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May
16

Tough questions to ask when sales are slow

By | Entrepreneur, Leads Generation, Success

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Here is what I would do if I was to get into a new business right now, or were suffering from sluggish sales.

First thing: I would lock myself away at the library, in a hotel room, or in some form of private location where there are zero distractions and I could dedicate 2 hours minimum (4 hours even better) to this process. It could be the most profitable hours of your life, so probably worth the time.

I would bring reams of paper, a laptop, lots of pens, photos of your loved ones, and/or photos of your dream future (cars, homes, travel destinations, relationships, kids, pictures that remind you of freedom, or passion and of your entrepreneurial dream).

Then I would start asking myself some pretty tough questions and putting those answers down on paper.

1) Why am I doing this? What will it give me when I achieve it? (this can be non-monetary goals as well as monetary)

2) How will each and every one of those make me feel? Does that feeling come from deep within the pit of your stomach? Or do you feel it resonating from your heart? Note these things down.

3) Why did I enter/start this business?

4) How long do I want to be in this business? What is my goal I am aiming for after I achieve my greatest goal (retirement, start another business, travel, give to others, etc.)

5) What am I willing to sacrifice to achieve my dreams?

6) What won’t I do to achieve those dreams?

7) What makes me as a person different? Write down all your pluses and minuses. Write down all your past jobs, past experiences, past successes and past failures. Write down your unique characteristics.

8) If you could be a superhero, or a world leader – who would you be? What would you do with your average day? What are your strengths? Weaknesses? This may sound silly – but I will tell you this: the most successful people in business and society have this grand vision on who they are now and who they want to be. Everything they do and say drives them towards their goal.

9) What are you great at? What do you suck at?

10) What do you feel your average hourly income should be? Do the math. Write down what you want to earn in a year. Then factor in that less than 50% of your working time will be income generating time – it’s just reality. Now calculate what your average productive hour is worth. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Most people have never calculated this number… yet it opens your mind to what must be done and what must be changed.

11) If money was no object, what would you love to do, to be… who would you hang out with… what would you do in your off hours… the key here is: money is NO object. Write it down.

12) Imagine 30 years from now, you wake up and you are at your own funeral. Who would be giving your eulogy? What would you like to hear them say? Write out the eulogy you would love to hear. (This is a very difficult drill to do – but it can really open your eyes to a wonderful life ahead of you).

Let me ask you this…

How many entrepreneurs get into business and ask themselves even ONE of these questions?

Few.

They think they can waltz in, make themselves a fortune in any business they choose (because so many people on tv seem to be doing it)… without one thought on what drives them or why people should buy from them, over the 4,999 other alternatives that are going after the same people they are.

Think it through… it’s worth it.

Troy

Apr
28

Wine barrel wealth and hidden opportunities for the astute

By | Affluent buyers, Entrepreneur, Main Content, Success

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I realize that times are still tough for many people out there. The last few years were definitely felt here as well. I won’t be one of those posers who pretend all is perfect in la-la land.

But there is a way out.

It involves busting your tail.

And in looking at new ideas for revenue growth.

I was in Sonoma this past weekend for a friends 40th.

One of the guys with us is very wealthy.
He is also young, younger than me.

Something happened in Sonoma that really made me appreciate him and learn from him.
sonoma-wine-cave2
We were on a wine tour and we were inside one of the wine caves.

They were talking about the wine making process, and the subject of the oak barrels came up.

A long discussion on the barrels, how the oak is chosen from the 3 places in the world you can get it, how much the barrels cost ($400-$1,400 per barrel), and the fact that the barrels only last for a few years.

Fascinating.
sonoma-wine-barrels
But the wealthy individual in our group saw something and went after it.

He started asking lots of questions about the barrels… even to the point he was annoying the tour guide.

…But there was a reason he was asking all these questions.

He slowly walked away from the group and got out his cell phone.

A 2 minute call and an email later he came back to join us.

