Finding Clients Can Be A Pain - How To Market Your Business By Word Of Mouth

Finding clients can be a real pain in the neck if you have to go door to door and bug people. Most business owners are busy enough without having salespeople showing up at their door to pitch them something. As an office manager for a real estate company I used to deflect all those sales people right out the front door. They never had a chance to talk to any decision makers. So how do you market yourself to businesses if you cannot get in to see the key people?

For one thing I never shut up talking about my business. No matter where I am at or who I am talking to I find a way to work my business into the conversation. If you practice this you will see that it really isn't that hard. Here is an example. Maybe you are an insurance agent. The next time you are out with friends for lunch bring up the topic of auto insurance and how high it has been getting lately. People love to talk about prices rising. Then in that conversation bring up how your just signed with a new company who offers great rates and good coverage.

Become a part of local organizations like the Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce. These are great places to talk about your business and meet others who might be interested in what you are offering. At the very least you will meet people who know a lot of other people and may be able to refer you some business.

Finally, do business in your local community. Three of my largest clients I met because I was doing business with them. I own some rental property and so I needed a dead tree cut out of the yard. The guy who did it is now partnered with me to do internet work. I was able to talk about what I do and he was immediately interested. You will find that people you are spending money with are more likely to spend money with you.

Finding clients can be a pain if you are going door to door, but with these three methods you can get enough business by just networking to never need to beat yourself up like that again. When you learn how to bring your business into every conversation, when you join local social groups, and when you do business with locals you will find that getting business isn't hard at all.

Promotional Pens - Can Define The Fate Of Your Business

There are lots of products in the market that can be used for promotion but promotional pens are the most preferred ones, now here are some questions you may have in your mind so let's try to answer them one by one.

You can opt for any item of your choice but pens have an edge over the others, as they give a huge variety to choose from.They are the best promotional product because of three factors- the cost, a pen would cost you nothing more than a pound secondly the exposure, it changes many hands giving better exposure to your company and thirdly the time factor it lasts longer than some other expensive promotional items which makes pens perfect for large and small businesses.

Where do I get them?

you can order for custom printed ones from any dealer who specializes in custom printed products.When you order them place the order in bulk as you would get great discounts, some companies can give you more varieties of designs than others. They are popular because of the flexibility in designs, you cannot only print the name of your company but you can print an entire photograph on to it.

Is it time consuming?

No, not at all the printing process is simple all you have to do is convey your idea to the designer and accordingly they will show you designs and samples then you can choose the one you like and place the order. These prints are done mechanically so it takes two to three days for the entire process to complete but some companies can deliver the final product within 24 hours too.

Which one to choose?

There is a whole lot of varieties to choose from like ball point, fountain etc but when it comes to promotional items, ball pens are the most preferred one as they are easy to print on and reasonable than fountain but it's your choice you can choose the one that suits your taste and budget.

Marketing Writing - It's Time To Revise Your Written Business Materials - Write The Best Materials

Your written business materials are outdated, irrelevant or simply do not reflect the current state of your business. How can you get the best product with the most efficient use of your resources? You want high quality business materials designed to attract exactly your target market. You need to feel confident and proud when you hand over written materials, or give out your website address. You want writing that explains what you do in such a way that you predictably get inquiries, questions, contacts and opportunities to discuss your services and products as a result of providing the information. What do you need to keep in mind as you go through the revision process?

1. Make it about them, not about you. Don't brag about all your qualifications. That's not going to get you their attention and interest. It's certainly not what you lead with - unless you want to turn prospects off forever. Talk about THEM. Know your target market so thoroughly that you are able to describe their lives and their problems as they experience them. Be especially detailed in describing the problem you can help them solve. You must be able to present this information in such a way that they instantly recognize that you "get" the problems they are dealing with.

