the work of yours truly.
Did my creative marketing work?
Every agent that I gave one of my handy dandy business card CDs to said the same thing, “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! Tell me more!”
Instead of having 30 seconds to pitch them, I suddenly had their attention for five, ten, fifteen minutes. They wanted to hear more about my amazing little CD and what it contained.
By marketing creatively I not only stood out from the crowd, I caught their attention; I piqued their interest, I engaged them in actual conversation instead of the fluff conversation they were saving for less creative marketers.
What was the result of my creative marketing? I signed with an agent who popped the CD in his computer on the flight home and liked what he saw. Will my book ever grace the shelves of bookstores?
I’m happy to say that “Everything I Know About Business I Learned From My Mama” is being published by John Wiley & Sons NY and will be on bookstore shelves this June.
The best book on creative marketing I’ve ever read is by one of my favorite authors, Joe Vitale. The book is called “There’s a Customer Born Every Minute: P.T. Barnum’s Secrets to Business Success” and is available at Joe’s website at MrFire.com.
The book details the groudbreaking marketing techniques of P.T. Barnum, the father of creative marketing.
Many people mistakenly think that Barnum’s claim to fame was the circus that bears his name. Actually, Barnum got into the circus business late in life, years after he had established himself as one of the most creative marketers on the planet.
Barnum’s pride and joy was his American Museum in New York City. And his passion was finding creative ways to market it.
He took a young midget, dubbed him Tom Thumb and made him a national sensation. He brought a pair of Siamese twins to speak at the museum who grew famous and rich from Barnum’s efforts. He had an elephant plow the field on his property because there was a railroad nearby and he knew that every passenger on the train would tell everyone they knew about seeing the elephant plowing his field.
Barnum received nationwide coverage of the event and some agricultural societies even wrote to ask his advice on training elephants to farm. Barnum knew that the only way to keep his museum in business was to market creatively.
How can you use creative marketing in your business?
What can you do to stand out from your competition? What can you do to grab the attention of potential customers and mesmerize them with your message?
Elephant farming may be a stretch, but I bet if you put your brain to it, you can think of something.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Answers To Your Business Start Up Questions
What is the attraction to start-up entrepreneurial businesses?More and more Americans are looking for greater control of their destinies and for the chance to apply personal skills to earn income. Most people are not as interested in material wealth as they are in time freedom.
According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), 60 percent of all families will have some type of home business by the year 2002. Over 800,000 Americans are starting their own businesses each year and that number is growing.
What are the key ingredients for success?The ability to Plan, Organize and Communicate. And remember, 85% of your success will originate from your people skills — attitude, enthusiasm, self-discipline, and 15% will be due to your technical skills.
Don’t most new businesses fail?Once upon a time, someone churned out the statistic that 4 out of 5 small businesses fail in their first five years of operation.
No one can trace the source of this mysterious figure, and not only is it illogical, it is totally untrue.
According to a Dun & Bradstreet census of 250,000 businesses, almost 70% of all firms that started were still around ten years later. The study pinpointed the true failure rate at less than 1% of all businesses per year.
Currently, we are gathering new information that helps us understand the information about businesses staying in business. Knowing the characteristics of entrepreneurs, they often simply choose to close a business and go on to a new one.
That does not mean that the old business was not successful or even unprofitable, they just choose to go on to a new venture.
What are the primary factors contributing to the failure of those that do fail?Managerial incompetence: A: Sales & Marketing — 48%… B: Poor cost controls — 46%
Will we really see more and more small businesses?Many of you have already experienced the downsizing of large corporations. IBM, General Motors and other American standards have cut their work forces dramatically. A recent article in Time announced an average of 1,963 job losses each day in America.
The good news is, since 1982 alone, the number of small businesses has grown by 50%, to approximately 24.5 million. In the last ten years small business has accounted for 71% of the nation’s new job growth, now adding over 2 million new jobs each year.
Small businesses employ 54% of the American work force. What we are seeing is a healthy return to the kind of business that started our country.
Are there any new ideas left to start?Experts estimate that over 80% of the products and services that we use today will be obsolete in 5 years. The airplane, tape recorder, heart valve, soft contact lens, and personal computer were all new ideas in past years.
With the changes we are experiencing in today’s market, there are thousands of opportunities for new ideas.
Keep in mind that today there are over 2 Million people working in Internet related jobs. Ten years ago no one would have been able to foresee those opportunities.
