Real Entrepreneur, Worried About Coronavirus?

Yesterday, April 15, was Tax Day.

Except ... it wasn't.

Because the IRS pushed the date to file and pay taxes back to July 15, due to Coronavirus.

Now there's a silver lining, eh?

I'm not joking.

If you're a real entrepreneur and you (like me) work for yourself because you CANNOT work for anyone else ...

... you are hard-wired to look for silver linings in dark clouds.

It's what you do.

You are a solution finder.

A problem solver.

Or else.

That's why I hope you request my new playbook, "7 Ways to Protect Your Business During Coronavirus and Thrive When it's Over."

If you're not the kind of person to take this pandemic thing lying down, this is for you.

Download your free copy now ...

Are You the Boss of Your Business?

Do you own a business?

If so, be careful.

Because your business may be bossing you around ... and costing you money.

Here's the story ...

I once overheard a discussion about strategy and tactics, between a boss and an employee. It went like this:

Boss: "Me strategy. You tactics. Me say. You do."

Employee: "Okay, boss."

Now, look at your calendar for last week. How much boss work did you do? And how much employee work?

If you own a business, you get paid the big bucks for doing boss work. Everything else is employee work ... which pays less.

You need to decide what's going to happen, who's going to do it, and by when. That's strategy -- boss work.

Answering email, updating your website, paying bills, those are tactics -- employee work.

And every minute you spend on that, you're under-paying yourself.

In the book, It's a Brand New Game, by Michael Patterson, Richard Branson says: "Try and find people to take over 99 percent of what you do, which will then free you up to think about the bigger picture."

So: You do boss work, strategy. Let employees do tactics.

If you found these ideas helpful, claim your Free Client Cloning Kit here.

Fast Track to New Profits

photo by Paul Lannuier from Sussex, NJ, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0]

Did you know?

There's a simple, yet profound difference between ordinary entrepreneurs and wealthy ones.

The difference is a sense of urgency. Because money is attracted to speed.

Dan Sullivan, the founder of Strategic Coach, told my coaching group that, when he shares a good idea with millionaires, they start implementing it the same day. They take fast action. Success is of urgent importance to them.

But when Sullivan shares that same idea with less-wealthy people, he said they start making excuses why it won't work for them. They don't take fast action. Sometimes they take no action. Success is not urgent for them.

I've experienced this firsthand.

A few years ago, I spotted a small trickle of cash flow in my business that held great promise. So, I dropped everything else and took fast action to exploit it. By working urgently and creating systems, that trickle turned to a flood of revenue ... and I paid off my mortgage 25 years early.

Money is attracted to speed.

Maybe you've heard this idea before. Fine. But what are you doing about it? And what will you do about it TODAY?

And one more thing ...

If you want more new clients faster, request your Free Client Cloning Kit at my website.

More New Clients, Without Advertising

You can build a thriving business on just a handful of great clients and referral partners.

It's simple, really.

Pick great people, serve them to the best of your ability, and put your long-term relationships with them ahead of any short-term sales.

That last part is vital.

The relationship must come first. When you take care of that, the money will follow. But if you put money first, you will churn and burn your way through clients and find yourself on a treadmill of costly advertising and funnels.

When you're talking to your best clients and referral partners by phone or in person -- email is NEVER a substitute -- listen for personal details that pop up in conversation.

Where did they go to school? What are their hobbies? Names of their spouse or children?

The more you learn about your best clients and referral partners personally, the better you can treat them personally, and the more they will reward you professionally.

This is how you go beyond intangible concepts like retention, and build a business on real and lasting relationships.

One more thing ...

If you found these ideas helpful, request your Free Client Cloning Kit at my website

How to Sell More in 45 Minutes

Want to sell more of your product or service this week?

With about 45 minutes of effort?

It's simple. Just do more of what's working.

Let me show you …

I just analyzed my sales data for the past year in my Salesforce CRM. (You DO have a CRM, don't you?)

Total time invested: 45 minutes.

What did I find?

Findings
----------
1. Of my last 18 sales, 10 of them were repeat sales to past clients. Not surprising.

2. Of my top 5 clients who paid me the most money, all 5 were referred by people I met at marketing events. Frankly, this was surprising.

Actions
----------
1. I booked my tickets to two more marketing events, to keep meeting high-level prospects.

