Boost Your Sales and Attract New Customers (PDFDrive)

Boost Your Sales and Attract New Customers
by Justice Mandhla
Published by The Small Business Development Program

www.businesslearning4life.com
Copyright © Justice Mandhla 2009

All materials and techniques are protected by copyright.You are invited
and encouraged to forward this package to your friends, but this content
may NOT be marketed or sold in any shape or form.
Print book ISBN: 978-0-620-44201-5

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-620-44211-4
Set in Bembo
Typesetting and cover design by Mousehand
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored

in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without
the prior permission of Justice Mandhla c/o Electric Book Works, 87
Station Road, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa, except for the
inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Disclaimer:This book does not contain legal advice.The author and publisher
disclaim any and all warranties, liabilities, losses, costs, claims, demands, suits, or
actions of any type or nature whatsoever, arising from or in any way related to this
book, the use of this book, and/or any claim that a particular technique or device
described in this book is legal or reasonable in any jurisdiction.
The author and publisher disclaim no income guarantees. The information
provided in this book is based on personal experience of the author. The author and
publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive,
special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from
any use of this material, which is provided “as is,” and without guarantees.
Boost
Sales
Your
and attract new
customers
Justice
Mandhla
Also by the author
What They Didn’t Teach You in School: Life-long learning

tips to land a job straight out of school
The Business Prep Guide: Everything the business start-

up gurus never tell you in their expensive seminars and
inadequate books
Your Roadmap for Learning
Your Small Business Development Program is a three-

part comprehensive Roadmap for Learning. It provides you
a unique set of tools and opportunities for personal and
professional growth and development.Visualize your Business
as an automobile traveling from segment to segment as you
learn and complete the various sections. Each section will help
you learn more and more about the processes of Marketing
and Advertising.
Part 1 of your Roadmap consists of the Goals Report, the

Business Success Marketing Wheel, and SWOT Analysis. You
will be furnished with templates which can assist you in
planning for your personal and professional costs over the
near term horizon, and a template for a SWOT Analysis –
where you will actually analyze your business, based on a series
of questions which test the business Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats, prior to developing the Business
Planning Process for Marketing of your Business.
Foreword 8
Goals Report 12
Within the Goals Report are fill-in-the-blank sections to
help you develop a simple and creative personal marketing
plan. We ask the questions, and you fill in the answers. After
you have completed the Goals Report, simply transfer the
information to any format you choose to develop the Marketing
and Advertising Plan which will grow your business.
The Marketing Success Wheel 23
In your Business Success Wheel, we have illustrated a variety of
marketing attributes and address how each of them impacts your
business. These are not different types of marketing, but true definitions
of marketing. You can learn how each of these sections of the Success
Wheel builds upon themselves and can help you create stronger success
than would be possible from each of the sections of the wheel individually.
The SWOT Analysis Tool and Template 38
This template will help you define your business, and offer you the
basis for development of your own, personalized marketing plan for
your business. Within the SWOT Analysis (Strengths,Weaknesses,
Opportunities,Threats), we help you take an objective look at your
business and define where your business has areas it can utilize (the
strengths) and improves upon (the weaknesses, opportunities, and threats).
Part 2 of your Roadmap is your Workbook

Your personal answers in your Workbook help you fully
customize the learning tools to your needs. Your Workbook
reinforces the material learned in a way which will create a
long-term document for your business. Answer the questions
honestly and fully; the more information you are able to plug
into your Workbook, the better the results you will achieve
with your program.
Step 1 45
Assess your current business or identify targets for your new business.
Step 2 52
Identify expectations for future improvement.
Step 3 58
Complete the SWOT Analysis discussed in Section 1.
Step 4 64
Complete your Planning Process using the eight
components of the Business Success Wheel.
Part 3 of your Roadmap is your Manual of Study

The Manual offers not only the background and basis for your
program of study, but also offers over 50 new and exciting
ways to improve the marketing and advertising efforts for
your business.
Section 1: The Old Marketing Adage Updated
to the 21st Century 82
Section 2: Creating Ideas Which Will Build
Your Business 87
Section 3: Other Marketing Concepts
for Consideration 140
Appendix: Due Diligence Checklist 146
Now that you have completed the program, here’s a chance for
you to extend your knowledge and seek professional expertise.
Enjoy the trip!
Foreword
This book is about marketing, advertising and promotion of

business in any small business environment. It describes various
marketing and advertising strategies, tactics, and techniques that
can be used to promote your business as profitably as possible,
and thereby increasing your wealth. Many business people have
applied the principles outlined in the following pages and have
succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, just as you can.
This book will inspire you, open the door and lead you in
the direction of success. This book is not the “read me once
and file me away to be forgotten” kind of book. Read the
book once carefully and highlight sections that you need to
review. Once you have read the book apply what you learn
along the way. Only then will you benefit from this book.
This book consists of the Business Success Marketing
Wheel, a template for a SWOT Analysis and a Workbook.
In addition, you have been furnished with templates which
can assist you in planning for your personal and professional
costs over the near term horizon, and – where you will
actually analyze your business, based on a series of questions
which test the business Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Threats, prior to developing the Business Planning Process
for Marketing of your Business.
9 • Foreword
The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 is a comprehen

sive introduction of what is contained in the book. It focuses on
basic marketing and advertising concepts, goal setting, planning
and other marketing topics and issues.The material is mostly stan
dard but it is supplemented by the Goal Setting tool, Marketing
Wheel and SWOT analysis templates to further enhance your
understanding of the marketing and advertising process.
Part 2 lays the foundation for discussion in Part 3 of the
book. In each case the basic tools of marketing and advertising
described in Part 2 are used to explain and analyze certain
important marketing and advertising issues. At the same time
the entrepreneur is introduced to the major concepts and ideas
of marketing and advertising.
In Part 3 those concepts are joined together in a series
of marketing and advertising models. The advantage is that
entrepreneurs will at the end of the book become thoroughly
acquainted with all the individual marketing and advertising
elements by the time they start working with the models.
Reading this book can be fun, provided that you approach
it correctly. You will not gain much by simply reading the
material but you have to understand and apply the strategies
contained in the book and also design your own.
Begin your trip down the learning pathway as defined in
the introduction. The book offers not only the background
and basis for your program of study, but also offers over 50 new
and exciting ways to improve the marketing and advertising
efforts for your business. If you are currently in business, this
section will prove invaluable for development of ideas and
opportunities. Don’t just stop with the ideas we’ve offered…
create your own. Develop more and more extended ideas from
our starting point.
Making your dreams a reality is the ultimate outcome of
this book.
10 • Boost Your Sales and Attract New Customers
For more information about the author visit the following

websites:
www.mystudent4life.com
www.longlife4learning.com
www.businesslearning4life.com
Part 1
Goals Report
Marketing is defined as creating a need in the mind of the

consumer for a product or service for which one can
receive compensation.
Marketing is done on several levels. It occurs on a level
between the supplier/vendor and the client/purchaser. It
occurs on a level between the various employees within an
organization. It occurs on a level between the supplier/vendor
of goods and services and his/her purveyor or producer of the
goods or products. Marketing can even occur as an internal
function between a supervisor and a subordinate.
Within the study of marketing, you will discover there
are a variety of ways available to market to consumers or
clients, but one of the most important is by setting goals for
attainment of certain objectives. Creating this set of goals
for achieving both our short term and longer term business
objectives is one of the key ways we create an internal climate
of motivation for success.
Written goals are extremely important in helping us
achieve our successes – much more so than merely “planning
for success” or “thinking about success.” Although one must
consider all the concerns and obstacles involved in planning
for success, research has demonstrated that written goals are
much more likely to be attained.They furnish us with written,
13 • Goals Report
solid examples of expected action, and they help us define the

roles required to make those actions occur.
Corollary One: One must write down the overall goals be-
ing sought, and create his/her plan around these goals.
The easiest way to begin our goal-setting is by creating the

Initial or Overriding Goal. Let’s view how this might work
in practice.
As you begin thinking about your business, you decide that
you must grow your sales by 15% in the next year. How will you
achieve this? Let’s start by developing your first, Initial Goal.
My objective for my business is to grow my business by

15% in sales over the next calendar year.
Congratulations! You’ve just taken the first step toward

improving your business sales.
That is an excellent starting point, and this overriding
objective will give rise to all the next levels of objectives
we must set in order to attain this goal. But first, we must
quantify the various elements which will impact the growth
of your business.
Corollary Two: The Goals developed must offer a time

constraint … that is to say, they must be measurable
within a given time.
Simply growing My Business by 15% could be attained in a

variety of ways. If you live in an area where there is television
or radio broadcasting, you could pay for advertising – more
commonly referred to as ads to let the general public know
about your business. But what about your business is unique
enough to draw customers or clients to you so that you can
sell them a product or service their needs? This strikes at the

center of Marketing – creating the need in the mind of
the Consumer.
If your product or service is unique, you have the opportunity
to stress its unique qualities. If your price is lower than the
competition, you have the opportunity to stress your pricing
considerations. If your method of distribution is unique, you
have a very special opportunity to demonstrate a new business
model for your product or service.
You could call a newspaper or magazine and tell them your
story about what makes you different. Printed media is always
interested in new and different ways of doing business, or new
and different approaches to consumers. How you do business
may, in fact, be a newsworthy idea….And if so, you may want to
develop a Press Release to alert the media to your offering.
Corollary Three: Focus on Key Result Areas and how they

impact your marketing and advertising opportunities.
But all these concepts, although helping to demonstrate

differentiation – how you are different – don’t strike at the
heart of helping to create a major goal.To create this major goal
for your business, you must look at all the Key Result Areas
surrounding your business and take these into consideration as
you develop your major goal. Remember, all your secondary
goals must connect in some way to your Primary goal.
Taking the same stated goal: To Grow My Business by 15%
over the next calendar year, one must think through all the
various concerns which must be addressed – and this helps to
expand your Primary Goal. This process is important, because
one should not look at goal setting as being a negative or
should not allow goals for marketing and advertising, for
example, to negatively influence other parts of your business.
15 • Goals Report
Let’s think for just a few minutes about these concerns, and
itemize them here:
1. Can you successfully source the necessary

products or services to support your growth
of sales? If you are selling leather, for example,
is an ample supply of leather available at a price
and quality that will meet your needs?
2. Can you produce the products from the leather which
will be in demand by the buyers or consumers?
3. Is the market already full of leather vendors
or is there room for market expansion?
4. Do you have the necessary number of employees,
or can you contract for the labor to be done
on an outplacement basis so that you can
meet the demands of the marketplace?
5. Do you have a production facility for the production
of the leather/leather products, and if so, is it large
enough to successfully meet consumer demand?
6. Do you have access to enough capital to help you
expand your sales to clients by this 15% growth
amount? If not, do you have a Business Plan developed
for either raising the necessary capital or doing either
a joint venture or a leveraged offering to the public?
7. Do you have access to distribution of the
products developed so that they can be shipped,
delivered, offered, or serviced in a way which
will meet the connectivity between the source
of supply and the source of demand?
8. Do you understand who your customer/client is
and what they really want? Often, a business will
complete two different types of marketing studies:
Demographic studies, which demonstrate who
the customer might be for a product or service, and

Ethnographic studies, which tell a business what
changes or opportunities exist with a product or
service. Ethnographic studies actually look at the
product or service through the eyes of the consumer
– and, in so doing, tell you specifically what the
consumer/client likes or dislikes about your offering.
So now, you’ve come up with at least eight different contingent

marketing concerns in expansion of your Initial Goal. Let’s see
how a review of this list might change the Initial Goal.
My objective for my business is to increase the sales by 15%

during the next calendar year, focusing on prepared leath-
er goods, shipped from the Northwestern provinces.
And against that new, more expanded Initial Goal, we could

start listing the key elements which would impact that goal.
1. My objective is to increase sales 25% in the

South, 20% in the North, and 5% in the Western
part of the country by December 31.
2. The ability to ship the product to markets will
not be negatively impacted by any distribution
challenges since we are now using two different
distribution partners. We want to expand this to
multiple distribution partners throughout our region.
3. The objective will be made more easily attainable
by an additional line of capital to be sought
from East Side National Bank. We will use this
capital only for expansion of market share.
4. We will sign a long term supply agreement
with XYZ partners, assuring us a supply of
leather at the quality levels we require for a
17 • Goals Report
full two year period and a fair price point.

5. We have full employment, full production
capacity, and additional potential employees
waiting to come onboard as employees with us.
Corollary Four: Be certain that the subordinate goals are

supportive of the Initial Goal developed for marketing and
advertising support.
One can see how adding these various subordinate goals to

our initial goal help to create a climate where we are more
assured of meeting this Initial or Primary goal. In addition, the
fact that we have taken the time to develop these, write them
down, and commit them to our internal planning process
greatly enhances the opportunity for them to be achieved.
We’ve demonstrated how your secondary goals will offer
key elemental support for the Initial Goal. Now, it’s your turn
to write goals for your business.
Create your first Initial Goal, with a target date for completion.
Support this Initial Goal by no less than three secondary Goals.

Be sure that your secondary goals support the key result areas
required by the business.
1.
2.
3.
After you have completed the first Initial Goal, replicate this
with two other major goals, and related secondary goals. If
easier to think about, plan on the Initial Goal being a broader,
longer term accomplishment which you wish to achieve, and
the secondary goals being measurable objectives which are
attainable and support the initial Goal. Use your Workbook
for major goal setting in your marketing efforts.
Why should you place so much emphasis on setting and

attaining goals? Let’s look at a list of the reasons:
• Developing written goals enables you to plan your

future in advance.
• Developing written goals which are time driven
allows you to use the goal as a map for actions and
alternatives.
• Setting goals for action helps both the conscious and
the subconscious mind become focused on one action
and creates synergy for both parts for action.
• Goals help you to direct your focus in a specific
direction of activity.
• The process of setting and achieving goals leads to a
clear understanding of the Planning Process for your
Business.
The Planning Process is a continuous process in business by

which you guide the ongoing processes of your business –
in this case, your Marketing and Advertising objectives. The
Planning Process follows a pattern and allows you to develop
the specific strategies as well as the resources needed. It also
allows you to set the minimum acceptable standards you will
19 • Goals Report
accept, and is part of the 4 Step Cycle of Management:

Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling.
When we look at these four cycles of management, it be
comes quite clear to us that the focus we place on goals and
the attainment of those goals – whether initial or secondary –
helps to define the job that we as Managers accomplish. Small
Business Owners and Managers are finding that the job func
tions expected in the defined roles have changed in the recent
past. Owners and Managers who fully understood their roles in
running a business are now finding all sorts of different Market
ing and Advertising challenges facing them on a daily basis.
Should a small business participate in social media and market
online? Is the Internet a valid place to advertise your business,
and if so, what ratio of dollars you invest should be invested in
each type of media advertising? As a part of the Controlling
function of management, these types of decisions face small
business owners and managers on a continuous basis.
Let’s think about the process of setting Goals for your
Marketing and Advertising from what is called the 30,000
Foot Level, or as if you are looking down on your business on
a “big picture” basis.
You have a vision for your business that can best be
explained as the “why” of your business. It’s more than a goal,
and more than an objective… it’s the reason your business is
in business. If you are the owner of your business, you have
the responsibility for this vision, and for being able to express
the vision you have to others. If you lose the vision of your
business, you will not be able to market or advertise your
business effectively. The vision gives you a sense of purpose.
Corollary Five: Be certain that your goals work in tandem

with your business and do not create short term demands
which are not in the long-term interests of the business.
You must be certain that your vision helps guide the goals
and objectives of your business and creates synergy between
the marketing and advertising needs for the growth of the
business. Be sure that the goals you set do not create such a
climate of “requirement” that they lead to unethical behavior
on the part of your employees.
Let’s use, as an example, the target of 15% growth by a
certain date.
What if that percentage of growth hasn’t been achieved? If,
for example, only a 12.5% growth has been achieved – would
employees be tempted to “stretch” financial results in order to
show a 15% growth? This is the flip side of development of
goals and objectives if the process is not viewed as a tool, but
as a means to an end. In viewing the process of setting goals,
a Manager or Owner must recognize that although easy to
measure, the results are sometimes not what are intended.
With that having been said, let’s do some goal development.

