Marketing for Small Business Owners: Marketing Blog has new home!
http://marketingworkshops.ca/wordpress/
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Marketing Blog has new home!
Attention Small Business Owners
My marketing blog has a new home: http://blog.MarketingWorkshops.ca
be sure to book mark this page
My marketing blog has a new home: http://blog.MarketingWorkshops.ca
be sure to book mark this page
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Printed Newsletters Work
do you have a newsletter? "You should" is what Lane Snider will tell you.
News keeps them updated with the current events, ads don't. In addition, they are not interested in reading purely marketing pitches. That is the reason why newsletters are a hit!
Newsletters are informative letters mailed to subscribers. They are printed and mailed so as to inform and to profit as well. Quality and reliable newsletter printing services is thus, a must in order to come up with valuable work of art. Moreover, a good interaction and mutual purpose to succeed must be the goal of both the printing company and the customers. This goal will lead to persuasion. Persuasion will then result to an intimate contact and trust between the company and the target recipients. These elements will trigger the boost in your business sales.
Newsletter printing services is a great way to keep your business associates, their employees and other subscribers aware of your company's endeavors, announcements, innovations and other changes. Printing options are ample - color printing, digital printing, offset printing and the likes. These printing processes are of high-quality and budget-wise. Features like graphic and custom design can also be availed of. With these features you can make your newsletters flashy and eye-catching. With the latter, you can personalize by using your own images, logos and pictures. That way your company will be identifiable and retention will likely to take place. Further, when they decide to purchase or subscribe, your product or service will be on top of the list.
Newsletter printing services also suggest having 90-95% news or content and only 10-5% ads so as not to bore the readers and close the pages to your business detriment. Do not forget to edit and proofread your contents. Any flaw or defect will reflect on your company. Editing and revision will surely improve the quality of your newsletter. To be more economical, you can opt for a one or two-color newsletter which measures 8.5 x 11 page-size saddle-stitched. Also use quality paper to complement the content and to give your newsletter an aura of finesse and an air of class. When you find it troublesome in various newsletter phases, seek assistance from the printing experts.
Basically, newsletter printing services are backed up by skilled professional makers to assist customers in the complex environment of printing.
PS: Be sure to give Lane a call at 1.888.333.3961 for more information on No-Work-Newsletters and mention "Gregor's Blog" for a special offer.
Lane recently sponsored my Sales Secrets Seminar and gave a great talk on newsletters and I thought I'd share with you more on this great low-cost marketing initiative. (It costs you less than a half decent cup of Starbucks coffee!)
Do Newsletters Work?
Many of my clients ask me if newsletters work. The answer is Absolutely, positively!
Newsletters will attract new clients, retain existing clients, and play an important part of your follow up contact strategy. I've been using Infusionsoft and AWeber for some time and highly encourage you to contact Lane Snider for hardcopy newsletters.
Links:
Why Printed Newsletters Work
People are more likely to read news than ads - that is! They are thinking that ads are just a bunch of self-serving 'puffing' so they divert to a more interesting activity and that is reading news.
News keeps them updated with the current events, ads don't. In addition, they are not interested in reading purely marketing pitches. That is the reason why newsletters are a hit!
Newsletters are informative letters mailed to subscribers. They are printed and mailed so as to inform and to profit as well. Quality and reliable newsletter printing services is thus, a must in order to come up with valuable work of art. Moreover, a good interaction and mutual purpose to succeed must be the goal of both the printing company and the customers. This goal will lead to persuasion. Persuasion will then result to an intimate contact and trust between the company and the target recipients. These elements will trigger the boost in your business sales.
Newsletter printing services is a great way to keep your business associates, their employees and other subscribers aware of your company's endeavors, announcements, innovations and other changes. Printing options are ample - color printing, digital printing, offset printing and the likes. These printing processes are of high-quality and budget-wise. Features like graphic and custom design can also be availed of. With these features you can make your newsletters flashy and eye-catching. With the latter, you can personalize by using your own images, logos and pictures. That way your company will be identifiable and retention will likely to take place. Further, when they decide to purchase or subscribe, your product or service will be on top of the list.
