Nov
30

4 Ways To Position Your Business and Improve Your Profits

Fellow Business Builder,

Here’s something for you to dig deep into this week.

Whenever I start working with a new client, we put a significant amount of our time into the positioning of them in the market place.  We want to make sure they know where they stand in the buyers eyes, and what makes them the one and only choice in a competitive situation.

It isn’t simple.

Most entrepreneurs want to be everything to everyone… but we all know that strategy is doomed to fail.

So what does work?

How do you reposition yourself in the market?

How do you find the ‘thing’ that puts you heads and tails above the others?

Here are 4 strategies that may help you get clear:

1. Pick on the competition… blatantly! This is the exact strategy that Avis took when they wanted to go head to head against Hertz.  The whole “we’re #2. We try harder.” Approach worked like wildfire for Avis.

They turned their competitors main advantage (being #1) into a David vs. Goliath approach.  And people ate it up.

This approach works just as well today, maybe even better, than it did then.

People mistrust big corporations more.  They want specialized attention. They like dealing direct with the owner(s).  They like the tlc they can get from the smaller guys… so give it to them.

Don’t try and hide from the competition… make the competitions so-called ‘advantages’ into a disadvantage. 

 

2. Big benefit.  Is there one thing you can do or provide that makes the entire investment in your product or service seem miniscule?

If you look at the big picture… is there one thing about your product or services that justifies the price every single time?  Compared to your competition?  Or are they saying the same thing?

There is almost always something there for you; it just takes some digging on your part.

One of my clients in the adventure business mentioned quietly one of his ‘hobbies’ that he loves.  He then went on to tell me that: no where else in the world can you do this, it really is possible (most people think it is only done in the movies), people have paid him BIG dollars to tag along side him for this, and that it only happens once a year.

Can we say ca-ching?

Major opportunity there that we can use as his big benefit.  Being a part of his other program can guarantee you a spot in this… and there is no other way possible to get the chance to do it… other than join.

There is a major benefit to joining him, if you are the right type of person who is wealthy and passionate about getting a serious adrenaline rush.  And there are lots of those out there that would LOVE to do this with him.

 

3. Your buyers.  Who are they and what makes them, specifically, different than other buyers?  Going back to standard customer research… you must know your buyers better than anyone else does.

You need to know: what they think about, what they worry about, what foods they eat (and hate), what their drink of choice is, what books they read (and how often), what movies they watch, what hobbies they have, what their biggest dreams are, and what their grandest desires are. 

Not an easy task.

But imagine what power you hold when you do!

Going back to the 80/20 rule… how does it apply to your buyers?  Your top 20% of buyers… what do you know about them?

How can you find more of just that 20%?  What about the 20% of those 20%?

What makes them different?  You can redesign an entire business around the strategy of selling to a VERY specific business.  And you should!

This is an easy way to grow your profits rapidly, while making your marketing much more targeted and focus on a very specific person (which makes it much easier to find the marketing media to reach them)

 

4. Picking on the problem. I have another client who is a traditional MD, but she has changed her focus to the more natural ways to help the body inside and out.

Her biggest pet peeve right now?

Flu vaccinations.  We are right in the middle of the immunization drive to get everyone and their dog into the doctors for a flu shot.  People are panicking about the N1H1 hype.

And she is PO’d.

Did you know that flu shots use formaldehyde?  The exact same ingredient that is used to preserve DEAD BODIES?

Yup, little Johnny there is getting a flu shot and injected with embalming fluid at the same time.

Not quite what you thought would be in the flu vaccine?

Well it is.

And when my client makes a stand against the traditional medical establishment and the ridiculous things they do, claiming it is for your ‘health’, people pay attention.

People are mortified when they realize how little they know about these shots the medical authorities are putting in your body. They have assumed, until now, that the medical community was acting in their best interest.

Once their eyes are open to the real problem, the real underlying issue that no one else is talking about… my doctor client has their attention.

She is seeing record sales this year (in a private clinic… much rarer in Canada than the US).

There is good reason why: she picked on the real problem (lack of real education about the traditional medical ‘cures’), and is guiding her clients and prospects to a much more educated and intelligent way of deciding who is injecting what into your baby girls blood.

These are 4 simple strategies that might get you thinking.

 Pick one – and find some ways to make it fit your business.

The economy is sluggish in most parts… but the signs are picking up and people are spending more.

Are you preparing yourself to tap into it?

Or are you hoping and praying that when people start buying again, they are waiting with credit cards in hand to buy from your same old pitch you have always used?