2. Create a "writing system" - a sequence of documents each designed to more deeply distinguish your business from others, and move potential clients one step closer to working with you. A writing system works like this - your tagline arouses curiosity and interest. Your elevator speech creates interest and attention. Your one page executive summary gives a high level description of the way your business works. Your website gives all the in-depth information. Special reports and articles demonstrate various facets of your expertise. Each piece intrigues and explains and increases the comfort your target market feels in getting to know you better and approach you. You end up with a piece of information that is appropriate at every step of the process of converting a prospect to a client. All the written pieces are coordinated as a whole and the system produces predictable responses.

3. Get expert help. This will save you money and time and deliver better results - more clients and more revenue. Unless you're an expert marketing writer, your efforts will be amateurish and ineffective. If you are an expert marketing writer, you probably will be too busy working your business to devote the time that this writing project needs. Is it a savings to not take care of business and to lose revenue so that you can save the cost of a professional writer?

4. Be crystal clear on your target market. Don't forget that they need to have a budget for your services - if they don't, can they truly be your target market? The more intimately you know, understand and can describe those prospects that you want as clients, the more effective your written materials will be. If you don't have depth of knowledge of your market, you're targeting incorrectly. Either change your target or do what it takes to get that knowledge and experience.

5. Set yourself apart from other businesses with your description of the benefits and results that your clients have experienced. These benefits and results need to be described from the viewpoint of your existing or former clients. Do this in such a way that your readers FEEL how great those results feel to get. You want to invoke hope and desire for those same results in your prospects.

Revising your written business materials is a big task. Make sure that you get a final products that brings you clients and revenue - consistently and predictably.

Suzi Elton provides business writing that attracts targeted prospects to your service business and converts them into clients for you. She is a Robert Middleton Certified Action Plan Marketing Coach, as well as a professional writer. Her website offers a free series of 8 assessments you can use to analyze your own site.

B2B Marketing: How to Do It

Businesses offer their products and services not just to their consumers but also to other businesses. This type of relationship is referred to as B2B. Because the needs and demands of businesses are so different from those of the consumers, your marketing strategies will also suit them.

Here are some tips:

Look for a joint partner.

One of the most effective and less costly B2B marketing tips is to look for a joint partner. For one, you can share the business costs with your partner. Moreover, you can easily increase your customers.

Here's how it works: You are selling mobile phones and your partner offers phone accessories. Since both of your businesses complement, you can offer your products to your partner's customers and vice versa. This process is also known as cross-selling.

Join trade fairs.

Though trade fairs are costly, especially if they are going to be held in other states or countries, they are still worth it. There, you will meet not only potential customers but also businesses. Moreover, trade fairs are participated by thousands all throughout the event duration. By the end of the fair, you can have a comprehensive list of potential business to business marketing database. And if these weren't enough, you're actually allowed to sell in trade fairs, so at the very least, you can recoup your expenses.

Be a member of your business organization.

There are two good reasons to join. First, you can easily increase your credibility. It's not easy to be part of a prestigious organization. You should be deemed trustworthy and capable before you can be accepted. Second, it's one of the best ways to build network connections. It's not difficult to find a potential business partner. If not, the other members can provide you with referrals. A lot of them are also very supportive. They'll be more than willing to carry your products and services for a very small commission or profit.

E-mail your interests.

Would you like to sell your products to a particular business? Would you like to discuss a proposal? Why don't you e-mail your interests to them? This actually spares you and your prospect the time and effort of coming up with a meeting and seeing each other. If he or she doesn't want it, he or she can immediately say no.

Say your intentions.

If you need a business to help you out, then you just have to say it directly. Talk it over with your friends and family members. Who knows, they are interested partners. If not, they can provide you with leads.

Publish your need.

Another way of offering your products and services to business owners is through publication. A common business marketing technique is to place an ad in newspapers, preferably in the business section.

Jugular Marketing

When I sit down with a business owner for the first time, I will always ask them what marketing activities they have tried to-date. Whether they explain them or show me samples, they will often feel that their marketing activities haven't worked.

"We did trade shows, but that didn't generate us one customer."