Newsletter printing services also suggest having 90-95% news or content and only 10-5% ads so as not to bore the readers and close the pages to your business detriment. Do not forget to edit and proofread your contents. Any flaw or defect will reflect on your company. Editing and revision will surely improve the quality of your newsletter. To be more economical, you can opt for a one or two-color newsletter which measures 8.5 x 11 page-size saddle-stitched. Also use quality paper to complement the content and to give your newsletter an aura of finesse and an air of class. When you find it troublesome in various newsletter phases, seek assistance from the printing experts.
Basically, newsletter printing services are backed up by skilled professional makers to assist customers in the complex environment of printing.
PS: Be sure to give Lane a call at 1.888.333.3961 for more information on No-Work-Newsletters and mention "Gregor's Blog" for a special offer.
Gregor F. Anton
Friday, April 3, 2009
Marketing on a Budget
Many business owners put off beginning to market their business until sales increase. While this may make perfect sense to an accountant, it is more often than not a poor choice for a business owner to make because until something is done to increase the sales they will usually stay where they are or decrease.
Most marketing companies probably won't be willing to offer you extended billing terms. They have to cover themselves financially and if you are unable to make the investment now they may feel that you will be unable to pay them in the future. You may have to work with them for a while before they will be willing to offer you any sort of extended billing terms. Don't take it personally - you don't expect to walk out of the grocery store with a cart full of groceries and then pay next week. Until your marketing company is comfortable with the situation you shouldn't expect any different. If you don't have the resources available to invest in your marketing then you may want to consider taking out a personal loan from your bank or using credit cards.
Marketing Makes Your Phone Ring!
If you have the best tasting soup in the world
If you have the best tasting soup in the world
and nobody is there to taste it, you're eating by yourself!
It can often be difficult for established companies to set aside the time and financial resources necessary to effectively market their company, and it can seem impossible for a fairly new company. You can solve half of this equation almost immediately by hiring a professional marketing company. Now you just need to figure out where to find the financial resources to complete the other half of the equation. This can be accomplished with a little bit of research. There are many reputable marketing companies out there that will be willing to work with a company that may have limited financial resources but under the circumstances you will need to be realistic with your expectations.
Before you waste another cent on advertising
that does not work... attend my Marketing Bootcamp
(It comes with a great price... Free!)
Most marketing companies probably won't be willing to offer you extended billing terms. They have to cover themselves financially and if you are unable to make the investment now they may feel that you will be unable to pay them in the future. You may have to work with them for a while before they will be willing to offer you any sort of extended billing terms. Don't take it personally - you don't expect to walk out of the grocery store with a cart full of groceries and then pay next week. Until your marketing company is comfortable with the situation you shouldn't expect any different. If you don't have the resources available to invest in your marketing then you may want to consider taking out a personal loan from your bank or using credit cards.
The old adage, it takes money to make money... is very true.
The Good News is that it doesn't have to be alot of money!
You need to work out your cost of client acquisition and think in terms of "buying customers". For John to buy x widgets, what am I willing to spend for him to make the purchase?
Some of the marketing companies that you approach may be willing to reduce the price of their services to help you get started. If this option is available to you, it can make a significant difference in what you can accomplish with a particular sum of money. There are some things to consider in this scenario. If you are paying reduced rates you should expect that the marketing company may not be able or willing to meet with you and take your calls at times that are convenient to you. By offering lower rates they may need to fit you in when they are able to. Most will also not offer extended billing terms for clients that are already getting reduced rates.
If you've gone through all of the marketing companies but have been unable to find one that you felt comfortable with and would work with your situation, then you may be forced (at least temporarily) to handle it yourself. This is still a workable situation - you'll just have to be creative and put a little more time into it. Below are some tips to stretch your marketing dollars.
If you've gone through all of the marketing companies but have been unable to find one that you felt comfortable with and would work with your situation, then you may be forced (at least temporarily) to handle it yourself. This is still a workable situation - you'll just have to be creative and put a little more time into it. Below are some tips to stretch your marketing dollars.
Stretching Your Marketing Dollars
1. Produce a co-op brochure or direct mail piece. You can collaborate with other companies related to your business but in non-competing niches. For example, if you own a restaurant that specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine, you could find a grocery store that specializes in Mexican foods and produce a brochure or direct mail piece with them. This would cut your cost in half and allow you to expand your exposure, you would both benefit from a similar clientele, and you could both immediately benefit from each other's existing customers.