Q1: What is your principal objective for studying this
material?
Q2: What specific objectives do you want to achieve from

this material? Please list at least five.
1.
2.
21 • Goals Report
3.
4.
5.
Q3: Have you set targeted dates for the achievement of these
goals? If so, attach the dates to the goals at this time. If you
have not, add the dates now.
Q4: What specific issues could hinder your accomplishment
of your goals?
Q5: How can you minimize the impact which these issues
might have on attaining your goals? Please offer at least three
ways and explain how they will minimize the impact.
1.
2.
3.
The Marketing
Success Wheel
Eight Keys to Marketing Success

and Measuring Results
The creation of business success for any small business is
predicated on many factors, not the least of which is the
development of a marketing expertise for your specific business
type. All sizes do not fit all businesses. There are some general
rules which can be followed, but development of your specific
marketing expertise is not a given, however.
Using the Success Wheel

to Help Chart Success in
Marketing
Let’s look at the components of the
Business Success Wheel and what it
can mean to your business success.
As with any wheel which is supported

by various spokes, the center of this
wheel centers upon and presumes Business Success. Business
success is a transitory term – how you measure success one day

may not mean the same thing as how you measure business
success the next day, or the next week, or the next month.
As a matter of fact, success probably won’t mean the same
thing to you or your business from one day to the next. Success
achieved today is generally viewed as baseline performance
in the next reporting period, a sort of “benchmark” against
which performance can be based.
If you view business success as generating “X” in sales
revenue, once you have achieved that level of revenue, you will
not be satisfied until you can achieve “X+” in revenue. If you
view business success as bringing an additional 100 customers
to your business, you will – from that point forward – use
an additional 100 customers as the benchmark against which
future results must be attained.
There are a variety of marketing points which comprise the
spokes of our Marketing Wheel, however. Each spoke represents
a specific attribute which must be addressed and mastered in
order for business success, your objective, to be achieved. Let’s
examine each of these spokes in a way which highlights their
importance to the process of bringing you business success.
The First Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

Acumen
The first attribute we will address is Marketing Acumen.
Acumen is defined as being able to “demonstrate keenness
and quickness in understanding and dealing with a situation.”
Acumen is a characteristic which you develop over a period of
time in running your business which allows you to summarize
and decide quickly on several different levels, measuring
your success against both your own expectations, and the
expectations of others.
25 • The Marketing Success Wheel
How can you use Marketing Acumen to your benefit?
Marketing Acumen Rule #1

You must examine the marketing being done by your
competitors and understand whether what you are offering
in the marketplace meets and exceeds what they are offering.
This can be based on price, offering, value added or even
personalized service on goods or services.
To assess where you stand, ask yourself these questions.
1. Is your marketing program directly in competition

with others on an item by item basis?
2. Does your offer directly compete on a merit
basis with what they are offering?
3. Does your offer meet your own expectations,
or what others tell you that you should
offer to be competitive in the market?
Let’s take a bit more detailed look.

This goes beyond simply looking at the offer in the marketplace
and determining whether or not you are competitive. It
extends to the process of analyzing the competitor. Let’s say,
for example, you own and operate an automobile tire store.
You sell a well-known tire, manufactured locally, at what you
believe is a competitive price. Tires are not your only business,
but you generate a significant part of your income from their
sale. A direct competitor, who not only sells automobile tires
– but also services autos – has opened up in your primary
trade area. You have noticed that the competitor is running
newspaper and radio advertisements for their tires. The tires
that they offer are also brand name, and are priced at about
20% below what you are charging. What do you do?

Your Marketing Acumen leads you to recognize the competition,
understand what he/she is doing, and create a response. Direct
competitors offer you several options. You can compete on
price – which will generally drive the competitor’s price even
lower, or you can compete on service, quality and standards.
For the sake of profit in your business, it’s generally better
to compete on service, quality and standards…not on price.
Decreasing price also diminishes revenue and profits.That is to
be avoided at all costs.
One must also look at Question #2 (above) – Does your
offer directly compete on a merit basis with what they are
offering? If the tires in this instance are both well-known, well-
priced, and offer the same attributes in terms of guarantee,
service warranty, etc. then you find other ways or methods to
market to your potential clients.

In assessing Question #3 (above) – a business owner must
always listen to what his sense of value tells him/her about
the service or product being offered, and must always look at
what his clients are telling him. If his clients tell him that there
are better tires available at a lesser price, he needs to determine
what must be done to meet that challenge.
The Second Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

Analysis
This leads us to the concept of Marketing Analysis.
Marketing Analyses take several different forms.
A marketing analysis can help you assess whether you
should or should not introduce a product or a service into an
area. If you are planning to implement a new product into your
business, doing a Marketing Analysis will help you determine
if it is a good idea, what the demand for the product or service

in that marketplace might be, and help you gauge whether or
not you will be successful.
Any type of formal market analysis will focus on at least
four separate actions:
Analyzing the Market Opportunity at hand
Developing the Marketing Strategy to be used
Planning the implementation of the Programs to be
used
Managing the Marketing Effort to achieve maximum
success
A more formal marketing analysis – one which we believe
everyone should complete – will consist of a written analysis
of your business called a SWOT Analysis.
The Third Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

Insight
Insight is related to intuition. When we say that one has
Marketing Insight, we are saying that he or she has an ability
to clearly understand the nature of marketing. Do you clearly
have the ability to understand the nature of marketing?
Let’s complete a short quiz to see if your Marketing Insight
is acute, or if it needs to learn some new Marketing ideas and
techniques.
1. True or False – Marketing a business is the same as

advertising for it.
That statement is patently false. Advertising is one type
of marketing, but holistic marketing is considered the
way in which you influence the thinking of others to
encourage trial, to encourage purchase, or to encourage
repurchase.
Any marketing you undertake should be designed

to impact upon the thinking processes of your clients or
customers. It should create a desire in the mind of your
client or customer to purchase your goods or services.
Anything else in marketing leads to wasted time
and money.
2. True or False – It is easy to spot the role that

marketing plays in the business development of others
if we know what our own marketing plan addresses.
This statement, again, is false.While we often believe
that we can see the role that a competitor is attempting
to play, we rarely can see the marketing statement that
he or she is trying to make to the consumer. Where
we find ourselves in trouble in our marketing is in
trying to go head to head with competitors and not
understanding what they are trying to achieve. We may
try to capitalize on products or services which do not
contribute to our bottom line profit, or which may
take away significant upside opportunity for realizing
maximum profit.
3. True or False—We can gain insight into the

actions of our competitors by speaking with
suppliers, vendors, customers and clients.
This statement is obviously true. The best source for
finding out what the competition is doing or planning
is by talking to vendors, suppliers, and customers/
clients. They will often know, even before you do, what
is being planned.
From your knowledge of the plans of competitors
and peers, you will gain the Marketing Insight necessary
to address your needs, build your sales, and maximize
your profits.
The Fourth Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

Expertise
It’s easy to use the word expertise, but it is sometimes quite
difficult to explain what expertise is either to others, or how it
is used – and why it is essential to business success.
What is expertise? Expertise represents judgment. Judgment
often comes from experience; hence, we can say that our
experience directly influences our judgment. It’s probably
easier to explain using a case study.
The Real Estate Case Study of “The Use of Marketing Expertise”:

Allsorts Real Estate and the Balance of Sales Psychology
This is an actual case study of how Marketing Expertise can
impact the role of a business leader. Let’s take the role of a real
estate broker – the individual who controls the actions of all
the Agents within an organization.
John Robinson, the Broker at Allsorts Real Estate, contacted
us with a problem.“I don’t know what to do with these people
working for me,” he said. “They just don’t understand how to
not let their clients kick them around.”
Here’s how he explained the challenge he was facing to me.
“I recognize – as do all good managers – that a subordinate,
or a peer, or a partner – in business – may cross the line and
let a client or customer take advantage of them. There is no
benefit in doing this.” John was seeking expertise in stopping
a marketing challenge which was costing money.We suggested
that he formulate a set of Rules illustrating the principle of
Marketing Expertise.
Here are John’s Three Rules for Balancing Sales Psychology:
Rule #1 for Balancing Sales Psychology: Don’t even think

about letting your client abuse his or her privileges because
of whom or what he or she is or represents. Too often, we
find that a business transaction is not viewed as a transaction

between equals. The client feels too important or the Sales
Agent feels too minimized in the process. Why is that? Any
type of transaction should be viewed as a transaction between
equals. The client is purchasing a house, and an Agent – as a
professional – is accommodating that sale.
Could the client do this all on his/her own? Probably not….
At least they could not do it as well as they can do it with the
Agent working with them. Each of my Agents is a professional,
so keeping that professional edge in the sales process is critical
to the process moving forward correctly.
Rule #2 for Balancing Sales Psychology: There is no honor

in losing a sale to another agent, regardless of whom it might
be. Often, we find that purchases are either ethnically, racially,
religious, or ethnically reverse-motivated.
That terminology means – believe it or no – that a buyer
of one race does not want to purchase a home from a seller
in the same race or ethnic group. In an earlier time, actions
such as these might be referred to as “reverse discrimination.”
Today, they are just referred to as lost sales. It’s wrong-headed
to think that all blacks prefer blacks as sellers or clients, all
whites prefer whites to take them to white neighborhoods,
all Asians or Hispanics prefer Asians or Hispanics – just as it’s
wrong-headed to believe that blacks will only purchase from
other blacks, or whites from other whites.
Giving up a sale because of fear of “intrusion” or “collusion”
is divisive and simply wrong. And yet, human nature is a strong
contributor to whether or not we feel comfortable in the
process of representation of either a home or of a client.
Those raised to accept others regardless of ethnic origin
seem to have no issue with keeping an edge between themselves
and their clients. This “edge” has been defined in the past as
“Don’t even try to use me.”

Perhaps it would be best if more of us learned how to use
this “edge” in our dealings with our clients. As I have heard
expressed by dog trainers and veterinarians, you know that
dogs have teeth – you just hope they won’t use them during
the training or examination process.
Rule #3 for Balancing Sales Psychology: John continued,

“I get a lot of comments from clients who receive one of my
emails. I receive some strange comments on the signature line
that is printed at the bottom of the email. The signature line
in my email says, ‘It’s not about what happens to you. It’s what
you do with what happens to you.’
“That’s the same approach that I take with Agents. It doesn’t
matter how much they make, or what they spend, or how they
use the tools that are given to them…it matters about how
they get results. It matters to me how they use their expertise
in driving their sales. In balancing the sales psychology, one
needs to recognize that you always present a unified, positive,
creative front to the purchaser, no matter whom or what he
or she is.There’s no abuse on either side and there’s no getting
“used.” It’s simply not allowed.”
In thinking through the Case Study in Real Estate that
John presented, we must recognize the importance which
expertise – judgment born through experience – can have
on our business.
The Fifth Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

Accomplishment
Accomplishment in the Marketing world reflects achieve
ment. When you have achieved great things in the develop
ment of your business, others will look to you to have you
illustrate for them the obvious opportunities for improvement
or growth. They will see you as a “Guru” in a specific area

of business. Accomplishment means more than this, however.
It means something which is done skillfully and with key
objectives planned.
One of the things which we hope will be a hallmark of
your business is that you recognize and build your positive
personal core values into your business.
As a business owner, you are a professional and we hope that
as you develop your own personal business and brand, you will
remember your core values – those values which make you strong
and which define how you work with others, how you address
the needs of your clients and customers, and how you live your
life – demonstrating honesty, integrity, strength of character and
determination; motivated by what you know is right as opposed
to what you must do, demonstrating achievement.
If you need to take action to protect the interests of your
client or customers, never let there be a time when you refuse
or elect not to take that action. If honesty is called for in a
transaction, never let the transaction take precedence over
the honesty required. We believe you must elect to surround
yourself with the best and the brightest. That’s what we hope
your business will say to your clients as you build the business.
Most of all, however, your achievement will be measured
by the fact that your business must make money. The key
attribute – the reason that 95% of people start a business – is
to make money. Profit is key. And to make money, one must
plan for their business, operate it in a clearly professional
manner, and be diligent in their efforts to protect and grow
their business. And….to get started…you must finance it.
Businesses don’t start on their own – they require someone
to “prime the pump.”You’re the primer of that pump. And it’s
up to you to get it going. It’s up to you to accomplish this
success and make the marketing you choose, work.
The Sixth Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

Administration
Administration is generally considered to be the “bottom line”
of any program. It helps to determine how the marketing
program will be run, what written rules and objectives are put
in place to make it work, and how well it can be run by you
or by those whom you designate. In running a small business,
however, making the marketing administration work can play
havoc with personal finances.
Therefore, we are going to make some strong recommend
ations for the ongoing operation of your business – just to be
sure that the marketing you plan is able to be implemented.
Your first objective in developing a marketing plan for your
business should be to determine exactly how much you need,
financially, for the next six months. This means that you must
develop a plan for your business. Business doesn’t run itself,
nor does it generate revenue all by itself – you must run it. But
first, you need to understand your own personal finances.
Create a simple spreadsheet which itemizes the financial
needs you and your family will incur for the next six months.
List all your current payables, those items on which you pay
every month – don’t forget home mortgages, utility costs,
insurance charges, religious or charitable contributions, savings
plans, car loan or lease payments, entertainment costs, even
items down to bottled water and meals consumed away from
home.Then include another 10% differential increase to cover
items you have forgotten. This should approximate the total
amount of funding necessary to cover your expenses – as well
as that of your family, if appropriate – for the next six months.
Look at this number. When completing this exercise, most
clients are stunned at their total cash outlay over a six month
period. It is significantly more than they expect.
Now, we want you to think about the business you are
developing, and we want you to develop a budget for the next

six months, to gain some further insight into charges you will
incur with your business. Don’t forget to include office charges,
charges for any employees you hire on a constant employment
– or casual labor – basis, liability insurance charges, sales tax
estimates, any applicable Franchise and Excise Tax liability.
If you are paying yourself as an employee, assume that you
will be paying charges at a minimum 20% of your income,
automobile costs, travel expenses, gas, and any related workers
compensation costs. Assume that your workers compensation
costs will be between 3% and 6%, and in some cases, as much
as 10% of your total payroll. After you have developed this six
month budget, add the two totals together.
This will give you an approximation of how much money
must be generated to pay your expenses of both the personal
and professional side of your business, and will give you a strong
indicator of the amount of funding you will have available for
marketing administration. Marketing Administration is not
only the management of the marketing to achieve business
success, but it also represents the process of paying for
marketing which is needed to drive the sales and revenue
line of your business.
The Seventh Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

Delivery
Small businesses grow into larger businesses based upon the
marketing opportunities created and the success achieved.
The Case Study of Federal Express: How Your Brand Builds

Your Business.
Most business students study the growth of the American
overnight courier firm Federal Express (known by its shortened
brand name, FedEx) for a variety of reasons.
1. They study it because it attained unprecedented

growth in a market which – at the time
of its founding – was controlled by a
Government Office, the US Postal Service.
2. They study it because it grew and prospered
in spite of charging higher prices than a
subsidized US Government monopoly and
implemented a quality, not quantity, policy.
3. They study it because it was one of the first
retail companies to understand the importance
and critical nature of branding and how
branding – through a simple tagline – can create
expectations in the mind of the client.
4. They study it because it demonstrates how
strength is demonstrated by building employee
loyalty and focus. The employees believe in
the vision, the customers believe in the vision,
and the services are perceived as worthy of a
higher price and communicate a greater value.
5. Most of all, they study it because it demonstrates how
consistent and capable delivery can create value.
Marketing delivery triumphs when all else fails.
FedEx is a company which never, ever, fails to deliver. Their

marketing message to the world was mimicked by their advert
ising. “Use us when you absolutely, positively, have to have it
there overnight.”They made a critical decision to stand by their
position, and the lore and legend of the company reflects this top
down, absolute stand on the delivery aspect of their company.
As a matter of fact, company lore and legend has it that a
flight was delayed one day due to a snowstorm in the Rocky
Mountains of Colorado, and a Station Chief took it upon
himself to charter a helicopter to deliver a parcel due to be
delivered that day by 10:30 AM. Remember the advertising

slogan… “When you absolutely, positively have to get it there
overnight.”
If you had been that Station Chief, would you have had the
courage to make that decision? Is what you represent in your
business the most important thing to you?
The Eighth and Final Success Attribute:
Marketing Style
Style is critical to success. Style in marketing represents the
way that facts are represented as opposed to the facts which
are presented.
1. The style of your marketing may be pointed:

“Our products and service destroy the
competition.” “Nobody does it better.”
2. The style of your marketing may be trendy:
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”
3. The style of your marketing may illustrate
distinction: “Our product is second to
none.” “There is none better.”
4. The style of your marketing may show
elegance: “We never fail to please.”
5. The style of your marketing may be targeted: “Create
your own masterpiece with our product or service.”
All of these examples illustrate that the marketing style

highlighting your product or service can be unique; it can
be special; it can be humorous, or thought-provoking. It can
generate emotion; it can be obnoxious or demeaning. The
key to your marketing style will most likely be that it will
be different. Differentiation in marketing style opens doors
which will help potential clients or customers to distinguish
you from others and make your offering significantly more

focused for your specific offering, no matter the range or
breadth of the offerings.
The eight Business Success Attributes we have listed are
only the start of opportunities to improve the overall Success
of your business, and can contribute to the overall Wheel of
Business Success.
Name some other attributes you could develop which will
help expand the Wheel!
SWOT Analysis
Tool and Template for Assessing Your

Business
One must learn from the experiences of others, and must
be able to develop knowledge and experience based upon a
series of attributes which we will chart as contributed to the
Success Wheel. We also are including a tool called a SWOT
Analysis, which will assist you in posting the relative strengths
and weaknesses of your business in a way which will help you
develop Plans to address the challenges you face. This tool was
developed by American Philip Selznick in the late 1950s and
has been integrated into assessments of businesses around the
world. It was initially developed to match internal business
factors with external environmental factors to help determine
the best actions for success.
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,

and Threats. A copy of a formal SWOT Analysis form follows,
and it can be used to help determine the specifics in your
business which need to be analyzed – and will help identify
for you which of the key spokes in our Marketing Wheel must
be used to address your own marketing needs.
39 • SWOT Analysis
Let’s take a quick look at the SWOT Analysis form and see
how it can be useful in helping you to analyze your business
and create marketing opportunities which are new, different,
and unique.
First, the greatest strength achieved from successful completion

of an assessment such as this is that when you have completed
it, you have a written tool against which you can plan to
maximize the strengths in your marketing plan, address the
inherent weakness in how you are marketing to your clients or
customers, seize upon opportunities which you may not have
previously recognized, and formally identified threats – which
may not have been apparent to you.
In looking at the strengths of your business, within the
Criteria Examples which are called out on the form, you’ll
notice that most of the Examples of Strengths will also have
components which must be addressed as weaknesses, because
each category you address within the Criteria Example as
strength will probably have a corresponding weakness.
Let’s assume that you are opening a small retail food store.
If your business proposition is strength for you – you have
the ability to operate the food store, you will also have a
corresponding weakness in that there are many different food
stores in the marketplace, and you must recognize that for each
strength you must have a plan to address every weakness.
The importance of completion of a SWOT Analysis cannot
be overemphasized, because it forces you to look at many
different aspects of your business. Whatever the business you
operate, most challenges you will face will be exposed through
the SWOT Analysis.
SWOT ANALYSIS TOOL
Criteria Examples STRENGTHS
Business proposition?
Owner/Staff Capabilities?
Competitive advantage?
Resources, Assets, People?
Experience, knowledge, data?
Financial reserves, likely returns?
Innovation?
Location and geography?
Price, value, quality?
Processes, systems, IT?
Cultural, attitudinal, behavioral?
Management cover, succession?
Philosophy and values?
Criteria Examples OPPORTUNITIES
Market developments?
Competitors’ vulnerabilities?
Industry or lifestyle trends or changes?
Technology development / innovation?
New markets?
Niche target markets?
Tactics: e.g., surprise, major contracts?
Business and product development?
Required research?
Volumes, production, economies?
Seasonal, weather, outside influences?

