Follow Up Marketing Experts Blog

Video Tips for Store Owners

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This is a great idea for a frequent buyer program! Check it out!

Stand Out from the Competition by Positioning Yourself Strongly

In my time coaching entrepreneurs, I’ve often heard them express concern about the
“competition.” They say things like: “But there are SO many other people who do what I do…”

When it comes down to it, they’re worried about not being able to stand out enough in the marketplace.

The answer to this dilemma is really about positioning, and there are three main ways to handle this in your own business:

1. Position yourself by focusing on your remarkable advantages.

One of the best places to begin in order to have a standout message is to focus on your remarkable advantages.

Customers are savvier than ever, and the truth is, looking like everyone else attracts price shoppers. Price shoppers will never be loyal to you and are often a royal pain to deal with to boot!

(This is why you never want to compete on price—someone will always come in cheaper. Understand that people will pay whatever you ask for something they really want, and if you can solve their problem or eliminate their pain, you can then charge a premium.)

When you focus on your remarkable advantages, you infuse YOU in your business to stand out from all the noise.

Here are two great ways to do this. First, simply ask the people closest to you, “What are my three best qualities?” (This is a way to discover your unique genius, and when I did this several years ago, it was extremely enlightening.)

Second, I recommend checking out the book Now Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham. It’s a great resource for doing this work.

2. Position yourself by telling your story.

When you come from an authentic place, success is almost guaranteed.

So, what’s your story? What has happened in your life, good or bad, that would be the most useful to share with others? The answer to this is your Center of Authenticity, and you want to weave this all throughout your marketing.

Ultimately, marketing is really storytelling. It’s about authentic stories that help sell the product or service being marketed.

Think about your story, your life as it has unfolded up to today. What was a turning point in your life? Turning points help others relate to you, and telling your story of how you got to where you are today helps build connection as well as know, like, and trust.

3. Position yourself through price.

Another way to stand out is through price positioning. Whether we like it not, the way we price our products and services makes a statement about our credibility, and higher prices tend to garner more respect. (Think of the old statement: “You get what you pay for.”)

How do you work on your own price positioning? A great place to start is by looking at the brands that you admire and love. What is it about them that draws you to them? How can you incorporate some of that essence into your own branding and offerings?

You’ll also want to focus on creating an experience for your clients and customers, providing a high level of value and customer service, and never doing anything halfway or in a “shoddy” manner. Ask yourself: How can I do things better? (Also, if you’ve been in the habit of negotiating fees up until now—stop!)

Finally, understand the power of association: those you associate with determine your perceived value in the marketplace. Align yourself with the top people in your industry by reaching out to them and starting to form real relationships. (Social media can be a great tool for this.)

The BIG “secret”? In the end, it’s not about how many degrees you have, or how good looking you are, or even how intelligent you are. It’s really about CONFIDENCE.

Combine that with the positioning strategies I’ve recommended here and the good news is, you won’t need to stress about the “competition” ever again.

How are you going to implement these positioning strategies? Let me know below in the comments!

What Catches Your Attention?

By Pam Lutey

For those of us that get on the internet daily or read a newspaper we are bombarded by tons of interruptions such as ads, articles, etc.  As I get on AOL each day I quickly take a look at the latest news and what has happened during the past 24 hours.  I usually will click on one or two just because they caught my interest.  One that stuck out from the rest was this one:

Top 10 Companies Hiring This Week

I am sure that many people clicked on this one even if they don’t need a job due to the dismal report on jobs that came out last Friday and lowered the stock market by almost 275 points.  We all have interests and those are usually the ones that we check out.  Then we go to our inbox where there are tons of emails from everywhere!  Again, we choose those that sound interesting and stick out from the rest.  Now, you are asking, what does this have to do with small businesses?  How about everything!

As a small business you want to stick out from the crowd.  You want to be a purple cow.  Check this out by reading The Purple Cow by Seth Godin.  Think about what makes you unique from your competition.  If the answer is nothing, then it is time to regroup.  Spend time thinking about what you can do that is different but better than your competition.