Later on I was talking to him and found out that he already had a team of his people analyzing the oak barrel market in the part
of the world he lived in. They were looking at the numbers, the competition, and the opportunity.

It would take them a week or two to report back the final recommendations.

THIS is how a guy like that made sooooo many millions of dollars before he hit 40.

…He took rapid action.
…He looked at the numbers.
…He pursued the areas that he could add value and expertise. (leverage)

We will see if the business is lucrative enough for him to go into, but if it is, rest assured, he will be in business in a week or two.

He saw opportunity in something most just glanced right by.

RAPID action.

You need to take it.

I need to take it.

It is the one thing that differentiates those that will make it through the coming years on top and those who won’t.

Let me know how else I can help.
sonoma-us2
Troy

PS: As I wrote this story to a client of mine, I realize how much I need to share it. Again – 10 minutes typing
and I now have an asset for my marketing campaigns. Rapid action + leverage = profitability.

Here is the ultimate tool for leveraging your assets through massive action http://www.marketingdojang.com

Dec
09

16 steps to a lead generation magnet (and one short cut)

By | Copywriting, Direct Mail, Direct Marketing, Email Marketing, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Spirits, Leads Generation, Neighborhood Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Story Selling, Wacky marketing ideas

1 Comment

Yet again, a simple four-hour project has returned major rewards in just a few weeks.

This simple strategy works in every possible industry and country imaginable.

It will boost your credibility.

You will experience an influx of high-quality prospects, which are typically ready to buy at higher prices.

It adds an immediate cash flow stream.

It builds your database.

And it will most definitely make you one of the most credible in your niche.

What is it?

The simple printed book.

Before you go running off complaining about how you have no time to write a book, hear me out. The type of book I am talking about will take a small amount of your time, and is easy to put together.

…My first experience in this world began six years ago. I met a gentleman named Steven E. at an event and first heard his idea of
co-authoring a book with him. All I had to do was contribute a single chapter in the book telling my story.

This was the second time he had done this, and this one was going to be their first best-seller.

It was an honor to have my name listed next to Dr. Wayne Dyer, Mark Victor Hanson, John Assaraf … even Lou Ferrigno of “Incredible Hulk” fame.

The book was compiled and printed in what seemed like record time. We did the Amazon campaign that got the Wake Up… Live The Life You Love book #1 in a number of categories and my new life as an author began.

============================
My next experience began on a call
with the legendary Ted Nicholas.
============================

I was fortunate to get the chance to work with him on a few projects and learned an incredible amount from a man that has sold billions using direct response marketing.

On one of our conference calls, someone asked Ted a question that caused him to hesitate. What he said next inspired me to create
my own book. Ted mentioned one thing that he credited with his success, yet said that he didn’t like to talk about it much.

To me … this was GOLD.

Something so powerful it was responsible for his success, yet he didn’t want to talk about it? I knew there was something big
here.

============================
So I hatched a plan for my own book …
and Entrepreneurial Spirits was born.
============================

Based on the conversation with Ted, I knew this was something other successful people had in common, and I was determined to
bring it out into print.

So I developed a series of 5 questions and started asking people I already knew.

Ted Nicholas agreed to be in the book.

Joe Sugarman agreed.

John Assaraf agreed.

Joe Vitale agreed.

It took on a life of its own and, next thing I knew, 52 successful people from all over the world had agreed to contribute to the book.

Entrepreneurial Spirits was compiled quickly and put in print in the matter of a couple months … and I continue to reap the rewards from that simple idea.

============================
a couple years ago … it happened again.
============================

I was asked to be in a book called Money Making Marketing For Canadian$. There was no hesitation at all … I knew how simple it was and how powerful it worked.

So I invested four, maybe five hours on my chapter and sent it in.

The book came out not long after.

Surprise surprise … I quickly landed a very nice five-figure consulting contract with someone who had never heard of me before reading my chapter in the book.

As he said … “You were in a book, so I just knew you must be the real deal”.