WEAKNESSES Criteria Examples
Disadvantages of proposition?
Gaps in capabilities?
Lack of competitive strength?
Reputation, presence and reach?
Financials?
Any known vulnerabilities?
Cashflow, start-up cash-drain?
Reliability of plan – predictability?
Morale, commitment, leadership?
Processes and systems, etc?
Management coverage, succession?
THREATS Criteria Examples
Environmental Issues?
Competitor intentions?
Market demand?
New technologies, services, ideas?
Vital contracts and partners?
Internal capabilities?
Obstacles?
Insurmountable weaknesses?
Loss of key staff?
Sustainable financial backing?
Economy?
Seasonality, weather effects?

Part 2
The Workbook
Ready to Insure Your Success?

We have developed thisWorkbook to allow you to address the marketing
needs of your unique business. By completing the exercises within the
pages of this workbook, you will have all the necessary information
collected within the various modules to begin a formal planning process
for your business. At the end of the workbook, we have furnished a
template which will allow you to transfer the information from the
workbook to the template, and create your initial Marketing Plan,
using the formal steps of the Planning Process.
Let’s get started…
If you currently own and operate a business, let’s start with

your results achieved to date. This question can lead you in
a positive direction and give you a “lookback” to see exactly
what you have achieved in the past year. Use this opportunity
to review your results, then to awaken the “inner marketer” in
you to harmonize your actions with your direction.
Too often, in small business, many owners can recognize the

actions which must be taken, but simply are overwhelmed by
45 • The Workbook
a list of activities required in the operation of the business to

take those steps which would make a significant difference
in their business. The objective of this exercise is to see your
results and compare them to your expectations. If you awaken
the “inner marketer” and recognize the opportunity this can
represent, it will make you feel stronger and more motivated
to achieve your goals.
Step 1
Write down the five most significant achievements of your
business in the last year.
If you have not as yet started a business, list the five targets
you would set for yourself for achievement of results for the
first full year of operation of your new business.
Achievement #1
Achievement #2
Achievement #3
Achievement #4
Achievement #5
Were any of these achievements financial achievements?

If so, which ones, and how did you measure your financial
achievement? Did you measure it by growth or by profit?
Now, you’ve identified the five most significant achievements

of the last year; let’s look at each of those achievements
individually.
Achievement #1 was
47 • The Workbook
Why do you think you were successful with Achievement #1?
Was there a specific reason that you were successful? If so,

what was it, and can it be used again to achieve longer lasting
and more financially lucrative success?
What was the specific reason that you were able to achieve
what you did?
Now, let’s look at what you have listed as Achievement #2.
Achievement #2 was

what you did?
Now, let’s look at what you have listed as Achievement #3.
Achievement #3 was
49 • The Workbook

what you did?
Next, let’s look at what you have listed as Achievement #4.
Achievement #4 was

what you did?
Finally, let’s look at what you have listed as Achievement #5.
Achievement #5 was
51 • The Workbook
Why do you think that you were successful with Achievement #5?

what you did?
If you have not as yet started a business, and are charting

objectives for each of these entries, please refer to the manual
and focus on the key elements you believe will be required
for the business you are planning to be successful.The Manual
Module calls out over 50 different tactics and techniques you
can use to drive your business, and from those, you can pick
and choose various techniques and tactics which will help
your business achieve excellence.
This simple recognition exercise will help you recognize
success and address some of your personal and professional
needs. We want you to understand the things which you have

accomplished are important, and the things which you did
not get accomplished are just as important in the recognition
process. This will make you a stronger Manager and Owner.
Step 2
Now that you have recognized that areas in which you were
successful and have itemized some of the reasons for those
successes, we want to also look at areas where we need to
improve or which we need to address for improvement.
Everyone has improvement areas upon which they can work.
Even if you believe you are running your business in the most
profitable manner possible, and using the best business models
possible, you will always find room for improvement. Every
business owner strives to improve his business.
Let’s look at a shorter template for creating your expectations

for future improvements. First, let’s list the three areas in which
you believe that you must improve your business in order to
achieve the results you want.
Improvement Area #1
Improvement Area #2
53 • The Workbook
Improvement Area #3
Within the item you listed as Improvement Area #1,

please answer the following questions.
Was the reason for the results attained directly within the
responsibility of the owner, the manager, the supervisors, the
employees or others?
Did the results attained achieve at least 50% of the expectation

you held as you began the period of measurement?
What outside elements impacted the results you achieved?

Do you believe now that the results you achieved represented

the best efforts of which you were capable? Why or why not?
Given the opportunity to improve the results, what would

you do differently? Please frame your answer in specific
management actions.
Finally, how long do you think these actions would take to

achieve results?
55 • The Workbook




management actions.

achieve results?

57 • The Workbook



management actions.

achieve results?
Step 3
Since you have now looked at the Top 5 Achievements, and
three areas for improvement, it’s time to realistically start to
assess your Business. To do this, we’ll use the SWOT Analysis
which we introduced in the Success Guide Module, and the
actual Business Success Wheel itself.
The SWOT Analysis arose from research done by American
Philip Selznick in 1957, where he matched internal factors of
business with external environmental processes. Although it’s
been implemented many times in many different businesses,
we’re going to use it to assess some of the opportunities you
may have within your own business. But first, let’s look at a
few of the business improvements you’ve identified.
Referring further to the SWOT Analysis, we’re going to
suggest that you complete the SWOT Analysis, if you have not
already, by completing complementary sections.
That will mean that you will complete the “Strengths” and
“Weaknesses” Sections first, then complete the “Opportunities”
and “Threats” sections last. We suggest that you approach the
completion of this tool in this way because you will find that for
every benefit in your business which you identify as Strength,
there will most likely be a weakness on the other side of the
worksheet. This is not a typographical error; it is the function
59 • The Workbook
of the worksheet to help you identify and critically plan around

both the strengths of your business and to identify the weaknesses
of your business before competitors or those who might exploit
your business identify them before you do. It allows you to
identify many of the “Opportunities” which are inherent in
your business, and it allows you to find ways to counter the
“Threats” which you will identify in writing for action.
In completing each section of the SWOT Analysis, you will
find that you can never include everything which the form
generates in terms of assessment; good business owners can
always find additional items which are required.
Let us help you get started with your SWOT Analysis by
offering some general guideline questions; we’ll let you com
plete the form on your own, after you have had an opportunity
to see how the information can be best collected.
Start in the “Strengths” column. You will be writing a
series of items based upon the questions asked in the “Criteria
Examples” column. For example, how strong is your business
proposition? Do you feel that you have a strong business idea and
that it can survive long term? Why do you think so? This would
obviously be a strength of your business. Next, are your personal
capabilities, as well as those of other staff and management
required for the business to be strong in what it presents to the
clients or customers? If so, list those specific strengths you feel
contribute to this as a strength.The next question, “Competitive
Advantage?” refers to how your business will be perceived by
your clients or customers. Is what you are offering unique in the
market? Can it be copied or equaled?
SWOT ANALYSIS TOOL
Criteria Examples STRENGTHS
Business proposition?
Owner/Staff Capabilities?
Competitive advantage?
Resources, Assets, People?
Experience, knowledge, data?
Financial reserves, likely returns?
Innovation?
Location and geography?
Price, value, quality?
Processes, systems, IT?
Cultural, attitudinal, behavioral?
Management cover, succession?
Philosophy and values?
Criteria Examples OPPORTUNITIES
Market developments?
Competitors’ vulnerabilities?
Industry or lifestyle trends or changes?
Technology development / innovation?
New markets?
Niche target markets?
Tactics: e.g., surprise, major contracts?
Business and product development?
Required research?
Volumes, production, economies?
Seasonal, weather, outside influences?

WEAKNESSES Criteria Examples
Disadvantages of proposition?
Gaps in capabilities?
Lack of competitive strength?
Reputation, presence and reach?
Financials?
Any known vulnerabilities?
Cashflow, start-up cash-drain?
Reliability of plan – predictability?
Morale, commitment, leadership?
Processes and systems, etc?
Management coverage, succession?
THREATS Criteria Examples
Environmental Issues?
Competitor intentions?
Market demand?
New technologies, services, ideas?
Vital contracts and partners?
Internal capabilities?
Obstacles?
Insurmountable weaknesses?
Loss of key staff?
Sustainable financial backing?
Economy?
Seasonality, weather effects?

The Anecdotal Strength of a Monopolistic Space-

Based Product
We had the opportunity to work with a company

which shot a product into space, recovered the
product and licensed the product to other groups
to use within the production of their products.
Everyone, of course, doesn’t shoot rockets into
space. That meant that this company had a very
unique product; one which was quite costly, and
one which was very much in demand.
On a SWOT Analysis under Strengths – do you
believe that this would be listed as a competitive
advantage? Of course it would…very few other
entities worldwide could claim that their products
had been to space! This may change in the next 10
years, but – for now – it’s a competitive strength
which is difficult to overcome.
Moving along on the Strengths section, do the resources, your

assets, or your people bring uniqueness to your business which
enhances its strength? Is there specific experience, knowledge
or data which you possess which creates strength in your
offering? Does your business throw significant cash, generate
large financial reserves, and offer guaranteed returns? If so,
these factors would all be considered to be strengths. Is your
business founded upon an innovative product or service?
The Microsoft Innovation Parade
Bill Gates, in founding Microsoft with Paul Allen,

didn’t depend upon innovation as much as the
ability to assess what the market wanted. It wanted
a user-friendly, common-based Operating System,
63 • The Workbook
and Windows was born from that need. Many of

the computer programs which have generated
billions for Microsoft weren’t initially developed by
Microsoft.Would we claim, however, that these add
to Microsoft’s Strength? Certainly. What specifics
can you identify about your business which adds to
the strength from the perspective of innovation?
Another series of areas which could be strengths for your

business are those of geography, location, price, value and
quality. Perhaps you operate the only business of its type for
quite a distance. Perhaps your business is able, for a variety of
reasons, to offer the best price or value, or perhaps a product
which you sell is of the best quality available. Any of these
would enhance your ability to build upon your strength.
What is the overall objective of a SWOT Analysis?
A SWOT Analysis is completed to commit to writing a

number of attributes about your company; it helps you to
determine where you are strongest and most competitive in
the marketplace. It helps you to determine if there are inherent
weaknesses in the business which can create challenges for you
prior to development, expansion, or intrusion into a market.
Learn to use this tool, and it will help you to understand your
business more fully and make more accurate assessments of
your opportunities.
Each section within the SWOT Analysis Tool is completed
within the same way, and at the end of your Assessment, you
have a fully functional tool which offers a “snapshot in time”
of where your business currently is, how it is performing, and
what can be done to improve it. One is hard-pressed to ask for
more from an analysis instrument.
Step 4
Let’s use your Business Success Guide Marketing Wheel,
which you’ve seen previously in this Course, as our basis for
developing your Planning Process for development. Are you
ready to start planning for success in your business?
The Planning Process, which we have referred to in previous

Modules, addresses several key elements required for success
planning. You must first assess where you are today. You must
decide where you want to be tomorrow, and how you will get
there. That requires policy, strategy, and goal formulation. It
requires that you be able to implement these goals, assess their
results, and use that information to improve, or “tweak” your
results attained.We’re going to use the Business Success Wheel
to help you develop your Planning Process for your Business,
leading to a formal Plan arising from this workbook.
Let’s start at the top of the wheel under the segment called
Marketing Acumen. Reading your Business Success Guide
Wheel and the Business Success Guide Module, let’s look at
the various attributes which make up the Marketing Acumen
section.
Marketing Acumen
If you possess Acumen, you possess quickness and alertness
to the actions you are taking, as well as the actions of your
competitors. You must be able to successfully summarize
what the competition is doing. You must be able to quickly
assess if they are focused on the correct demographic group
– by age, sex, location, interest, or a variety of other defining
characteristics. Are you competitive and is what you are
offering a “merit-able” offer? To define your answers, please
65 • The Workbook
complete the following questions on at least three direct and

two indirect competitors.
Direct Competitor #1 (Identify by Name)
Is my offer/proposition competitive? ____Yes ____ No

What makes it competitive? ____ Price ____ Value
____ Quality
Is the competition targeting my business directly? ____ Yes
____ No
Does the competitor’s value offered exceed mine? ____ Yes
____ No

What makes it competitive? ____ Price ____ Value ____
Quality
____ No
Does the competitor’s value offered exceed mine? ___ Yes
___ No

____ Quality
____ No
____ No
Indirect Competitor #1 (Identify by Name)

____ Quality
____ No
____ No
67 • The Workbook
Indirect Competitor #2 (Identify by Name)

____ Quality
____ No
____ No
In assessing the Marketing Acumen you possess, you will

quickly be able to understand the marketplace in which you
are operating. We will tally and transfer this material later.
Marketing Analysis
There are four key elements to any Marketing Analysis process.
1. Analysis. If one cannot use an objective

method of analyzing marketing, he or she will
not be able to determine if it is meeting the
needs of influencing potential buyers, users,
clients or customers of goods or services.
2. Strategy Development. Once a business owner
understands the marketplace, and decides – based
on consumer behavior and opportunity – which
type of strategy to use, he or she can write a plan
which will meet the needs of the business.
3. Planning. Planning takes the marketing programs
which have been decided upon and defines the
spectrum of the promotion, the expectations of
cost of the promotion, the expectations for results

to be attained, and the specific opportunities
which will be exploited by the promotions.
4. Management of the Effort. Only through analysis
and follow up can any marketing program be
maximized. If a business owner does not understand
what his/her business needs for success, he or
she will not be able to successfully manage the
marketing program, or attain the expected results.
Analysis is a detailed process. It can be completed for individual

products or services, or it can be completed for a broad range of
products and services. The format to be followed is as follows.
Determine the Product or Service on which a Marketing

Analysis is to be conducted.
Identify the Opportunity as you believe it exists.
Identify at least three separate Marketing Strategies to be

used. (After all, you’ve seen over 51 different Marketing Ideas
and Opportunities in the Ultimate Manual Module!)
1.
69 • The Workbook
2.
3.
Explain your choice of these Marketing Strategies. Why are

these optimal for usage?
Develop a timetable for implementation of these strategies.