Let’s take a restaurant as an example.  What can you do that is different from other restaurants?  It might be worth checking out your competition to see just exactly what they are doing and try to improve or put your own twist to it.  Check out restaurants on the internet to get some great ideas.  Actually, any business should do this.  Trying to be unique and different is the name of the game.

Another way to learn some new ideas is to ask your customers and clients what they would like to see you do better or differently.  Your employees are also a great source of information since they are the ones that interact with your customers and clients.  Maybe a form given to your customers and clients on ways to make you stand out from the crowd would be one way to get some great ideas.

Being part of the herd is the wrong way to go in this day and age.  Become the Purple Cow that everyone is talking about.  As you read the news, think about what catches your attention and take some of those ideas into your own business.  Think about the really successful businesses that you know about.  What are they doing to achieve their success?

Put a list by your desk and as you come upon ideas that are really good jot them down.  When you see a great advertisement that catches your eye, take a picture of it with your smart phone.  Always be looking for the things that make you want to come back to a business.  Is it the customer service; the product?  If you stay in your own little space, that is all you will see.  It is time for you to get out there and observe what others are doing and it is also lots of fun!

Pam and Jim Lutey are the CEO’s of Follow Up Marketing Experts.  You can visit their blog at  http://followupmarketingexperts.typepad.com/marketing-ideas-for-small-businesses-blog/ or contact them by email at pam@followupmarketingexperts.com.

 

 

 

Your First Step to Loyal Customers

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Customer Service Made Easy - 5 Steps Every Business Leader Needs to Know to Improve Service

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Ten Customer Service Secrets to Win Back Customers

Recently I was facilitating an Outstanding Customer Service
program and broke for lunch. Knowing that the restaurants
in the area left much to desire as far as service I gave the
students an extra fifteen minutes for lunch.

Sure enough a group of four students came rushing into the
classroom with their lunches in hand. They apologized and
quickly explained that they received poor service at a
restaurant (This restaurant is part of a national chain. Hint:
The restaurant's name references a day in the week. I can't
give you the complete answer). They explained that after the
waiter initially took their order, they waited 45 minutes before
their food finally arrived. During the wait, no one came to
check on them.

Finally, when the food arrived, it was time for the group to
return to class. They were not happy, so they asked to
speak with the restaurant manager. The manager
approached and asked, "What was the problem?" One of my
students explained the situation to which the restaurant
manager replied, "The food ticket only shows you were
waiting for eleven minutes." My students were still not
satisfied and said as much to the manager. She asked them,
"Would you like dessert?" My students re-emphasized their
dissatisfaction. Each time my students expressed their
unhappiness, the manager would say she was sorry. But my
students weren't buying it. The manager then left without
explaining where and what she was doing. The manager
returned and told my students that their meals were free.
Even though the manager gave them free meals my students
said they will never go back to that restaurant or any other
restaurant in that chain.

So why weren't these customers happy? The restaurant had
an opportunity to turn a difficult customer service experience
into a winning situation for all and squandered it. Not only
will these patrons never go back to any restaurant in that
chain, but they will tell others about their unhappy
experience. The unhappy customer, on average, will tell 27
other people about their experience. With the use of the
internet, whether web pages or e-mail, that number can
increase to the thousands, if not millions with the click of a
button. However, according to the Department of Consumer
Affairs, 82-95% of unhappy customers will come back if
impressed and actually refer five new customers.

Let's take a look at the ten secrets that will not only win back
your customer in any situation, but have them referring new
customers that will add more money to your bottom line
revenue.

1. Smile

Nothing can turn a hostile situation into positive moment
faster than a sincere smile. A smile that says, "I want to help
you." It communicates that you are positive about the
interaction with the customer. A sincere smile enhances the
communication process so that you can find the solution
faster.

2. Introduce Yourself as the Solution Creator

Make sure you introduce yourself, find out the customer's
name, and let your customer know your position and why
you are there. This lets the customer know you are taking
responsibility for finding a solution. You might say
something like:

"Hello, my name is Mike. I am the manager at this location. I
am here to assist you in this situation, please tell me about
it."

