I admit it: I am weird.

Very unusual in many ways.

One of the things that makes me an oddball is my fascination with wacky marketing ideas.

I love them!

You should too.

Always be on the lookout for those high priced, high oddball-factor products or services.

They are full of great lessons and ideas for your own marketing campaigns.

For example, you may recall my article on Cat Poop Coffee and Holy Crap Cereal.  One if s product idea that garnered tens of thousands of free media publicity for a teeny tiny coffee shop in Calgary.  The other snapped up thousands of dollars in first day sales as soon as they re-named their product

http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/cat-poop-coffee-and-holy-crap-cereal-wacky-marketing-that-works/

And now the Panda bear is giving the Wild Cicvik from Thailand  a run for its money.

$18,000 a kilo?

YIKES!

That had better make me 20 years younger, more attractive, wealthier, and 20 pounds lighter too for that price.

But my forecast is that they will do very well with this.

It’s exclusive.  Not something you can get at the local supermarket… so those who love a good story and an unusual experience (those with the money) will be flocking to the place that sells this Panda Poop Tea.

http://gawker.com/5859434/worlds-most-expensive-tea-panda-poop

The right kind of people are magnetically drawn to this type of product.  People with disposable income. People who LOVE a good story and can’t wait to be the first to tell their friends what they did or bought.

People who are willing to pay an extremely high price for either bragging rights, or for that ultimate experience they can share with their friends and family.

The kind of person you NEED as part of your customer portfolio.

We all should have  segment of our customer population that is wealthy, affluent, and looking for something unique.

You’ve heard me talk about Saddleback Leather (http://www.sbackleather.com).  Their prices are reasonable but on the higher side for leather bags like they have.  But the STORY behind their beautiful leather bags and 100 YEAR guarantee make

THe BEST Leather Bags Out There

for a very compelling Valentines Gift, or Birthday Gift, or that special gift for anyone and everyone you know who loves quality leather goods (hint, hint….Valentines Day is just around the corner!).

Now we have $100 hot dogs! http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/01/24/vancouver-restaurant-selling-100-hot-dog

Awesome.

Just down the street you can pick up a $2 hotdog from a cart….but the “most expensive hot dog in the world” – a $100 cognac-infused sausage topped with oil-seared Kobe beef, lobster meat and a picante sauce.The foot-long bratwurst is infused with 100-year-old Louis XIII cognac – which has a $2,000 price tag of its own – and must be ordered 12 hours in advance so fresh ingredients can be prepped.

Now THAT is how you get media attention, world record breaking Guiness attention, and how you call out to the locals who have the money and are looking for something fun they can put their money into.

You see a BIG part of marketing to the affluent is in the experience side.

Quality is quality.

But experiences are tough to compare and tough to ignore.  When you have $1,000 in your pocket that’s consider pocket money for the day (every day), you start looking for unusual places to spend.

You can star out the day with some Cat poop coffee.  Have some Panda poop tea for a mid-morning picker upper, then a $100 hotdog that is infused with $2,000 cognac.  By 1 pm that day, you have had such a unique experience to share, it is WELL worth the money to you.

Not to everyone…

…that’s the point.

Marketing to the affluent is difficult for people to get their heads wrapped around.

Because most people think price is the major factor in buying decisions.

It isn’t.  It plays its part, but it isn’t the big part.

Especially when catering to those who high disposable income.

When I interviewed Dave Munson of Saddleback Leather, he revealed one of their HOTTEST sources of leads… a place I never would have thought of… but a place that is full of wealthy story-seekers.  I have never shared his source, but may one day when the timing is right.

So for you, I want you to think about the craziest, whackiest, most pie-in-the-sky concoction of products and services YOU could be offering.

Something that would increase your prices by a factor of 10.

And then consider how you can offer it.

I am not saying you need to replace your other products or services…just to add in ONE product worthy of media attention like all of the businesses here are lapping up.

If you have that one thing now – or know of one like it – PLEASE let me know!

I would love to do a write up on it and share some publicity with others (possibly a JV on a affluent marketing product I am working on too).

Think about adding a zero, or even two zeroes to y9our products.  What would you need to do…to offer…to promise… or to add into it to justify the expense.

Market it right and you just created a HUGE profit center!

And you are off to the races with all kinds of media attention and a whole new kind of client you can work with.

Try it and please let me know what you do.

I would love to interview you on this!

Troy

PS: The Story Selling Home Study is just about ready and it will be a big help to you in creating the ultimate marketing tools to promote your new product. One of the grads of a previous live Story Selling class wrote a single page letter for a client of theirs and their website went from $500 a month to $15,000 a month in sales, almost overnight….and all because of this one page story.