"We tried direct mail and that didn't work."

"I'm on Twitter, but that's not getting me any business, it's a waste of my time."

All of the above are what I like to call Marketing Vehicles - tradeshows, direct mail and Twitter, to be exact. Do these vehicles work? Of course they do. Google them and you will find success stories tied to any marketing vehicle. So how come they don't seem to work for you? It might be because you are going for the jugular. In other words, you are trying to go directly for the sale instead of simply engaging a prospect to take the next step.

If you have a low risk, low price product or service, you will probably find some success in jugular marketing, but if you are marketing something that requires the prospect to trust you or the product you need to re-look at WHAT you are saying or doing in a marketing vehicle, instead of changing the marketing vehicle itself.

An example of Jugular Marketing is the one for SobeSportsClub(dot)net

Imagine you are single and a member of the opposite sex approaches you on a night out. The conversation goes something like this. "Hi, my name is (LOGO). Let me say that it again (because it takes up 1/3rd of the ad, so it must be important). I have a lot of amazing qualities you would love about me (they're all listed here in bullet points). So, do you want to get married (there's that infamous phone number at the bottom that screams, buy from us)?"

There is no reason for me to act today and quite frankly I'm not looking for many of these attributes in a gym. But what if you focused the ad more on the buyer than yourself? What if you made it easy and less risky for me to take the next step? The ad might then look more like the one Gold'sGymCanada(dot)com has.

If we were back in that social situation this one might equate to: "You look like you might want some company and obviously enjoy places like this (after all the headline shows you understand me and highlights a major motivator for me". I am having a get together in another place like this (some key features and a complimentary VIP pass). It's next Wednesday (there's time limit on it). If you would like to come and get to know each other better, check out the details (drives them to more information and a place where they can act easily and with minimal risk)."

Which one would cause you to act more easily? The latter allows Gold's Gym to capture more prospects. It allows them to better measure the effectiveness of the message and tool (VIP pass) they are using. But most importantly, it allows the prospect to try them out at no cost.

Next time you are looking to execute on that marketing tactic, avoid jugular marketing. Try capturing leads instead of going directly for that sale.

Mobile Marketing Campaigns That Work

Mobile technology is here to stay and professional writers, coaches, consultants and even brick and mortar companies can generate a highly effective and profitable income using a well thought out mobile marketing campaign. Lets think about it we have almost replaced wrist watches with the convenience of a cell phones clock. We don't leave the house without our phone so we don't miss any calls add to that the free texting that's becoming more common on most carrier plans and the literal addictiveness of texting and you have a recipe for reaching your prospects nearly instantly.

Even more importantly you will have the ability to receive nearly instant responses all using the convenience of this new and exciting communication medium.

So what are some examples of a Mobile Marketing Campaign?

> Keywords - Lets say someone wants to stay in touch with you via SMS then you just need to set up a keyword to be texted to a short-code (4 0r 5 numbers) and after they text you with that number their mobile phone number would automatically be added to your database/opt-in contacts.

> Text Alerts - Create text alerts can provide you with automated alerts to customers who text in with a keyword to you at a time you decide fore example. Whether your a coach, consultant or a fitness gym that wants to provide special discounts or event alerts, bad weather or maybe your a martial arts team that wants to provide the up to the minute competition results.

> Voting - Maybe you would like to know which of your products your consumers like best, thats easy to do just have them send an SMS to one or another number and you can easily tabulate the results. Again your options for creating comparison voting campaigns is really limited only by your imagination.

> Contests - Thats right you can actually create highly popular competitions, remember everyone likes a winner. Just set up a prize and have the contestants use a keyword to optin and then just pick a random winner. Or you could award the first on to send a message after they see your twitter message that alerts them to send the message (the twitter message may be an advertisement for a new product) and the first to send a SMS wins a free copy.

> Survey - Just setup a couple of keyword numbers and announce the options to your facebook followers for example. Than just tabulate the results. You could even put up a poster at your deli and ask your customers to participate as they wait for their order to be completed.