2. Offer to volunteer your services in exchange for recognition. If you owned a catering company you could offer to cater a networking event in exchange for them mentioning your company in their handouts. You now have the opportunity to market your company to all of the attendees of the event. I host events on an ongoing basis, so if you offer complementary services or products, reply back to set up a joint venture.
2. Offer to volunteer your services in exchange for recognition. If you owned a catering company you could offer to cater a networking event in exchange for them mentioning your company in their handouts. You now have the opportunity to market your company to all of the attendees of the event. I host events on an ongoing basis, so if you offer complementary services or products, reply back to set up a joint venture.
3. Offer to do a Q & A session to the public on a local talk radio channel. They usually discuss various subjects throughout the course of their radio program and many companies have used this to their advantage. A mortgage broker using this method of marketing would quickly be established as a local expert and would remain in their prospects minds since they would hear them at least once each week.
4. Offer a contest to create a buzz about your business. A great contest for a car dealership would be to offer contestants the compete to win a car by simply putting there hand on a part of the car and not allowing them to move it. As the contestants become fatigued they will move their hand from the car, becoming disqualified. The last person remaining wins the car. Many car dealerships have used (and continue to use) this method with much success because people will usually jump at the chance to win a car and it's the sort of thing people talk about.
5. Attend my Sales & Marketing Bootcamp. There over 100 ways to market your business, and I'm not talking about cookie cutter, mass marketing. Many techniques are low cost or no cost.
PS: I just announced two Free Marketing Bootcamps for Wednesday April 8th. At the Central Park Business Centre in East Vancouver / Burnaby from 9am to 11am and another in downtown Vancouver at Yaletown Marina Pointe from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Seats are going fast, be quick... register at www.MarketingWorkshops.ca
Gregor F. Anton
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Surviving and Thriving in this Economy
If you have you stopped watching the news, you're not alone. It's hard to keep positive when the media is bombarding us with recession and depression talk.
How to Thrive in ANY Economy
What the media is not telling you...
- There have been over 23 bear markets since 1900
- For every bear market there has been a recovery
- While corporate giants struggle, the agile Small Business thrives
How To Survive in ANY Economy
The word Economy comes from the Greek word for "house manager". The one place where we generally insist on the careful expenditure of money is in our own home.
In today's economy and any economy for that matter, smart business owners operate their business like their personal financial affairs.
Tighten that belt and spend your money wisely. Cut costs. Just don't cut back on your marketing efforts. You'll need the phone to ring more than ever now, albeit your marketing efforts need to be effective. If they aren't, stop wasting another cent on advertising and give me a call.
In today's economy and any economy for that matter, smart business owners operate their business like their personal financial affairs.
It's Spring Cleaning Time!
Where do you spend your money?
Where do you spend your money?
Tighten that belt and spend your money wisely. Cut costs. Just don't cut back on your marketing efforts. You'll need the phone to ring more than ever now, albeit your marketing efforts need to be effective. If they aren't, stop wasting another cent on advertising and give me a call.
Ten Areas That Could be Costing You...
...More Than You Think
...More Than You Think
I've helped hundreds of business owners save a bundle, simply by reviewing cell phone bills, invoices, and their return on investment. One of these areas saved one person over $1000.00... Read more here
How to Thrive in ANY Economy
Profits lie hidden in your business. If you've attended one of my Sales & Marketing Workshops, you have no doubt heard me say:
"If you have the best tasting soup in the world,
and there is no-one there to taste it,
you're eating by yourself."
and there is no-one there to taste it,
you're eating by yourself."
When FedEx founder Fred Smith was laughed at for his "overnight express delivery" idea that resulted in a "C" grade at Yale and only 3 packages shipped on the first day of operation, he said the solution is simple. Just add more packages!
#1 Increase Your Database - Get more clients, generate more leads. There are over 100 ways to effectively market ANY business. How many are you employing? Are you using the same old tactics? Relying on word of mouth? If the phone is ringing, good. If you're making sales, great. If you answered no to either questions or you'd like to make more sales, the answer is to increase your database. Get more leads and get them now. Curious how your business stacks up? Complete my five minute Lead Generation Assessment and I'll offer you suggestions. Click Here
#2 Increase Your Unit of Sale - Sell more. Upsell Strategies (Would you like more fries with that?) work GANGBUSTERS! It did for Mac Donald's. It can for you. Just one of my 101 Sales Secrets can double your sales and triple your profits. Scroll down for more info.