Find out how he did it and how you can too.  https://responsivedm.infusionsoft.com/app/manageCart/addProduct?productId=274

PPS: If you aren’t in my daily email list yet, you are truly missing out.  Mon through Fri I publish a power-packed marketing lesson like this delivered to your inbox.  Just one of them could be worth thousands, maybe tens of thousands or more to you this year.  If you want daily tips (5 days a week – instead of one or two) – click this link and you will start getting daily tips from me. and start supercharging your mind around the concepts of massive marketing success from the least likely of places! (Clicking the link automatically signs you up to the daily – no other action is needed) Click this link to SUPERCHARGE your email marketing

It always amazes me.

Without a single thought or care about mastering the basics of marketing, they sprint head first following the scent of a shiny new “social media marketing tool”.

Meanwhile…the greatest marketing opportunities are right in front of their eyes.

Here is a perfect example that was sent to me by my friend and fellow marketing consultant, Graham McGregor (who, by the way, has an EXCEPTIONAL free book you can grab at  http://www.TheUnfairBusinessAdvantage.com).

======================
How they capitalized
on one of the
worlds greatest disasters.
======================

Before the naysayers go off on their tangent about capitalizing on disasters… listen in first before you judge.

The Titanic sunk in 1912.

Thousands of lives were lost.

The 100 year anniversary of this disaster is in 2012.

…rather than shying away from the sinking of a cruise liner, the New Zealand Cruise Ship, the MS Balmoral, decided to make the most of it.

2,000 people have pre-booked a cabin for the MD Balmoral voyage that retraces the route of the Titanic’s maiden voyage

Not only are people paying up to $12,100 for passage on this cruise, they are also lining up to “have costumes made to re-create the appearance of the original passengers, while there have also been requests from musicians to audition for places in the modern version of the string quartet that played as the flagship of the White Star Line fleet began to list.”

This Centenial Celebration is gearing up to be a highly enjoyable one for the passengers, and a highly profitable one for the Cruise line.

(http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10775547)

======================
What did they do right,
and how can you copy?
======================

The 2012 Cash Flow Calendar http://www.cashflowcalendars.com is designed to help YOU do exactly what the MS Balmoral has done…

…find unusual events, and create theme-based promotions around it.

For example, in January of 2012, here are a few unusual events you could create themed product or services launches around:

* Second week of January is National Pizza Week
* The fourth week is National Mozart week (and Jan 27th is his birthday)
* January 12th is the 36th Anniversary of the passing of Agatha Christie in 1976
* Friday January 13th is not only a Friday the 13th, but is also the Rubber Duckies birthday
* Sunday, January 22nd is National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day… what better reason for a pet-related marketing campaign (pet campaigns can be a BIG draw for contests, competitions, and just fun all-around promotions).

Keep it simple.

Find a special event or date you could really have fun with.

Do some research about the basics of the date or reason for celebration.

Create a 3 step (minimum) campaign that has some fun with the date, tells a great story that ties into that date, then relate the celebration to your special offer.

Send out all 3 steps, each of them having fun and telling a different part of the theme or story-based campaign.

Simple.

In theory… right?

The key is to just do it. Don’t overthink it… massive momentum and action will take you MUCH FURTHER than over analyzing it will!

Just get it done.

Have some fun.

And give your clients and prospects something fun to get excited about too.

It worked for the cruise line… and will work for you too.

Here’s to a fun-filled, promotion and story packed marketing year!

Troy

PS: People often ask if this applies in their country too (assuming they are outside of North America).

Why not?

Even if National Pizza Week is an American thing, or a Canadian thing, so what?

There is no rule book saying you can’t create your own holiday like this.

DECLARE IT!

You don’t need to ask for permission to do a promotion… just get it done!

The 2012 Cash Flow Calendar...turning wacky dates into money making marketing campaigns

The 2012 Cash Flow Calendar http://www.cashflowcalendars.com walks you through the basics of good theme-based promotions and gives you AMPLE opportunity for standing out from the crowd.

…it also gives you a 12-month, week-by-week calendar you can modify to suite your own marketing plans for the year.

Rest assured though… actually filling the calendar out for your own use… and then IMPLEMENTING what is planned… is THE KEY to massive marketing success in 2012.

Thinking about it or promising to do it won’t get you there…

…getting it DONE will.

     People LOVE unexpected surprises.

Sometimes, unexpected surprises can be the launching pad for exceptional results in your marketing.

2 top of mind ones that I really like…

…Johnny Depp and Lady Gaga

Johnny Depp, to me, is one of the greatest actors of our times.  He is also an incredible unexpected hero to 9 year old Beatrice and her classmates.

Beatrice wrote Johnny a letter asking for him to come to their school assembly…

…hoping he would… but probably not planning on it.

But he did – in full Jack Sparrow get up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11498980

He was filming his newest Pirates of the Carribean movie and brought come decked out crew members with him – all in full Pirates outfit and character.

