Those that earn the majority of their income from selling products and services teaching others how to be internet marketers and those that show other companies how to utilize Internet marketing to grow their business.

One helps others become Internet Marketers and the other type offers services to grow through leveraging the power of Internet marketing.  They differ widely on their experience and expertise.

If you’re looking for an Internet Marketing Speaker to help you grow your business, increase conversions, get higher rankings in the search engines and make the most of your social media efforts then I can help you.  

As an Internet Marketing Speaker, I’m hired to present at many types of corporate, association and public seminar events.

Meeting planners want someone that can help their audiences understand and benefit from using Internet marketing strategies, monetizing social media marketing, and improving their website.   They want someone who will present in an interactive, entertaining way that delivers implementable action steps for their audience members.

With over 15 years of Internet marketing experience, developing hundreds of websites and selling millions through the power of the Internet, I have the real-world business experience and can present on the main stage general session keynote or an interactive break-out session.   Check out the social proof from our testimonials.

You can learn more about me, Ford Saeks, at my professional speaker website catered to meeting planners looking for a business, internet or social media presentation from a platform professional.

Ask me, Ford Saeks, a true Internet Marketing Speaker to present at your next event.

I’m talking about the attitude that they think they are  irreplaceable,  indispensable and that they deserve to keep their job even with poor or lackluster performance.

I’m Ford Saeks and I’ve been self-employed most of my life.  That comes with it’s own pros and cons, but as any entrepreneur knows, you have to be self-motivated and surround yourself with quality, capable employees and then lead them well for success.  You also don’t go broke when you’re making a profit.

My comment about thinking or wearing a paper hat is not meant to insult those hard working fast-food employees. Every job or career is an opportunity for self-respect, to add value and earn money.   But let’s face it. People wearing paper hats don’t have to be the sharpest tool in the shed or make too many higher-level decisions because they follow systems. Systems that have been designed so they don’t have to think that much, which is why they earn minimum wage or close to it.

If you have to spoon-feed your employees and they aren’t capable of meeting the minimum standards for their position then it’s time to make a change.  Pay should be in relationship to their level of responsibility, performance and results.  Not because they are comparing themselves to other people, other companies, their past position or making excuses.

You can make excuses or results… but you cannot do both.

The economy has changed. There is double-digit unemployment and many markets have been hit hard. Every day there are news stories of company layoffs, downsizing, restructuring and bankruptcies.

Ultimately, the business leader is responsible 100% for the results or lack of results… including me, as the CEO of Prime Concepts Group.  Changes can be difficult for some to grasp, but are necessary for the success of your business.

Employees have to add specific valuable benefits at a profit, which means they have to be continual learners, polishing their skills and on a path of personal growth and improvement… unless of course, they want to make minimum wage or worse yet, settle for victim-hood and unemployment compensation.

What can you do to help them improve?  Is it You?  Are you leading, directing, and managing expectations and outcomes?  Is it that you hired wrong by matching the wrong person to the position?  Or is it that they are simply not capable of doing the requirements for the job and you’re spending an inordinate amount of time doing their work instead of the many things that you’re supposed to be doing to grow the company?

My new motto is “hire slow and fire fast”.   If not, payroll and poor performance will kill your business.

My friend, Les Brown used to tell me “One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch”. Another close friend, Roxanne Emmerich, from The Emmerich Group is a master at improving workplace performance and culture. She wrote the best-selling book, “Thank God It’s Monday: How to create a workplace that you and your customers love.”  You can get it at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com or at any major book seller online or bookstore.  It’s a must read for every business owner, entrepreneur, and management staff.  Roxanne suggests that everyone in your company read it so everyone is on the same page making changes.

My advice is to read the TGIM book, review your staff’s performance and make those decisions that you know you need to make before it’s too late.

Agree? Disagree? Tell me what YOU think in the reply box below.

First, we are not providing legal advice, but want to make you aware of the PCI compliance concerns if you process credit cards.

You may be at risk of fines, legal risk, or even jail time depending on which state you operate in if you violate the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards – PCI-DSS Compliant requirements.  As a customer, you want to make sure that the businesses you give your credit card too are PCI complaint too.