2. I will add qualified prospects I meet at those events to my mailing list of printed newsletters (not email spam). The follow-up by U.S. Mail is helpful for them and automatic for me.

3. I will mail a gift to key past clients within 10 days, to show my appreciation. The gifts will be helpful for them and pave the way for repeat sales, which helps us all.

Takeaways
----------
1. Where did your last 15-25 sales come from?

2. How do you know?

3. What are you doing to get more sales like them?

One last thing. If you found these ideas helpful, please request your Free Client Cloning Kit at my website

The Inner Game of Marketing

Did you know?

Up to 90% of your success in business has nothing to do with external factors, like the economy or your competitors.

Instead, the vast majority of your success hinges on what happens inside your business. Your core values, daily operations, and decisions about marketing -- to name a few.

That's not my idea.

It's the finding of two very smart business consultants from Bain, Chris Zook and James Allen. Their book, The Founders Mentality, reveals that it's what you do INSIDE your business that really matters.

Because the best, most-profitable businesses get there by taking action on their own agendas -- not by reacting to their competitors or the economy.

And in my experience dating back to 1994, there are at least 3 opportunities to engineer a breakthrough in your marketing by making proactive changes inside your business:

1) Referrals. What are you doing to generate and reward more referrals?

2) Order size. What are you doing to increase the size and frequency of purchases?

3) Optimization. What are you doing to test and improve your marketing?

One last thing. If you found these ideas helpful, please request your Free Client Cloning Kit at my website

4 Marketing Lessons From The $105-Million Man

At $105 million per year, who has the highest salary in baseball?

Scott Boras. 

Wait, what? Yes, that’s right. While Bryce Harper and Manny Machado each have contracts worth over $300 million, and Stephen Strasburg tops all annual player salaries, with $38.3 million …

... the man who takes home the most money every year in baseball is an agent.
Scott Boras rakes in $105 million annually from $1.88 billion in contracts for about 175 MLB players.

Scott Boras (photo credit: MissChatter on Flickr)

Here’s a look at how he taps into the real money in his industry, with marketing lessons you can profit from in your industry. 

First, specialize. Boras negotiates only baseball contracts. As a result, he and his 75 employees -- many of whom are former MLB players -- have mastered the intricacies of negotiating 9-figure deals for clients.

Second, serve. Players describe Boras as a guy with their best interest at heart, like his first client, Bill Caudill, who said: “From day one, I knew I could trust Scott.” The Boras Corporation employs attorneys, sports psychologists, financial experts and others -- all to serve their clients’ wide-ranging needs.

Third, make it personal. According to an article on Managerskills.org, “Boras understands that the most important part of his job is maintaining human relationships [with] clients, talking to them about their injuries, their lives, their relationships, and their kids.” Which proves the old saying that nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

Finally, work hard and smart. Raised on a dairy farm, Boras works long, hard hours. More importantly, he works smart. As a former minor leaguer, he knows baseball. As a former attorney, he knows negotiating. He got two of his first clients by selling himself as the only ex-lawyer and ex-pro player they would find as an agent -- a unique selling proposition that has proven, shall we say, lucrative.

So, there it is. A shortlist of tactics one man has used to tap the real money in his industry. I hope you use them to do the same in yours.

One more thing ...

If you want more clients like your best clients, claim a Free Client Cloning Kit here.

Marketing Myopia: Do You Make This Mistake?

Here's a question I get asked a lot: "What common mistakes do you see business owners make in their marketing?"

Well, look. I don't know everything about marketing, or even most things.

But I can see things differently by looking at someone's business from the outside.

And the #1 marketing mistake I see is this: Taking short-term, tactical actions without a long-term, strategic plan.

It's a fact: Most business owners don't plan their marketing more than a day or two in advance. They have no weekly, monthly, or annual plans -- nothing.

Of course, no marketing plan ever survives first contact with the customer. The landscape changes every day and your plan should be flexible and allow for changes.

But the act of planning your marketing gives you clarity and power. And unless you base your plan on answers to questions like these:

• Who are my ideal clients? 
• Where are they?
• How can I reach them cost-effectively?
• How much money can I invest in tactics to "buy" them?
• When will I deploy those tactics? 