Once again, this tool has paid itself back to me many times over.

============================
And here’s how it can do the same for you …
============================

1. Pick the niche you want to be known in.

2. Decide if you want to have a book with complimentary
authors, or competitors (both methods work … the one I was just
in was all competitors in the book). Let’s say you are a
plumber. You could create a book with all plumbers … or a book
with a single plumber, a carpenter, a roofer, a painter, etc.
This method is easier to do (and to convince the other authors to
contribute).

3. Pick a sexy title for your book. Use the formulas given
here on The Total Package for headline creation … and find one
that could easily be used as a book title. Alternatively, go to
Amazon and look at the best-sellers in similar categories. Use
the same formula the best-sellers use in your own title.

4. Put together a pitch letter you can send to the
contributing authors you want.

5. Give them guidance on what questions to answer in their
chapter, or what format you want to stick with (stories about how
they got started, or about the best tips for their area of
expertise, or the dumbest things people do when they hire a
______). Each author gets a set number of words they can
contribute, along with a bio listing their contact information.

============================
if you want to fast track it…
join me in the next Entrepreneurial Spirits book, details at http://www.entrepreneurialspirits.com
============================

6. Make it really easy for them to write the chapter (show
yours as an example). Give them guidance and ideas. And give
them a solid deadline to have their chapter in by.

7. And get busy going after your dream authors. Once you have
gotten the ok from the number of authors you want (10-20 is
perfect, 53 in mine was too much … almost Chicken Soup like).

8. Make sure you keep in touch with them during the writing
phase and make sure they are committed to the deadline.

9. Send it to a professional editor and cover designer.

10. Make sure YOUR name is the most prominent one on the cover
and spine.

11. I would suggest printing your first book in the standard 6″
x 9″ format … it is easier for the printer and the cost per book
is less.

12. Don’t worry about making it perfect! You are going to use
print-on-demand, so you can always get more printed if you find
something that needs fixing. The best part with a print-on-demand
company is that they can do small runs of 50, or 500 … and you
don’t end up with a garage full of unsold books (which happens
95% of the time with authors).

13. Print extra copies for your contributing authors. If they
are paying you to be a part of the book, give them 20+ copies.

14. Create an affiliate program so that your contributing
authors can sell the book through your program, or they can sell
them direct, as long as they buy them from you at $X per copy.

15. Write your winning sales letter using the tips on my
blog.

16. Get busy promoting the book! Use it as a business card.
Mail it out to your clients and prospects. Use it as a bonus
with your product shipments. Do everything possible to get your
book to distributors, catalog houses, on Amazon, and in the hands
of other entrepreneurs who want to bonus your book with their
product shipments. (Book promotions are a whole other subject,
one that I can’t cover here … even needing an entire course
around the subject!)

This is a simplified version of the entire process … but it can be done quickly and efficiently using this formula.

============================
Don’t overcomplicate it …
this formula WORKS.

If you want to fast track it…
join me in the next Entrepreneurial Spirits book,
details at http://www.entrepreneurialspirits.com
============================

The books you now have are the PERFECT promotional tool.

They will enhance your image and will attract your perfect clients. A single chapter made me five figures in a month since its release … imagine what it will do over the next few years.

And don’t cheap out and go for strictly the e-book version.

I love e-books … especially selling them. But there is something different about a physical book that you cannot match with a PDF. If you start now, you can have this done for early in the New Year Entrepreneurial Spirits

I would love to hear your ideas.

Thanks again.

To your success,

Troy White

PS: If you want to fast track it…
join me in the next Entrepreneurial Spirits book,
details at http://www.entrepreneurialspirits.com

PPS: This is the ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS PRESENT for the entrepreneurs in your life! If you are giving it as a gift, let me know and I will package up something special for under the tree.