As you can see this can be extremely powerful to virtually any professional looking to profit from a mobile marketing campaign.

Preserve Your Impression With Custom Envelopes

No matter whether your mailing needs are for personal or business use, the envelope that your letter or documents arrive in give your recipient their first impression and as we know, first impressions are valuable.

Generally, when we consider envelopes our typical image is that of a dull white envelope with very little to no personality. If you have not previously considered it before, (or perhaps you did not know the option was available) custom envelopes are an excellent way to make a valuable first impression on your recipient.

With today's advances in design and technology, the available options for custom envelopes are virtually endless. Ask any designer or direct mailer and you will often find that the appearance of an envelope can often distinguish the difference among letters, which are directed to the pile of junk mail and those which are classified with importance. In addition, custom envelopes can also go a long way in preserving a memory for letters of sentimental value and leave the recipient with an elegant design and personal touch that can be preserved for an entire lifetime.

When customizing an envelope, the possibilities for designs are endless. Thee are no restricting boundaries that require you to keep your envelope to any specific shape or color. It is entirely possible to custom order an envelope that is translucent neon in color in the dimensions of 7x8 or any other of your choice. Choosing your material for the design of the envelope as well as any embellishments that you would like incorporated are also possibilities that you may wish to consider. Metallic, rounded edges, large or miniature envelopes; there are no restrictions to what you can create.

For those who are considering custom ordering envelopes for their business or corporation, incorporating your company logo or motto to your envelope may be the option you have been looking for in customizing the delivery of your documents. Adding your logo or design to the envelope immediately informs your recipient of the sender and can greatly help diminish the amount of important mail that somehow winds up in the pile of junk mail.

Perhaps you are to be married soon and are searching for the perfect envelope in which you can send out your wedding invitations. Custom-design envelopes are highly sought after in these occasions and are highly raved about for being elegant and occasion appropriate.

Regardless of your mailing needs, considering custom designed envelopes can go a long way in preserving not only the impression but the lasting memory of your mail as well.

The Gathering: Social Marketing, Old School

The brave new world of Web 2.0 offers a wide array of platforms that allow businesses to connect virtually with the people who want what they've got.

But long before the advent of the Social Web - before anyone had ever heard of Twitter, Meetup, Craigslist or Facebook - social marketing flourished. From Tupperware parties to trade shows, whether in living rooms or convention halls across America, people came together in gatherings to connect with products, sellers and other customers like themselves all at once.

And while today's culture of hyper-connectivity has dealt much of traditional marketing a fatal blow, the gathering has stood the test of time. In fact, social technology has given new life to the gathering. No longer confined to fixed time slots or venues, the content and conversations of events now live on in perpetuity through social media, event-specific websites and online video.

This relationship works in the other direction as well. As communities form around common interests on the Web, real-world gatherings are a natural extension of members' online interactions. Like a handwritten note in the age of e-mail, the face-to-face connection has become a rarefied, premium experience in a time when virtual connectivity is always only a finger-swipe away.

For these reasons, it's important to make sure that gatherings have a place in your marketing arsenal and that you're investing time in engaging with your tribe of followers offline as well as online.

"Ideas worth spreading"

A recent gathering I attended began like a bad joke: an artist, an engineer and a socialite walk into an auditorium. This time, however, there was no punch line.

Instead, I was participating in a TED event, and the room was electric with the pre-show buzz of right and left brains, liberals and conservatives, vegans and slow-food carnivores wearing "I <3 Meat" t-shirts.

For decades the famed TEDTalks have brought together artists, angel investors, designers, doctorates, engineers, entrepreneurs, communicators and community leaders, all in pursuit of one common passion: "ideas worth spreading." With its famously short talks (25 minutes or less), TED is a petri dish for innovation, and most followers would sever their right arm to attend the invitation-only conference in Long Beach, California.