... you're at the mercy of anyone who tries to sell you a bright, shiny marketing object.

Example: I was talking to a very smart guy last week. He's in charge of marketing for a $10-million business. He asked me, "A magazine called me up and wants me to be in their next issue, about the 10 most influential marketing officers in America. It costs $5,000 for a feature article."

I asked, "Did you plan on spending five grand for print publicity?"

"No," he said. "But it sounded like a good idea when they called me."

It was not a good idea, by the way. We talked it over. I raised several red flags and saved him $5,000.

But that kind of thing happens every day. You might call it marketing myopia. Or simply a failure to plan.

Whatever you call it, know this: If you don't have a plan for your marketing, someone else does.

You might as well plan strategically, which simply means writing down your marketing calendar and budgets in advance. Otherwise, you are easy prey for someone else's plan. And you may be parted from your money, with little or nothing to show for it.

One more thing: If you own a business in the U.S., there's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting to be shipped to you. You can try it Free. Click here now.

How to Finish 2015 Strong and Leap Into 2016

Today is the first day of December.

It's a perfect time to look back on 2015 ... and forward to 2016.

As a reader of mine, I'd like to help you do that -- with 3 questions I ask when analyzing the past and planning the future.

Here they are:

1) What's working?
Do more of that.

2) What's not working?
Fix or stop doing that.

3) What's next?
Invest more time and money in what's working, and less in what's not.

If you want to finish 2015 strong and get a jump start on 2016, let these 3 questions be your guide.

And the best time to start is NOW.

One more thing: I just created a new Cheat Sheet that reveals 4 ways to "force" Amazon to build your business, at no cost. Click To Download Now

5 Wealth Ideas I Paid $3,197 to Get (Free for You)

Twelve days ago, on June 11, 2014, I landed in Cleveland, Ohio for Dan Kennedy’s Advanced Wealth Academy, an event I gladly forked over $3,197 plus hotel and airfare to attend.

The two days I spent with 200 other entrepreneurs locked in a room with Dan, were, simply, incredible.

I’ve been to intimate training sessions with Gary Halbert, Brian Tracy, Jay Abraham, and others ... but nothing compared to this event for the sheer number of light bulb moments I experienced. It was like fireworks in my brain.

And you missed out.

Or did you?

You see, I’m a copywriter. I have to type fast and take excellent notes to do my job. And I took excellent notes at Dan’s Advanced Wealth Academy -- 17 single-spaced pages of notes, to be exact.

Now, I can’t share my entire set of notes with you, out of respect for Dan’s intellectual property (and fear of his attorneys). However, I can share what I believe to be ...

The Top 5 Things Dan Kennedy Said That Can Make You Rich

#1: Money is attracted to enthusiasm.
Sincere, passionate interest in what you do causes money to come to you. If you lose track of time and forget to eat, you’re enthusiastic about what you do. MOST people are in a business they don’t love, selling to people they don’t love; this cannot turn out well

#2: Money loves shameless promoters, self-promoters and salesmen.
There’s a little PT Barnum in all the wealthiest people. Trump and Buffett do things differently, but both are Barnum-esque. Peers hate rich promoters. Money tends to flow to the people who get things sold

#3: Money is attracted to speed demons.
You can’t get any traction while you’re parked. A HUGE difference between poor and rich people is a sense of urgency. When Dan was broke, it was an urgent matter for him not to be broke tomorrow, not someday. For maximum speed to wealth, invent less and implement more

#4: Money favors the rogues and renegades.
A LOT of money is made by recognizing that rules are for other people. Disregard rules, disrupt established order, and leap-frog up the ladder

#5: Monetize EVERYTHING.
By monetizing only the “now” buyer, you waste 50-90% of your money. Understand this: Your marketing dollars don’t just pay for every buyer; you pay for every website visitor, caller, walk-in, email, and contact. You need aggressive lead capture, follow-up, and schemes to get money from unconverted leads. There is often more money in what you’re not monetizing now than in the buyers you’re getting now

Pretty good stuff, eh?

Action Step: Which idea will you implement first? I’d love to hear how you plan to do it!

Example from my own business -- just 3 days ago, I helped a client rake in $115,000 (and counting) from a webinar that we promoted via email and other methods. Today I’ll write him another email to monetize his unconverted leads; if we don’t bring in an extra $10,000, I’ll be disappointed. This, along with better lead capture, conversion, “lost” client reactivation, and systematic follow-up, is how you monetize EVERYTHING (Dan’s idea #5).