What a way to make an impression!

I think Johnny just added a whole new legion of fans, and a significant pay raise for all his future movies.

Lady Gaga… loves making her fans scream with delight.

I wrote an article about her some time ago http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/how-to-monetize-your-little-monsters/

Some people didn’t like it – saying all she had going for her was skin and breasts.

Sex sells, they battled back. 

She is nothing without boobs, says another. 

While I am not one to disagree that sex does sell and showing some skin definitely attracts a certain type of person…

…Lady Gaga IS a masterful marketer.

And she doesn’t rely on her looks exclusively to warm over her fans (her customers).

She likes to pick up the phone and call one of her fans –completely out of the blue and unexpectedly.

Now THAT is a way to win the hearts of your fans!

Imagine the buzz that both of these unexpected surprises have given their customers.

Imagine what you could do if, just once a month, you did something unexpected for your clients and prospects.

A few unexpected surprises you could start using every month.  Alternate them – or stick with the ones that get the biggest shock-value from them:

-       Call a new client out of the blue – heck, call them all.  Say hi – have no ulterior motive – and just say thank you. (in the day and age of emails everywhere – the actual phone has become a VERY powerful tool for touching base.  I saw it this past week when I called a new customer how shocked he was, I am making it a new practice in my business!)

 

-       Send a handwritten card.  While I love services like send out cards for keeping in touch, a real handwritten card is unmistakable and will win them over much faster.

 

-       Send one random customer a present every month or week. Make the present something of value – and don’t always use your own products – use other people’s products as the central theme here.  This is not self promotion – it’s selfless promotion.

 

-       Pick a customer of the month and put their picture (with approval of course) on your site, your blog, in your store.

 

-       Do a write up on your customer of the month.  This would be especially powerful if you are dealing business to business.  Use your writing prowess and do an editorial on them – send it out to all your other clients. Send it to the press. Send it in a newsletter.  Plaster the write up everywhere.  And frame it and send it to the customer your profiled so they can hand it up in their office.

 

-       Give someone cash, for no rhyme or reason.  I had this happen to me a few weeks ago and it was an incredible feeling.  The amount doesn’t have to break the bank – the thought is what matters.

 

-       Gift them something sweet.  I have written enough about Kinjo Sushi here, but one of his secret weapons is his chocolates he gives out.  Only to the ladies and children… but it is a practice that makes him a mint (pun intended). He knows down to the penny what each free box of chocolate brings him back in business.

 

-       Use the product launch strategy of giving away one of your high end products.  But don’t build it into a launch – just do it without expectation of future sales (you can and should do a write up on the gift recipient though).

 

-       Use part of your profits to do a random donation to a good cause.

-       And yes, you can monetize these ideas – not only with the great karma and word of mouth, but with the immense pr potential when you do this consistently. Don’t do it once and call yourself a hero, expecting the press to crawl all over you.  Do it consistently for a year – and you won’t have to tell the press – your customers will do that for you.

I am making it part of my business (should have done it sooner – doh!).  I hope you do as well.

To your success.

Troy

Your 2012 Marketing Plan and Calendar (complete with thousands of marketing ideas, blog post ideas, promotional campaigns, etc)

PS: If you want off-the-wall marketing ideas… the 2012 Cash Flow Calendar is ready to roll… http://www.cashflowcalendars.com
…done-for-you, copy and paste marketing campaigns that make 2012 your best year yet!

If you need help with your marketing and promotional plan for the next 12 months…

…this is an exceptional way to plan out all your campaigns, with simple formulas and copy/paste templates.

We executed the September promotion and received over
$1000.00 worth of sales from it in one day! 
Fabulous I say.” – Fran Agar – Ballymoon Beauty

You may have heard of an ad that ran 65 years ago with the headline:

“Hand Woven by The Mountain People of New Mexico”

New Christmas Patterns in these unique ties. Wearers say an exceptional value.* Sold only direct from weavers to you.

It was a one-page ad that ran in the November 1940 edition of Life.  Simple – copy intensive – with a picture of the ties.

Fantastic example of copy-driven theme marketing (click the image to see a full size)

Get this: that ONE AD SOLD 26,000 TIES!

An amazing success story. And an amazing ad (written by James W Young).

What is most evident about the ad is the unique ways they use a number of great advertising techniques – ones that STILL work today just as well.

Think about this:

1) A unique headline – “mountain people” conjures up pictures with those two words.  “Hand woven” portrays the quality that they put into the ties.  Combined, this is a very intriguing headline.

2) In the subhead, this statement is interesting – “Wearers say an exceptional value.*” Note that the * references a footnote at the bottom of the ad that is actually a testimonial of a happy buyer.=]

George W Engelmann, well known Chicago business man, writes:

“Enclosed is my order for some of your ties. I would like to

take this opportunity to tell you how well I like your ties.