What if I’m not creative?*You don’t have to be original to be successful in business. If you can do something 10% better than it is currently being done or provide added value, you can be wildly successful.
When Dominos got in the pizza business, they did not make better or cheaper pizza, they simply added delivery to a very common product.
Meeting the desire for speed and convenience, Dominos created millionaires all across the country. Also, know that creativity is not a function of intelligence, it is a function of imagination.
If I share my idea, will someone steal it?Ideas are a dime a dozen — It’s not even the quality of the idea but rather the quality of the action plan brought to that idea that determines success. Share your idea with others, get their input.
Try your idea on friends and family. Make one prototype and see if people will buy it. Then gear up for a business supporting that idea.
Should I buy a franchise, distributorship or business opportunity?The attraction of these is that they are a tried system for a business concept.
Normally, that means a proven track to run on, marketing support and name recognition. But, buyer beware. Make sure you research carefully, so you don’t overpay for something you could do yourself.
Should I buy an existing business?If we take an average business cost of $120K — will require $40-50K down for net of 35-45K, plus “deep pockets” for operating capital.
This is generally not a very attractive proposal. Yes, there are good deals on existing business, but look closely at why the business is being sold, and are you buying “blue sky” or “goodwill” or actual tangible assets.
Is there one characteristic that is central to business success?The ability to sell — where there is no ability to sell, the finest product or service will fail.
It may be a passive method of marketing, but someone must be selling in one form or another.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), 60 percent of all families will have some type of home business by the year 2002. Over 800,000 Americans are starting their own businesses each year and that number is growing.
What are the key ingredients for success?The ability to Plan, Organize and Communicate. And remember, 85% of your success will originate from your people skills — attitude, enthusiasm, self-discipline, and 15% will be due to your technical skills.
Don’t most new businesses fail?Once upon a time, someone churned out the statistic that 4 out of 5 small businesses fail in their first five years of operation.
No one can trace the source of this mysterious figure, and not only is it illogical, it is totally untrue.
According to a Dun & Bradstreet census of 250,000 businesses, almost 70% of all firms that started were still around ten years later. The study pinpointed the true failure rate at less than 1% of all businesses per year.
Currently, we are gathering new information that helps us understand the information about businesses staying in business. Knowing the characteristics of entrepreneurs, they often simply choose to close a business and go on to a new one.
That does not mean that the old business was not successful or even unprofitable, they just choose to go on to a new venture.
What are the primary factors contributing to the failure of those that do fail?Managerial incompetence: A: Sales & Marketing — 48%… B: Poor cost controls — 46%
Will we really see more and more small businesses?Many of you have already experienced the downsizing of large corporations. IBM, General Motors and other American standards have cut their work forces dramatically. A recent article in Time announced an average of 1,963 job losses each day in America.
The good news is, since 1982 alone, the number of small businesses has grown by 50%, to approximately 24.5 million. In the last ten years small business has accounted for 71% of the nation’s new job growth, now adding over 2 million new jobs each year.
Small businesses employ 54% of the American work force. What we are seeing is a healthy return to the kind of business that started our country.
Are there any new ideas left to start?Experts estimate that over 80% of the products and services that we use today will be obsolete in 5 years. The airplane, tape recorder, heart valve, soft contact lens, and personal computer were all new ideas in past years.
With the changes we are experiencing in today’s market, there are thousands of opportunities for new ideas.
Keep in mind that today there are over 2 Million people working in Internet related jobs. Ten years ago no one would have been able to foresee those opportunities.
What if I’m not creative?*You don’t have to be original to be successful in business. If you can do something 10% better than it is currently being done or provide added value, you can be wildly successful.
When Dominos got in the pizza business, they did not make better or cheaper pizza, they simply added delivery to a very common product.
Meeting the desire for speed and convenience, Dominos created millionaires all across the country. Also, know that creativity is not a function of intelligence, it is a function of imagination.
If I share my idea, will someone steal it?Ideas are a dime a dozen — It’s not even the quality of the idea but rather the quality of the action plan brought to that idea that determines success. Share your idea with others, get their input.
Try your idea on friends and family. Make one prototype and see if people will buy it. Then gear up for a business supporting that idea.
Should I buy a franchise, distributorship or business opportunity?The attraction of these is that they are a tried system for a business concept.