Why not give me a call today to brainstorm how these ideas can work for you? Even though I can’t show you any more notes from Dan’s Advanced Wealth Academy, I can share at least 3 more money-making tips with you. Give me a call today at (800) 723-1503 or send me an email.

10x Bigger or 2x Bigger?

Chances are, if I have a great idea, it's somebody else's :-)

Among my mentors, idols, and teachers in business are Jay Abraham, Dan Kennedy, Brian Tracy, and Dan Sullivan.

That last name might not be familiar to you, but Dan's a legend when it comes to coaching entrepreneurs. He may have been the very first to do so, some 30 years ago.

For two years, I got on a plane every 90 days and flew to Toronto to be coached by one of Dan's Strategic Coaches. Frequently, Dan would drop in and share some of his latest thinking with us.

What does this have to do with you?

Well, with July winding down, you may be making strategic plans for August, the rest of Q3, and the years beyond.

(If you're not, you should be!)

With that in mind, I thought, what better way to make strategic plans than with the guidance of The Strategic Coach, Dan Sullivan?

So, here's a great little video to introduce you to Dan's thinking.

It's called, Why Growing 10x Is Easier Than Growing 2x.



Please note: I make NO money from this recommendation. Dan doesn't even know I'm doing this. But I know you'll find it helpful. You'll probably want to watch it several times. So I'm happy to share it with you.

Now.

After watching the short 3-minute video above, you want to exchange ideas to build your business by 10x -- and IF your revenue currently exceeds $200,000 per year -- let's talk.

Background: I've helped explode sales by writing direct-mail sales letters for

• a 21-store retail chain ... 
• a carpet cleaner ... 
• an insurance agent ... 
• a travel agent ... 
• a commercial cleaning company ... 
• a real estate investor ... 
• and too many others to list here

You can learn more about what I do -- and see if you qualify for a FREE copy of my book, 21 Quick Ways to Get More Clients, here.

How Do I Close More Business?

Here's a question from entrepreneurs and business owners that I hear all the time: How do I close more business?

Wait, stop.

I hate the verb "close" in a selling context. It makes it seem like your job is over once the prospect gives you their credit card number or hands you a check.

Nothing could be further from the truth, of course. As any sales pro will tell you, the real work begins only after the prospect says, "Yes." You're not closing a sale, you're opening a relationship (if you have any brains).

So, let's rephrase the question: How do I earn more sales and open more relationships?

That's better. And here are 3 steps to help you do it ...


1) Use the right words

I'm a big fan of sales scripts. By scripts, I mean proven responses to objections, like: "It costs too much," or "I want to think it over."

Every multi-million dollar actor uses a script. So do multi-billion dollar credit card companies, banks, and other smart businesses whose employees have to sell by phone.

What do they know that you don't? Why keep winging it when it comes to your livelihood?

There's no good reason NOT to use a sales script, whether it's on the phone or in person.

The good news is, if you’ve ever made a sale and can write down what you said, you have the basis for a life-changing sales script. It all starts when you "can and clone" that first collection of winning words.

And I'll even give you the words to use as a basis for your first sales script. Ready? Just ask, "How were you hoping I could help you?"

Whatever comes out of your prospect's mouth in answer to that question will tell you what they want. Your job becomes very simple at that point: Tell them how you will deliver.

This is a great place to start any sales conversation -- and earn more sales.


2) Deliver overwhelming value

This is a stumbling block for loads of people. But it's easier than it seems. You simply have to find out the dollar value of the problem(s) you solve. Then, keep adding it up until the prospect feels compelled to buy.

Here's an example. Let's say you sell software that boosts efficiency. On average, you save 15 minutes every working hour for the people who use your software.

Those people earn $40,000 per year, or $20 an hour. If your software saves them 150 minutes a week, that adds up to 7,500 minutes (125 hours) saved a year, or $2,500 in annual savings ... $5,000 in two years.

You can then tell prospects, "If, for an investment of $495 today, you save $5,000 in two years, you've just earned a return on investment of 910%. You're really buying money at a discount here. And I don't think even Warren Buffett can top those numbers."