When I wear them they never fail to attract favorable

comment. They are also the most durable ties and best value

I have ever seen”

NOTE: a testimonial in a clothing advertisement! How often do you see that? 65 years later and few people are using this simple strategy.  The footnote is a nice touch – very interesting way to get people involved in the ad.

Also note how the testimonial is written. Chances are the adman wrote the testimonial and had the client approve of it.  In your business you should do the same. Your clients will provide glowing testimonials but (typically) have a tough time saying the best things about your business and how those things affect other potential buyers.

This testimonial touches on “here is another order” “they attract favorable attention” “durable” “best value” “well know business man” All of that in a couple short sentences!

3) The ad starts out with a very compelling story:

“For over 200 years the Spanish people who settled New

Mexico have been raising sheep and weaving wool. Their

looks have been handed down from father to son…..”

and on it goes into the story of where they live, the types  of fabric they make, the colors, the make of the tie, intriguing features like “invisible silk”, how they wear, wrinkle free, the textures, cleaning… and so on.

It literally forces you to read the entire story!

Then it goes into “My Christmas Offer” showing that they obtained a fantastic deal ($1 per tie) – makes the perfect gift – guaranteed.

How to order details are very intricate – making sure people know exactly what must be done to get a part of this special offer.  It is even discussed how they will be  packaged so the customer knows what to expect in their mailbox.

Last, the true  kicker: why they MUST order now – “before the Spanish go on their El Natividad” and why you must make a decision now before Christmas gets here and your gift is late.

What an amazing ad.

And, there is absolutely no reason you can’t use a concept like this in October and November for your year end specials.  Either you sell products or services that make a good gift – or it is the perfect time in the new year to order a new model.

Find a way to use these ideas:

- intriguing headline – make it a visual one

- testimonials – lots of them – or your best quality ones at minimum

- a great story about you – your employees – your spouse –  your kids – your pets – whatever, just make it interesting

- descriptives on what they get and why it matters

- a very special offer that WILL NOT be repeated

- make it descriptive on how to order (and give them options)

- the big reason why they MUST order now!

- tie it in to a holiday or special theme

Not rocket science – but if they can sell 26,000 neck ties with an ad like this – don’t you think you could find a way to sell more of your products and services using similar techniques?

You could if you try!

To your success,

Your 2012 Marketing Plan and Calendar (complete with thousands of marketing ideas, blog post ideas, promotional campaigns, etc)

Troy

PS: The 2012 Cash Flow Calendar is ready to roll… http://www.cashflowcalendars.com
…done-for-you, copy and paste marketing campaigns that make 2012 your best year yet!

If you need help with your marketing and promotional plan for the next 12 months…

…this is an exceptional way to plan out all your campaigns, with simple formulas and copy/paste templates.

We executed the _________ promotion and received over
$1000.00 worth of sales from it in one day! 
Fabulous I say.” – Fran Agar – Ballymoon Beauty

WARNING: What follows is rated R.  Profanity is throughout it.

Consider yourself warned.

BEST. SALES. LETTER. EVER.

here is where I found it (I copied it below)

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/2549849730.html

Best. Roommate. Ever.

---

Date: 2011-08-16, 10:06AM PDT

---

 

Konichiwa bitches. Are you looking for the most kick-ass fucking roommate that ever lived? If so, look no further. You fucking found him. I’m a 25-year-old professional marketing agent with experience at bad-ass companies in New York Fucking City. That’s right! What you know about experience? I graduated from Auburn University in Alabama, and moved to NYC at the ripe, tender age of 22. After deciding that New York was a stinky shit-hole, I moved back to Alabama to cultivate more professional experience. Why? So I can make millions of dollars and not have to post shit like this on Craigslist.Anyway, so I landed this job with a marketing firm in San Francisco, and I have no fucking clue where to live. Honestly, I’m moving there in 3 weeks, so I don’t give a shit if I have to sleep in your bathtub.

A bit about me: I’m respectful, quiet, clean and I won’t bother any of your shit. If you leave shit out, I’m just like, “Oh fuck I better not mess with this shit, because it’s not mine.” I turn off lights. I clean toilets. Fuck it. I’ll even cook for you. That’s right! My dad is a chef and taught me everything there is to know about cooking southern cajun cuisine. I’ll fry green tomatoes, cover them with marinated crab meat and smother that shit in bearnaise. EVERY. GODDAMN. NIGHT. Don’t eat meat? That’s fucking FANTASTIC! I’ll make a zucchini and yellow squash carpaccio that will knock your fucking socks off.

