TRUDY'S MARKETING TIPS

Where Do YOUR Prospects Go To Get Information.

When we had a conference company in San Francisco in the late 90s, we called people to see where they went to learn or find out about an event. We learned not only where to advertise but those we  called asked us to keep in touch especially since we said that we were doing research for our event.

Here's what they told us. They learned ...

• in magazines on the topic (both ads and  articles)
• in newspapers either large or local (ads, articles, event calendars)
• at conferences
• at training seminars

Today people also go to

• search engines (like google)
• social media sites like facebook

Where are you? Are you in any of these places? How do people find YOU and what your company does?

3 Business Things I Learned While Getting Plants

The other day I went out with a friend to get some plants for my deck. A simple task ... and as always I was watching around me and learning what I could.

Here are 3 of the business things I learned:

    1. learn by doing it yourself. There was a child of about 8 or 9  putting 3 letters he had in the post box. He could barely reach the opening. His mom stood by and let him put each one in himself.

    2. ask for what you want. We talked to a woman outside (we were at a garden centre that the grocery store puts up each year) about pots to put our purchases in. She said they had none. We asked if she had clear saucers to put under each pot and she said yes, but we'd have to go inside the store to the plant section and get them there.
           While we in te store and asked for the 'plant saucers' (which we bought) we told the woman working there about our need for pots and that they had none outside. She told us that they had a program whereby people could bring in their used pots and get a credit against plant purchases.
            My friend went back and got 3 'for free'!

    3. go 'out of your way' to be helpful. The woman inside the store (unbeknownst to mus) went outside to the pant centre to remind the woman working there of the returned pots. And you can see that we got 3!

Whether you're out personally or doing business remember these things.

Do you?

How are marketing and sales different?

Wow! I was just starting to write an article on this and Seth Godin's blog has this. Read  Seth's blog and tell me what you think.  His blog starts with "Marketing tells a story that spreads.
Sales overcomes the natural resistance to say yes. ..."

Do agree or disagree?

Marketing - Art or Science - What a great question!

The question begs to be asked as often as possible. I think Seth Godin's blog (which I get delivered to my inbox regularly) answers this. Read what he has to say ... Is Marketing an Art or Science?

Good, huh? Tell me what YOU think!!

Read this book!

It will either change the way you see business or you'll feel as if you've "come home". This new book from Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski The Heart of Marketing  does just that AND when you buy it it you get 62 "gifts" from people who, like them, believe that you CAN bridge heart and marketing.

Do it now!

Have you heard about a new book called "The Heart of Marketing" ?

Judith & Jim have become friends of mine. They've held a course called "First Step Internet Marketing" which I took and hosted a conference called "Bridging Heart and Marketing" and run the "SoftSell Marketers' Association" among other things. They are (and continue to be) relationship therapists.

They were even guests on my first teleclass this past January! All this without having had "formal" training in marketing. They speak to the first time marketer ( 'techie terms are always folllowed by an explanation) always by marrying heart and marketing.

They have a new book "The Heart of Marketing - Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back" which has a chapter called "The True Essence of Spiritually Motivated Marketing" . This will really capture your attention.

It's the right time for this book. With global economic challenges, we really need and want this.

Go tomorrow, Thursday, May 14, 2009 to their book site for The Heart of Marketing then buy a copy of the book at  Amazon.com  and get $8400 worth of bonuses when you do.

You won't regret it!

P.S. Tell all your clients and friends, too.

Turn An Interview Into A Book.

Have you ever thought about writing a book? Maybe you're writing one now. I am.

Use your book as a marketing tool. Give them away to potential clients or develop a marketing plan for it and get yourself known.

Either way, a book is a good and useful thing, don't you think?

Do You Ask The People Who Do The Job?

I was in the car with my brother listening to him talk about a particular project and how if he had a particular tool he'd do the work much more efficiently - quicker! He was saying how his boss (the owner - it's a small business) bought a specific tool supposedly to do THIS job without asking him. It didn't help him.

How often do we do something (as owners) without asking the person who actually does the work? All the time? Some of the time?

Could we change that? Then let's!

Ask for and use a testimonial

Collect testimonials from existing clients (who are happy with your work). You may already have some on your website.

•  keep each one short. It should be no more than 3 sentences long and each sentence is very “pithy”. (See my website for examples.)
•  ask them to be as specific as possible. Example: “"x" did good work for me.”  is weak.  “ "x" is a very sensitive therapist and an excellent teacher who has made me much more aware of how the human body functions and more specifically, of how I move. ” is better. See how the second is more powerful and more meaningful? And it's … very good.
•  write these for your client to approve or change as they wish. This saves time for them.
•  ask if you can use their name and web address if they have one. This will mean more to someone reading it and they can check with the person. I know I do.
•  use them everywhere - especially on your website (as you do), your own profile, your seminars, your postcard and the sales letter. If you put them on your website and have permission to use their name and their email address, make this link “live” so they can check up with others who use your services.  (See my website for an example of what I mean by “live”.)
•  have these available to give to potential clients. These are all on a card or written on one page only. That's another reason to keep them short.

Is that enough ideas for how to get and use them? I hope so :-) Let me know!

Marketing is Easy? Yes!

Check this out ...

"It will "all" seem far easier, Trudy, when you keep in mind, all of the time, that it's supposed to be easy. Everything." Tip from "The Universe".

Is marketing easy? You bet! Can we all do a little bit each day? Of course!

What you need is to believe that it's easy and to have a marketing mindset. And how do we get a marketing mindset, you may ask? Well we can start with the belief that it's possible. Then we can look for marketing in everything around us whether it pertains to our business or not. After a while we see marketing ideas for OUR business everywhere.

What do YOU think. Do you agree or not?