Notice I didn't say, "What's the problem?" By using
"What's the problem?" you start the customer service
situation in a negative note. The customer is thinking
"You're the problem," "This establishment is the problem,"
"The whole world is the problem," etc. By starting your
conversation with "I am here to assist you in this situation,
please tell me about it" you are setting up a "verbal
agreement" in the customer's mind to move to a solution.
Note: If possible, please use the customer's name
throughout the conversation.

3. Listen

Customers to want tell their side of the story and feel like
they are not only heard but that you listened to them.
Mentally take a step back and dedicate yourself to actively
listening to the customer's story with an open mind so that
you can find a solution. In the above situation, the manager
stood silently while my students were explaining their story.
Be active in your listening and create empathy ("put yourself
in the customer's shoes") with statements such as:

"I can appreciate what you're saying."

"I can understand how you'd feel that way."

"I can see how you'd be upset."

"It sounds as if we've caused you inconvenience."

"What I understand the situation to be..."

Please stay away from communication that alienates the
customer such as:

"I don't know why you are so upset."

"That's the first complaint we ever got on that."

"I know how you feel." (Because you don't)
"Boy, you're sure mad"

In the above story, the students told the manager that they
weren't happy with the service because they didn't have
time to eat their meals. The manager, not listening, said,
"Would you like dessert?" The solution was not more food.
Listen for the solution!

4. Be Sorry for the Right Reasons

Be sincere in your concern for the customer and say sorry
the correct way. Many times in the heat of the customer
service situation we want to show some sign of concern so
we do the following:

The first words of the interaction are with the words,
"I'm sorry." First, you didn't find out any information from
the customer to be sorry.

When saying you are sorry, say exactly what you are
sorry for.

The students, even though the manager kept repeating she
was sorry, didn't think the manager was sincere in her
apology. The correct way to say you are sorry is:

"I'm sorry you had to wait so long for your food."

"I'm sorry that you were treated that way."

"I'm sorry that our employee said that to you."

"I'm sorry this situation happened to you."

Let the customer know exactly why you are sorry. The
students thought the manager's "sorrys" were insincere
because she never mentioned why she was sorry.

5. Give Your Personal Assurance

Let the customer know you will personally create a solution
for them. It could be as simple as saying, "I'm taking
personal responsibility for this."

6. Ask Them What They Want

One of the fears that we have when trying to satisfy the
customer is that we think they want something out of our
reach. Ask the customer, "What would you like me/us to
do?" or "What would make this situation right for you?"
You will be surprised that in most cases the customer will ask
for less than you were expecting.

7. Use Statements of Conviction

Say the following to gain the confidence of the customer:

"We're going to do something about that!"

"We will make a change right now!"

8. Present a Clear Plan of Action

Make sure the customer knows what you are going to do to
correct the situation for them. Ninety-five percent of making
things right for the customer involves making them aware
that you are taking action to make a difference for them.
Explain to them the actions and timelines you need to take to
make things right for them. If you need to leave or make a
telephone call to obtain additional information, say:

"Excuse me while I make a telephone call to obtain the
best solution for you. This will take five minutes, can you
please wait?

"Excuse me, I need to ask the person with the missing
piece of information so that we can quickly resolve this for
you. Do you mind waiting five minutes?"

Note: Make sure you get back to the customer before the
time you specified. If you promised ten minutes, get back to
the customer before ten minutes. Rule of thumb, double the
time it would normally take to get the information. If you
know it will take ten minutes to get the answer for the
customer then tell the customer you will get back to them
within twenty minutes.

9. Move Quickly to the Solution

If you applied steps 1-8 you are ready to give the customer
the solution they wanted for a win-win situation. You can
confirm this by saying the following:

"Would this be agreeable for you?"

"Is this the solution you were looking for?"

"Will this make things right for you?"

10. Ask for the Business

If you did everything right this is the perfect time to ask the
customer to come back and do business with your
organization. You showed that you were professional,
caring, sincere, positive, and proactive. Why wouldn't they
do business with you again?