That changes the conversation, doesn't it?


3) Guarantee your results

When you make it risk-free to buy from you, more people will buy.

Guarantees have been used by mail-order companies for decades. Companies like L.L. Bean and J. Peterman are hugely successful today, but they were once small businesses. Their profits grew from a trickle into a mighty torrent because customers knew they could buy without the fear of being stuck with an item they didn’t like. Strong guarantees and quality products are an unbeatable combination.

Yet, guarantees frighten many business owners. If you’re like most, it might only take five or six big refunds or major revisions in a year to spell financial trouble. What if your clients called their friends and all started asking for refunds at once? What if word got out around that your business was an easy target for crooked people who could rip you off?

The way I see it, you already have a guarantee -- you just don’t know it.

It's like this: If a client called to complain, what would you do? Offer to redo or replace the work, probably. Because it’s better to satisfy one angry client now than to combat a lot of bad word-of-mouth later.

Especially when you consider that, thanks to social media, your clients all have audiences. And bad news travels fast. So, really, you need to satisfy your clients. And a guarantee makes it all possible.

So there you go. Three ways to earn more sales -- and open more relationships.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. Grab your free copy now, while they last.

71% of Your Customers Expect More Value. Now What?

As a business owner or entrepreneur today, you face some tough challenges.

According to “Small Businesses: Then & Now” by Constant Contact, 59% of small businesses surveyed say that it's harder to run a small business today than it was five years ago.

Customer acquisition and retention are big problems -- of the small businesses surveyed, 75% cited "finding new customers" and 58% said "retaining customers" were primary concerns.

According to Direct Marketing News, 63% of small businesses think their customers have higher expectations than 5 years ago. And among those small business owners, 71% think their customers expect more value.

So. If 71% of your customers or clients expect more value, here's an idea: GIVE IT TO THEM.

You can add value without cutting prices by offering your clients any of these:

• extra information to help buyers use the product/service
• faster delivery
• more customization
• easy payments
• little surprises (like a thank-you note)
• rapid response to questions.

Bottom line: Yes, business is tough. You can whine about it, or do something about it.

If you play the low-price game and lose to Wal-Mart and Amazon, without first making every effort to deliver more value to your customers or clients, you deserve to lose. Sorry.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business -- and avoid cutting your prices -- my free Client Cloning Kit can help. Grab your free copy now, while they last.

The Elements of Strategy

My expert interview today is with Jeff Prouty, Chairman and Founder of The Prouty Project, a boutique consulting firm started in 1987. Jeff and his team work with clients in areas of strategic planning, organization development, and board and team development. 


You're going to love his ideas on strategy ...

Kevin Donlin: Jeff, let’s talk about strategic planning. It’s a topic that throws a lot of people. When I talk to small business owners or decision-makers at entrepreneurial firms, a lot of them don’t know where to start when it comes to strategy. So, let’s start at the beginning: How would you define strategy?

Jeff Prouty: We’ve got a big quote on the wall in our creative think tank and it says, “Strategy is about stretching limited resources to fit ambitious aspirations.” It’s all about choices, and focus, and alignment.

Kevin: How do you know when your strategy has succeeded?

Jeff: We’re all about metrics and there’s another quote that I heard a long time ago from the CEO of Diageo, Ian Martin was his name, and he said, “Success follows the relentless pursuit of simple objectives.”

So, define your objectives to start with. For us, that defining process includes cash flow, so there’s a profitability element, obviously. But objectives should include customer service, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and employee commitment.

Kevin: What are some examples of metrics to aim for in a winning strategy?

Jeff: It might be that we want to score an 88 percent or better on our annual employee commitment index. Or, we want a score of 75 or better on our customer net promoter index, the percentage of clients who would feel good about referring us to a friend or a colleague.

So we want people to think about how employees and customers grade the company. Then, assuming all those things are working, there ought to be profitability and cash flow metrics.

Kevin: What time frame do you use to measure strategy? Is it one year, five years, 100 years?

Jeff: It varies by client. We’ve got clients who say, “Prouty, I want our team to think out 50 years when my grandson, is running the company.” And we’ve got clients who want to think out 50 weeks.

I think two to three years is a good time frame. And the world is changing so quickly that you have to keep updating and rethinking your strategy every 90 days.