Normally, that means a proven track to run on, marketing support and name recognition. But, buyer beware. Make sure you research carefully, so you don’t overpay for something you could do yourself.
Should I buy an existing business?If we take an average business cost of $120K — will require $40-50K down for net of 35-45K, plus “deep pockets” for operating capital.
This is generally not a very attractive proposal. Yes, there are good deals on existing business, but look closely at why the business is being sold, and are you buying “blue sky” or “goodwill” or actual tangible assets.
Is there one characteristic that is central to business success?The ability to sell — where there is no ability to sell, the finest product or service will fail.
It may be a passive method of marketing, but someone must be selling in one form or another.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Guerrilla Marketing For The Home-Based Business
Working from home gives you two immediate bonuses: You don’t pay office rent and you don’t pay wear and tear on your car to commute.
No wonder that about 2 million people a year are deciding to work at home either part or full time.
Unfortunately, many are hesitant to promote what they are doing. Recognize you are running a business - not just working from home.
Here are some no-cost marketing tips you can do:
Offer Free SeminarsIf you can speak with ease, you may be surprised at the value of free seminars on your topic or expertise. Up to 75% will become paying customers if it is done right.
Create A BrochurePut a simple brochure together to give your customers a selection of your offerings. You can do this on your computer - you may want to use some customized border paper for a professional look: www.paperdirect.com
Creat A Professional Phone MessageHave a professional sounding message on your telephone when you are not able to answer. Don’t have your cute kids create the message. You will give the impression you are not a legitimate business. Have a message about your business if someone is put on hold. Here’s help: www.ohms.com
Write a column for a local newspaper.
Give Something AwayProcter & Gamble and Chick-Fil-A have become very successful doing this. If you sell gas grills, give one to the Big Brothers program - that’s a newsworthy event. An apartment complex stayed at 100% occupancy in a neighborhood where 71% was the average. They simply offered a free car wash once a week.
Thank Your CustomersSend a thank you note to your customers. You’ll create more “top of mind” positioning.
Expand Your Product and ServicesTry to develop options. Give people at least three choices. Alternate choice has always been a powerful selling tool.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
No wonder that about 2 million people a year are deciding to work at home either part or full time.
Unfortunately, many are hesitant to promote what they are doing. Recognize you are running a business - not just working from home.
Here are some no-cost marketing tips you can do:
Offer Free SeminarsIf you can speak with ease, you may be surprised at the value of free seminars on your topic or expertise. Up to 75% will become paying customers if it is done right.
Create A BrochurePut a simple brochure together to give your customers a selection of your offerings. You can do this on your computer - you may want to use some customized border paper for a professional look: www.paperdirect.com
Creat A Professional Phone MessageHave a professional sounding message on your telephone when you are not able to answer. Don’t have your cute kids create the message. You will give the impression you are not a legitimate business. Have a message about your business if someone is put on hold. Here’s help: www.ohms.com
Write a column for a local newspaper.
Give Something AwayProcter & Gamble and Chick-Fil-A have become very successful doing this. If you sell gas grills, give one to the Big Brothers program - that’s a newsworthy event. An apartment complex stayed at 100% occupancy in a neighborhood where 71% was the average. They simply offered a free car wash once a week.
Thank Your CustomersSend a thank you note to your customers. You’ll create more “top of mind” positioning.
Expand Your Product and ServicesTry to develop options. Give people at least three choices. Alternate choice has always been a powerful selling tool.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Friday, June 15, 2007
Entrepreneurs Learn This Lesson: Stop Sweating The Small Stuff
Is the pressure of being in business getting to you? Do you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders? Do you lie awake nights with a thousand points of worry flashing through your poor, tired brain?
Welcome, my friend, to the wonderful world of entrepreneurship. Come on now, you really didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?
Forget all those reasons you’ve heard as to why businesses fail. It’s the pressure of entrepreneurship that sends many folks running back to the supposed security of a real job.
I’ve seen perfectly good businesses flushed down the tubes simply because the owner couldn’t handle the day-to-day pressure of keeping the doors open.
So I ask you again: is the pressure of being in business getting to you? Is worrying about your business taking up so much of your time that there’s no time left to actually work on the business?
If so, take a deep breath and count to ten because there is hope. Here’s how I went from being a chronic worrier to someone who doesn’t sweat the small stuff. And that’s what most topics of worry are: small stuff.