#3 Increase Your Frequency - Sell more often. What promotional offers do you have for March Madness? St. Patrick's Day? Easter? Mother's Day? A great follow up strategy will get you an 18% response rate. Guess what the #1 reason for lost sales? No follow up!
Not convinced you should attend this event? If your sales are booming then stay home (and refer someone). If your sales aren't where you'd like them to be, then you simply can not afford not to attend this event!
PS: Would you happen to know of anyone that would benefit from my newsletter? Please forward this email to them and encourage them to sign up at www.PowerfulMarketingInitiatives.com
The success formula hasn't changed!
(You just have to use it and constantly revise it)
(You just have to use it and constantly revise it)
#1 Increase Your Database - Get more clients, generate more leads. There are over 100 ways to effectively market ANY business. How many are you employing? Are you using the same old tactics? Relying on word of mouth? If the phone is ringing, good. If you're making sales, great. If you answered no to either questions or you'd like to make more sales, the answer is to increase your database. Get more leads and get them now. Curious how your business stacks up? Complete my five minute Lead Generation Assessment and I'll offer you suggestions. Click Here
#2 Increase Your Unit of Sale - Sell more. Upsell Strategies (Would you like more fries with that?) work GANGBUSTERS! It did for Mac Donald's. It can for you. Just one of my 101 Sales Secrets can double your sales and triple your profits. Scroll down for more info.
#3 Increase Your Frequency - Sell more often. What promotional offers do you have for March Madness? St. Patrick's Day? Easter? Mother's Day? A great follow up strategy will get you an 18% response rate. Guess what the #1 reason for lost sales? No follow up!
Discover...
Closely Guarded Sales Secrets
...that you must know to Thrive In Your Business. Attend my Sales Secrets Seminar on Friday March 20th at the Vancouver Alpen Club and walk away with 101 Sales Secrets. Be Quick... Seats are Going Fast! For more info visit www.SalesBell.caClosely Guarded Sales Secrets
Not convinced you should attend this event? If your sales are booming then stay home (and refer someone). If your sales aren't where you'd like them to be, then you simply can not afford not to attend this event!
PS: Would you happen to know of anyone that would benefit from my newsletter? Please forward this email to them and encourage them to sign up at www.PowerfulMarketingInitiatives.com
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Sales Secrets Seminar
Increase Sales Now
The Smartest Strategy to Surviving and Thriving This Uncertain Economy
But How Do You Do it?
"The focus is on Sales... In this increasingly competitive world,
being good at what you do is not good enough.
You must communicate and persuade more effectively than your competitors.
That's selling!
Discover... Closely Guarded Sales Secrets
that every business owner, sole proprietor, and salesperson must know...
(and wish they did prior to the recession)"
But How Do You Do it?
"The focus is on Sales... In this increasingly competitive world,
being good at what you do is not good enough.
You must communicate and persuade more effectively than your competitors.
That's selling!
Discover... Closely Guarded Sales Secrets
that every business owner, sole proprietor, and salesperson must know...
(and wish they did prior to the recession)"
Sales Secrets Seminar
Friday March 20th, 2009
at the Vancouver Alpen Club
4875 Victoria Drive, Vancouver BC See Map
from 9am to 4pm
Limited Seating
Only 50 Spots Available... and they're Going Fast!
Take Advantage of the Early Bird Special
Join Gregor Anton (aka "The Seminar Guy") for this high-energy, and interactive no non-sense one-day event designed to Get your Sales Motor Running and profits soaring.
The content of this seminar gets you thinking beyond the day-to-day, reactive sales activities and focuses your attention on the strategic direction of your company.
This event is suitable for the absolute sales novice through to a seasoned sales superstar. Gregor will cover the basic yet powerful sales fundamentals, as well as high impact, cutting-edge sales strategies, which are guaranteed to boost your sales results to new levels instantly.