I also read a lot. I fucking LOVE books. Vonnegut, Palahniuk, Hawthorne. All that shit. I read Tuesdays with Morrie the other day. It’s a sad story, but I learned something about life, love, knowledge and the pursuit of something greater than myself. Fucking smart. Do you like movies? I fucking love them. We can watch the shit out of some movies together if you like, or go get drinks, or work out, hike, play video games or play a game of one-on-one basketball, or I don’t have to talk to you at all. It’s completely UP TO YOU!

Sometimes I play guitar. Are you going to love getting baked and listening to Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd? LIVE? WHENEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT? Of course you are! I’ll take requests and learn any song you like, because I have the voice of an angel and the acoustical stylings of James Fucking Taylor. AWWWWWW SHIT YEA!

A lot of people ask me, “Hey, you’re from Alabama. Are you racist?” And, the answer to that question is, no. I’m not racist or judgmental at all. I love everyone. I’m a secular humanist. I FUCKING LOVE PEOPLE. That’s the only requirement to being a secular humanist actually. You have to like other human beings and want to help them for no other reason than they are human regardless of race, religion or sexual preference. WTF?!!!? Pretty fucking cool right?

I own almost nothing! I’m driving my car from Alabama to California in which I’ll be transporting two duffelbags of clothes, one laptop computer, one guitar, one cell-phone with charger, 8 pairs of shoes, one picture frame, probably some condoms and a shitload of beef jerky and Pringles for the trip. Though, you can expect the jerky to be gone upon my arrival. Unless you’d like me to pick up some on my way into the city. See?! I’m the most considerate person you’ve ever met. I’m offering to buy you shit already!

Am I interested in your pad? You can bet my nomadic ass I am! I only require 4 walls, a ceiling and a floor to shelter me from the elements. Other than that, anything else will be considered a convenient plus. I’m taking being a roommate to the next level. Email me! I’ll hook yo ass up with Facebook links, background checks, credit reports, phone numbers, resumes, references, awards, sexual history, pictures of karate trophies and a list of the top 10 women I’d like to bang before I die. If you want a next-generation roommate who consistently blows your fucking mind with awesomeness, then hit me up. I’m ready to give you money.

• cats are OK – purrr
• dogs are OK – wooof
• it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 2549849730

 

What is the lesson?  This letter is littered with profanity, but it the ultimate example of a passion-penned piece of work. Either this person is a well versed writer, or he has a real gift for the written word that needs to be used for better purposes.

Getting into the writing flow like this person did here is EVERY writers goal.  

When you get there, it flows effortlessly and you really don’t even have to think much of what to say… it just appears in front of you on the screen or on the paper.  It is a magical thing.

THAT is where hugely profitable ads and sales letters are created – and millions are made for the business owner.

Look past the swearing here and note the flow, the passion, and the incredible persuasiveness this letter has.

Lots of good ideas in here for the astute.

My thoughts anyhow.

Troy

PS: There is a whole section on Craigslist for best of ads – some of them are GREAT – this is one of the best though.

Here they are… http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/all/

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.

If you aren’t trying to fail, you will never succeed.

In fact, the faster you fail – that faster you will find success.

Money loves speed.

The more speed you have in your business, the more you will attract money. And the best way I can say it is “TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!” Don’t pretend you will try one thing this week and another thing next week. Take 10 things and try 2 of them a day! MAKE the time. If you want serious change in your life and business – make a serious change!

Me?

Many times I feel like my head is swimming as I have so many things on the go at once. But it has reaped great rewards for me in a short period of time

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Some of my daily actions I take – and I recommend you do too:
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1) Habits - get up early and write. Huge rewards. I had a 6 month span where all I did was wake up at 5:30 am and I would write for 2 hours before my kids got up. I got so much done in an average week just from that alone.

You can easily write 2 books a year at that speed. If you don’t want to write – read a motivational or uplifting book (non-fiction). BUT, I can say this: writing every day will turn into the most profitable habit you ever have! You can use these writings in numerous ways in your business, and the rewards will be great.

2) Nutrition - find what works best for you for energy, and a clear mind. Eat fruit only in the mornings is a great way to feel good and clear – and keep a healthy system going. One fabulous tip I learned was the 3 apple a day technique. 3 apples a day is an excellent health foundation that will keep you healthy. Eat them throughout your morning (with no other foods) or spread the apples out so you eat one an hour before each meal. Try it for a couple weeks and see for yourself how good you feel.

3) Exercise. Guilty! I put on 30 pounds when quit my corporate job to work on my own. At the time I was doing 5 days a week of kickboxing and Muay Thai, and went from that to sitting at a desk all the time.