List target dates, implementation opportunities, and criteria
which must be met to be successful.
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6
Within this table, you may chart the strategy to be used, the
dates for implementation, the cost per strategy chosen, or the
expected return per implementation selection. All these facts
are critical to the success of the planning process and the final
solution and assessment.
Management of the Marketing Effort
Using the same table as previously, it is important to determine if

the cost incurred justifies the returns received for the expenditure.
In the following table, you may chart the cost versus sales and
define the final number as a percentage of return achieved.
% % % % % %
Marketing Insight
Marketing Insight is determined from your knowledge of the
plans of competitors and peers. You will gain the Marketing
Insight necessary to address your needs, build your sales, and
maximize your profits.
List at least five ways to find out what your competition
is doing on a specific product or service and the relative
importance of each method.
71 • The Workbook
What Your Competitor Is Doing Rank of Importance
Marketing Expertise
Expertise represents judgment. Judgment often comes from
experience; hence, we can say that our experience directly
influences our judgment.
Share at least five reasons why you believe your Marketing
Plans and Programs can be successful.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
If your chosen method of Marketing is not successful, what

would be your alternative choices?
Why do you think the alternatives would be successful?
Marketing Accomplishment
Achievement will be measured by the fact that your business
must make money. The key attribute – the reason that 95%
of people start a business – is to make money. Profit is key. And
to make money, one must plan for their business, operate it in
73 • The Workbook
a clearly professional manner, and be diligent in their efforts to

protect and grow their business. It’s up to you to accomplish
this success and make the marketing you choose, work.
Please develop 10 Key Steps in your Marketing efforts for

Making Money with your business, and quantify what you
will do to make them occur:
Key Steps to Making Money Methods

1
8
Key Steps to Making Money Methods

9
10
Marketing Administration
It’s your responsibility to create a budget for your personal
as well as professional expense. We’d suggest that you use the
following spreadsheet planner, or a similar format, to create a
plan which will identify and address your needs.
Expense Category Funds Planned
Personal Current Payables $0.00

Personal Recurring Payables $0.00
Personal Savings Objectives $0.00
Personal Investment Strategy
Differential Increase Costs
Six Month Cushion Current Revenue $0.00
Professional Current Payables $0.00

Professional Office/Store Expense $0.00
Professional Tax Responsibility $0.00
Professional Fees/Support $0.00
Employee Costs/Taxes/Benefits $0.00
Manufacturing Costs/IT Costs $0.00
Compensation $0.00
Travel $0.00
Any Additional Fixed/Recurring Costs $0.00

75 • The Workbook
After developing this six month personal and professional

budget, assess the number of dollars available and the projected
number of dollars which will be gained by utilizing the specific
marketing campaigns targeted.
Marketing Administration is not only the management of
the marketing to achieve business success, but it also represents
the process of paying for marketing which is needed to drive
the sales and revenue line of your business.
Marketing Delivery
Marketing Delivery is a key component which surrounds
the concepts of trust, branding, and market positioning. How
your business impacts the mind of the user of your goods or
services creates the expectations in the mind of the user.What
you say in your marketing to your clients and customers either
builds a relationship with them where they trust your abilities
to fulfill their needs, or it can break down any possible future
relationship opportunities.
Delivery also relates to the trust associated with the name
of your business, or the brand. How customers and clients
perceive your brand in terms of quality, service, value, etc.
create opportunities for you to either extend or promulgate
your goods or services.
Consistent and correctly positioned marketing creates
immense value in the mind of your users.
Define five different ways your products or services can be

marketed which will create a value in the mind of the user.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
It is also possible to create negative connotations in the mind

of your consumers. As a counter-intuitive exercise, please list
five specific ways that you would never make the products of
your company available to clients or customers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Marketing Style
As we say in the Marketing Success Model, style is critical to
success. Style in marketing represents the way that facts are
represented as opposed to the facts which are presented.
1. The style of your marketing may be pointed:

“Our products and service destroy the
competition.” “Nobody does it better.”
2. The style of your marketing may be trendy:
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”
77 • The Workbook
3. The style of your marketing may illustrate

distinction: “Our product is second to
none.” “There is none better.”
4. The style of your marketing may show
elegance: “We never fail to please.”
5. The style of your marketing may be targeted: “Create
your own masterpiece with our product or service.”
Share five ways which you can demonstrate your Marketing

Style for your product or service:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Summation: Now that you have presented a variety of

options, including SWOT Analysis of your business, it’s time
for you to commit to a full Planning Process to move your
business forward.
Part 3
Manual of Study
Introduction
Every business owner is always seeking newer, better, and more
effective ways to increase sales, revenues, and profits. You can
boost your small business with these ideas to achieve maximum
success – no matter whether you offer goods or services.
The concept of Marketing and Advertising use simple ideas,

which – when executed well – return exceptional profits on
funds you spend.
The entire concept of Marketing is predicated on the fact
that you seek out ways to create a need in the mind of the
consumer or client for your products or services. Advertising
is one form of marketing – often the most visible type.
Let’s look at some simple steps for creating a winning
Marketing and Advertising program for your small business.
As a business person you have to take an idea and combine
it with information, analyze it and piece it together until you
find the best way suitable for growing your business.
One of the first keys is to assess your situation before

undertaking any marketing efforts, looking carefully at your
81 • Manual of Study
current situation, and weighing the risks of spending money

in the wrong place or achieving lackluster marketing results.
We’ll help you understand how to define your marketing
goals and what you hope to achieve and, hopefully, offer
some opportunities to match your strategies to your clients
or customers.
You can help yourself by considering the message your
customers will respond to, the demographics your business
targets, how the message is to be delivered to them using your
entire budget, and remember that frequency of sales equals
increased revenue.
Try using a combination of packages by studying successful
businesses in other industries. What did they use to grow their
businesses? Test these in a small way in your business using
different strategies and think of a direct application you can
adopt and implant to your business.
The ideas in this manual will all work for you, irrespective
of the business you are in – if you will simply apply the
principles contained in this manual to your business, you will
enjoy greater success.
Section 1
The Old Marketing Adage Updated to

the 21 st Century
Marketing and Advertising depend on three things:
• Letting your clients or customers know that you are in

business.
• Letting your clients or customers know what you are
selling.
• Letting your clients or customers know where to find you.
There are many, many different ways you can market to

potential customers. The simplest form of marketing, one to
one marketing, originated even prior to the development of
language as a communication tool. One to one marketing
consisted of two people meeting and one of them had
something the other wanted, and the other was willing to
trade or barter something for it.The practice of barter, utilized
today in many parts of the world, is based on one to one
marketing – a need fulfilled by a product or service rendered.
This can form the basis of the sales transaction.
83 • Section 1: The Old Marketing Adage Updated to the 21st Century
Whatever the time or the place, every business owner who

goes into business seeks business success. No matter what you
sell – whether you focus on goods or services – your objective
is to generate sales, keep costs low, pay taxes and expenses,
and have profit left over at the end of the accounting period.
And be aware that everyone – in every business – is in sales, in
some way. It is to your benefit to be persistent and never stop
thinking and planning – there’s always a better way, all that
you need to do is to find it, and – as the old saying goes – the
world will beat a pathway to your door.
Success in business is not achieved, however, if you simply
open your business doors each day, and sit and wait for
customers to come and do business with you. Many businesses
have been started and have failed because the owner was so
convinced that his or her business idea was a “million dollar
idea” and he “didn’t have to market the business.”
Perhaps the best anecdotal story about recognition of the
importance of advertising and marketing focuses on a new
business owner who has invested all his money in the start
up of a store. In what he thought was the correct thing
to do, he bought all new stock and trade fixtures but did
absolutely no marketing for his business, and was surprised
when customers were not standing in line, waiting to come in
to purchase products from him when he unlocked the door.
He even commented to one of his employees that he was
surprised the business did not “break down the door” when
the store opened. The employee asked him if he had done any
advertising or marketing to let people know that he was open
for business, and he said no – he had told all his friends about
it, and they all had told their friends, and their friends, etc.
The next day, two or three people stopped by, each of
them commenting to the business owner, “Oh, we stopped
by unexpectedly. We didn’t know you were open for business
yet. What a beautiful store you have! And what beautiful

merchandise!”
Two or three days later, a salesman visited the store from the
local newspaper, and offered the business owner several different
opportunities to advertise the business in different sections
of the newspaper, on different days, and the opportunity to
advertise different items.
The business owner, shocked that his business had not been
an instant success, told the newspaper advertising salesman,
“Oh, no, I can’t place an order for any advertising now; I
haven’t generated any profit to pay for it.” The newspaper
salesman calmly and patiently explained to the new business
owner that the potential customers needed to know that he
had opened for business, and that a newspaper advertisement
would let them know he was open for business, where he was
open, what hours he was open, and what he was selling.
Two weeks later, the newspaper advertising salesman
returned to the new business, and found a very irate owner.
As a matter of fact, the owner actually chased him from the
premises, telling him never to return….if he ever needed
advertising, he’d call him and let him know, but never to
return to his shop again unless he was called.
The newspaper advertising salesman left the store, convinced
that he would never get an order at that business. He should
not have reached that conclusion.
Four weeks later, the business closed because there had been
no customers for the business.The owner of the building took
over the premises and decided that the best opportunity for
him to recoup his losses on this store was to simply sell the
stock that the business owner had purchased with the hard-
earned funds he had taken from savings – savings which had
taken him years to collect, but only days to spend.
85 • Section 1: The Old Marketing Adage Updated to the 21st Century
Who was the first person that the building owner called to
advertise the close out sale? You guessed it.
The first person the building owner called was the news
paper advertising salesman and told him to place a full page
advertisement in the local newspaper, letting people know that
the business had been taken over and the building owner was
selling out to the bare walls. The next day, the premises were
filled with people, the store overflowing with customers who
couldn’t believe the quality of the goods, the low sale prices –
but, most of all, that the business opened and closed so quickly.
The building owner recouped all the funds he had invested
in renovations done for the business owner, and after selling all
the stock, realized a handsome profit.The newspaper advertising
salesman made a nice profit on the full page advertisement he
sold advertising the business’s “Going Out of Business Sale.”
The customers were thrilled with the purchases they made –
they found great merchandise at a reduced and bargain price.
It seems the only loser in this entire process was the
business owner – because he forgot one of the principal laws
of business…others must know that you are in business, must
know what you offer, and must know how to contact you.
• I’m in business!!!
• Here’s what I’m selling/doing!!!
• Here’s how to contact me!!!
Without these three items, there can be no success in business.
Often, in business school, students are taught to follow a specific

formula for success. Many believe that potential business
owners must write, at minimum, a Business Plan, Marketing
and Advertising Plan, and a Training Plan to be successful.
However, to subscribe to this theory, how can one explain

thousands of businesses that have been successful for many
years without so much as a Business Plan? They can’t. Their
belief is that if a business has not had a plan previously, they will
do much better with a plan than they will do without one.
We’re of the firm opinion and belief that success does not
depend on luck nor does it necessarily occur in a methodical
way following a specific formula –success enjoys up and downs.
We do believe that business owners have a higher probability
of success if they plan for their actions, as Planning is one of
the key regimens of business.
Section 2
Creating Ideas Which Will Build

Your Business
Often, those who write books and offer concepts find

themselves creating a thinking concept, but not offering timely,
tactical tips for building your business. We believe that there is
nothing which will convince a reader our ideas and programs
are sound faster than presenting a series of ideas which can be
implemented quickly, and – in most cases – quite reasonably.
These ideas are meant to motivate you to think outside of the
box and identify overlooked opportunities as fresh possibilities
to grow a business.This is intended to impress upon you that it
takes a combined, integrated and systematic approach to attract
clients.These breakthrough ideas are also meant to motivate you
to stretch yourself and start examining products you have never
been interested in before and to get a fresh new perspective and
ideas and insights into areas you have not considered previously.
You will begin to see the connection and start looking at
business with a new vision, and stop accepting the norm –
because “everyone else has always done it that way.”
Let us present 51 different ideas we’ve itemized and can
present for your immediate action in building your business:
IDEA 1 – Diversify Your Core Offerings

Apply small but clever strategies to your core business. For
instance, if you sell flowers, think about including chocolate
to any flower order during Valentine’s Day or add patterned
Easter eggs to upsell your flowers during Easter Holidays. Any
type of greenery added during the New Year will enhance the
product at the start of a New Year.
Don’t depend on just one of these additional ideas; how
ever…Use a combination of several of these strategies to
sell your products. Add secondary or support products to
everything you currently sell. Recycle and Repackage your
products, mix them and create different labels with different
price tags. Rename items. Offer online advertising/marketing
specials and fax a “Newsletter” that offers flower-care tips and
arrangement suggestions.
Install a toll-free number and make sure that your customers/
clients know that you use e-mail so that customers can call
and order and have the flowers delivered right to their door
step. Include a brochure for the best restaurant around. Sign an
agreement with five or so restaurants and earn a commission
for referrals. Co-operatively advertise and discount products.
IDEA 2 – Put a Service Element into Your Product or

Service
Rare is the product or service which cannot benefit from
some extension of the sales process. If you have an opportunity
to develop your concept exponentially for your customers, it
only makes great business sense to do so. Remember as you
establish your business that the perception of the customer is,
for them, reality. If they perceive that you are offering them
better quality, better service, or extended opportunities
89 • Section 2: Creating Ideas Which Will Build Your Business
beyond the competition, they will quickly see that they want
to spend their dollars with you.
What is even more impressive to a customer is if you are able
to offer these services at a reduced price – a price point even
lower than your closest competitor. While your competition
is trying to find ways to match your offering, they must also
find ways to exceed your level of service. Service is a much too
rare commodity these days, and whenever additional service
of any type is offered, it makes a very positive impression on
the client/customer.
In conjunction with this, however, it is critical that you offer
some type of feedback form for the client – not because you
want the feedback, which, of course, you do – but because you
want your client/customer to realize that what they are receiving
exceeds that which is offered by the competition. Be sure within
the feedback form itself to refer to the additional services you
are offering by using a title:“Quality-Ranked Service” or “Blue
Ribbon Care.” The feedback form you offer should ask for
the customer/client’s input on the services received, as well
as leaving room for open ended comments. The open ended
comments may be the best feedback you will receive.
Two excellent examples of large companies which were
able to either integrate new service concepts or expand upon
existing ones in retail include the Federal Express (FedEx)
purchase of Kinko’s Copy Shop and the UPS Shipping
Services purchase of the retail store Mail Boxes, Etc. Both
of these led to expanded service offerings within current
retail business space, and each grew the business concept by
utilizing a service growth model. If you elect to use this idea
as a marketing strategy, be certain that any merger or joint
venture will lead to positive growth from the new economic
unit and that there will be synergy gained from the long term
cooperative relationships of both groups.
IDEA 3 – Duplication and Multiplication

Often, clients recognize that excellent offerings can carry lower
price points and business owners can still make money. Where
owners can leverage vendors into product offerings at lower
price points, or where cooperative marketing opportunities
may exist, the opportunities to do “2-Fers” or 2 items for the
price plus – for example – an additional sum of money, is
always attractive to a consumer.
Consumer confidence can be built upon businesses and
business owners that work to find ways to compensate
consumers. If wholesale opportunities exist to expand product
offerings, business owners will find that the opportunity to
expand their own business is enhanced.
This goes beyond simply the duplication and multiplication
aspect of finding additional products or services for consumers/
clients, however. In today’s tough business environment, this
speaks directly to a bond which can be constructed between
business owner and consumer. There is no substitute for a
customer or client who believes that they have been protected
and taken care of.
Consider the operations of a hair salon. A salon business
could consider selling certain hair and face products, recycling
and packaging them into different products instead of selling
them individually, or could offer a brochure with specific tips
on how to care for hair.
A massage parlor could sell aromatherapy tinctures as well
as massage items such as Dead Sea Salt, Seaweed, wooden
roller balls, candles, and spa wear including shoes and robes.
Consider items which clients might not have at home, and
make those available.
A barber shop could consider selling after shave lotion(s)
as well as cologne, and have the shoes of clients polished as a
bonus for multiple visits, or even for a minimum fee.