All participants will be given a comprehensive workbook to capture all the ideas and secrets presented, for you to use as reference as you begin the process of massively transforming your sales skills and subsequently your companies' results!
Fact #1 - You own a "Sales and Marketing Company" first and foremost
...and subsequently must operate in such a manner
...and subsequently must operate in such a manner
The content of this seminar gets you thinking beyond the day-to-day, reactive sales activities and focuses your attention on the strategic direction of your company.
Fact #2 - Selling is Easy... People make it Difficult
This is a no non-sense, hype free, reality based, meat & potatoes seminar
This is a no non-sense, hype free, reality based, meat & potatoes seminar
This event is suitable for the absolute sales novice through to a seasoned sales superstar. Gregor will cover the basic yet powerful sales fundamentals, as well as high impact, cutting-edge sales strategies, which are guaranteed to boost your sales results to new levels instantly.
Fact #3 - It's not what you earn. It's what you learn
Just one of Gregor Anton's Sales Secrets can dramatically increase your sales...
...Gregor will share 101 Sales Secrets with you!
Just one of Gregor Anton's Sales Secrets can dramatically increase your sales...
...Gregor will share 101 Sales Secrets with you!
All participants will be given a comprehensive workbook to capture all the ideas and secrets presented, for you to use as reference as you begin the process of massively transforming your sales skills and subsequently your companies' results!
Gregor F. Anton
Sales & Marketing Expert
CEO, Small Business Marketing Coaches Inc.
"Let me show you how you can
Double-Your-Sales and Triple-Your-Profits!"
(and make your competition wish they attended this seminar)
Double-Your-Sales and Triple-Your-Profits!"
(and make your competition wish they attended this seminar)
Gregor Anton is a unique and distinctive authority in the field of strategic sales & marketing. He has an uncanny ability to problem-solve and substantially increase bottom line profits, almost, without fail. He identifies patterns that limit and restrict business growth and subsequently facilitates the creative implementation of high-performance, success driven results.
Gregor has held key consulting positions in small, large, and multi-national corporations across Canada, USA, and Europe, which provide a wealth of knowledge at your perusal. Gregor successfully operates businesses in Vancouver, Calgary and Kelowna and has the sought-after skill set of ‘Sales, IT and solid business acumen’ rolled up into one. Rare indeed!
Gregor has held key consulting positions in small, large, and multi-national corporations across Canada, USA, and Europe, which provide a wealth of knowledge at your perusal. Gregor successfully operates businesses in Vancouver, Calgary and Kelowna and has the sought-after skill set of ‘Sales, IT and solid business acumen’ rolled up into one. Rare indeed!
7 Reasons Why You Must Attend This Seminar
- One Day Jam-Packed, Results Driven No Non-Sense Sales Seminar
- You'll walk away with a minimum of 101 Sales Secrets proven to increase sales
- Strategic Sales Workbook that you don't want your competitors to get their hands on
- We'll cover Licensing & Franchising Tips and Tricks that you need to apply in your business
- You'll get a complimentary copy of my Special Report: Generate-More-Leads Now! (Retails for $99.00)
- One Year Complimentary Subscription to my Sales & Marketing Newsletter (Retails for $9.95 per month)
- Includes Breakfast and Lunch
Who Should Attend:
- Business Owners
- Sole Proprietors
- Entrepreneurs
- Startups
- Sales People
Sales Secrets Seminar
Friday March 20th, 2009
at the Vancouver Alpen Club
4875 Victoria Drive, Vancouver BC See Map
from 9am to 4pm
Limited Seating
Only 50 Spots Available... and they're Going Fast!
Take Advantage of the Early Bird Special
Thursday, February 5, 2009
One Million Acts of Green
Last fall, CBC and The Hour have mobilized Canadians to commit One Million Acts of Green. In partnership with Cisco, and the power of their 'Human Network Effect' the collective goal is to change how we live and how we treat the planet, one act at a time.
The campaign officially kicked off on Tuesday October 21, 2008 at 11pm on The Hour. See http://green.cbc.ca/default.aspx
No more paper... no more sticky notes... no more cocktail napkins (alright, maybe just the occasional one when my iPhone is low on battery juice...)