5.5 years ago I got back into marital arts (Tae Kwon Do now – First Degree Belt, working on second), and LOVE IT! Averaging 4 times a week gives me a great escape and a fantastic calorie burning regiment. I also walk Casino, my trusty marketing assistant (and dog) twice a day for a fast paced 30 minute walk that gets my heart racing. That “rush” feeling from a great workout is something that I missed deeply and look forward to experiencing every chance I get. Find something, anything, that helps you work up a sweat. 3 times a week for 30-60 minutes at a time is the perfect start.

4) Hire a coach. Years ago, those in business didn’t quite get this. Athletes made sense – but business? Now it is more commonly understood and adhered to. And it makes sense.

Coaches can see things you can’t – both good and bad. They can motivate you. They can hold you accountable to your actions and promises. And they can make it happen for you, versus stumbling along trying to tackle it all yourself.

My thoughts: hire one making much more money than you. And check their references. I made the mistake of hiring one once that sounded good on paper, but was a disaster as a coach. I now have one who is phenomenal and I suggest you find one too. If you are interested, I have a small coaching program I run for a select group of people. It is not cheap – and you will be held accountable for your own results. But those results can be fabulous!

5) Read – lots. I am guilt of reading too many business books – and too few novels. I think the advice to read 4 business books for every 1 novel is a good one. Business books – the reason is self explanatory (remember the one big idea philosophy). Novels – because you need to expand your mind and because much of what makes for a successful business involves building character into your marketing and day-to-day operations. Novels provide you with exceptional character building ideas… if you put your mind to it.

6) Invest in seminars. But be careful. Seminars can be a very powerful way to fire yourself up, meet incredible entrepreneurs, and discover techniques to grow your business that you may have never even thought of before. But, make sure the speakers are all high quality success stories. Make sure there is some form of a guarantee. And make sure the seminar promises to help you with your existing business, not distract you with another business “opportunity”. Those are a dime-a-dozen, and are not the answer to success.

Learn as much as you can about marketing, advertising, and the mindset of the successful.
Master those 3 and you will succeed in any business you decide to take up.

7) Start or join a mastermind… preferably more than one. If you haven’t read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, go get it! It is only $10 new, and you can probably find one at your local used book store. That one single book has created more millionaires than any other book in existence… you think there may be an idea or two for you in there? Damn rights! One of the best ones is the mastermind principle.

In a nutshell: meet regularly (bi-weekly or monthly preferred) with 3 to 5 other driven entrepreneurs. Discuss your business challenges, and ask for suggestions on what to do or who to talk to. Keep the conversations positive and helpful. Look deep to find the right people – preferably get people from other industries as you will expand the viewpoints and not get pigeon holed into thinking like everyone else does in your industry.

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The key with the action reaction is to do many things…

…all at once.
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Take MASSIVE ACTION and see what happens.

Test new ads, new sales campaigns, new success mindset ideas, new client referral ideas… weekly… all at once.

Some will work and some won’t.

But the ones that DO work will make you a fortune.

To your success!

Troy

PS: Don’t forget to check out the Canadian Profits special offer as well at http://www.entrepreneurprofit.com - the ultimate resource for expanding your business in good times and bad.

PPS: If you want a step-by-step, day-by-day marketing action plan for 2012… the Cash Flow Calendar is READY! This is a copy and paste, simple solution for those who don’t want to have to create the marketing ideas or copy – and just want it done for them. Have a look at what you get http://www.cashflowcalendars.com

…The sports industry.

And YES, it does apply to you.

No matter what field we are talking about (pun intended), the ideas behind these promotions could easily be changed to fit your own.

The sports marketing industry is very creative and they have to draw a lot of people out to their games… so their marketing had better be good!

Imagine if you had to get 10,000 people to pay you money every single week or month… what would you do?

Many with the marketing mindset aim for product launches and successful campaigns for single products. But what would you do if you had a weekly event to sell out that delivered pretty well the same experience?

Here are some great ideas that sports teams have used to get people through the gates, money in hand.
As you go through these, PLEASE start thinking about how you could make one or more of them work in your business.

I guarantee they could… if you try.

* The promotions could be for a sale.
* For a launch.
* For a fun event.
* For a customer appreciation party.
* Or just to get some free publicity.
* As a co-operative promotion with other like-minded businesses
* As a seminar or workshop
* As a theme party you throw for all the photos and videos you could use

Or any one of a hundred different reasons to get your customers and prospects interacting with you.

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Wacky Marketing from the field
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Bald head night: anyone who has their head shaved gets in for free.

Mustache Appreciation Night: Fresno Grizzlies fans were encouraged to grow mustaches. They also were incented to encourage their friends to contribute $ to a worthy cause as part of the promotion. Contests were also held for “best in show,” “best Tom Selleck look-alike,” and most pathetic attempt at a mustache. Great times – and great results.

Second Chance Night: Probation officers got in for free. As well as anyone who brought in a traffic ticket and promised to never do it again also got in for free.