A laundry business could provide TV, games, table pool and
a vending machine for soft drinks and cigarettes, as well as a
vending machine which furnishes laundry soaps, fabric softener
sheets or rinse agents for those who did not bring their own
supplies, or who find it easier and simpler to purchase them
at the laundry.
Many small businesses sell only one product or service
and they could expand their product line or service to offer
other related products. The objective of this process is to find
a way of marketing their businesses which can be repeated
over and over again.
IDEA 4 – Direct Mail

Direct mail has always been a phenomenally successful marketing
technique. And why wouldn’t it be? Individually addressed
letters, appealing to a specific concept – often offering top
discounts on products or services – satisfy the innate need of
the consumer. Look, they’ve gotten a piece of mail individually
addressed to them. No matter that 10,000 other letters just like
it went out – that letter was addressed to you, individually.
We cannot overemphasize, however, that you should
not choose to use direct mail addressed to “Occupant” or
“Family Living at.” Marketing lists exist which can give
names, addresses, and can be downloaded into the simplest
word processing program to generate personalized letters,
envelopes, even gift cards.
In terms of worldwide acceptance, Direct Mail is an
acknowledged source, generally attributed for impact at between
1% and 3% conversion of the number of pieces sold; this means
that if your Direct Mail piece sells a $500 item, and you send
out 50,000, you can anticipate that between 500 and 1500 of
those who receive the mailer will purchase the product. If you
work with a well-known mailing house to develop your direct
mail list, always ask if they guarantee a specific percentage of
conversion. Many are so convinced that their lists are good that
they will guarantee a percentage of conversion and some will
even guarantee a specific level of sales which can be achieved.
You should take this process one step further than simply
depending on the direct mail result, however. Use the direct mail
piece to solicit a sale by a client, but include a “Bounceback”
coupon which will bring them back more than once. Use
the direct mail to bring them to your business, and use the
“Bounceback” to get them to return a second time.
IDEA 5 – Marketing with a Shoe-String Budget

It’s become more and more “en vogue” to market businesses
on a shoe string budget. This means that there is little or no
money for marketing, and the marketing techniques which
you use either make use of someone else’s money – a vendor,
a licensor, or a supplier, or their funds – to help share in the
marketing expenses which you incur.
Another way to market on a “shoe string” is to create a
part of your program in conjunction with vendors of your
products. Unlike a marketing alliance, seeking participation
through a vendor spending program can inject cash directly
into your business, based upon the total dollars you spend with
the vendor on a yearly basis.
One way that many business owners find to continually
keep their name in front of consumers is to coordinate that
every item distributed uses their names and/or logos. Every
document, every business card, every shopping bag should
have the business name and logo prominently displayed so as
to increase top of mind awareness of the customer as to the
name and the logo. Clients will often use logoed items for
other uses than the one intended.
A great example of this is the proven study, done by United
Airlines, showing that customers would rather use paper cups
with the “Starbucks” brand logo than fine china cups which were
unmarked, when given a preference. Many types of clothing
with logos began spreading virally in this way. Making sure that
your logo is on everything associated with your business just
makes good business sense, but you would be amazed at the
number of business owners who have never considered it.
Another way that many business owners market their
businesses is through their association with clubs, with
organizations, and with religious affiliation. Business owners
must recognize that they are the best representative their business
will ever have, and they must act accordingly. Contributions of
in-kind products or services to enhance the association with
clubs, organizations and affiliates will help you gain added
business name recognition.
IDEA 6 – Asking for Marketing Alliances

Many business owners are either afraid to ask or do not know
to ask other business owners in the same types of business
if they would like to band together to develop marketing
alliances and create ways to save money. Marketing groups
representing the same products or services are frequently able
to band together and find suppliers or vendors who are willing
to reduce prices in return for a larger order.
As a business becomes part of a Marketing Alliance, they
are able to purchase goods and services more reasonably than
an individual business would be able to. And, with the power
of multiple purchasers, they are able to leverage more vendors
for larger discounts or rebates.
A true Marketing Alliance can leverage prices which business

owners pay for media marketing, and can lower the cost per inch
that business owners must pay to newspapers or magazines.
Businesses could also experiment through marketing each
other’s products – for example the Bookstore next door could
provide to the Cinema next door a two page report copied
and photocopied and stapled in the corner about the hot
books that are for sale that month, while a Cinema provides
brochures to the Bookstore about the half priced movie
tickets for the first 10 customers who buy tickets to see a
particular movie that month. To take this idea even further,
the Bookstore could offer a reduced price on the books which
serve as a basis for the current films being shown, or could
bundle a copy of the book with the ticket sold. Many different
types of alliance programs help small businesses become more
and more attractive for users from a financial perspective.
Another example: Businesses could also try one-on-one
bartering by proposing a direct exchange of goods or services.
The product or service need not be related as long as there
will be mutual benefit to both parties. The agreement should
be based on retail exchange value and not price.
Here’s an oversimplified example: You can allow the
store next door to you to make photo copies on your photo
copy machine in exchange for allowing your clients to park
on his premises if you don’t have enough parking space next
to your store.
Think through other examples, and you will discover that
opportunities abound.
IDEA 7 – Develop a Referral Program

Rarely does a good referral program go unnoticed. A referral
program is one of the best types of programs which can
be developed for two reasons: First, because it uses person

to person, word of mouth discussion about a business; and,
second, because potential clients and customers are more
likely to listen to another individual that has been a previous
purchaser and is willing to share his or her experience.
Keep in mind that referrals work in reverse, also. Bad
experiences travel more quickly than good ones. For every
bad customer experience, you may assume that 10 people will
hear about it from one of your consumers. For every good
customer experience, it takes telling 10 people about it prior
to getting the word passed on to potential users.
One of the most effective referral programs we’ve seen in
the past focuses in three areas. First, the referrer must be a
member of a Super Shopper Club. This allows the business
owner to gain access to the customer/client’s name, address
and telephone number for marketing purposes. If you do not
save this information, shame on you! There is no substitute
for having a list of proven customers who have purchased
products from you previously. Use this information to get to
know your customers/clients, their specific needs, and what
they purchase most frequently.
Second, it offers a once a month drawing for proven
purchasers who are members of this Super Shopper group.
One should encourage purchasers to purchase as often as
possible. To encourage this, one must be a member of this
group to have the possibility of winning a prize. The prize
need not be expensive, but should be appropriate to the age
group which shops at the location.
Third, it entices existing customers to refer new potential
clients and thereby build the sales base for the business owner.
The key to this project is to gain new business. Remember…
the two key objectives of business are innovation and
profitability.
Stealth marketing can pay handsome rewards. Consider

paying college students to market your business or asking
them to wear T-shirts or outerwear with your company logo.
Each view of your company’s logo helps to create top of
mind awareness. If the business is in a fixed location, consider
having the students simply visit businesses in close proximity
and encourage other business owners to work with you in
building your business.
IDEA 8 – Use Influencers

What is an influencer? An influencer is anything which helps
a customer or client determine to utilize your business. It
can be a person of some renown who shops in your premises
– a local celebrity who simply browses in the store and is seen
by many customers. It can be an influential writer who writes
a newspaper article about a very fine visit that he/she made to
your establishment. It can be a nationally known figure who
walks into the business.
In 1982, we were working in a restaurant in the United
States, and a very well known entertainer came into the
restaurant and bought a meal. The employee running the cash
register froze when she realized who the entertainer was, and
said to her, “Did you know that you look just like ‘X’?” The
entertainer smiled at her, and said, “Maybe that’s because I am
‘X’” – the word spread within 30 minutes all over town that
this entertainer had been in the restaurant having dinner, and
the sales grew over 20% from that day forward.
Using an influencer to build your business is a great plan.
In 1992, we were part of a party seated at a very famous
restaurant in the Napa Valley of California. The Maitre D’
approached my table and said to me,“Sir, I’m going to be seating
someone quite famous at the table next to you and I wanted
to be sure that it will not be a distraction to your dinner.” I

replied that he could feel free to seat anyone he chose next to
me. I was not prepared, however, when the famous movie actor
Robert Redford was escorted into the room with three of his
friends, and seated no more than an arm’s length from my table.
Nor was I prepared for the number of fans who interrupted his
meal taking photographs, asking for autographs, etc.
If I were a restaurateur and wanted to promote my business,
I would not hesitate to feed famous individuals for free, simply
to get them to eat at my restaurant.The same principle applies
to your business. Who can you bring into your business that
will impress your other customers so much that each one of
them will tell 10 people who they saw at your business? Figure
it out and invite them to come visit your business. Recognize
the 10:1 rule; 10 people must have a positive experience for
one additional person to learn about your business; if 1 person
has a poor experience, 10 people will hear about it.
IDEA 9 – Turn Your Business Card into a Brochure

Every business owner must have business cards. They are
“de rigueur” – required – in the world of business. Often,
when you meet new customers or clients, they will ask for one
of your business cards. Think about what to have printed on
your business cards. Also, think about how you present your
card to someone who asks for it.
Japanese clients present the card between both hands, facing
the client and slightly bowing as they present it.This illustrates
the relevance of their belief in the importance of the business
card. Many business clients in other parts of the world use
their cards not only as name documents, but as advertising –
much as you would pass out a brochure. Do you want to have
simply your name on your business cards? Absolutely not! Add
the name of your business, the business address, the internet

website which tells your customers/clients about your business,
your email address, and any other information you believe a
potential client/customer might want to know.
Many business owners will use the back of their business card
to list their specific services and/or other companies with which
they are affiliated. It’s a good bet that anyone who has your
business card will read both sides of the card. If there are two
different languages in common usages in your area, it will be to
your advantage to have both sides of the card printed – one side
in one language, and the reverse side in the other language.
Many business owners list major “logos” of their vendors
on the back of their business cards so that clients/customers
can see and read who they represent.
Still other business owners run some type of business offer
on the back of their business card:“Offer good for 20% off Your
First Visit.” If you elect to reduce any price of your goods or
services using the back of the business card, let us suggest that
you print the offer in different color ink…a special stands out
better in bright red or purple against the card itself, and see if
the vendor who furnishes you with the product you are offering
will help cover the cost of your discount, or the printing of
your cards.You may be surprised when they agree to do so.
If the vendor agrees to furnish the product for giveaways,
ask for, and give away, several. If you have the opportunity, find
several ways to let customers know about these giveaways.
IDEA 10 – Offer Options to Your Customers

In an era where financial challenges are faced by almost
everyone, any type of options which you can offer customers
will give you a benefit over your competitors. Moreover,
the options route will allow them to purchase a quantity of
products they need or want, with an option to purchase more

at a lesser price per unit, and will allow them to purchase at
opportunistic pricing or quantities. This is true opportunity,
and offering various payment and purchase options will put
your business at top of mind awareness.
It’s a simple example, but one of the best examples of
offering options is breaking apart cigarette packs to sell single
cigarettes, treys, or half packs. Pricing per unit is higher than
if the customer/client purchased the entire pack, but it allows
purchase by a broader base of consumers.Those who purchase
treys or Lucys obviously don’t have the funds to purchase a full
pack, but they are willing to pay more per cigarette if they can
purchase only three cigarettes.
Offer your clients or customers the opportunity of making
their payments for your goods and services over an extended
period of 3–6 months. Establish an in-house credit opportunity
for larger, more lucrative clients. Of course, this depends on the
type of product sold. If you sell bird cages, perform a service,
or sell hard goods, this form of payment may be appropriate
but it would not appropriate for perishables such as food, etc.
This also works in a reverse format.
Many warehouse – variety stores sell larger quantities of
product at significantly lesser cost. Often, customers may not
really want to purchase larger quantities of product, but do so
because they perceive the price paid per unit is lesser and they
are seeking the proverbial “bargain.”
If you deal in a service business such as a laundry or dry
cleaner, consider instituting a van with a pickup and delivery
service. Pick up client laundry and dry cleaning on one day
and deliver it the next day. Offer them accounts and bill
them for the laundry and dry cleaning on a monthly basis,
allowing them 15 days after the end of the month to make
their payments at no interest.
If you deal in a product related industry such as a restaurant,

consider delivering to clients. You will often gain sales which
otherwise would be lost if you offer a delivery service. Accept
credit cards for the costs of delivery of the products.
IDEA 11 – Survey
Surveys offer a wonderful opportunity for a business owner
to connect with his/her customers. The type of survey
designed and executed in a business can cover everything from
the locations where customers live and shop (a scattergram type
of survey) to a survey in which 5–10 actual questions are asked
of customers focused on customer needs and services received.
Keep in mind that any type of survey conducted where a
customer is asked a question related to the business and feels that
he/she has an opportunity to contribute to the improvement
of operations, represents an excellent opportunity to “connect”
with your customer base. Because of the benefit of doing
surveys, sample surveys you could conduct in your business
are actually available free of charge, online at several different
websites. This is a proven marketing tool which helps build a
relationship with your customer or client.
During the time the customer or client is completing a
survey is also an excellent time to collect information to
support Frequent Shopper cards or Birthday wish programs.
When collecting a survey, include a “thank you” discount
coupon to demonstrate your “thanks” for taking the time to
complete a survey and offer the feedback. Better yet, make
it a two part coupon. After the first coupon is used, make a
higher value coupon available only after using the first one.
This will encourage additional visits, and will incent higher
dollar purchases.
IDEA 12 – Celebrate. Say Happy Birthday!

Everyone enjoys being recognized as celebrating a birthday. If
you collect birthdays of customers/clients and keep an active
database of your customers, there is never a reason for you not to
know when a client is celebrating a birthday. Send a card, give
a small gift. (even a small Gift Certificate is appreciated.)
Keep in mind that it’s not the value of any gift you offer that
registers with your customer/client… it’s the fact that their
birthday was remembered and you have recognized them for
having a special day.
Around the world, many restaurants which collect birthday
information on customers make a point of singing whatever
“Happy Birthday” song is traditional in their country.
Retailers generally offer a “percent off ” offering… “Come
in and take 20% off a single item purchased on your birthday.”
These types of promotions are phenomenally successful, and
the goodwill built is significant.
Tying any number of giveaways together is a great way to
say “Happy Birthday” to one of your favorite guests… and
get the word out about several different products or services.
Combine your efforts with those of other retailers and offer a
“goody bag” on the Birthday to your client.
IDEA 13 –Use Advertising That Lasts for Months,

Not Minutes
Don’t advertise unless a medium allows you to repeat your
ads.Well designed advertising can “stand the test of time.”This
means that there is no reason to change your advertising on
an ongoing basis.
As a matter of fact, you should look at your generic
advertising as advertising which should not change on a
daily/weekly basis. Tactical advertising (where prices change

weekly on items, or even daily, in the case of fast movers) is
the only exception to this rule.
Strategic Advertising development allows you to look at
multiple items which have fairly fixed prices and plan your
investment spending on marketing and advertising which will
create a strong brand image in the mind of the consumer at a
fixed price point.
One can also include advertising on one’s car using removable
stickers with the company logo and telephone numbers. The
use of bumper stickers with catchy phrases could also fit into
this category. If you use bumper stickers as advertisements, find
a way to quantify the results obtained from the use of the
bumper sticker.What does it say? How can it be demonstrated
that someone actually saw a bumper sticker? Does your bumper
sticker make a statement or ask a question?
IDEA 14 – Raise Your Prices

Often, we hear consultants tell us to mark down prices to
drive demand. Indeed, in the example we used in the first
part of this manual, the business owner did no advertising, and
the premises owner closed the business and marked down the
prices to incent fast sales of items in the store.
One marketing tactic which is not often highlighted is the
tactic of actually raising prices. Some pricing philosophy
proponents actually believe that you should never reduce
prices. If there is to be price movement, the prices should be
raised. Raising prices relative to costs helps to protect margin,
and – even if customers/clients complain about higher prices,
a higher price creates a positive value image in the mind of
the consumer. The price/value relationship is critical to the
consumer image of the product mix.
UK Business Advisor Penny Heath is one who believes

that raising prices can actually be a positive to your business,
as quoted at the website Highlands and Islands Enterprise,
http://www.hie.co.uk/article-0250.html.
“Just as a low price can create an image of low

quality, a high price contributes to the perception
that your product or service is of premium value,”
explains Heath.“You might even be able to highlight
additional benefits the increase will enable, such
as improved customer support. Make sure your
customers understand what they are getting for
their money.”
Chat with your customers to find out what they regard as the
benefits of buying from you, whether it is price, convenience,
quality or customer service. When raising prices, stress the
value for money that you are offering to your customers.
One way to diminish the negativity perceived when raising
prices is to counter the objection even before it’s raised by
offering a coupon discounting a purchase at another retailer.
This opportunity can be worked out with the other vendor
prior to raising prices.
IDEA 15 – Tag Along with a Trend

Position your product to fit with current events. Major
events like the World Cup bring soccer/football fans from
around the world to a central point. Any type of sporting
event, major concert, major speech, etc., brings more potential
users into the universe of your business. That is a positive
event, and helps create more “buzz” about your business
among potential users.
Make it a point to tag onto any advertising that links to

the event. Find a product offering which in some way can be
viewed as reflecting the event so that you will gain synergy
from the event. If you are able to participate in the event itself
– as a sponsor, or as an advertiser in a manual or guidebook,
you will gain an immense amount of publicity and PR value
from the event.
If you use email marketing to follow up with your customers,
you have an even bigger advantage. Lisa Fahoury explains the
positives of event based marketing online in her online blog
“The Sideroad” which can be referenced at www.sideroad.
com/Marketing/event_based_marketing.html
“Because it focuses on timing, Event based market

ing excels at promoting consumables, add-ons
like extended warranties, and cross-selling related
products. Best of all, all messaging is automated.
Once you outline the possibilities and create the
messages themselves, technology takes over to deli
ver them,” says Fahoury.
IDEA 16 – Scare Up Your Customers