Some of the way you can say this include the following:

"We would appreciate the opportunity to serve you
again in the future."

"Please come back and I will personally guarantee you
receive outstanding service."

"Here is a 20% coupon. Please use it on your next
visit to our establishment."

It's important that you let the customer know that you
appreciate their business and want them to come back.
Remember, if you did everything right, not only will they
come back but they will tell other people to do business with
you. Use challenging customer service situations to win
back your customers and build your business.

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, "Secrets, Stories, and Tips for Marvelous Customer Service."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ed_Sykes

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/80715

A lot of Hissing and Growling By Pam Lutey

Yes, there is a lot of hissing and growling at our house.  Our neighbor felt he had to get rid of his cat since his wife had a stroke and was unable to take care of the cat…so we were asked to kitty sit it until a decision was made about the cat.

Now you ask..what does this have to do with marketing.  Well, frankly nothing.  I just wanted to vent a bit.

Today’s lesson in marketing has to do with Charlie Sheen. If you haven’t heard of Charlie Sheen you must live under a rock.  Charlie was the star on 2 and ½ men which is a funny, funny show.  Well, Charlie did some really stupid things and they fired him.  I guess they thought he would just go away…not!  The latest is he is going to do a sit com about Anger Management, something he knows very well.  He is investing in this show and will have much more control or perhaps all the control.  This is why you have your own business.  You want control over your life and your future.  If you work for someone else you might be out of a job tomorrow.  Look at what happened to the people that worked at Borders.  They went out of business and 11,000 workers will be losing their jobs. 

Our Son Bert started Lutey’s Landscaping in January, 2011 for several reasons.  First, he wanted to be in control of his life and future and second it is his passion.  He loves doing Landscaping and he is very good at it.  We are hoping that he is successful and will provide a future for himself and his family.  However, he didn’t plan as well as he should have and has found out that working for yourself is hard work…if you want to be successful.  It is dealing with employees, gas prices that are out of sight, Trucks that break down, clients that want things done now etc.

He had a good plan in place and still does but it will take time, money and work to make it a success.  This is just part of owning your own business as many of you know.

I guess the point here is that having a good, no great marketing plan in place and knowing that you should market your business is key to your success.  We are doing this with Bert and trying to help him plan for his success.  I think you need to sit down each month and review what you are doing to make your business successful and what you still need to put in place.  I hope you have made your list of three projects and the things that you will do to achieve those goals.  If not, start now and let me know how it goes or if you need any suggestions or help.  If you feel you need help with planning we would be glad to help.  Planning is key to success.

Best of luck and now I will return to the hissing and growling!

 

What do you mean there is no such thing as a Free Lunch?  That is exactly what we are offering to any small business.  We take you to lunch, listen to your situation and then give you some great marketing tips that you can use right now.  Our goal is to help businesses become #1.  Call us at 970-587-2869 or email us at pam@followupmarketingexperts.com and we will set a time to meet.  You can also sign up for our newsletter at our blog http://followupmarketingexperts.typepad.com/marketing-ideas-for-small-businesses-blog. Out of the Colorado area?   We consult by phone or by Go to Meeting.  Simply call us at 970-587-2869 or email us at the address above.  We love helping small businesses.

 

 

Email Marketing Advice | Chron.com

The U.S. Small Business Association writes, "At a typical cost of only a few cents per message, email is a bargain compared to traditional direct mail at $1 or more per piece." It goes on to explain that response rates from email outperform traditional direct mail marketing as well. Although traditional direct mail generates response rates of 1 percent to 3 percent, email ranges from 5 percent to as high as 35 percent--providing excellent leverage for businesses of any size.

Plan First

An ongoing email marketing campaign should be treated like any other marketing campaign your company adopts. There should be a plan of execution in place, a budget for the campaign, and a list of goals and objectives you'd like to achieve. Unlike billboards, newspaper placements or television advertising that may strive for creating brand recognition, email marketing is a longer-term relationship building strategy, so part of your plan should focus on whether your company has enough relevant and interesting things to say or offer over an extended period of time.