The Perfect Christmas Gift for Entrepreneurs

The Perfect Christmas Gift for Entrepreneurs

Nov
24

A new entrepreneur who gets marketing

By | Copywriting, Entrepreneur, Leads Generation, Main Content, Neighborhood Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Wacky marketing ideas

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I had an email today from a realtor.

Normally I would ignore it… realtors are among the most pig headed to deal with. I’ve tried… but they know it all and aren’t willing to try something different.

But this gal sounded different.

What is educational to you is in my response.

IF you pay attention to my response, you will see a SIMPLE way any entrepreneur (that’s YOU) can stand out from the crowd and position themselves as different.

She emailed me asking for help with her new real estate business. But she sounded like she was willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. So I emailed her this:

Hi Kathy. Nice to meet you!

Wow – a realtor that actually thinks differently about generating business – a VERY nice change.

To be honest, I gave up on realtors.

After talking to tons of them about marketing and lead generation, I found not one of them was willing to try anything even remotely different. To most of them (I am sure you know this) the headshot business card and copy paste postcards are the answer to every dream. Or not.

I have told the story of a realtor in Calgary for 9 years now. I noticed her that long ago because she was the ONLY realtor in a city of 5,000 that called herself the “petlovers realtor”. She advertised with a picture of her and her dog. Her ads were in the pet mags, in the childrens papers, everywhere she could find that was different than all the others.

I loved it! Yet I mention this to realtors and I could put money on what, exactly, their response would be…

…”but I want to sell to more than just pet lovers”.

So they would ignore the hidden gem inside there and go back to their woefully ineffective ways.

And go broke in the process.

Anyhow… had a bit of a rant I needed to get out there :o )

Sure you know why.

Interested in talking to you about this.

I don’t throw out prices as there are soooo many ways we could do what you want.

When is a good time Wed or Thur to talk?

Thanks, Troy


…did you see it?

The astute did.

Hope that’s you.

We will see where this goes – but at least she is willing to listen – FAR more than 99% of the realtors I talk to. They know it all… that’s why they are all sooooo successful. Or not.

Troy

Sep
17

An Ode To Entrepreneurs

By | Direct Marketing, Entrepreneur, Success

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Fellow Business-Builder,

This week’s article is designed to inspire and help entrepreneurs who feel a little lost right now.

I hear from them daily.

They feel alone. They are confused. They are concerned. They don’t know where to turn. And they need a lift up.

This is for you if you’re an entrepreneur (or one in the making) …

We are the dreamers.
The visionaries.
The doers.

We are your neighbours.
Your friends.
Or your family.

We pursue our dreams, rather than letting them die a slow death.
We’ve learned to ignore the negative people in our lives.

We know we are different.
And we relish in it.

We are unemployable.

We are good people.
We are writers.
Artists.
Technicians.
Directors and creatives.

We have a disdain for bureaucracy and red tape.

We love to build and enjoy our creations.

We are most definitely off the wall.
…Yet the most sane of them all.

We are passionate about our trade.
Yet we realize most people would never leave the ‘security’ of a job to live their dreams like we do.

We are the biggest employers out there.
We stick to it, amidst economic turmoil and media frenzied trash talking.

Thank the entrepreneurs that you know.
Tell them to keep on plugging and building.

Embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.
We are the future.

If entrepreneurs like you and I keep on doing what we do best, wealth creation continues.

If we let governments take away, and tax, our ability to create ventures, wealth will disappear into the deep dark corridors of your local city hall.

How do you define entrepreneurs?

What are YOUR quirks, your all-encompassing character traits?

Please share your thoughts on entrepreneurship and what drives those in your life.

Then share this with others you know … entrepreneurship can, in many cases, be a very lonely journey. And sometimes all we need is a lift up from a few like-minded friends around us.

You are our future.

And your entrepreneurial spirit is what will drive the legacy you leave to all future generations.

NOW is the time to step out and do bigger and better things.

Get over the fear … and just try it.

Amidst all the craziness out there, is a great opportunity to stand strong and grow faster than you ever thought possible.