Maybe it’s time to invest some brain power on a new strategy for the remaining months in 09 and to kick start 2010?

Don’t wait… get busy!

I would love to hear your ideas.

Thanks again.

To your success,

Troy White

 

PS: I have a VERY unique and powerful done-for-you marketing system that is ready.

If you have ever struggled getting enough consistent marketing materials in front of your clients and prospects, this is definitely for you.

If you have ever thought "these marketing ideas are great...but I just don't have enough time to get it all done"... this is exactly what you need.

If you want to make a BIG impact this Christmas and heading into the New Years, and think the idea of a done-for-you marketing campaign sounds ideal to you.... this is for you.

The best part? 

The price.

Less than the price of 2 mocha-frappo-caffeinated-choc-covered mega drinks!

Don't let the price fool you though...

...this has never been done before this way.

I write the copy.

You send it to your leads and prospects.

Full details we can discuss if you are serious.

Reply back to this or go to
http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/contact/
and fill out the form.

If you have been reading my newsletters for any length of time
(almost at my 10 year anniversary)... you know I don't hype things up.  

This is the real deal and can attract you much better clients and
repeat sales.  But you need to be serious about working with me.  

Let me know.

 

 

Nov
22

Marketing and Success Secrets of the Amish

Sawdust in their blood, and Amish furniture in their shop (tales from Amish Country)

I recently had the privilege to spend a few days in Arcola, Illinois. True Amish country there.

…Marketing geeks like me would appreciate why I was so excited to go there!

Story fodder galore!

The truth on why I was there is that I do some marketing for a few Simply Amish (http://www.simplyamish.com) franchisees in Canada.

They make exceptionally well-built, hand-crafted furniture with a lifetime guarantee.

And seeing the actual Amish Craftsmen build the furniture in their shops was not only an eye opener, it was a necessity for a real understanding of their differentiators in the marketplace.

[-------NOTE------]

No matter what types of products or services you sell, getting inside the design and manufacturing process is where some great marketing breakthroughs can happen. It happened to Claude Hopkins when he wrote the now-famous Schlitz Beer long copy ads. He found out their manufacturing process involved a couple steps that not one of their competitors had ever spoken of… and used that idea to lift them up from the bottom of the top 10 to the top in just a few short months.

If your products are built or manufactured – go spend some time in the factory and ask questions of the engineers, designers and builders.

Get inside their heads on what makes this product superior, in their eyes.

Find some interesting tidbits that you can use to create some exceptional stories to use in all your marketing or advertising efforts.

If it is a service you provide… do the same but lay out on paper all the details that go into your delivery of the service.

Why is it done that way?

Was it always done that way?

What do you do different or better than the others in your field?

Dig deep and you will find some great USPs to use

[-------/NOTE-------]

Fortunately for me, I not only got to ride in a horse drawn buggy with them, I got to spend a full day touring their different workshops, and I got to eat with them during a mega-feast they prepared (chicken, tons of veggies, potatoes, ham, 5 different kinds of homemade pie… feast was an understatement!).

It was a very educational trip!

I thought you might be interested in some of the things I learned from the Amish while I was there.

Most people have no clue on what the Amish people or lifestyle is like.

I was no different.Amish marketing secrets

Some interesting facts:

* Each workshop has a specialty and each farm has a workshop.  So one workshop specializes in dining room tables, the other in beds, the other in dressers.

* There is no electric power running from the main power grid into their farms (they do not believe in plugging into the grid).

* The workshops are powered, heated or cooled, by either Geothermal, Wind, solar, or diesel generators.

Amish communities do not pay social security tax – but can collect it (they choose not to)

* Divorce not allowed – if it is a bad one and cannot be resolved by the husband, wife or family members – divorce is allowed but the person in the divorce who is in the wrong is shunned from the community – never allowed back

* Church wagon moves around from Amish farm house to farm house every Sunday. In the wagon are a dozen or more solid wood benches that are used for church service. Each Sunday the church wagon moves to  a new home

* The community loans $ to newly weds to get started in their homestead and business.

* The Amish LOVE their sweets! Cookies, cakes, pies… you name it.

* As the community I was in became more prosperous with their furniture businesses taking off… they slowed down on traditional food prep… opting for grocery stores instead (especially in the winters)

* Some of them use cell phones and drive vehicles for work purposes – but as soon as work ends, they resume traditional Amish ways.