Select Systems

A number of specialized software applications are available for email marketing. Some software is installed on your corporate network or business web server, while others are hosted by third parties. Selecting the appropriate email marketing software or system is important to do right from the start. Many starter systems work fine for small email lists and campaigns, but unfortunately they can encounter major problems as your subscription lists grow. Choosing badly in the beginning can cause you to lose all subscriber data, and have to start from the very beginning again later. Third-party email marketing services specialize in guarding against common problems, and many of them, such as AWeber or Constant Contact, work with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to ensure email from their system is not caught in spam filters as well. This service helps increase your delivery rate, which can in turn improve your profits.

Get Subscribers

The Small Business Association, Entrepreneur Magazine and the Federal Trade Commission all recommend using permission based marketing to gain subscribers to your email list. This means that instead of buying an email list and sending to them cold, you invite customers and prospects to sign up to your email list voluntarily. Permission-based marketing creates more responsive subscribers because the people who receive your email have heard of you before and have specifically asked to receive additional content via email. Gaining subscribers can be challenging because people have started protecting their email addresses almost as much as they protect their home phone numbers. They don't want to risk receiving spam or having their email sold to other companies. Putting a subscribe button on each page of your website is a common way to get subscribers, but you can make this method more effective by creating a page on your website dedicated to explaining your email list. On that page you can tell people how often you send email, what type of content they can expect to receive, what benefits they will gain from subscribing and what your privacy policies are. If you also offer a free coupon or gift to new subscribers, you will find that the information page combined with the incentive will dramatically increase your subscription ratios.

Consistency and Content

When sending email to a subscription list, you will find customers respond best to consistency as well as good content. Consistency is achieved simply by creating an email structure and format, plus sending the email on a regular schedule. Email marketing software allows you to configure both of these aspects to be the same at all times. The definition of good content is a debated topic online, but for the purposes of email marketing it means to send your customers exactly what they expect. If you told them you'd send weekly discounts or coupons, then that is what they expect to receive. If instead you told them they'd receive recipes, tips or information-rich articles by subscribing, be sure to send those instead.

Track and Analyze

Like any other form of marketing, email campaigns must be tracked and analyzed regularly to see if they are performing at or above expectations. Most email marketing software has statistics built in so that you can monitor how many subscribers opened your email, how many clicked on a given link and how many took a specific desired action, such as purchasing a product or filling out a survey. Refer back to your original goals and objectives to compare them with the actual results your campaign is generating, then make adjustments and improvements as needed to meet your targets.

How to Take Your Business to the Next Level in 2013 | Entrepreneur.com

Holiday leftovers aren't even cold before conversation typically turns to resolutions for the new year. A December 2012 TD Ameritrade survey found that half of Americans want to improve their health and 32 percent hope to strengthen their finances in 2013.

Companies also will be taking steps to achieve greater prosperity next year. To make your own resolutions about growing your business, consider these 10 steps as part of a successful 2013 action plan.

Move forward even in uncertain times. Over the next 12 months, companies will need to deal with health-care reform, changing regulations and still volatile economic times, but they can't let those uncertainties paralyze them, says Jeffrey Fox, a business author and consultant in Chester, Conn. Even in the worst economic times, some businesses thrive, says Mark Stevens, founder of MSCO, a marketing advisory firm in Rye Brook, N.Y. He advises companies to aggressively investigate potential new markets, invest in marketing, and test new ways of promoting themselves to bring in new customers and revenue.

Related: 5 Ways to Succeed in Any Economy

Tap your employees. Your employees are a tremendous resource for new ideas, says Ken Blanchard, co-author of best-selling classic The One Minute Manager (William Morrow, 1982) and founder of the Ken Blanchard leadership training companies based in Escondido, Calif. For example, he notes that a Southwest Airlines employee proposed the idea that led to Business Select, which allows passengers to pay extra for such perks as priority boarding. "That one idea has made the business millions of dollars," Blanchard says.