Kevin: What common mistakes do you see among clients who come to you for help with their strategy?

Jeff: I think lack of focus would be one. Lack of alignment would be another. These aren’t in priority order, but things we see frequently.

A third one would be lack of the talent required to do the things they’re trying to do. In other words, we want to win the Super Bowl, but we are weak in some positions that will stop us.

A fourth area is accountability. I’m heading out to California next week to work with a $25-million company and one of their issues is they have no accountability for poor performance. They expect folks to do things but they don’t deliver, and yet they get to stay on the team, or they’re not able to coach those folks to improve their performance.

Now having said all that, we’ve got another quote that we like, from T.J. Rodgers, the CEO of Cypress Semiconductors, who said, “Most organizations don’t fail for lack of talent or lack of vision. They fail for lack of execution.” So a lot of folks know what they need to do, but they don’t execute. They don’t put rituals in place to do the things they need to do to achieve the goals.

Kevin: That idea of execution is so important -- the best strategy on earth does you no good if it’s not executed. How can people be more accountable and execute their strategy?

Jeff: Laser focus. Do 3 things really well versus 10 things kind of well. Focus includes people. I hear lots of clients say, “We want to have two people as the co-champions of this,” and I always say, “Co-champion means no champions.” I want one person with accountability. It doesn’t mean they have to do all the work, but they need to own the initiative so that they are accountable -- did we or did we not achieve that?

I think if I were to boil down all the feedback I see, it’s that people have too many priorities. They’re trying to juggle 12 balls when they ought to be trying to juggle 3.

Kevin: Jeff Prouty from The Prouty Project, thank you very much!

How to Triple Your Audience for Free -- a Simple Co-Promotion Secret You Can Use Today

I recently spoke with Paul Cummings, VP of Sales and Marketing at Impression Management Professionals in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

He told me how he was able to get 600 people on a recent webinar and produce more than 50 qualified leads for his business -- at no cost. 

You can do the same. Here’s how …

Kevin Donlin: Paul, thanks for joining me. Please describe Impression Management Professionals for anyone how doesn’t know you.

Paul Cummings: We help leaders and sales people use outcome thinking to transform the way they think, listen and speak, so their brains work offensively rather than defensively. It works great for high-pressure situations, like a presentation, a negotiation, conflict or even in the sales process.

Kevin: Okay, let’s get right to it. You were able to triple the size of your typical webinar audience with a very creative joint venture. And it’s something people can use to get more prospects for a teleseminar, live event, or even to subscribe to their newsletter. What did you do?

Paul: We’re part of an association of training companies that get together once a year. One of the ideas that came up was that we collaborate together and do a webinar series to benefit all of our clients. We know that we don’t necessarily compete with each other, but we may have tools and ideas that would help each other’s clients.

So we all said, okay, we’ve got 6 people here and we all agreed to send out marketing information to our client list, included in our Twitter, Facebook, social media, and our websites. Then everybody would agree to do that and promote each other for 6 months.

For example, the first month, it was our webinar, and everybody marketed us to their customer lists. Now this month it’s somebody else’s turn, and we’re marketing them.

As a result, we were able to triple the number of people that we reach on a typical webinar.

Kevin: Triple! That’s a nice word. What was the before number and what was the after?

Paul: We typically get about 200 people to attend our webinars and for this last one it was actually over 600 people.

Kevin: Very cool. And what were your costs for this promotion?

Paul: Other than time to promote it, there was no cost. And we did something important for this webinar to make it successful for us. We used surveys before and after.

Before the person could register, they had to fill out a pre-webinar questionnaire with very specific questions. For example, we asked:

• What do you want us to talk about?
• What’s your job title?
• Are you interested in any of our upcoming programs?

So we were able to learn a lot ahead of time, so that we could directly talk to that audience.

Then at the end of the webinar, we had a survey pop up through Survey Monkey, and that’s relatively inexpensive or free. We asked specific questions like these:

• Would you be interested in a special report?
• Would you be interested in this particular public seminar?
• Would you be interested in executive coaching?
• Would you be interested in something for your team?

So there were many different options. And then they would check those survey responses, and we also asked, “If you want us to contact you, just check this box” and we ended up with at least 50 people who we were able to follow up with.