If you are selling alarms, describe the dire consequences of not
buying your product.
Never be afraid to connect with fear in the heart of the con
sumer.This can represent large fears, or smaller ones. Everyone has
basic fears and concerns, and – for example – the fear of financial
ruin, of poor health or a debilitating disease, or of loss of life – and
fear is a key attributes which will move customers to action.
Writer Rohit Bhargava talks about the use of Fear Marketing
in one of his blogs online:
“Fear marketers paint the picture of what your

life might be like if you don’t get their product.
They play into already existing fears, or paint new
ones that consumers may never have considered.
The end result is the consumer perception that the
advertised product or service is a necessity to keep
their family safe, make their life less dangerous, or
avoid a situation they dread. But should we do it?
Doesn’t this type of marketing just add to the plague
of society, fostering fear and making us a weaker
people as a result? Probably – but the problem with
fear marketing is that it often works.”
While we would stop short of telling you to exploit fear, you

must be aware of the fears of your customers, and you can
use them to your advantage in developing retail programs. A
fine example of this is the recall programs developed by auto
companies. When you purchase a car, if a problem develops
with the car, you are notified by the company. Often, it’s a minor
replacement part – generally made available at no charge – but
occasionally, it will be a major repair that is needed to protect
health and welfare. See, it’s easier for the auto manufacturer
to notify the buyer and fix the problem than it would be if
the problem created an accident or an explosion, injuring the
owner in the process.
Another example of the exploitation of fear is the fear of
prices which are being charged changing, and that of the
client not getting the “best deal” – or the use of the product
not being able to be realized.
Two excellent examples can address these fear or concern
points very well.
If your business is a carwash, for example, how do you
make your client “whole” if he/she purchases a carwash and it
rains the same day? Many business owners would say, “That’s
the customer’s tough luck.” We would maintain that is the
wrong approach. Carwashes can tell their guests to save their
receipt and if it rains within 24 hours after washing their
car, they will rewash the exterior of the patron’s auto for
free. The cost incurred in doing this for a very small number
of clients who request it is far outweighed by the goodwill
involved in doing so.
Cost spirals can impact what you charge. In one South
American country which had high levels of inflation, clients
were told to purchase products at this morning’s rate, because
this afternoon’s charge would definitely be higher. As prices
are changing more and more rapidly in today’s economy, it is
absolutely acceptable to warn customers that the prices they
are being quoted for goods and services – especially those
imported from other countries which depend upon currency
exchange – may change rapidly and they should make the best
deal possible, immediately, and consummate the transaction.
In the third fear area – the fear of product quality issues – there
have recently been worldwide scares in processed food products
about contamination with salmonella bacteria.The news media
has been quite good about getting the word out so that people
do not eat possibly contaminated product. It’s been found to be
a way to avoid lawsuits, and quality manufacturers do not offer
substandard product to consumers.When it is found that there
could be a problem, the product is quickly recalled.
If you find that any item you are offering is not of the highest
quality, or could cause issues for your customers, do all that you
can to recover the product and replace it as soon as possible.
IDEA 17 – Reconnect and Reactivate with Your Past

Clients and Unconverted Prospects
There is nothing more productive than finding clients who
have used your business previously and regaining them as
clients once again.The only aspect of business that comes even
close is that of finding individuals who have never tried you,
but have heard great things about you or your business, and are
ready to be customers!
Often and for a variety of reasons, we find that customers
we believed were true believers in our products or services
have not become confirmed customers. When that happens,
take time to speak with the person and find out what reasons
they had for coming in, or using your services at this specific
point in time. That can create new marketing opportunity for
you in that you understand better what the client needs and
wants, and what created a climate of motivation for him/her
to use you as a vendor.
Reconnection is always a great experience with past
customers/clients. Find out why the customer/client left
you in the first place. It may have been as very insignificant
event – to you – but one which was a decisive factor for
the customer. Always treat each returning customer as a new
customer would be treated.
Business Coach Scott Halman recognizes the impor
tance of past clients and unconverted prospects. Accor
ding to Halman at the blog and online sales site
www.businesscoaching.typepad.com:
“It is estimated that about 30% of customers can

be tempted to spend more and this extra revenue
can have a huge impact on your profit since much
of the initial profit is swallowed up by customer
acquisition costs and overheads…”
Don’t let any unconverted prospects to your business exist.

Follow up, follow up, and follow up. Use coupons or discounts
if necessary to bring them to your product or services. Once
conversion has occurred, keep them as clients or customers.
IDEA 18 – Publicity
Creating publicity about your business is one of the best
ways to gain new customers and cement relationships
with current ones.
We would stress that it is important you establish yourself
as the “Obvious Expert” in a specific area. If your clients need
a specific type of rope, for example, share with the customer
why your type of rope is the best. If your clients hear your
level of expertise and knowledge about an item, they will
return again and again to purchase the items from you.
This is also an excellent time to suggest that you learn how
to work with the media – either online advertising, or working
with newspaper, magazine, or TV reporters. How you present
ideas to the media will often determine how much coverage
your business will receive.
It is critical that you present your PR idea in three phases:
1. What the news about the business is

2. How the news about the business will
impact the lives of your customer base
3. How this impact can or will change the customer’s life
If you present these ideas in this order, you will find that media
outlets will pick up your story, and the story will be copied
and distributed at no charge to you. No charge marketing
and advertising is the best marketing that you can receive.
In thinking about how to present your story, think in terms
of what a newspaper story about your business, products, or
services would say, and write your publicity in that way. You
will learn that reporters will use stories you furnish more
frequently if little or no editing is required. Reporters are
basically like most of us – if someone else will do the work, they
will let them do so. Be sure that whatever you furnish about
your business for dissemination is at or above the standard for
journalism set by your local newspaper or magazine.
Once the story has been printed, it’s time to start to gain
your real publicity. Ask the reporter or the editor for “reprint
rights” to the story. Use the story online on your website to
let others know of your “press coverage.” Send out a Press
Release to other newspapers, radio, or television stations in
the area and region, announcing your news, and sharing the
story in its print or online linked version. Print up copies of
the story, and include them to every client or customer that
visits your location. Be sure that no stone is left unturned in
your efforts to make your clients/customers aware that you
have gotten some “significant” press coverage. Send copies of
the story to all your vendors and include a copy with any
letters you send out to customers or clients in order to get the
maximum exposure from your story.
IDEA 19 – Marketing with Coupons

Coupons are an excellent way to build business on a repeat
basis. Brilliant marketers also build repeat business on top of
repeat business.
Here’s how this might work.
Let’s say that you offer a 10% Discount on any item in your
store for anyone presenting a coupon at check out. Obviously,
the coupon will meet certain parameters – it will have a time
window defined for use, and it will have an offer which is
appealing to consumers. Example 10% off. Good until June
15, 2009. When the customer presents the coupon, you may
offer him/her another coupon, valid only for customers who
present the first coupon.This second coupon might offer 15%
off any item purchased, but it needs to have a contracted time
window. Coupon #2 – 20% off within the next two weeks.
See? What we have done is to increase the amount of discount
to the customer, limited the number of coupons which will be
distributed, and shortened the time window for redemption.
The whole idea is to bring in the customer, and offer a way
to bring the customer back again in short order. The more
frequent his/her visits, the more likely it is that he/she will
become confirmed customers.
Finally, one last comment on coupon: Always accept
competitor’s coupons. If a competitor is offering a phenomenal
offer, and you feel like you are losing money on the offer, think
about this – you have gained the customer and the customer
will remember where the person redeemed their coupon. If the
coupon brings the guest into your business, it has fulfilled
the purpose—no matter who printed and distributed it.
Always accept competitor’s coupons at equal or additional
value to your clients. This is a critically important idea to
communicate to your employees.They should understand that
any coupon brought in is always accepted, whether from your
business or a competitive one. Even if expired, if the customer
or client is drawn to your business product or services by the
coupon, some type of accommodation should be made to
illustrate the importance of the client to your business.
IDEA 20 – Rewarding Your Best Customers/Customer

of the Month
Many businesses find that very good customers love to be
recognized for the business which they give you/bring
you. How you recognize these excellent customers is your

choice, but recognition through a giveaway, treating them to a
special evening, dinner at a restaurant, etc. goes a long way to
cementing a relationship with one of your best customers.
One word of warning, however: Be certain that the customer
will not be embarrassed by being recognized. Having used
this successfully, I can tell you that one customer, many years
ago, did not want to be recognized. We had given them a
fine gift certificate to a restaurant and set up a newspaper
photographer to recognize them and the fact that they were
VICs – Very Important Customers.When the photographer
showed up, they became incensed, and felt we were using them
for marketing purposes without their approval. We learned a
very valuable lesson and – from that point forward – always
asked if the customer would mind having their photo taken
and labeled as one of our “Best Customers.” No one else ever
minded. Lesson learned.
Another method which works very well in this situation is
to award them some type of engraved gift which carries your
business’s logo or trade dress. This allows everyone who sees
the gift to see your logo – which builds top of mind awareness
of your business.
Another idea is to give the best customers or clients an “in-
house” charge account, so that they are not required to pay
immediately for goods or services received. This demonstrates
goodwill and helps the customer to understand that he/she is
appreciated.
IDEA 21 – Inexpensive Novelty Items

People love FREE gifts. Many businesses have small, novelty
giveaway items printed with the business name, telephone
number, and address – and always remember to include the
internet website address of the business. Some of the more

popular items used in this category include writing pens or
pencils, measuring tapes or yard/meter sticks, key chains/key
fobs, small flashlights/torches, etc.
Generally, the larger the quantity of giveaway item printed,
the lower the price per item, and the more of them you will
have available to give away. The one key to an inexpensive
giveaway is to be sure that everyone who visits your business
receives one of the items. You would not believe the ill will
created if one customer in a group does not receive something
given to every other person in the group. Additionally, do not
try to limit your giveaway to one per guest. If a guest comes
back for several of the same item, there is some reason that
they want them. At that point, you have paid for the items to
be given away, and it’s best to give away several of them.
If you are in a retail business, be sure to have several different
types of free gifts to give away. You might have mothers with
children, and you want to be sure that the children receive
some type of free giveaway.This is critical – if a mother receives
something free, and the child does not, the child will create
havoc for the mother. Be sure that everyone in the party receives
some type of free giveaway item, and that what is given away is
appropriate to the age group and demographic targeted.
IDEA 22 – Use Circulars to Expand Coverage

Single page “flyer” type circulars advertising one or several
different products work well for those customers who might
not be willing or able to purchase a product or service at the
exact time they visit your business, but will be able to do so
in the future. Putting a Circular in their hands, or stuffing a
Circular in a shopping bag is an almost guaranteed way to
achieve a return visit and a sale of the product.
Using multiple page circulars with many different items

shows a variety of items you have available, and – as an
additional benefit – can be inserted into local newspapers or
magazines to augment their distribution.
If you develop your own circulars, there are three rules to
development of the Circular:
1. Be sure that you limit the number of items advertised

2. Always use color—color circulars have been shown
to be 43% more effective than black and white
3. Always print your circulars on the best paper
possible. Don’t skimp on the quality of the
paper—when people touch it, they can feel the
difference in the quality of the paper used.
Always include some type of coupon, or multiple coupons

on a circular. If you have successfully put a circular in the
hands of a client or customer, see that you incent them to use
the coupon(s) attached to the circular. Make your coupons
the “tear off ” type which can be tallied and tracked in your
business in order to correctly track the value of the giveaway,
and can also be reconciled in the business.
IDEA 23 – Give Away Samples of Products You Sell

Working in conjunction with vendors or suppliers, it’s often
possible to get them to commit “cooperative funds” in a
way which will make product available to you for sampling
purposes. Often, vendors will also make available the cost of
labor required to distribute and sample their products, just to
get them in front of new customers.
Sample giveaways can be done in your business, or can be
done outside your business. As long as your business name
is included in the giveaway, you will benefit from a proven
customer or a potential customer receiving a free giveaway.

Be sure that the items being given away are of a quality that
will positively represent your business. Do not allow vendors
to use substandard giveaways or these may negatively detract
from your business.
If you are able to develop a marketing alliance with other
retailers, it’s always possible to collect multiple items and offer
them as “giveaways.”
If your business is a service business, it is generally quite
simple to offer a sample of your services. When doing so, tie
several of your services together. If you are an Accountant,
offer tax services as well as business development services. If
you are a physician, offer well-baby services in addition to
services for sick patients. Be sure that the service offering
correctly represents the quality of your services.
IDEA 24 – Give Talks in the Community about

Your Business
Every community has service clubs, community associations,
senior centers, or religious groups which are always seeking
speakers. Develop a short, 15-20 minute talk about your
business which can be delivered at these gatherings, and let
people know that you are more than willing to talk about
business in general and your business specifically.
In your talk, cover items such as:
1. Why you started your business and what

it takes for others to start a business.
2. What you expect to accomplish with your business.
3. How others participate in your business and the key
attributes of others that are necessary for success.
4. The key attributes you believe are important
to your business and how it supports

and participates in the community.
5. Leave plenty of time for questions and answers. Just
in case no one asks any questions, come prepared
with a list of 10-15 questions and answers about
your business that would be appropriate to any
group of any age, and if no one asks, pick several
of the questions as a summary of your talk.
If possible, bring some logo’ed items to leave behind with

your listeners. You may even want to have a giveaway of
one or several of the products from your business and pick a
winner to receive them.
Allow everyone to walk away with a coupon offering your
product or service at a discounted rate. If you have digital
recordings of previous talks you have delivered, make those
available to your listeners at a minimal cost. If you have case
studies or white papers you have developed – some type of
intellectual property for which you have been responsible – you
may want to make this available to demonstrate your abilities.
IDEA 25 – Develop a Catalog of your Products and

Services
Catalogs, printed properly and distributed professionally, are
phenomenal resources to educate others about your business
and the products and services you offer. Before you develop a
catalog, however, determine if the products and services you
offer are truly appropriate to a catalog offering. If so, here are
some key points to remember:
• Catalogs are generally printed to cover a fixed

period of time – a season, or a quarter of the year,
or a holiday. They generally need to be updated on a
regular basis, so plan on getting the sales benefit from

a catalog in the first three months after it is printed
and distributed.
• Catalogs are expensive to develop, print, and distribute.
The cost of developing catalogs and distributing them
can use up an entire marketing budget very quickly, so
be certain that your products and services will remain
at the prices posted in the catalog for the period of
time specified, and that the cost of production of the
catalog will be covered over the period of time the
catalog will be used.
• Many potential customers will accept or ask for a
catalog, but will never order a product from one. If
you are setting up databases for catalog distribution,
be certain to remove those names on a regular basis
which do not use the catalog to order from you.
• Use the highest quality paper and printer you can
afford for your catalog offering. If possible, and if your
products or services will appeal to wholesale vendors,
have single print sheets available for those items
which would be marketable to a wholesale or online
marketplace.
• Sell the catalog, but offer an equal value gift certificate.
In other words, sell the catalog for $5.00, but include a
Gift Certificate worth $5.00 as a part of the shipping
package. Every coupon won’t be redeemed, but you
still have the $5.00 cost of the catalog, which can be
applied against the cost of development and mailing of
the catalog.
IDEA 26 – Set Up Another Location and Cross-

Market Your Business
Cross marketing at a different location offers you exposure
to an entirely different group of customers from those
generally seen at your principal business location.
For this reason, our recommendation is that you use the
location of a business which is totally different from the
demographics of your business location.
It’s important to recognize the maximum benefit from this
exposure will be attained if you pick a location which has high
traffic – either vehicular or foot traffic. Use of this secondary
location will create more name awareness for your venture
and will help build this top of mind awareness so critical to
the development of your sales and profits. Use the most visible
marketing possible; be sure your name is highlighted so that
the top of mind awareness will be beneficial.
If you coupon, be sure to identify where the coupon
originated, but be sure to accept them at both locations. The
rule of thumb is that you always accept coupons, even if from
a competitor. If the coupon brings clients or customers to
you, it has done what it was designed to do. Now, it is your
responsibility to close the deal with the client or customer.
IDEA 27 – Use Newspaper Inserts Wisely, If at All

Newspaper inserts are an excellent way to broaden your
exposure to a large audience and increase the knowledge of
the general public to your business.
However, please recognize that the use of newspaper inserts
can be very costly. Newspapers will often charge you a fee for
the printing of the insert, and a separate fee for the addition of
the insert. For this reason, we recommend that if you elect to
use inserts, you choose to insert a pre-printed flyer or even a
catalog in the newspaper. In that way, you are able to make use
of two different uses of one type of media. At the very least,
have the newspaper which is pitching you on the idea of the
insert to bid on inserting its own print job, or simply adding
work you have completed previously.
You must also be sure that the newspaper which would
handle your insert distributes newspapers to the area in
which you wish to advertise, and there are no reading or
language difficulties inherent to the offering. Do not use
insert advertising to only generically highlight the name –
use the insert advertising for specific products or services.
Be sure that every newspaper insert you use has a coupon
or coupons which will incent readers to visit your business.
The purpose of coupons is not only to offer discounts, but to
incentivize clients to visit your business.
IDEA 28 – Set Up Trade Show Booths to Broaden

Your Exposure
“Trade shows.” The very term can scare marketers and create
fear in the minds of advertising executives. Trade shows offer
outstanding opportunities to showcase your business, yet
fateful opportunities to influence large numbers of people in
negative ways if you don’t maximize your presentation.
There are some key elements to trade shows that must be
accomplished to achieve the desired result:
1. Rent a booth space on an end of the display area,
or immediately adjacent, preferably to the right,
of an entrance. The next best spaces to rent are
directly adjacent to any comfort stations or rest
room areas. The reasons for these locations should
be clear; you want the highest traffic counts
and visibility opportunities for your booth.
2. Hire a professional to develop a booth for you.