Reconnect with your purpose. When you started your business, you had a vision for what you wanted to create. Find ways to rekindle that fire in your belly, Blanchard says. Whether it's sales, finance or product development, spend more time working in the areas of your business that excite you, he suggests. "If you don't love what you're doing, you're never going to work hard enough to be one of the best."

Diversify your income opportunities. Look for ways you can sell more to your customers and prospects. If you sell products, you can add complementary items, bundle offerings or add service packages. Service providers can often add products to boost the bottom line. For example, when Blanchard and his wife Marjorie started their company in 1980, they conducted business seminars. Soon, they realized their income was limited by just offering seminars. After they branched into selling such products as books and diagnostic tools, their business grew to more than 300 employees.

Related Video: Google Hangout With Angela Jia Kim on Massive Growth

Adopt value pricing. Fox doesn't believe that all products and services have to compete on price. Retailers may sell similar brands, but you can add value based on location, customer service, convenience, cleanliness and other factors that are important to customers. Manufacturers can differentiate based on innovative new products, quality, on-time delivery record and exceptional salespeople. "Even salt has been differentiated—sea salt, kosher salt, salt that comes in shakers," Fox says.

Hire rainmakers. One of your best investments is an employee who can bring in new business, keep customers happy, and sell based on factors other than price, Fox says. When you're interviewing potential rainmakers, look for people who are engaged, politely persistent and well prepared for the interview. Fox says these coveted employees are able to speak specifically about past successes, whether a significant personal accomplishment or the amount of business they landed for their latest employer.

Related: Serial Entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal on Building an A-List Team

Set aggressive growth goals. Since he launched MSCO in 1995, Stevens has worked at doubling his business every 18 months. He advises setting a goal that makes you slightly uncomfortable and then determining what it's going to take to get there. Analyze how you landed your best customers, the length of your sales cycle and the ratio of prospects to customers to get a better understanding of what's working in your sales and marketing efforts, he says. Then, focus on the most effective methods.

Measure every marketing activity. If you can't measure it, don't spend money on it, Stevens says. It's often easiest to track online marketing, but other types of promotions can be measured as well, such as special offerings with a unique response telephone number, coded coupons or response cards, unique landing pages, and free white paper or information downloads. "When you combine tools in this way, you can track marketing effectiveness that some people say are unmeasurable, like outdoor advertising and public relations," Stevens says.

Pay attention to the experience. Consider what it's like for customers to do business with your company. How is their experience with the receptionist or sales team? Is the store or office environment pleasant? Do orders arrive on time? Is the customer service team responsive? Even small glitches or a perceived slight can cost you a customer, Fox says. "I know a bookstore owner who has signs all over 'No shoes, no shirt, no service. No cell phones. No food.' No one wants to be scolded like that."

Try doing what you tend to avoid. For years, Stevens thought radio advertising would be a poor medium for promoting his marketing firm. Finally in 2008, an employee persuaded him to spend $10,000 on radio ads. The return on the investment has proven so strong that this year, the company spent roughly $1.25 million on radio. Whether it's an assumption about a new market, marketing technique or management technique, Stevens advises you to challenge your belief that a new approach won't work.

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225373#ixzz2TkxoGjrI

4 Mistakes NOT To Make When Advertising and 11 Must Dos

Failed advertising is generally a result of saying the wrong thing to the wrong audience. But by following these effective guidelines, you'll decrease the likelihood of creating ineffective ads and increase the value of your message.

Failed advertising is generally a result of saying the wrong thing to the wrong audience. But by following these effective guidelines, you'll decrease the likelihood of creating ineffective ads and increase the value of your message.

4 Mistakes NOT to Make When advertising:

1. Avoid using your business name in the headline. Instead, highlight a value or benefit

* Do you grab the attention of the best audience for your product or service?

* Have you stirred curiosity and made only promises you can keep?

* Do you "hook" your target audience and make them want to take action?

2. Avoid failing to create a "loop" in the headline.

* A loop is created when your audience has to (and wants to!) read or listen to the whole ad to reap the benefits.

* Your audience will only read or listen to a whole ad for benefits if the content is compelling.