Kevin: All right, let me stop you and recap. That’s really, really valuable stuff that you shared.

First of all, you used surveys two different ways. Before the webinar, to help shape the content – people answered questions when they registered, and you used their answers to plan the webinar itself.

Then, after the webinar, you used surveys for people to qualify themselves by telling you what they were interested in. So you got to qualify people and segment them by interest, which let you follow up effectively.

That’s very, very smart stuff there, Paul. Anyone can use this idea. Bven if you’re not using GoToWebinar, there are a couple of webinar solutions. So I don’t want people to feel intimidated and think, “Oh, I don’t have the correct technology.” There are multiple webinar solutions, or you can do a teleseminar, just get a conference call if you want to start this out, so there are a lot of ways to use these ideas and it’s a really valuable idea.

Let me ask one final question. How did you go about negotiating with these other 5 co-promotion partners?

Paul: Well, first of all, basically we’ve been going to the association with these guys for years, so they became friends and so it just naturally happened. So it was just a discussion and we said, “Hey, let’s not attack each other’s clients, but let’s see if we can add some value and take it from there.”

Kevin: I see. That’s very clever. Paul Cummings, thank you very much. These are great ideas that anybody can use, whether it’s a webinar, teleseminar, or a live event that you want to promote.

Bottom line: Find one or more non-competitors who are already talking to the people you would like to have as clients, and agree to promote each other to your clients. There’s no cost and you’ll probably get a favorable response, such as you got by tripling your webinar audience and getting 50 qualified leads you are now able to market your services to.

Meanwhile, if you want to more clients like your best clients, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. Grab your free copy now, while they last.

What's Wrong With Your Marketing? Maybe It's You

Don't take offense. You're probably a good, competent person.

But when it comes to building your business, you may be the #1 problem.
  
Why? Because you may be doing it backwards.

Don't worry. You have company ....

You see, when it comes to solving problems -- like how to get more clients -- most people instinctively focus on ... the problem.

But this is backwards. 

Because as soon as you identify one problem -- I need a Facebook page! -- you find another -- I need web site traffic! -- and another -- I need a referral program! -- and on, and on, until you don't know where to start.

So you end up doing nothing, or a lot of little things that don't add up to much.

There's a better way, borrowed from a type of psychology known as solution focused therapy.

Solution focused therapy "focuses on what clients want to achieve through therapy rather than on the problem(s) that made them seek help. The approach does not focus on the past, but instead, focuses on the present and future," according to Wikipedia.

One idea in particular from solution focused therapy can really help you. It's the Miracle Question.

Answer this Miracle Question: Tomorrow when you wake up, you realize that in overnight, a miracle has happened! Your marketing problems are solved. But because you are sleeping, you don't know what solved them. So, when you wake up tomorrow morning, what small change will you notice that makes you say to yourself, "Wow, something must have happened -- I've got all the clients and revenues I need!"

If your first answer is, "I don't know," try again. And again. And again, until you can describe just one change in your business that serves as a sign that your marketing problems are solved.

Here's why this is important: You can't believe in your success until you know what it looks like. And, no matter how lousy your marketing is now, you've probably done at least thing once that was successful -- you got one client, you made one sale. Build on that.

You can't build a business on problems -- that's like building a house on sand. Stop focusing on problems.

It's in your successes that you find strength to build on. Think more about past successes and future solutions than about current problems. It may seem awkward or inaccurate, but it's can lead you to better results faster.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast-or-famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. Grab your Free Kit here, while they last.

You and Walt Disney, in Business Together?

I just returned from taking my family to Disney World, in Orlando.

Known as "The Most Magical Place On Earth," Disney World is the most-visited theme park on earth, with more than 17 million visitors every year. 

When you do the math, and multiply the hundreds of dollars I spent there in one day by 17 million or so, you can see that Disney World may also be the most profitable place on earth.

Walt Disney found a way to make dreams come true for millions of people. I saw proof of that in the smiles of hundreds of children and their parents, myself included, during our day there, which lasted from 8:00 in the morning until nearly midnight. Like many others, I’m sure, it was a repeat visit for me -- my second as a parent, and fifth visit overall. And I’ll be back again.

For this ability to make dreams come true, the world has gladly paid many, many millions of dollars to the Disney Corporation and its shareholders. And it will continue to do so, in good economic times and bad, for many, many years to come.