Do not attempt to “piece together” a booth with
three or four different graphic elements. It will
make your booth look cheap, and if your booth
looks cheap, it diminishes your business name
in the mind of the trade show attendees.
3. Be sure that your booth has the latest technology.
Cycling video, internet connectivity, and the best
printed material you can afford – as well as giveaways
with your logo or business name, address, email
and website address printed on them are keys to
maximizing your participation in a trade show.
4. What type of employees must you use at a trade show?
There are two uniquely different schools of thought
on this. One school of thought is that you should hire
attractive female booth attendants who can represent
your products or services well, and serve a role
“dispensing” material you have printed for the show.
5. Another, distinctly different school of thought is
that you should have very aggressive sales people
on the trade show floor at any time when the show
is open to the public. These salespeople should
view this as an opportunity to sell the concept
to anyone attending the show.You must decide
which school of thought you wish to pursue.
6. Whatever your choice of booth attendants, make
sure that the printed materials developed as “take-
ways” are both professionally prepared and represent
your best efforts. What potential clients see when
they are away from the show are your materials.
7. If anything is given away at a trade show, be sure
that the giveaway incents long term business
as opposed to a quick, one time purchase.
IDEA 29 – Co Op with Any Vendor for This Type of

Marketing Opportunity
Vendors often establish co-operative marketing funds accounts
to match funds invested by businesses. It is to your benefit
to immediately recognize which vendors you use might have
such funds available, and tap into them as soon as possible.
Keep in mind that many of these funds are earmarked for
media exposure – such as radio or television, or even Internet,
marketing. Programs which you might not be able to afford on
your own can suddenly become not only available financially,
but very lucrative to you as you investment spend for name
recognition – and for the connectivity made in the mind of
the consumer when your name is associated with a larger
company or group.
Be sure that your position in the co-op is very clear and
that the expectations to be achieved in any campaign such as
this are clearly spelled out in the contracts required and the
documentation furnished to you.
Participate in marketing co-ops with a variety of different
items, which will help make your offering even more unique
for users.
IDEA 30 – Use Balloons or Clowns for the Kids

It’s a rare business that can’t find an advantage in attracting
children, principally because adults who pay for goods and
services follow their children. Using balloons and clowns to
attract and occupy the children offers you an opportunity
to speak to their parents. Adult parents worldwide appreciate
the attention shown to their children.
Clowns entertain, and balloons are excellent take-away
items for the children. If possible, be sure that they are filled
with helium which will make them float on the end of a

string tied around the neck of the balloon.
Also, be certain that every balloon given to children has your
logo or your trade name on the balloon.This is a follow up way
to focus attention on your business when the event is over.
Another event which has had great success in some parts
of the world is to bring in several animals not indigenous to
the area, as a part of a “petting zoo” or an area where kids
can interact with the animals. Be certain that the owners/
operators of the “petting zoo” have liability insurance – just in
case the animals inadvertently injure a child.
IDEA 31 – Give Away Free Ice Cream or Cake

Celebrate your store birthday! Just as everyone enjoys
celebrating their own birthday – an excellent idea on the
birthday of your business, is to throw a party – which is
attended by your clients or customers! This should be a festive
occasion, including ice cream or cake – and maybe even party
hats, depending upon your business type and location.
Make this as festive an occasion as possible, never hesitate
to have a discussion with your clients or customers about how
important they are to your business, how much you appreciate
their loyalty and support, and how you would not have been
in business to celebrate this birthday without their loyalty.
If appropriate, a small memento could be made available to
each “attendee” as a remembrance. Be sure that each memento
is logo’ed and includes your business name, address, and URL,
or Internet address.
IDEA 32 – Do a Once-a-month “Product Giveaway”

For those business owners in retail who secure trade stock from
vendors, approach your vendor about “comping” an item each
month as an item “Giveaway” from your business. Collect all
entry forms for the giveaway and database this list of registrees,
as this list can be used again and again for marketing directly
to proven customers.
Include a newsletter to your key customers that tells them
about the events occurring in your business. Make this newsletter
“their” key to what is happening in the business, and allow
them the opportunity to feel “ownership” in the process.
As this process is repeated several times, you can determine
the number of entries based on the value of the giveaway, and
over the period of a year or so, recognize a potential number
of entries for the giveaway. In addition, if databased into a
computer, you can even project the frequency of visits of
various customers to your business.This type of information is
extremely valuable in projecting sales volumes and revenues/
profits to be attained, and in making decisions about products
or services to maintain or manage.
Remember that the Four Step Cycle of Management
includes Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling.
Having names and addresses of customers helps you in three
of those four areas to better manage your business. Control is
your issue to address.
IDEA 33 – Use the Names Generated from Any

Giveaway for Direct Marketing
As you have the list prepared and itemized of business
customers and clients from Product Giveaways and from
Samples you have made available – as well as the client
lists from any talks about the business you make, you can
now utilize those names, addresses, and/or email addresses
for Direct Marketing. One-to-one marketing is the
most effective marketing which you can accomplish, and
marketing materials sent directly to a proven user will prove
to be quite successful in bringing the customer or client
back to the premises.
Guard this list of proven customers well, as it is a valuable
list of individuals who have entrusted you with their business.
When developing mailing lists, you will always have at least
two lists; a list which itemizes targeted users, and a list which
itemizes proven users. The proven users list is the most
valuable list you can use. These individuals have injected
funds into your business previously, and, consequently, have a
higher percentage opportunity of spending with you again.
If you find other ways to incent proven clients, such as coupons
or bundling of goods or services, you can assure yourself of sales
results. Many businesses keep two separate lists of customers – a
list which has been proven to generate sales immediately, and
a list which has been proven to build business more slowly, but
broader in scope. Both types of lists are important.
IDEA 34 – Develop an Audiotape Library and Loan It

to Schools and Organizations
Many schools and organizations have the ability to listen to
audiotapes on cassette, but do not necessarily have the ability
to watch a DVD or a presentation online.
Whenever you are asked to deliver a talk to an organization
about your business, take along a small microphone and a
digital recorder, and record what you say about your business.
Have copies of this made into an audiotape, and offer those
to local schools, colleges, universities, or organizations, as
they begin their study of business. You will find that they
will play your audiotape to a larger and larger audience. The
key here is to establish yourself as the Obvious Expert in the
areas of business you discuss.
You will find that those attending and listening to the
audiotapes will visit your business to find out more. Those
who have listened to the material may even have questions
about topics you have discussed. In this way, you will expand
your circle of customers outward from your business, and
create a strong sense of connection with those who accept
you as an expert. You may even be asked to help others set
up their businesses because of your experience and abilities.
Although it will be difficult to add these individuals to your
database of customers and clients, try to collect as much data
about them as possible.
Be sure to include a discount coupon inside every audiotape
case so that the listener can not only hear your presentation,
but come to your location and visit and discuss the business
with you. Many also include surveys for the listener to assess
the value of the material which he or she has heard.
IDEA 35 – Rename your Product and Up-Price It

A short anecdotal story proving that it is always possible to
up-price items. How much more you can charge depends on
how the items are packaged and presented.
Several years ago, in consulting with an ice cream shop, we
discovered an interesting phenomenon. We could reposition
or rename a product and increase the price of the item while
increasing both trial and ultimate sales.
While a two scoop sundae including one dry topping, one
wet topping, with whipped cream and nuts could be sold for
$2.39 – exactly the same product – but named Mary Jane’s
Delight – could command $3.59. This was exactly the same

product – but it was perceived differently by the customer.
Perception is reality when it comes to marketing. While
customers could order the components or the pieces of the
end product at a lesser price, adding a name to it seemed
to increase the perceived quality to a point where it could
command a significantly higher price.
Learn from this lesson as you look at products you have
available in your business which could be repackaged,
repositioned, and repriced.
If you own a hair salon, structure a package including
shampoo, rinse, and new brush for one price – 15% over the
individual components – and name it. If you own a pet store,
structure a package including pet food and a new feeding
bowl for one price, or a one price fishbowl, fish, and fish food
for small children. Many pet shops which sell small turtles also
sell a “turtle pen” which allows them to have an environment
where they have water, sand, and can walk around – at least as
much as turtles will walk around.
If you own a business which sells services, structure some of
your services in a package, or create a package – even with other
businesses – so that your clients will see a full value package of
services. Accountant? Handle not only bookkeeping but tax
returns. Management consultant? Develop a business plan and
a marketing plan for the client for one price as opposed to
charging separately. Business coach? Put together a package
of three coaching sessions and one with a “super coach” who
will support your ongoing efforts. In this way, your client has a
coach and has a “mentor” relationship. Upsell your packages and
create more interest and a higher price point for your sales.
IDEA 36 –Become the Obvious Expert

Provide seminars on Developing Your Own Business.
American Consultant Elsom Eldridge coined the term
“Obvious Expert” to explain what every business owner would
like to be…the “Obvious Expert” in his business.
The Obvious Expert status extends across the business
you operate to the marketing which helps you to build your
brand for your business. Eldridge discovered some years ago
that being perceived as an “Expert” in any area immediately
led credence to the experience you possessed in that area.
Moreover, he learned that people who want you to share
this experience will pay to have you teach them. Hence, he
coined the term “The Obvious Expert.” In his book How to
Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert, he discussed business
and business management from the perspective of over 150
different experts around the world.
Each expert was a notable author or lecturer in his/her
field, and had a variety of credentials to attach to his or her
name. This is the same process which you should follow with
your own business. After all, who better than you knows how
the business is set up, how it operates, what it needs to be
successful? All of these questions could be packaged into a
half day seminar, and you could teach others what you have
learned in the time you have been in business.
This is an excellent way to augment the income of your
business – by sharing with others the lessons you have learned
in the business development process.
Be sure that any publicity you garner from this approach
presents you as the Obvious Expert in this area. It is important
for your exposure to the general public to paint you as this
expert. As the expert, you will not only build your business, but
will gain added PR value when questions are directed to you,
or your Counsel is sought in areas in which you work, and you

will find that you are always noted as the “Expert” in this area.
IDEA 37 – Offer Liberal Credit Terms on Larger

Purchases
Although it seems like a very simple concept, you would be
amazed at the number of business owners who simply do
not understand the underlying concept of selling more at a
slightly lesser price.
You will often find in business that potential purchasers of
your goods or services will ask if you will offer them better
terms for larger purchases. It has been our experience that
there is no correct answer to this question but YES!
When you consider that the two underlying roles of business
are to drive innovation and to create profit – the creation
of profit, in many ways, can be determined more than any
other set of variables by the total amount of sales generated. It
only makes good business sense to accept a slightly lower fee
for a larger order. And offer liberal credit terms to the buyer.
Recoup your costs in the first payment. Then offer extended
terms, recognizing that each additional payment made will
only add to the profit which is generated.
Another extension of this is to offer excellent clients a
revolving credit plan which allows them to pay monthly for
their services based on an invoice you will present to them.
IDEA 38 – Sponsor Sports Teams Where Possible

Sports are a worldwide phenomenon which attract both males
and females, and are enjoyed by all ages. The specific sport
which is of most consequence depends where in the world
you are located, but – as a general statement – the sponsoring
of sports teams wherever possible will be an investment

which will pay off handsomely.
Not only will you have your logo on the sports jerseys each
time the teams take to the field, but it’s entirely possible that
you will be offered the opportunity to sell team jerseys, team
outerwear, etc.
Seize upon the opportunity to put your business logo on
everything possible associated with sports. That continues to
contribute to the top of mind awareness which is generated by
your name and logo, and as you build top of mind awareness,
more and more people become associated with your business.
Seek to have any sports team members you sponsor visit
your business on a regular basis, where fans can mix and
mingle. Get the team to do a “meet and greet” if you have a
retail business, or have them invite you and/or your employees
to team gatherings.Take important customers to the meet and
greet so that they can enjoy the mix and mingle, too.
IDEA 39 –Write a Series of Articles on “Developing

Your Own Business.”
With the explosion of digital media worldwide, readers are
always looking for interesting stories or “how to” articles
which allow them to assess the ease with which they might be
able to replicate the activities.
At any given time, anywhere in the world, there is a
market for a series of articles you would write about your
business… especially if you are a good storyteller and can
weave your experiences into the basic concepts of business.
Business owners are not always experienced and often make
serious mistakes.There is no other excuse for the 60%+ of busi
nesses which fail in the first year, worldwide. If business owners
were more astute, they would listen to those who have experience
in the area of business creation.You have that experience, or you

would not be reading and studying this material.
How should you start? Start at the beginning. Start by
telling a reader how you got involved in business. Talk about
your business principles and how you apply them to what you
do. Talk about the key concepts of honesty, integrity, and faith
to the dream you hold about your business. Talk about the
difficult times you’ve had and the keys to business success.
Many types of articles will find a home online or in
newspapers. As you continue to write, more and more of your
customers and clients will see your writing, and it will create an
image in their mind of a truly successful businessperson. This
will translate to business growth and development, which, in
turn, will fuel more writing. Don’t be afraid to tell your story;
it will be unique, interesting, and help build your business!
The most important part of this is the story that you tell your
readers. The critical part of it is to invite your readers to follow
up with you and ask questions, visit your business and discuss
your ideas about business, and learn why you have done the
things which you have done to make your business successful.
Even if your business is not as successful as you would
want, always present your business to the world as a successful
ongoing concern. Present yourself in a completely positive
manner and find ways to create synergy with your readers.
IDEA 40 – Have Your Customers Tell You What They

Want – Make It Easy for Them
One of the keys to success in business is to satisfy the needs
of the customer or client. But how do you know what the
customer or client wants? This answer is one of the more
simple answers – simply ask them.
“What,” you say, “do you mean?”
We mean exactly what we say. Ask your customers what

they want. We mentioned earlier that running surveys was an
excellent way to get feedback from your clients or customers.
Another great way to gain feedback is to offer pre-paid mail-
in comment cards. Customers will often anonymously offer
you feedback that they might be more hesitant to share –
especially about employees or interactions which employees
have with them.
Finally, if you own a business which lends itself to client
participation, we’d suggest that you conduct your own focus
group studies. Before you make changes or add additional
products or services, ask your customers how they feel about
it. It’s critical to your business success that customers and
clients feel comfortable with changes you make to your
business, so use the ability to ask them directly as a strong
positive in your business.
Once a month, invite 10 of your best customers to discuss
what they believe is the most important part of your business,
and discuss how to improve your response to consumers.
This will become an important part of your marketing
understanding of your business.
IDEA 41 - Keep Your Marketing Running for at Least

60 Days to Determine Success
Most Marketing Gurus will tell you that you must run any
marketing program for at least 60 days, and generally
90 days to see results. While it’s true that some marketing
programs can show results in a phenomenally short time, those
results attained are generally impulse responses, and don’t
represent a true return on your marketing dollar.
It’s important, too, that you recognize jumping from one
marketing program or advertising program to another confuses
clients and customers. When one message is started, another

message disrupts the flow of information to the customer.
To attain the highest marketing response, it is critical to
maintain an acceptable window of time for your programs.
Also, tie more than one marketing program or project
together. Do not let one marketing program determine whe
ther or not your marketing program will succeed; conduct
multiple programs at any one time. Track the results attained
with each and determine how best to spend your money for
future marketing efforts.
IDEA 42 – Wherever Possible, Stress Quality

The pursuit of quality in our business will always win
out over any other marketing or advertising program. Many
of today’s premier Marketers will tell you that you should
market at Full Price and stress the quality of your program
as opposed to cost cutting, which negates the value of your
program in the minds of consumers. The concept of MVP, or
Maximum Value Perception for the customer, is worldwide
in scope and importance.
Using pricing as a technique in your marketing drives a
wedge between you and the customer. When you attempt to
bring your full price back to the table, you will find strong
consumer resistance to the full price. “After all,” they think, “if
you’ve been able to make it by selling at a lower price, that’s
probably what the price should have been all along.”
Marketing and advertising as a science is difficult enough
without creating consumer resentment about your offer. Stress
quality in every product offering.
Focus not only on the quality of products offered, but also
on the quality of those working for you. Employee service is a
key element of customer satisfaction. If you constantly focus on
the strength of your offering, and how your products exceed

those of the competition, your MVP will prove itself out.
IDEA 43 – Learn to Talk to Customers about Their