* The loops guides your target audience back to you.

3. Avoid failing to use "You" in the headline.

* Using "you" personalizes the advertisement and makes your audience feel like you are addressing him or her individually.

* Using "you" closes the distance between you and your target audience.

4. Avoid failing to ask your target audience to "act" on something.

* Did you forget to include a Call to Action in your ad?

* Is your Call to Action compelling and appealing enough to your target audience for them to take an immediate action, even if that action one small step?

While the purpose of advertising is to sell a product or service, other key purposes are to inform the listener or reader, to strengthen brand recognition, and to reinforce the message that you have something of value for your customers.

Because of media saturation, it has become extremely important for business owners to create a buzz that will keep customers talking--and buying--again and again. Strategy is the key. Think of it this way…if a meal is memorably delicious, who cares what kind of plate it is served on?

Don't get me wrong. Presentation is important. But far more important is the content of that presentation. The goal, of course, is to have the content, message, and presentation working together to form the perfect link between you and your customers.

Here are some solid tips on how to create effective ads:

* Be Straight Forward. "Buy One (product or service) And Get A Second For Free" is more effective than being funny or clever. Granted, companies like A1 Radiator broke that rule when they came up with their tag line: A1 Radiator - A Great Place To Take A Leak. Still, most people would do better to stick to straight-forward strategies when creating advertising.

* Think Big. You might be saying, "But my product is small," but that doesn't mean you can't think big. How? You can sell "package" deals, combining your product or service with something else of value. You can put together an event that offers demonstrations of your product or service. You can place your product or service by something much smaller, making it look big. The possibilities are endless.

* Keep It Local. Even if your product or service reaches beyond your community, let your community feel like they are a part of your success. Make yourself the "team" your community can get behind and support. Identify what sets you apart from your competition.

* Educate Your Audience. People want to feel like they've made a good choice and have been given a great deal. To feel that, they need to make informed decisions. Give them the reasons why they should go with your product or service. Put their needs first showing how they will benefit by using your product or service.

* Tell A Compelling Story. A colleague of mine read the same story to her son 150 nights in a row until she thought she would go insane. She started to fantasize about a book that would consume itself. She then realized what she wanted was a book that turned into what it was about and created her patented Puppetbooks: Cloth Books That Turn Inside Out Into Workable Puppets. What's your story? People respond to good stories.

* Solve A Problem. People buy things to fill a need. Identify what that need is and show how your product or service solves a problem.

* Fulfill A Wish. We all have them: Dreams. But a good advertiser will make you feel like those dreams can come true. The point is not to lie. You want to be honest and show how your product or service can make your customers' wishes come true.

*Make 'Em An Offer They Can't Refuse. Great value does not need to cost a great amount of money. What's your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? What do you offer the customer that someone else can't or doesn't?

* Under-Promise/Over-Deliver. Imagine the surprise your customer will get when he or she receives something unexpected. My mechanic quoted me a price. It was a lot to swallow. When I went to pay, he had found ways to cut down the cost, surprising me with a lower amount. I was thrilled.

* If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It. If your advertising is bringing in customers by the droves, you're clearly on to something and should re-run it. Imagine if we tried recreating the wheel over and over and over and over. Don't waste time. If something works, keep doing it until it's time to do something else.

* Track and Measure Everything. What good is running an ad if you have no idea of its effectiveness? Too many business owners I come across guess, rather than having actual numbers they can point to that show whether a campaign has been marginal or successful.

Want a real surprising "bonus" fact? If you use a portion of your current advertising dollars to invest in a business coach, you'd get the systems in place that would help you effectively advertise more than you ever dreamed possible. Think of your business coach as the "Business Engineer" that helps you build a solid bridge to your success.

For advice and access to proven systems that will advance your business, visit http://www.actioncoachcalteam.com/ and http://actioncalteamblog.com Peter Williamson, Business Coach and Master Licensee, helps you find instant and lasting solutions to boost your profits by 61% or more - guaranteed. Email peterwilliamson@actioncoach.com

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