* Simply Amish Furniture collections are named after their kids, nieces and nephews – the child gets their own branded furniture in their bedroom

* 4500 in the Arcola Amish community there

* They will have 400 people at wedding, which takes place on some of the farms

* The craftsmen rely on marketing – no marketing – no furniture to build (and the recession did slow them down a bit)

* Growing up building furniture gives a huge advantage in designed new types of furniture

* At age 16 they can choose to continue living in Amish Tradition or not.  Their choice can never be undone.  But if they choose to leave and not practice traditional Amish customs… they can still play and work with those that are in the community. But if they ever decided to stay in the community at 16 and then later want to leave… they are permanently shunned from the community.

 

What does it mean to you?

It means that each and every one of us needs to show our pride more.

To give our prospects and clients a GREAT story they can tell their friends and family.

To show them WHY you are the only one they should be considering, because we offer _______, which no one else does.

It also means that if you are looking for quality furniture that is guaranteed for life (much like my buddies at Saddleback Leather with their 100 year guarantee)…then Simply Amish is your place to be (http://www.simplyamish.com).

If you are in Alberta or British Columbia and interested in having hand made office furniture, dining room furniture, or living room furniture made… let me know and I can introduce you.

Last – it means that even in turbulent economic times like this, people ARE spending money on higher quality and higher priced goods like this.

Simply Amish is growing rapidly right now (425 franchises so far in Canada and the US).

They rarely do discounts (despite all the Groupons of the world)… and they never worry about price shoppers.

They focus on quality product, customized to the buyers, and a guarantee that provides decades of security for them and their family.

[-------NOTE-------]

Some other notable quotes I heard (or things that happened) while there…

* After our Amish feast,  the teenage boys loaded up the buggies with batteries, lights and gear and all rode over to their favorite field for a 3 hour game of baseball.  They used the car batteries and lights to light up their baseball field.

* Headline I wrote down: Amish Bike-riding Road Hogs! When they are riding their bicycles to and from work, or to the store, they OWN the roads. They don’t move over for cars – and they gladly slow you down.

* A caravan of cars in Arcola, Illinois means that there is either a Simpy Amish annual conference or a funeral

* There was the Story of Belle… The Amish Pug who narrowly escaped death by horse and buggy right in front of my eyes (we all thought the little one was under the wheels of the buggy we were in!)

[-------/NOTE-------]

Hope you enjoyed the Amish visit as much as I did!

Troy

PS: If you are stuck for ideas on what exactly you could writer about, blog about, or wrap a promotion around, the 2012 Cash Flow Calendar (http://www.cashflowcalendars.com) is the IDEAL blueprint for you!  Every day of the year you are given templates and copy / paste templates you can use.  Have a peek and let me know your thoughts. Troy

Nov
09

Want a Steady Flow of Business Without Selling? Read This …

This is the BIGGEST roadblock to success 
that I see most Canadian small business owners
and independent professionals have – and that
 holds them back from getting wealthy in business.

If you are frustrated with having to compete on price,
“sell” yourself all the time to make the sale, cold call
 to make sales, and then and have your customers and 
prospects ‘price-shop’ before they buy from you, then I would urge you to…..

Read This FREE Book – http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com

I think he’s a little nuts, but I had to let you know

No Cost Book, Money-Making Marketing for Canadians

If you want to make a lot more money, a lot easier from your business or professional practice, then you need to grab a copy 
of the book my good friend Dave Dubeau and I wrote,  called
 “Money Making Marketing for Canadians” ASAP…

Right now Dave is actually giving our book away…

and if you grab one of the complimentary copies he is actually
 going to donate $2 to the Make-A-Wish foundation or Habitat for 
Humanity- you even get to choose the charity!

You already know about me, but in case you forgot…
 I am a self-professed Corporate World Flunky that left a six-figure-a-year career in the computer industry 10 years ago to start my own thing.

…Since then I have been privileged to live and work on my own terms, while helping entrepreneurs from all over the world build their own dream life as well.

I have been writing for Dave’s private paid newsletter membership for a number of years now and can speak to Dave’s ability to over deliver on everything that he does.

…and here is what “Canadian Rich Dad”
 Darren Weeks has to say about Dave Dubeau:

“I’ve know Dave for years. Dave is a friend and a business partner of mine, and with his marketing know-how we have 
grown my Fast Track Group of companies from 4 employees
in 2005 to over 100 employees with over $100M a year in gross 
sales and a ranking in the prestigious “Profit 100” list of fastest 
growing companies in Canada.”

He continues to say…

“Quite frankly, I would not have been able to grow this big, this 
fast without Dave’s amazing marketing skills and knowledge.”