Historically, the group met in druid-like seclusion. But with the ascension of new leadership came a new vision: world-changing ideas should actually be shared with the world. The arrival of online video gave TED a second, virtual life, and in the early 2000s, TED.com began offering free access to full-length videos of its proceedings.

For years, TEDophiles like myself have gobbled up this content online while dreaming of experiencing it in person. Fortunately for us, the masterminds behind TED realized that ordinary people everywhere have ideas that could change the world, or at least their local communities.

So in 2009, TEDx Events were born, with TED lending its name, brand collateral and mission to independently planned and executed local gatherings. In December 2010 alone, 165 TEDx Events were held in 54 countries.

I myself became an official TEDster on September 24 at the inaugural TEDxCharlotte, right in my hometown. A dream came true as I sat with hippies and hipsters for one glorious day of ideas worth spreading.

As TEDizens like me have discovered, it is the gathering itself that is the holy grail, not just the content and information. The conversations and connections that can be sparked when people meet and share experiences in the real world are deeper and longer-lasting than those that are confined to tweets, Facebook wall posts or even forum message boards.

Gathering your tribe

TED is a shining example of the value of creating opportunities for people to meet and interact with others who share their interests.

However, you don't need their massive, worldwide following to harness the power of the gathering to grow your business. You just need to identify the commonalities that unite your tribe and orchestrate an event that taps into their shared passions and provides an outlet for engagement.

Remember that those who would make the effort to spend time and energy with you are your champions. They are people who believe in - or at least are interested in - your product, service or company enough to bother.

You don't have to dazzle them. But you do have to show up, make authentic connections and give them something of value for their effort.

The end result? They will love and trust you more.

In order to ensure the success of your gathering, here are some key points to keep in mind:

Bigger isn't necessarily better

Often, the slicker and more carefully controlled the interaction, the less special the event can feel.

Instead, just keep it simple. Invite a handful of your best customers or, if the invitation is open to all, limit registration. This will foster an atmosphere of intimacy and privilege for those in attendance.

Most importantly, don't use the event as a ruse to assemble your followers for a sales pitch. Be genuine and focus on delivering something of real value.

Show what you know

If you're a service provider, your customers routinely pay for your knowledge and experience.

Play to your strengths by hosting an educational gathering related to your area of expertise. For example, a lawyer could offer a free estate planning workshop to recent retirees or present a seminar for small business owners about the implications of recent health care legislation.

The payoff for this type of effort is a group of prospective clients who believe in your credibility as a knowledgeable resource and trust in you more than your competitors.

Break out of your box

Perhaps people associate your business with a particular line of services or products even though your catalog is actually much more diverse.

A gathering is a great opportunity to shed some light on your less well-known areas of expertise. For instance, a pest control specialist might know as much about protecting garden vegetables from aphids as floor joists from termites. A lecture to the local garden club could open a new niche market hidden from competitors' view. Likewise, an interior decorator could offer working moms a workshop about organizing with style, thereby becoming the savior of the super-busy.

The power of privilege

Treat your best customers (the ones you or your staff know by name) to a special appreciation event. Give away products and thank them sincerely for being so faithful to you.

They will love your company all the more and become even more vocal evangelists for your brand.

Party like it's $19.99

If your brand or your products already have a fan base, give those fans an excuse to get together and have a good time - all under the banner of your brand.

You're throwing the party. They're your fans. The conversation will inevitably lead back to you. You don't have to force it. Think gallery crawls, wine tastings or product launch parties.

For the love of rewards

Oh to be in the audience the day Oprah gives everyone a new car. Most days, though, you're at least going home with a free book.

When you host an event, reward the effort people make to attend by giving away products to those who show up. Better yet, give more products to people who bring others with them. In doing so, you're not only giving them a no-risk way to experience your product or service, but you're incentivizing them to spread the word to others as well.

Use the Web to promote your gathering

If you want a large event, invite all your Twitter followers. If a smaller gathering of your best customers is what you're after, send direct messages to only the most active or influential among them.