But you need to embrace that you and I ARE different. Entrepreneurs are a unique bunch … and we need to support each other in our quest for success.

Sometimes that support comes bundled up with some encouragement, other times it comes rolled up like a blueprint.

If you know an entrepreneur who needs a little nudge right now, please send them this article – and make sure you leave your comments below.

What makes YOU unique as an entrepreneur? What drives you? And what BIG things do you have planned for the coming year?

This wasn’t the traditional article from me, but I think deep inside here is the real key to your entrepreneurial dream coming to fruition.

I hope you share your thoughts on this below …

To your success,

Troy White

PS: I originally wrote this for the Clayton Makepeace Total Package Blog, which I post for every week at www.smallbusinessmastery.com

Jul
20

Is it getting more difficult to get sales?

By | Affluent buyers, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Entrepreneur, Leads Generation, Marketing on the web, Neighborhood Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Networking, Success, Time management and productivity, Wacky marketing ideas

1 Comment

One thing about today’s economy… you had better be tough to make it out better off than you went in.

The media makes sure you hear all the disturbing trends.

That’s how they make their money.

But their fear mongering won’t help you build your business or live a better quality of life.

You have to take responsibility for that.

So what do you do?

People aren’t spending like they used to.

They are spending less than they used to (only the top 5% income earners are growing their personal expenditures by any significant amount).

They are making buying decisions based on a new criteria that they have set.

They aren’t reading the yellow pages in print.

They aren’t responding like they used to when they saw newspaper and magazine ads.

Now it’s summer and people are paying less attention to all the online commotion.

Again, what do you do?

If you are looking for new ways to grow your business in turbulent times like this, you must start looking at unusual ideas.

Completely different marketing ideas.

New media to place lead generation ads in.

One of the best places to start?

Go FAR outside of your industry…

…to a land far far away.

If you sell computers, look to the restaurant business.

If you run a restaurant, look to the clothing industry.

You sell life insurance? Well, stop looking inside your field, and look to the publishing industry.

The point is that you need to, right now, STOP thinking about you being a computer tech, or a restaurant owner, or a life insurance specialist.

And you need to start thinking like a marketer.

Marketers look for opportunity in the weirdest of places.

When they see something working elsewhere, they don’t say (in a whiny voice): “that won’t work in myyyyyyyyy industry… my buyers are different”.

Yes, your buyers are unique people… but they are people and people buy based on similar patterns and habits.

And if they are buying over there in a wacky promotion going on, you had BETTER get testing ways to take that wacky promotion and make it work for you.

So get busy looking at what promotions catch your eye – online, offline, it doesn’t matter.

Things that stand out to you in the newspaper or magazines you read.

Success stories you read about.

People you talk to who are doing well in business.

Figure out what they are doing, how they are promoting it, and then FIND WAYS to make it fit your offerings.

Tools needed?

Pen.
Paper.
Phone.
Ambition.

That’s it.

Now get busy.

I took a simple little 2 pager that was written for a completely different industry.

I modified it to fit my client.

We got over 15% response.

I modified it again for another client and we saw a 20:1 return on their marketing investment to mail the letter out.

(how many times would you be investing $1 if you knew you would roughly get $20 back? as many as freaking possible, I would hope!)

The letter came from an industry I do not like.

One few people like.

But it worked.

And I modified it to make it work in multiple industries.

It didn’t work every time the first time, but through testing was made to.

If you are interested in a copyright free version of this letter that you can use for your own business… let me know how to get ahold of you and we can talk.

I have to charge you for it – everyone else paid for it.

BUT, I promise it will be a minuscule investment compared to the results it can give you back.

The best ideas come from places you would never think of.

This might be one.

I am offering 10 copies of this letter, one per industry.

Email me at troy@smallbusinesscopywriter.com if you want to find out more.

And keep your eyes open for those wacky marketing promotions that catch YOUR attention. If they work on you… the odds are good they are working on others!

To your success. Troy

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