Pretty high praise from a very sharp business owner… and I agree.

And, modesty aside, I have to say that this book is outstanding.

http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.comDave Dubeau, Troy White

In it Dave, myself and the 9 other Canadian expert marketers and 
business growth experts involved do what no other book I have seen
does… take you by the hand and show you exactly how to start from
 wherever you are in business and grow it FAST, even with a very small
budget.

And what I like the BEST is that everything we talk about in
 this book is proven to work here in Canada! None of the usual re-hashed stuff that “doesn’t quite work” here at home.

Get this complimentary book and…

* You’ll discover the “ONLY” 3 ways to grow your business (simplifies it doesn’t it?)

* You’ll learn how to double your profits in 90 days…or less.

* You will be able to quickly tell if your friendly advertising rep
 is ripping you off.

* You’ll find out the #1 way to make more money FAST from
 your existing customers.

* Never throw money away on wasted marketing again!

* Radically Reduce (or even Eliminate) Cold Calling Forever!

* Discover Dave’s #1 Money making marketing strategy, and
 how to put it to
use and much more….

So if you have been frustrated with the growth of your business,
sick of having to compete on price, or worried about making ends meet, I 
highly recommend that you grab a copy of the book now – and you 
can’t beat the price (GRATIS)…

http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com

But don’t wait or think about it because Dave only has 83 copies 
available to give away and there are over six thousand three hundred 
business owners, entrepreneurs and independent professionals
 who will hear about this. (If you wait, your book will have to be on back-order for 2-3 months).

To Your Success, Profits and Ideal Lifestyle,

Troy White

PS: An important note on this book: The title says Money Making Marketing for Canadians… but the information applies to EVERYONE. There is no difference in how we grow businesses in Canada over the US, or Australia, or {insert your country here}. In the past 10 years I have written marketing campaigns for entrepreneurs all over the world – the EXACT same principles of marketing work everywhere.

Master it once and use it anywhere!

Here’s how… http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com

Nov
01

Lead generation and client retention

Jim Palmer’s call tonight was excellent.

If client acquisition and retention are top of your list (they should be), then you need to hear this call…

[jwplayer mediaid="1719"]

Right click here to download the mp3

Also – he made some excellent offers at the end for his new book and how you can save $600 in printing off your next print newsletter campaign (details below).

Some of the things we discussed:

* The profitable marketing strategy of client retention versus acquisition
* Why your business is like a leaky bucket!
* Why newsletters are vitally important in growing your business
* Why a customer newsletter is such an effective marketing tool
* Jim will share five of his secrets to producing a great newsletter
* Jim will discuss how not to be a newsletter pansy!

Jim is the acclaimed author of three great books, The Magic of Newsletter Marketing – The Secret to More Profits and Customers for Life and Stick Like Glue – How to Create an Everlasting Bond with Your Customers So They Spend More, Stay Longer, and Refer More and Jim’s latest book, The Fastest Way to Higher Profits, 19 Immediate Profit-Enhancing Strategies You Can Use Today.

Jim is a good friend, a good guy, and delivered some exceptional content on the call.

http://www.newsletterguru.tv - how to use videos in your marketing mix (simple videos anyone can do)

SPECIAL OFFER

http://www.higherprofitsbook.com – use the coupon code “profit” for $16.95 ($6 off) – open for 48 hours

http://www.nohasslenewsletters.com - mention troy in comment window and get $600 in FREE printing towards your first 6 newsletters!

 

Sep
09

Scary ass copywriting

Some examples of copy I have seen lately (from corporate writers!!):

“This graph shows the same likely hood of if that” (likely hood? of if that?)

“If you had an Injury or Illness that kept you away from work longer would your business survive?” (away from work longer than ____?)

Read it out loud people… mistakes are easily caught and corrected this way.

My writing isn’t perfect by any means… but it sure sounds like people talk… not this nonsense that corporate Canada, US, ___fill in your country or city here____ is pushing out to the masses.

Not only does their copy suck… they also believe that glossy brochures are the answer to all their marketing problems.

No wonder there are so many small, medium, and large companies in BIG trouble!

Troy

Jul
25

How to create a mass movement

I just saw this fantastic video on Derek Silvers blog and had to share.

Many people I talk to are looking for inside ideas on how to stand out from the crowd, how to create a cult-like following, how to create a mass movement of people towards your cause.

This video – in just 3 minutes – shows you a great example on how leaders lead, when they step away, and when the crowd takes over and builds massive momentum.

A must watch

Troy