Needs, Not What You’re Selling
Too many business owners are more focused on what they
sell than on the needs of their clients or customers. When a
Consultant is asked what he/she does, the answer should always
be, “Whatever the client needs.” Business owners should also
focus on selling what the customer or client needs. The
astute business owner will carve a time out of his/her busy
schedule to speak with customers or clients.
What will he/she ask? It’s probably more important that
they simply learn about their clients than ask a specific set
of questions of each. The knowledge of the client will assist
them in structuring the direction of the business. Every
business owner should plan on spending at least 25% of his
working time simply talking with his clients.
Within this 25% of your time, ask questions. Don’t try to
sell a customer on what you have available – let them sell you
on what you need to be doing.
IDEA 44 – Find a Way that Your Products Will Make

a Customer Look Better
Here’s a radical idea with grounded proof in research findings,
although many business owners will not want to believe it.
If a product makes a customer look better, he or she
is 74% more likely to purchase it. As human beings, we
are, basically, vain. We want to appear to be more attractive to
other human beings, and will invest funds in many different
ways to do so.
As a business owner, if you have products or services which

improve the appearance of your clients, you are significantly
ahead of business owners who do not have this advantage.
Combining this idea with the discussion idea with clients is
a win–win way to find out what a client wants, and how to
use it to make him/her more attractive. Keep in mind that
perception is reality. The customer does not actually have to
look better – only has to believe that he/she looks better.
Since it’s been said that a customer or client thinks that his
name is the sweetest sounding name in the world, it follows
that any positive spin which can be put on the appearances
which a client presents to the outside world will improve your
sales base. Find ways in which customers or clients will tell
you that your product or service improved their appearance
to the outside world.
IDEA 45 – Focus on Developing Prospects Rather

than on Enhancing Customers
When a proven customer arrives in your business, it’s always
important to welcome them and prove their value to you.
But as a business owner, it’s probably more important for you
to focus on developing potential prospects. If you have a
defined prospect program for identifying new prospects, you
should always be sure that you and all major employees in your
business focus on this critical part of your business.
If you do not have a formal prospecting program, develop a
plan to identify prospects and start the process to move them
from the prospect status to customer. Why? The prospect
offers you not only a new source of income and revenue, but
also offers you feedback and knowledge about competitor’s
products and specific consumer need.
Create this important role with subordinates in your business.
Award subordinates in your business when they present business

intelligence about other businesses which helps in the business
development role. Award customers when they tell you of
items you could offer which would increase their satisfaction.
IDEA 46 – Use Social Marketing to Your Benefit:

Online Customers Are Loyal.
Social marketing is the newest marketing phenomenon online.
The use of blogs, Facebook, My Space, Linked In, Twitter,
and other social marketing sites allow customers to keep in
touch with businesses and vice versa. Social marketing allows
customers to register their support and encouragement or
register their unhappiness with new offerings, with new pricing,
or with new business design, layout, colors, or even a new logo.
Social networks are communities of users and they function
as tools to connect with your business users, but they are not
necessarily the same thing to everyone. Everyone sees them
differently and uses them to communicate in different ways.
How can you take advantage of this phenomenon? Go online,
register your business with some of the Social Marketing
sites and then start talking to your customers.You will also
find prospects that search you out via social marketing.
We’ve heard comments that using social marketing might be
bad for business. Nothing could be farther from the truth. For
years and years, telephone landlines were “party lines” where
as many as 13 different users gathered on one set of copper
wires, and each party could hear what the other parties were
saying. So it is today with Social Marketing.The party line is just
significantly larger – it is the Internet, and it covers the world.
The American business writer Chris Crum, a writer for
Small Business Newz, asks a series of questions to assist in
making a determination if Social Marketing is for you.
Answer these questions and your direction should be clear:
• Is this network helping me communicate with my

customers?
• Is it helping my customers communicate with me?
• Is it opening the door for sales?
• Is it strengthening my brand?
• Is it helping me promote products/offers?
• Is it helping my company’s reputation?
• Is it helping me broaden my list of useful contacts?
Social Media Guru Chris Brogan offers what might be a

determining reason on whether or not to use Social Media as
a part of your overall marketing campaign.
“It’s not all about the conversation. It’s not a matter of

whether you get it or don’t. Like all things, it’s finding
what works, building from a foundation, measuring
progress, and adapting to new situations.”
Use Facebook as one of your first efforts to connect to your

customers or clients.
Develop an online blog and tell the world about your
efforts to build your business. Do not be surprised when
your customers or clients start telling you how to improve.
Bloggers are, by nature, a devoted group – both positively, and
negatively. If you’re doing something wrong, they will tell you.
Use their negative comments to paint solutions in a positive
manner. Focus the challenges with which you are faced in a
way which will allow your clients or customers to participate
in the resolution of any challenges you face. Ask their advice.
Participate in their forums online. Offer input – not excuses,

but explanations – when they are negative about your efforts.
IDEA 47 – Focus on What Your Competitor Is Doing:

Is It Working?
When business owners look to other business owners
for success and see that success has been achieved, they
often replicate what has been achieved. And there is
absolutely nothing wrong with that. Success is often fleeting,
but when seized in a business, the business can be enhanced
and strengthened. It’s important for business owners to look at
business layout, business operations, and business results – and
use these observations to make the operations of their own
business more successful.
Business owners may be able to reduce costs, improve
operations, and address needs in ways previously unrealized.
Never hesitate to take the best of your competitors and
implement what they are doing into your business.
Reward your subordinates and employees for presenting
you with solutions to challenges in your business.
IDEA 48 – Solve Problems Your Clients Don’t Know

They Have
It’s easy to recognize that businesses survive to satisfy the
needs of the client or customer. But what if that client
doesn’t understand his needs? What is the customer does not
know he has a problem?
Good business owners will investigate all the needs of the
client and offer alternatives for resolution of his/her challenges
faced and identify for the customer the alternatives which
exist to meet his needs.
How does this enhance marketing? In a clear cut way.

Marketing is the influencing of decisions made in a way
which sometimes is very open and sometimes occurs below
the decision-making level. If you as a business owner are able
to help a client solve an issue before it becomes an issue, you
will convert a prospect into a customer for life.
How can you solve issues for clients which they haven’t
identified?
• Ask your clients what challenges they are facing.

• Discuss the opportunities they face and how to resolve
them.
• Develop a multi-person group to focus on their
challenges.
• Never hesitate to ask probing questions which may
assist in recognition of additional challenges they face.
IDEA 49 – Spend As Much As You Can Afford to

Spend; It Will Pay Off Handsomely.
One cardinal rule in marketing is to spend as much as you can
afford to spend. Throughout this series of ideas, we’ve stressed,
“use the best paper you can afford.” “Print using color for the
best effect.” We will now add to that, if you are purchasing
media advertising, purchase the best media advertising that
your budget will allow you to afford. Why?
Marketing is a zero sum game if not planned for impact.
The process of marketing depends on creating a need in the
mind of the consumer for goods and services. The process of
advertising is the conveyance of that process. It stands to reason
that the better the marketing, the better the advertising, the
more impactful it will be on a consumer as he or she makes a
determination about the business.

Even if a consumer is making a decision on the subliminal
level, they will appreciate the higher level of advertising and
marketing and that will impress and influence them in a more
positive manner.
Influencing the customer or client is the objective of your
business. Use the dollars you have wisely and buy the best
program that you can for the money you have to spend.
IDEA 50 – Advertise for Additional Employees for

“New Operations Pending.”
In creating an image of a successful business for the consumers,
it’s often beneficial to advertise for additional employees.
This serves three immediate purposes:
1. It conveys the image of a very successful business; one

which is growing and seeking additional employees
to open other branches or business locations;
2. It conveys the image of a successful business owner
– one who is in tune with his/her business and
understands the dynamics of the changing marketplace
and the marketing needed to address that marketplace.
3. It may assist you in identifying new and more
senior employees who are drawn to the operation
because of “new operations pending.”
IDEA 51 – Offer Your Vendors Free Time in Front of

Your Consumers
When you work with vendors in your business, offering the
vendor an opportunity to display their wares in front of
your customers offers a phenomenal opportunity to all
three parties.
1. It allows the customers to see new and varied

merchandise which they might otherwise not see;
2. It allows the vendor to get direct feedback
from a real, live, customer base, and
3. It allows you as a business owner to be
able to better assess how your customers
interact with this specific vendor.
Marketing depends to a great extent on communication.

Communication between all the stakeholders in a sale transaction
always results in a better understanding of the components of
that relationship.
Section 3
Other Marketing Concepts for

Consideration
As you develop your business, you will find that many ideas
from other businesses may be translated into action in your
business in ways which you may not have foreseen. Concept
transplantation is rampant in business, with segments of retail
businesses duplicating concepts begun in other businesses.
There are few new ideas; simply transplanted ones.
Personal Selling is based on writer Robert Louis Stevenson’s
quote, “everybody lives by selling something.” It has been
expanded upon by the process of using a sales force to market
a variety of products at a variety of prices. Each person within
a personal selling model serves as a marketing tool for your
business, and each person wears the equivalent of your logo
on their sleeve when representing products and services.
Most direct sales personnel are well trained, well managed,
profit-oriented and motivated individuals who represent your
products or services well. Their role is to listen to the client or
customer, understand his/her needs, and blend your company’s
ability to service those needs into your product or service
offering. This is generally defined as a series of steps such as:
141 • Section 3: Other Marketing Concepts for Consideration
1. Prospecting and Qualification of Clients

2. The Approach
3. The Presentation
4. Development of the Close of the Sale
5. The Follow up Process
Direct sales professionals can fulfill an amazing role in the

growth of your business.
Direct Marketing. Direct marketing online generally uses
databases of clients with pre-identified needs, after which,
those needs are addressed with your products or services. Many
examples of Direct Marketing exist. Direct mail is one of these
forms, mentioned previously, but direct marketing addresses
an interpersonal connectivity. It can include the following:
1. Face-to-Face Selling
2. Kiosk Marketing
3. Catalog Marketing
4. Television and radio direct advertising
5. Telemarketing
Although all types of marketing may not be applicable in all areas,

a wealth of information is available online for those business
owners who want to pursue any form of direct marketing.
Relationship Marketing.There is no substitute for word of
mouth marketing. If clients or customers tell other potential
clients or customers about your business, and say good things
about what you’ve done for them, there is simply no amount
of money that can purchase the goodwill created.
Jeff Stripp, in his online Ezine article, “Different Types of
Marketing,” discusses the importance of word of mouth
and has this to say about word of mouth marketing at
http://ezinearticles.com
“Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful

forms of advertising on the planet. The best word
of mouth comes from satisfied customers. Go
the extra mile for them, and really work towards
building relationships with your customers. This
will result not only in more leads but they’ll keep
coming back to you in the future. Try running
special promotions or coupons for these regular
customers to help them feel that they are special
and you’ll really be able to continue to build on
these relationships in the future.”
Ajeet, a Marketing Expert with the website Answerbag, at

http://www.answerbag.com, summarizes our assessment of
Marketing Methods in this way:
There are 3 main types of marketing:undifferentiated marketing,

differentiated marketing, and concentrated marketing.
Undifferentiated Marketing assumes everyone is the same

and aims a particular product at everyone.
Advantages: Easy to plan, doesn’t miss anyone.
Disadvantages: Can be wasteful, ignores segmentation, can
lead to disappointing sales.
Differentiated Marketing aims the product at specific seg

ments in the market. The company may be trying to sell
exactly the same product to different segments but it will
change its promotional methods and the image it creates.
Advantages: Separate mix can be developed for each
segment; different markets can be easily identified.
Disadvantages: Can be costly, message may by-pass some
customers.
143 • Section 3: Other Marketing Concepts for Consideration
Concentrated Marketing aims at just one small market.

Advantages: Small firms can concentrate their marketing,
allows a specific mix to be developed.
Disadvantages: Ignores other areas of the market, can cause
problems in future as may make it more difficult for company
to expand.
In Closing…
In today’s recessionary spiral, every good business

owner wants to do more with less. Every business owner
seeks ways to increase sales and revenues. Period.
There are always challenges to increase customer traffic, increase
website traffic, or to increase mail orders, more effectively, for
less money.Your business can be a simple mail order business,
an online venture that sells hundreds of items across borders,
or a multinational corporation which employs hundreds and
hundreds of employees.
And yet, everyone seems to want to present Marketing as
a nebulous and the most difficult part of running a business.
You need to know what to do, you need to study how to get
your marketing message right, you must focus on marketing
to customers or clients in this specific way, you need to
understand segmentation and market demographics, or you
won’t be successful. It’s enough to make you throw your
hands up in disgust!
But now, you now have the knowledge and the tools to
boost your sales and attract new customers.
145 • In Closing ...
READ APPLY SUCCEED
You have read The Small Business Development Program and

completed the first part of your trip.
Now you must apply your knowledge and use the tools –
diligently and correct.
Remember:You can succeed!
Appendix
Due Diligence Checklist
Client
Physical address
City: State: Post Code:
Country
Personal Contact Information
Name:
Home Telephone: Work Telephone
Fax: Email
In most cases, we develop a Marketing Plan for our clients. If so,
what is your purpose for developing a Marketing Plan? Who is it
for – who is targeted? How will it be used?
Discuss the business background of the ownership group

emphasizing any past business ownership and directly related
experience. Discuss any existing employees as sources of
resource information.
How is the management of the company organized? This can
be directly tied to the potential success of any plan we develop.
Is the company a Corporation? Where is it registered?
What specific industry shortfalls, voids in the market, or com-

petitor deficiencies have you currently identified as strategic or
tactical opportunities? We will, of course, analyze the market-
place, but please share your thoughts.
How do you believe you can capitalize on these opportunities?

What steps need to be taken? Specifically, what concrete and
measurable goals and objectives have been currently estab-
lished?
What are the keys, in your mind, to ongoing success of our mar-
keting venture? What current success stories can you share?
Describe your target market. Who is your customer? If your

group is part of another group (especially with a subcontracting
or licensing relationship) give examples of targets.
Discuss the market size and any trends to include the current
size of your target market, growth rate, changes occurring in
the make-up of the market and changes affecting the need
and/or ability to afford your products and services.
What strategic (long term) opportunities are presented by your
target market?
Is overall competition increasing, stable or decreasing? Why do

you think so?
Compare your business in your mind to the competition in
your marketplace.
List competitive advantages between yourself and the compe-

tition, considering such factors as price, quality, and perceived
value; differences in product and service platform, financial
resources, marketing budget/program, access to suppliers,
operational efficiencies, and strategic partnerships.
What barriers to entry are currently in existence which might

make it difficult or impossible for any new competitors to enter
the market?
Share any of your ideas about marketing strategy. How could
we differentiate you from the competition? What makes you
different, unique or better? What makes you stand out? New
techniques? Unique products? Any element of superiority?
What’s the sizzle?
Please describe your business landscape. Be specific. What are

your strategic advantages?
Where would you perceive the level to be where you are suc-
cessful? What do you envision as success? Percentage increas-
es? Numbers of employees?
Describe your ideal long term or exit strategy.
When completed, please return to Justice Mandhla at FAX

+27 086 685 7642 or electronically to learninglife@mweb.co.za
For the latest information about our products and
services, please contact Learninglife
Email: learninglife@mweb.co.za
Postal address: PO Box 51136, Protea Glen, 1818,
Johannesburg, South Africa
Website: www.businesslearning4life.com
Reference websites
http://www.businesslearning4life..com/
http://www.longlife4learning.com/
http://www.mystudent4life.com/
Print-based books:
The Business Prep Guide: ISBN 978-0-620-44133-9
What they didn’t teach you in school: Life long learning tips to land
a job straight out of school: ISBN 978-0-620-43059-3
Articles
www.jobsearchgetthatjobfast.blogspot.com
www.mystudent4life.wordpress.com

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Print book ISBN: 978-0-620-44201-5

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What They Didn’t Teach You in School: Life-long learning

The Business Prep Guide: Everything the business start-

Your Small Business Development Program is a three-

Part 1 of your Roadmap consists of the Goals Report, the

Part 2 of your Roadmap is your Workbook

Part 3 of your Roadmap is your Manual of Study

This book is about marketing, advertising and promotion of

The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 is a compre­hen­

For more information about the author visit the following

Marketing is defined as creating a need in the mind of the

solid examples of expected action, and they help us define the

The easiest way to begin our goal-setting is by creating the

My objective for my business is to grow my business by

Congratulations! You’ve just taken the first step toward

Corollary Two: The Goals developed must offer a time

Simply growing My Business by 15% could be attained in a

sell them a product or service their needs? This strikes at the

Corollary Three: Focus on Key Result Areas and how they

But all these concepts, although helping to demonstrate

1. Can you successfully source the necessary

the customer might be for a product or service, and

So now, you’ve come up with at least eight different contingent

My objective for my business is to increase the sales by 15%

And against that new, more expanded Initial Goal, we could

1. My objective is to increase sales 25% in the

full two year period and a fair price point.

Corollary Four: Be certain that the subordinate goals are

One can see how adding these various subordinate goals to

Support this Initial Goal by no less than three secondary Goals.

Why should you place so much emphasis on setting and

• Developing written goals enables you to plan your

The Planning Process is a continuous process in business by

accept, and is part of the 4 Step Cycle of Management:

Corollary Five: Be certain that your goals work in tandem

With that having been said, let’s do some goal development.

Q2: What specific objectives do you want to achieve from

Eight Keys to Marketing Success

Using the Success Wheel

As with any wheel which is supported

success is a transitory term – how you measure success one day

The First Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

How can you use Marketing Acumen to your benefit?

Marketing Acumen Rule #1

To assess where you stand, ask yourself these questions.

1. Is your marketing program directly in competition

Let’s take a bit more detailed look.

Marketing Acumen Rule #2

Marketing Acumen Rule #3

The Second Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

if it is a good idea, what the demand for the product or service

The Third Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

1. True or False – Marketing a business is the same as

Any marketing you undertake should be designed

2. True or False – It is easy to spot the role that

3. True or False—We can gain insight into the

The Fourth Marketing Success Attribute: Marketing

The Real Estate Case Study of “The Use of Marketing Expertise”:

Rule #1 for Balancing Sales Psychology: Don’t even think

The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 is a comprehen