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.

Marketing Multipliers Success Story: Vance Morris

Vance Morris is a smart guy.

A former executive and trainer at Walt Disney World, he owns three businesses in Maryland and has clients around the world.

Vance also speaks at trade shows, conventions, and events around America.

Last year, he was awarded Marketer of The Year by Glazer Kennedy Insider Circle (GKIC), whose members are some of the world's most successful entrepreneurs (I'm member #750, dating back 18 years).

So I was pleasantly blown away when Vance sent me this video explaining how just one of the tools in my Marketing Multipliers program put an extra $5,000 in his bank account.

Take a look ...

 ... then, if you own a business and you want to grow faster, try Marketing Multipliers FREE.

Money Back Guarantees: How to Grow Your Business Faster

Want to grow your business?

Guarantee your work ...




Money-back guarantees are not new or high tech. Maybe that’s why they’re over-looked or under-used by most entrepreneurs.

But they’ve made millions for successful mail-order companies, like L.L. Bean and Land’s End.

And guarantees were key to the early success of FedEx, Amazon, and Zappos, to name a few.

If your clients are mostly satisfied now, there’s nothing to worry about. By offering a risk-free guarantee, you’ll simply call more attention to the quality you already have. Make the strongest promise you can comfortably live up to, and feature it prominently in all your marketing materials -- your Web site, advertisements, letterhead, business cards, on your telephone hold message, etc.

Of course, if you offer a guarantee, some people will take advantage of you. But if you double your sales with a guarantee, will you really care?

Besides ... you already have a guarantee. Here's why: If an unhappy client calls with a problem, you will fix it, replace it or refund part (or all) of their purchase. Otherwise, they will tell the world, starting with their friends on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter ... not to mention Yelp and GooglePlus reviews.

In short, you can NOT afford even one unhappy client if you want to stay in business. Refunding a disgruntled client today is a bargain in the long run.

So, here's what I suggest: Make your guarantee a focal point in your marketing efforts.

Boldly spread the word that you have no unhappy clients. Because unhappy clients get their money back. To the extent that you do this, you’ll enjoy a competitive edge. Your courage will pay you back with more new clients, sales, and profits.


Now get a box of 11 tools to build your business, delivered FREE by U.S. Mail. Try Marketing Multipliers Here

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

Your Marketing: Sad Charade or Moving Parade?

Want more clients?

Here's an idea: Do more marketing that works.

And avoid the sad charade of flitting from one tactic to another.

You can do it in 5 simple steps:

1) Look through your database -- Infusionsoft, Salesforce, Excel spreadsheet, whatever -- and find the names of your last 10 clients.

2) Now, ask yourself: "What worked in my marketing? What did I say or do that caused them to buy?"

3) Write down the answer for all 10 clients. Examples: Called after I got their name by referral ... mailed them a Client Reactivation Letter ... sent them Email #3 in my series of 10 ... etc.

4) Then, ask yourself: "In my marketing today, am I doing what works?"

5) Oooops. In almost every case, you're NOT doing something today that brought new clients before. You simply forgot or got bored with it.

Example: You mailed an article to a prospect 3 months ago that caused them to call and buy ... but you haven't mailed that article since.

Let me repeat: In almost EVERY case, you've stopped doing marketing that works. Because you forgot or got bored with it.

Solution: Pick one marketing tactic that worked before but you haven't done since and do it TODAY, or at least schedule it. Then add it to your processes so you don't forget it again.

What's the moral of the story?

As advertising demi-god David Ogilvy wrote, "You aren't advertising to a standing army, you are advertising to a moving parade."

What's old to you is new to prospects who are parading past your business. If something works in your marketing, keep doing it until your prospects tell you otherwise.

When you understand this, you realize that you're probably sitting on a pile of latent revenue in your business. To tap that revenue, all you have to do today is more of the marketing that worked before.

One more thing: If you found this idea helpful, I've got a box of 11 marketing tools I'd like to ship you. You can try them free, but only if you hurry -- learn more at www.MarketingMultipliers.com

The Flexible Flyer: Advertising Staple for Any Business

Every member in my Marketing Multipliers program gets a monthly critique from me of any one piece of advertising they've created.

Because having another set of expert eyes on your marketing projects can only help you do better.

The flyer below was submitted by one member.

How would you improve it?

Here's what I suggested to him ...

The main area to improve here is this: CLARITY.

Example: the headline is a bit hard to read because it's printed on that curvy ribbon.

Dump the opening doggerel about "Halloween is past," etc. That's just clearing your throat and it gets in the way of the sales message.

If this is a sale, what are the savings? That's nowhere to be found. If the $2.70 price is less than usual, do the math and tell me how much I'm saving by ordering 200 cards.

Very important: there is no clear call to action. Do you want me to call you or visit a website? Both? That should be down below right above the deadline. Make it clear and bold it.

There's a good offer in there somewhere. With a bit of refinement and a lot more clarity, you can unlock the selling power of this flyer.

Once improved, I would use this promotion in all possible media: email, direct mail, web site, Facebook, taped in the windows of neighboring businesses ... and inserted into ALL mail and orders leaving your shop. You can even add it to the hold message on your phone ("Ask about our annual Christmas card special, going on now.")


Bottom line: A flyer, done right, is an advertising staple for any business. It's a little thing that can deliver big profits for you. That makes it a Marketing Multplier.

If you're an entrepreneur and you want to grow, there's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting for you now. You can try them Free -- click here.

My Free Delta Upgrade

I got a free upgrade today on Delta flight 2009 from Minneapolis to Denver.

Now, when you think "Delta" you don't normally think "free upgrade" in the same sentence ... or even the same day.

But I did indeed receive a free upgrade today, courtesy of the captain.

Can you guess what it was?

First, here's what the captain did after the doors closed. He walked out of the cockpit, took the microphone from the flight attendant, and said the following:

• "Hello, I'm Captain David Rausch. I don't want to bug you later so here are all the announcements now. Do I have your attention? (Us: Silence.) Do I have your attention?? (Us: "Yes, captain!") Good ...
• "First of all, thank you for joining us this evening and putting up with the TSA monkey business to get here
• "I love to fly, and I'll get you there safely because I never text and fly
• "We'll hit a few bumps over the Rockies. Nothing dangerous, just a little annoying. I'll do my best to keep it smooth
• "Finally, there are a couple military members on board so let's thank them for their service."

At that point, the whole plane broke into applause (for the military members) and smiles (for the captain).

It wasn't Tonight Show-level material, but Captain Rausch's monologue was still remarkable (at least for Delta). Simply by showing a little personality, he transformed the dull, robotic announcements that every passenger instinctively ignores into an experience. At no cost to Delta.

That's the free upgrade I received -- an experience. It made me sit down and write this out as soon as I got to my hotel room.

Here's Captain Rausch. He kindly agreed to let me snap his picture, after I first shook his hand.

Maybe pilots with personality who stand up and introduce themselves before a flight are common on Southwest, or Virgin, but this is a first for me in 30 years of flying Northwest/Delta. Bravo.

By the way, service is a little thing that can lead to big profits for your business. That makes it a Marketing Multiplier.

There's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting for you now. And you can try them Free -- click here.