Kevin Federline Night: The first 3,000 fans got free temporary K-Fed tattoos. They also got to watch videos of K-Feds rise through the ranks, and a dance contest between the dance troop to which Kevin Federline once belonged and the Grizzlies’
mascot.

The Hagerstown (Maryland) Suns had a McDreamy Day: Everyone was encouraged to dress the medical part… and to know their medical lingo to win prizes.

Or what about Anger management night – held by the Augusta
(Georgia) Green Jackets. One of their rival teams manager had a meltdown… so let’s turn it into a promotion! They offered the first 250 fans free stress balls and DVDs of the movie Anger Management.

[Look at all the new movies out and coming out on dvd - is there any way you can tie a promotion into the theme of the movie? The newest as of this week: 50/50, Money Ball, Abduction, Dolphin Tale, Lion King 3D, Courageous, Drive, Limelight, The Debt, to name just a few]

How can you go wrong with a Britney Spears promo? She certainly gives us all lots of great opportunity to make fun of her antics. The Newark (New Jersey) Bears held a Britney Spears Baby Safety Night. Anyone who dressed as a baby, brought a baby toy, or brought an actual baby got in for free. Everybody else that attended received a brochure about baby safety.

[NOTE: before you get uptight about how "hokey" or
"unprofessional" these events sound... remember how many TICKETS
they sold. Thousands and thousands of tickets sold per event.
They didn't worry about the "hokeyness" of the event... they
cared about the newsworthy parts of the promotion only. News and
buzz gets people talking about buying... these events did
everything you and I should be aiming for!]

The San Antonio Missions held a Used Car Night and gave away a dozen luxury used automobiles randomly.

Or how about the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays and their College Course Giveaway Night? Each fan received a free three-credit course of their choice at nearby Kellogg Community College.

The Charleston RiverDogs minor league baseball team is a master at using wacky promotions to get people in the seats. Some of their events: a Run, Forrest, Run 5-K Race; My Hot Dog Is Green Night and Salute to the G-string Night in which select fans will receive a G-string.

Get this… they even had a Vasectomy Night where a lucky male fan would win a vasectomy. That was canceled after management received complaints.

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Talk about getting some press!
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Or this: they even staged a Nobody Night, locking out fans at the door as the club attempted to set a minor league record for lowest attendance at a game.

Steal of a deal. Recessionary promotion gone wild with the Minnesota twins offering an entire season (81 games) for only $250. Comparable seats in New York go for $250 per seat – per game.

Hungry fans unite! The Athletics, Orioles, Rangers, Royals, Braves, Dodgers and Padres all have designated All-You-Can Eat sections for fans hungry to see more than a game. Ranging from $30 – $45 per person to eat their way through the game.

Musical fan fare. The Pirates have offered up REO Speedwagon and Collective Soul and the Marlins offer KC and the Sunshine Band. The Devil Rays have the most interesting series featuring The Commodores, Trace Adkins, Kool And The Gang, LL Cool J and MC Hammer. (could you not offer something like this in any of your promotions with lesser know artists?)

Luring them in. The Twins promotion department hooked some new fans by offering a Joe Mauer fishing lure. Only available to the first 5,000 fans, this was a run away winner.

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How about some NON sports promotions?
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What about the Beer-for-Bags event, which the company promoted that they would accept beer for merchandise. They grew their sales by 20% using this promotion (including all the free publicity they received as well). The company hopes to make

“Beer For Bags” an annual event, as it is in Australia.

Gonigam’s World Furniture Mall near Chicago offered customers up to $10,000 of free furniture if the Chicago Bears shut out the Green Bay Packers (which they did). The company had prize reimbursement insurance to cover their backs. They saw huge traffic growth to their site and an increasing amount of new sales to people who never bought from them before.

Long John Silver’s offered to give customers free “Giant Shrimp” if NASA found conclusive evidence of an ocean on Mars.

This is a great list you could use anytime you need a promotion.

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The key is to MAKE IT FIT.
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I realize 99% of those who read this blog are NOT in the sports marketing business. But… so what? Why can’t you put some time and effort into this list and find some ways to use these ideas?

Keep your eyes on the local news, industry news, Hollywood movies, strange trends, technology trends, and pretty well anything you see on the covers of the magazines like Star, National Enquirer, The Globe, etc (those are the ones the majority of the population reads… and you should be finding a way to tie into them!)

All it takes is some effort – and the results could be exceptional.

You won’t know until you try… right?

Thanks again.

To your success,

Troy White

PS: Speaking of Wacky Promotions… the new and MAJORLY improved
2012 Cash Flow Calendars is almost off the printing press. Wait and see
what we have in store for you this year! Thousands of wacky and creative
marketing ideas – many of them with done-for-you marketing campaigns
ALREADY WRITTEN.

If you can copy and paste, you can use these to grow your cash flow.