You can even turn your event into a contest by challenging your Facebook fans to share why they love your products in order to win a place on the guest list. You'll not only have an instant list of eager attendees, you'll also reap some great testimonials for later use.

Transcend time and space

When your event is over, share pictures or video online to demonstrate the good time had by all and the value those who attended received. For example, if your event was instructional in nature, offer a recap of the tips that were covered or access to video of a presentation delivered at the event.

The important thing is to get people talking about your event and keep them talking - and sharing, and linking to, and blogging, and status updating and tweeting - about what wonderful people you and your staff are and how much value they find in your product, service or expertise.

The Real Benefits of Mobile Marketing for Your Business

How can mobile phone marketing benefit you? Well let me tell you how, today our world has become obsessed with technology. Mobile marketing is known as wireless marketing and has become a sixteen billion dollar industry.

Consumers and Advertisers should take full advantage of this by using the mobile phone ad platform. It can benefit you as a consumer because advertisers cut cost by using this as a way to reach you as their audience. It is also a very convenient way to find information or make purchases. Advertisers who use mobile marketing are a step ahead of other businesses. It is the most innovative way for advertisers to reach a certain demographic.

Targeting consumers by location, time of day, devices and brand names, and even tags to connect your ad to can be achieved. There is no down-side to mobile marketing because it is very affordable and has many ways it can fit into any companies budget. Mobile advertising companies are user-friendly with tools to help advertisers market, monitor, and control their advertising campaigns.

With technology like the iPhone and other Smartphones we have access to reach people globally. Mobile marketing has a very bright future with over two hundred and fifty million Americans who carry mobile phones. Each person who carries a mobile phone uses it as a key to their social lives. Theses numbers are likely to increase because this is the way of the new generation and for generations to come.

Banners can be placed on websites like Facebook and other social networks, text messaging can be a source to advertise, and the App store can also be a way to reach an audience. The possibilities are endless of how advertisers could use mobile marketing as an advantage in their advertising campaigns. People today enjoy the options given to them through their mobile phones and will continue to in the future.

If you have a company and want to maximise your earning potential mobile marketing is for you. If you want to have your advertisement known all over the world and accessible to everyone at anytime then go with mobile marketing.

Roo Sadegi is a marketing specialist based in London. He spends much of his time writing and advising on new marketing and mobile technology.

Small Business Marketing Ideas - What Is Social Proof and Why It's Important

When it comes to small business marketing ideas, "social proof" doesn't usually come to the minds of business owners. Local business owners typically think in terms of the features of their business, rather than the benefits. Small business marketing ideas that focus on benefits, along with "social proof" of those benefits, will always be more successful than marketing programs that focus on features.

Small business owners typically must wear many hats such as bookkeeper, financier, marketer, as well as providing the vision. And most aren't specifically trained in all these areas, so they do the best they can.

So let's start with some marketing basics, like what is the difference between a feature and a benefit? It's pretty easy to figure out the features - if you look at a product, the features are its size, its weight, its color, its name. The features of a business can include hours of operation, location, what services and products it offers, how much these products and services cost.

Benefits are harder to discern; they are usually intangible and involve feelings. How will a customer "feel" when they use the product or service? Will your business give the customer a satisfied feeling, a successful feeling? The more you are able to convey what the benefit is the customer will get from using your product or service, the more likely your campaign will attract new business.

Taking this one step further, you must provide proof that the potential customer will experience these benefits. What is the best way to do this? Social Proof! Social Proof includes things like testimonials, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, etc. Testimonials are by far the most important and MUST be real. Always include several testimonials in your advertising with the name and location of the person giving the testimonial. A picture, if possible, adds more impact to the testimonial.

Coming up with small business marketing ideas is easy, if you have the right tools. Always focus on benefits in your marketing, and always include social proof. If you do these two things, your results will skyrocket!

Claire Moore is a Small Business Consultant providing tools to help entrepreneurs turn their dreams into successful realities.