Here are the PCI basics:

• Credit card companies want to stop fraud and are requiring organizations be PCI-DSS compliant.
• Merchants that accept even one credit card a year fall under PCI-DSS requirements. This includes
  • Restaurants
  • Hotels
  • Retail Establishments
  • Every company that accepts credit cards in any way
• The requirements vary depending on several factors.
  • Even organizations that accept almost no cards must complete a 15 question questionnaire and have official documents from their processors – even if you never use a computer to process credit cards.
  • Other organizations must fill out longer questionnaires with more than 200 questions and, depending on several factors,  may need to have a PCI assessor visit once a year.
  • Many organizations are also required to have internal and external vulnerability scans and penetration tests on their networks.
• PCI is not a one-time event; your compliance needs to be constantly examined and updated
• Our IT Security Consultant, Mike Foster, The Foster Institute, Inc. wants to help you reduce your exposure to credit and debit card fraud and to comply with the PCI-DSS standards.
• The PCI requirements can be confusing to understand and Mike Foster can help you become PCI compliant and keep your network safe.  He’s great to work with and you’ll never find a nicer, more talented guy to secure your network and valuable company assets.

Prime Concepts is PCI Compliant and we don’t store credit card data digitally or physically after processing.

Read Mike Foster’s Blog Post about PCI Compliance.

I‘m not that political, I’m just a business owner that loves to help my clients.  I pay in plenty in payroll, social security and unemployment taxes.  I guess you would call me a conservative.

As an entrepreneur my entire life I don’t understand why big government wants to increase taxes on small businesses.  From my point of view, albeit limited, if government cut taxes for small businesses, they would hire more people or pay their current employees more which would mean that they would spend more and everyone would win.  Okay, back to using Social Media Marketing to help with your job search.

Those that know me will attest that I live by the credo, “Add value and make a profit”.  If you’re reading this blog then please understand that while I recognize the understanding for unemployment benefits, I also recognize that it’s killing the economy.  Just think of what it’s doing to millions of Americans by making them even more co-dependent on the Government.

Unemployment benefits are supposed to cover the gap, not be a solution to income.   There are too many stories of people that are milking the system, working for cash and collecting unemployment.  How long do you think this system will work before it’s drained dry?

I believe there are plenty of jobs and a ton of ways to create value to generate an income. I don’t believe it’s a money problem… I believe it’s a lack of creativity and ideas. If you want more money or a different or better job, then get creative and start focusing on what value you bring to the situation.

Using social media allows  you to research, connect and network with virtually anyone in a wide variety of industries.

LinkedIn: Use Linkedin to research people and companies.  It’s designed to be for professional networking. Create your professional profile, connect with more people and spread the word what type of value you can add.  You need to market yourself in today’s competitive marketplace to stand out above the competition.

FaceBook: You can use FaceBook to learn about new areas of interest, participate in group discussions and network in that community too.  There are over 400 million people on FaceBook.  It’s more than a place to post erroneous data about your self.  As a business owner, I’d caution you what you put on FaceBook and other social networking sites for that matter because it could influence  a future company’s hiring decision.  Make sure you set your privacy settings properly so that things you want private stay that way.  A good rule of thumb is don’t post anything that you don’t want shared.  Go back through your profile and make sure you’re communicating the value you bring. Then let the word out what type of position or opportunity that you’re looking for.

YouTube: (and other video content sharing websites) If you want to learn a new skill or enhance your current skills you can start with searching Youtube for video training.  There are millions of videos online on every subject imaginable, including how to prepare for an interview, so make your list of needs and get going.  The answers are just a few clicks away, but you have to take the initiative.  You should also create your very own YouTube channel and create your online video resume.  Then when you email new prospective companies you could include a link to your YouTube channel so with a video describing your talents and value that you offer to an organization.   The days of the old copy cat boring resume are coming to an end.  I’ve read hundreds of resumes and very few are prepared for today’s methods of communication.   They are lifeless, lack-less, boring, and insulting.  The closest anyone every comes to perfection is on their written resume.    Creating a video resume shows your communication style which is key for most hiring situations.  Don’t know how to create a youtube channel or create a video resume. No problem, go search for those keywords and you’ll get many solutions.

Twitter: A micro blog of 140 characters or less. This one is a bit more challenging for job searching.  This really depends on if you’ve built a following already. If not, you may want to skip Twitter, but if you have a following, then you could use twitter and other twitter aggregaters and to create, monitor, influence conversations and prospect for a new career opportunity. You can also tweet links to your YouTube videos and your video resume.  You can literally reach thousands or even millions of people with a few keystrokes.

There are many other online resources like CareerBuilder, Monster and other employment search and social media websites that can help you look for that new job.  It’s a digital age and the old style way of circling help wanted ads and mailing resumes is a tough way to make things happen for you.