Watch for it. http://www.cashflowcalendars.com

PPS: One other plug for my favourite wacky guarantee and headline creator – Saddleback Leather.

They have a 100 YEAR guarantee on all their leather goods (they even tell you
to put it into your will). And they took a great quote from a customer and
turned it into one of the best headlines EVER….

…They will have to pry it from my cold dead hands as they
lower me into the ground.

Visual? yes. Intriguing – hell ya!

Check out Saddleback Leather – the PERFECT christmas gift for
those who have everything (and the perfect gift for your friend
and marketing idea generator… ME!

I gladly accept Saddleback Leather gifts )

Ethical bribes, but still a bribe.

The hypsters out there will tell you that you don’t need to incent people to buy… they will just be attracted by your positive energy or incredible products and will whip out their credit cards for the pleasure to do business with you.

Realists will show you proof that plan is a sure-fire way to failure.

There was a great article I just read in the Huffington Post about a home owner who got FED UP with their realtor lack of results. Most realtors have that hope, wish and meditate on a sale until it happens BS. That’s why 97% of realtors out there make less than the waitress at your local diner.

…which is exactly the type of realtor this home owner was stuck with.

Since JUNE(!) they have had 3 showings of their home.

Less than one a month. Yikes – that is not how you sell a house.

So instead of listening to the renegade-realtor-who-does-things-oh-so-different, they took things into their own hands.

Right across the street was “Grandpas Bar & Grill” – a favorite watering hole for the neighborhood minglers.

And Grandpas place would be a friendly place to eat and drink for anyone who bought this house for sale.

The frustrated home owner had a brilliant insight and offered out of her own pocket a $1,000 bar tab at Grandpas!

Flipping brilliant.

Did it work?

A 300% increase in showings since her new promotion hit the street!

So it worked – not their wonderfully brilliant realtor just has to do half what they are paid to do…close the deal.

“We live in a place where restaurants and bars come within walking distance so we thought this was a way to cross-promote the neighborhood and our homes.”

How does this relate to you?

I hope you can see where I am going with this… if not, you need more help than I can provide )

Here are the lessons to be learned:

* Wishing and praying won’t build your business – YOU have to build your business.

* Look for complimentary businesses, products and services you can bundle in with your own products or services.

* Think outside of the basement here – how often have you seen something like this in your city? I doubt if you have ever seen a $1000 bar tab with home purchase offer before. Why not? It makes sense! Or a $1,000 restaurant gift. Or a $1,0000 maid service. Or a $1,000 credit towards movers. When you are selling a home worth a few hundred thousand dollars, a grand out of your own pocket isn’t going to kill you, or the deal. If you are selling a product or service worth $200 – a $50 gift certificate is worth it (especially when you factor in repeat business from the client once you get them into your marketing funnel – right?)

* The economy is still sluggish and people are not spending like they used to – so you had better think up some very innovative ways to get them to notice you, over the hundreds/thousands of others trying to get inside their wallets also.

* Many realtors are clueless when it comes to marketing your home – so pick and choose wisely. See if you can find one who has at least studied SOME direct marketing. It won’t be easy to find (I’ve looked)…but snag one if you find one.

This was a great example of an average everyday homeowner who got fed up with dismal results and took it into their own hands.

Not only have they tripled their prospects…

…the got MASSIVE media attention from this (Huffington Post, NBC Chicago, Sun Times, to name a few). That alone is worth a fortune for both the home owner and for Grandpa’s bar!

Last – she got over the hoping and praying phase that her realtor would perform for her – and she took ACTION to do it herself.

This is a very recent story, so we will have to wait and see how effective it is… but with 300% more prospects to talk to, odds are VERY good someone will buy soon (and they will have a hell of a good story to tell their friends and family about this home they bought which was in all these newspapers!)

Now get busy.

Troy

PS: We are just getting ready to launch the new and improved Cash Flow Calendar for 2012 – 15 months of done-for-you, pre-written marketing campaigns, and a TON of money making tools that you haven’t seen here before.

Watch for it.

In the meantime, there are a number of solutions here to help you grow your sales if they are slow http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/on-line-store/

So do your clients and prospects.

A personal or outrageous story you tie to your business is a sure-fire way to get attention and sales.

Here is a video of a guy who sells…. maggot burgers!

And the publicity he has gotten from this is worth tens (probably hundreds) of thousands of dollars in sales (I am sure most people opt for something safer, like Elk Burgers, but he sells quite a few maggot burgers as well).

What I love about it most – each and every entrepreneur I know could find a way to make an outrageous product or service bundle.

You don’t have to sell maggot burgers to get the attention of the media, or your customers.

You just need to be different.

Here is a fantastic example of being different and reaping the rewards of the attention.
Maggot burger anyone?