Now, here’s the exciting part: You can take advantage of this same idea and increase your own profitability, by realizing that you, too, are in the business of making dreams come true.

Think about it. No matter what you do or sell, no matter who your customers are, you are giving people more in value than they are giving you in money.

You are giving people at least one of the following: more money, more time, or more happiness. That’s pretty much it. All goods and services deliver at least one of the above, ultimately.

When you take these facts to their logical conclusion, you realize that you are in the business of making dreams come true.

Example: If you save your customers money, that means they have more left over to spend on their mortgages or rent, which gives them more money to spend on their vacations, dinners with family, retirement -- whatever. Which, ultimately, is making their dreams come true.

It’s the same with time. If you save your customers more of it, that means they can spend more time on their dreams. And if you sell happiness, in the form of vacations, clothes, beauty products, etc., you’re also making dreams come true in some way.

In the end, when you realize that you’re in the business of making dreams come true -- just like Walt Disney and his theme parks-- it ought to motivate you to achieve even more in your business today, this week, this month, this year, and beyond.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast-or-famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. Grab your Free Kit here, while they last.

Instant Strategic Clarity

Want instant clarity in your business? 

You can get it by answering 5 simple questions ...

1) What is your #1 goal for the next 30 days? Is it a sales figure? A number of new clients? Project completed? Whatever it is, write it down.

2) How many hours do you work each week? Write that number down. Now, divide it by two.

3) What will you do to reach your #1 goal in half the working hours? Write them down.

Example: If you work 60 hours a week and your #1 goal is $20,000 in sales this month, what will you do to reach that goal in half the time -- 30 hours a week?

Example tactics:

• Direct mail to 300 prospects within 5 miles
• Joint venture with 5 non-competitors
• Double your ad budget on Google and Facebook

4) Divide your working hours by two again.

5) What will you do to reach your #1 goal NOW, in 25% of the time each week? Write them down.

Example revised tactics:

• Direct mail your 30 best clients; ask to meet by phone or in person to discuss their goals -- and how you might help achieve them 
• Joint venture with your 2 best vendors and 3 best clients
• Double your mailing budget for letters sent to clients and vendors

See how your tactics have changed? The less time you have, the more valuable it is.

And that's why your answers to question 5 are your most-valuable marketing tactics. Because they are what you would do if you could work only 25% of the time. You've just proven their value with this thought experiment.

Do more of those most-valuable tactics for the next 30 days ... and see what happens. They results may astonish you.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast-or-famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help you. Grab your copy here, while they last.

How Do You Combine Your Online and Offline Marketing?

So, how do you combine your online and offline marketing?

Here's an easy way: re-purpose your content.

Example: print and mail a popular post blog from your blog or article from your email newsletter. Even better -- create a printed newsletter to boost the results of any online newsletter.
Because, the faster you take your online marketing offline -- whether in the form of a face-to-face meeting, or a printed letter (mailed with a stamp) -- the faster you can increase trust and sales for your business.

Meanwhile ... if you want to put an end to "feast-or-famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help you. Grab your copy here, while they last.  

The Strange Profit-Boosting Idea from Ikea

I like Ikea. So does my family.

We go there several times a year to ... eat.

Oh, and we also spend $100 or so on the way out the door.

Let me explain ...

You know Ikea as a quirky, cool, low-cost furniture store.

But I hate shopping, for furniture -- or pretty much anything.

So I know Ikea as a quirky, cool, low-cost restaurant. I love their smoked salmon and Swedish apple pie with coffee for Sunday brunch. Yum.

And when I take the family there to eat, we have to walk past approximately 10,000 household items for sale on the way to the exit. The chances that we'll spend $100 or more are approximately 100%.

Ikea is smart. Back in 1960, they added an unrelated product -- food -- to their retail store, and found that "visitors stay in the store longer and buy more."

Like my family and me.

Question: What unrelated product or service could you add to your current offerings to make clients stay with you longer and buy more?

I won't give you any ideas. Instead, brainstorm 5-10 on your own and give your marketing muscles a workout.

Meanwhile ... if you want to put an end to "feast-or-famine" syndrome in your business, a free Client Cloning Kit can help. Grab your copy here.