The first step is to make a list of everything that’s worrying you. We’re discussing business here but if you’re worrying about personal things write those down, too.
Do you have an employee who is giving you trouble? Are you afraid you can’t meet payroll next month? Are you worried about losing a big customer or not winning a big contract? Is your spouse unhappy with the number of hours you’re away from home? Write it all down.
Now divide what you’ve identified as worry topics into three categories: Past Worries (things you’re worrying about that have already happened), Present Worries (things that are happening now), and Future Worries (things that may happen in the future).
Now put a big fat X through all of the Past Worries and Future Worries you’ve listed. Forget the past. There’s nothing you can do about it now. Worrying about things that happened in the past is like a bald man pining over lost hair. If you owe someone an apology, apologize. If you owe someone a debt, make arrangements to pay it. If someone did you wrong either forgive or forget them. The past is history. Forget about it and move on.
The same is true for Future Worries. Why worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet or may never happen, at all? If there’s something looming on the horizon that is a valid point of worry you should have a plan to deal with it when it comes, not suffer in anticipation.
Worrying about tomorrow today will drive you nuts. Forget the past and prepare for the future, but don’t waste time worrying about them.
Next divide the Present Worries into two subcategories: things you can do something about and things you can’t do anything about.
Now put another big fat X through those things that you can’t do anything about. Worrying about things you can’t control is wasted worrying. You’re worried that a proposal you submitted won’t get accepted. You’re worried that a vendor might go out of business. You’re worried that a giant meteor is going to strike earth and that your building will be dead center in the strike zone.
You can’t do anything about these things except prepare to handle them if they do occur. In business you have enough legitimate things to worry about. Stop driving yourself crazy worrying about things you can’t control.
So now you have your list of present worry points that are within your control. Now prioritize them from most urgent to simply bothersome and create a plan to deal with each point.
That’s right, instead of worrying about these things take a proactive stance and create a plan to do something about them. Face the monster head on. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll sleep at night.
If you’re afraid you can’t meet payroll next month start looking for solutions today. Can you get a line of credit to see you through the lean times? Can you get extended terms with vendors that will free up cash? Can you find an investor who will put in the money and let you pay him back over time?
Every problem has a solution. It may not be the solution you desire, but it will be a resolution that takes one thing off your plate.
Work through each point of worry until you have a plan to deal with each one. Then start dealing with them.
And if you can’t do anything about an item mark it out as something you can’t control.
This exercise will take some effort and discipline on your part, but trust me; you’ll immediately start sleeping better.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Welcome, my friend, to the wonderful world of entrepreneurship. Come on now, you really didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?
Forget all those reasons you’ve heard as to why businesses fail. It’s the pressure of entrepreneurship that sends many folks running back to the supposed security of a real job.
I’ve seen perfectly good businesses flushed down the tubes simply because the owner couldn’t handle the day-to-day pressure of keeping the doors open.
So I ask you again: is the pressure of being in business getting to you? Is worrying about your business taking up so much of your time that there’s no time left to actually work on the business?
If so, take a deep breath and count to ten because there is hope. Here’s how I went from being a chronic worrier to someone who doesn’t sweat the small stuff. And that’s what most topics of worry are: small stuff.
The first step is to make a list of everything that’s worrying you. We’re discussing business here but if you’re worrying about personal things write those down, too.
Do you have an employee who is giving you trouble? Are you afraid you can’t meet payroll next month? Are you worried about losing a big customer or not winning a big contract? Is your spouse unhappy with the number of hours you’re away from home? Write it all down.
Now divide what you’ve identified as worry topics into three categories: Past Worries (things you’re worrying about that have already happened), Present Worries (things that are happening now), and Future Worries (things that may happen in the future).
Now put a big fat X through all of the Past Worries and Future Worries you’ve listed. Forget the past. There’s nothing you can do about it now. Worrying about things that happened in the past is like a bald man pining over lost hair. If you owe someone an apology, apologize. If you owe someone a debt, make arrangements to pay it. If someone did you wrong either forgive or forget them. The past is history. Forget about it and move on.
The same is true for Future Worries. Why worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet or may never happen, at all? If there’s something looming on the horizon that is a valid point of worry you should have a plan to deal with it when it comes, not suffer in anticipation.
Worrying about tomorrow today will drive you nuts. Forget the past and prepare for the future, but don’t waste time worrying about them.
Next divide the Present Worries into two subcategories: things you can do something about and things you can’t do anything about.