If you've attended one of my Marketing Workshops (www.MarketingWorkshops.ca), you've heard me say "Your Database will Make You Rich, Your Products and Services will not." To say it's true is an understatement... I have over 300,000 records (contacts) in BC alone; Over a dozen landing pages (websites that capture leads); Hundreds of Email Templates, Documents, Faxes, and a Operational Procedures Manual that I've taken digital. Whether you have only a shoebox of contacts, lists with hundreds of entries, or an organized database of sorts, a CRM system will help you do more in less time.
According to DestinationCRM.com, "CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is a company-wide business strategy designed to reduce costs and increase profitability by solidifying customer loyalty. True CRM brings together information from all data sources within an organization (and where appropriate, from outside the organization) to give one, holistic view of each customer in real time. This allows customer facing employees in such areas as sales, customer support, and marketing to make quick yet informed decisions on everything from cross-selling and upselling opportunities to target marketing strategies to competitive positioning tactics."
Simply put... you can put your follow up on steroids while your conversation rates and profits soar.
The UK Government's Small Business Services Department offered this practical advice:
Three CRM Picks
that are low-cost and even no-cost
What is One Million Acts of Green?
One Million Acts of Green is a massive, nationwide environmental movement. It's not about overhauling your life it's about doing one single act.The campaign officially kicked off on Tuesday October 21, 2008 at 11pm on The Hour. See http://green.cbc.ca/default.aspx
One Act of Green...
...Increased Our Bottom Line
We went green by virtually eliminating paper trails. With Infusionsoft, a customer relationship management software for small to mid-size companies. More low-cost / no-cost solutions at the bottom of this email....Increased Our Bottom Line
No more paper... no more sticky notes... no more cocktail napkins (alright, maybe just the occasional one when my iPhone is low on battery juice...)
Saving 1 Day a Week
while increasing Conversion Rates
and Tripling Efficiency
In a nut shell, we do more in less time, not only have we gone green but we are now saving 1 day per week thanks to an automated, streamlined, organized system that keeps us accountable, increases conversion rates and triples our efficiency.while increasing Conversion Rates
and Tripling Efficiency
What is CRM?
If you've attended one of my Marketing Workshops (www.MarketingWorkshops.ca), you've heard me say "Your Database will Make You Rich, Your Products and Services will not." To say it's true is an understatement... I have over 300,000 records (contacts) in BC alone; Over a dozen landing pages (websites that capture leads); Hundreds of Email Templates, Documents, Faxes, and a Operational Procedures Manual that I've taken digital. Whether you have only a shoebox of contacts, lists with hundreds of entries, or an organized database of sorts, a CRM system will help you do more in less time.
According to DestinationCRM.com, "CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is a company-wide business strategy designed to reduce costs and increase profitability by solidifying customer loyalty. True CRM brings together information from all data sources within an organization (and where appropriate, from outside the organization) to give one, holistic view of each customer in real time. This allows customer facing employees in such areas as sales, customer support, and marketing to make quick yet informed decisions on everything from cross-selling and upselling opportunities to target marketing strategies to competitive positioning tactics."
Simply put... you can put your follow up on steroids while your conversation rates and profits soar.
Business Benefits
of Customer Relationship Management
of Customer Relationship Management
The UK Government's Small Business Services Department offered this practical advice:
"Implementing a customer relationship management (CRM) solution might involve considerable time and expense. However, there are many potential benefits."
- Increased Client Base
- Increased Sales
- New Profit Streams
- Repeat Sales
- Effective Target Marketing
- More Personal Approach
- Improved Profitability
- Reduced Expenses
- Reduced Cost of Client Acquisition
Three CRM Picks
that are low-cost and even no-cost
There are plenty of CRM systems out there. ACT and Maximizer for example have been on the market for a very long time. They require software to be installed on your computer while Saas (Software as a Service) aka hosted CRM solutions, they require just a browser, are accessible anywhere from any machine, and your data is backed up, and secure. Take it from someone that has implemented sales & marketing strategies wtih CRM for over 15 years at mom and pa shops and private swiss banks. You will want to go with a hosted system. Here are three picks, plenty more out there. I recommend you start by watching a demo that outlines the power that you can unleash with your CRM system. Infusionsoft has a great demo, FreeCRM and Salesforce offer free editions.
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