Now put another big fat X through those things that you can’t do anything about. Worrying about things you can’t control is wasted worrying. You’re worried that a proposal you submitted won’t get accepted. You’re worried that a vendor might go out of business. You’re worried that a giant meteor is going to strike earth and that your building will be dead center in the strike zone.
You can’t do anything about these things except prepare to handle them if they do occur. In business you have enough legitimate things to worry about. Stop driving yourself crazy worrying about things you can’t control.
So now you have your list of present worry points that are within your control. Now prioritize them from most urgent to simply bothersome and create a plan to deal with each point.
That’s right, instead of worrying about these things take a proactive stance and create a plan to do something about them. Face the monster head on. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll sleep at night.
If you’re afraid you can’t meet payroll next month start looking for solutions today. Can you get a line of credit to see you through the lean times? Can you get extended terms with vendors that will free up cash? Can you find an investor who will put in the money and let you pay him back over time?
Every problem has a solution. It may not be the solution you desire, but it will be a resolution that takes one thing off your plate.
Work through each point of worry until you have a plan to deal with each one. Then start dealing with them.
And if you can’t do anything about an item mark it out as something you can’t control.
This exercise will take some effort and discipline on your part, but trust me; you’ll immediately start sleeping better.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Can You Really Work Less and Accomplish More?
Great musicians claim that their music comes to life because of the spaces between the notes.
Artists use the dark areas to bring the colors to life. Similarly, the spaces between your hardest working efforts allow ideas and solutions to incubate and grow.
When Leonardo da Vinci was working on The Last Supper, he spent many days on the scaffold, painting from dawn till dusk; then, without warning, he would take a break for a few days.
The prior of Santa Maria delle Grazie who contracted for his services was not amused. He would beg Leonardo to continue with the work. He preferred that Leonardo be “just like the labourers hoeing in the garden, never to have laid down his brush.”
Leonardo tried to persuade the old gentleman that “the greatest geniuses sometimes accomplish more then they work less.”
A few minutes ago, while I was writing this item, some tree trimmers nearby cut our power line. After my initial thoughts of “arggghhX@#!,” I went outside to find a gorgeous sunny fall day, fed a treat to our fish, walked back on our nature trail, saw a neighbor who informed me they’re expecting a new baby this week, and chatted briefly with the tree trimmers (they anticipated my anger but by then I choose to compliment them on the work they were doing).
Then my wife Joanne and I enjoyed a lite lunch on our front deck, undisturbed by phones and computers.
By the time I returned to find the power restored, I had several new ideas that had come to mind.
Although you may not find your boss accepting of the idea that “the greatest geniuses sometimes accomplish more when they work less,” this process is as natural as inhaling and exhaling in our breathing.
Welcome the planned or unexpected rhythms in your life as periods of incubation for your greatest accomplishments.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
Artists use the dark areas to bring the colors to life. Similarly, the spaces between your hardest working efforts allow ideas and solutions to incubate and grow.
When Leonardo da Vinci was working on The Last Supper, he spent many days on the scaffold, painting from dawn till dusk; then, without warning, he would take a break for a few days.
The prior of Santa Maria delle Grazie who contracted for his services was not amused. He would beg Leonardo to continue with the work. He preferred that Leonardo be “just like the labourers hoeing in the garden, never to have laid down his brush.”
Leonardo tried to persuade the old gentleman that “the greatest geniuses sometimes accomplish more then they work less.”
A few minutes ago, while I was writing this item, some tree trimmers nearby cut our power line. After my initial thoughts of “arggghhX@#!,” I went outside to find a gorgeous sunny fall day, fed a treat to our fish, walked back on our nature trail, saw a neighbor who informed me they’re expecting a new baby this week, and chatted briefly with the tree trimmers (they anticipated my anger but by then I choose to compliment them on the work they were doing).
Then my wife Joanne and I enjoyed a lite lunch on our front deck, undisturbed by phones and computers.
By the time I returned to find the power restored, I had several new ideas that had come to mind.
Although you may not find your boss accepting of the idea that “the greatest geniuses sometimes accomplish more when they work less,” this process is as natural as inhaling and exhaling in our breathing.
Welcome the planned or unexpected rhythms in your life as periods of incubation for your greatest accomplishments.
Permalink
Be sure to see all our latest wholesale arrivals @ http://savesucash.com/
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