Have a great suggestion how to get people off of Unemployment? Agree or disagree with this blog post:  Enter your comments below.

Common Sense… Is it really all that “common?”

Common Sense is such a debatable topic. Some people say you’re either born with it or not.  Others, like me, believe that it can be developed.

What do you think?  How would you rate your level of common sense? What would your friends and colleagues say?

You might be surprised by their answers, but I’m sure you would agree that many people make things way more complicated than they need to be—both in business and their personal lives.  I want to help you add more value, increase your revenues and grow your business.  In a new book I’ll be launching in 90 days, I’m going to reveal how you can develop your super power of common sense.

In this book,  we’ll explore how to see the blinding flashes of the obvious to create amazing results.  Want more website traffic and improved conversions?  Imagine creating a steady stream of leads that convert into customers that rave about your products and services.  Regardless of the current level of success in your department, company or organization developing the common sense insights of you and your team will transform your business.

Super Power Impact

As the headline reads… Common Sense is a super power that can unlock the hidden profits in your business.  Really. A super power?  Well, yes.  Because when you develop, implement and refine your strategies, tactics and insights related to how to market and sell your solutions you create amazing results. You start to see things that others don’t see. You are able to identify new opportunities, new products or channels of distribution.

With over 25 years of helping people find, attract and keep their customers through innovative marketing and sales campaigns, I’ve been privileged to participate in hundreds of new product launches, market expansion plans, branding sessions, and master mind meetings for a wide variety of products and industries. Using the common sense approach that I’m going to reveal in my new book,  I’ve produced millions of dollars of increased business for myself and my clients.

By the very nature of my experience people say that they love my insights, ideas and ability to be innovative.   While I’m flattered… it’s not about me. It’s about helping them communicate the value of their solutions in such a way as to produce better results.

What do you think of the title for my new book…

Common Sense is a Super Power: Unleashing the Hidden Potential in Your Business to Increase Sales and Profits.

What are your thoughts and opinions about Common Sense? Post them below.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Ford Sakes.

Really though, my name is Saeks… not SAKES, but Google, Bing and Yahoo aren’t  smart enough to figure that out yet.

Ford Sakes spells his name Saeks

I’m writing this blog post to help the search engines and new prospects find me, Ford Sakes on the Internet. You see, since I preach that “keywords drive traffic” then unless I create a blog posting with the proper keyword density for “Ford Sakes” then I won’t be found in the rankings.

My name, while spelled F O R D   S A E K S, is commonly search for as FORD SAKES.

Other common mistakes in my name are:

• Fred Sakes — Common… is having a name like Ford that odd?
• Ford Sacks — glad I didn’t have grow up with that name
• Fred Sacks — doesn’t sound that good to me.
• Ford Saekes — perfect for those that are dyslexic and paid by the letter.
• Ford Steaks — Right, like that will work.
• and my favorite… Fred Sucks.  Really?  Who typed that into a database and thought that was correct?  At least Ford Sakes makes more sense since that’s how my hame is pronounced… Sakes… as in “For Heaven’s Sakes”

This is really just about my last name… because people search for it as Sakes.  I’ve heard all of the funny acronyms for my first name. Imagine what it was like growing up with a first name like Ford.  Sakes is the easy part.

And I even have my name “Ford Saeks” trademarked to prevent other people from stuffing their keyword descriptions with my name to generate traffic.  Seriously, I did. Hey, I’m a great Internet Marketer, but hardly a celebrity.

Who is Ford Sakes?

I’m a business growth expert, Internet Marketer and CEO of Prime Concepts Group.

Why Care About Ford Sakes

If you’re looking for Ford Sakes, you’ve found me. Well you’ve found Ford Saeks… same guy that can help you improve your Internet Marketing, Website Designs and Grow your business.

You can learn more about Ford Sakes by visiting the about us page on this website. Let’s see how long it takes to get this page indexed in the search engines under Sakes, so that I don’t lose prospects who know the sound of my name, but not the correct spelling of Saeks.

The Three things that can get in your way and block your creativity are:

• Your Perceptions
• Your Emotions
• Your Culture & Environment

Perceptions. – What things MEAN to you?

Like…. Stereotypes. Or having a Limited Vision Or being set in your ways with Habits that might keep you stuck in old patterns. What about your perception of Tradition VS. Change? Are traditions keeping you stuck?

Or your Emotions - How do you FEEL?

Does it bother you to look like a fool? Do you fear taking risks? Are you afraid make a mistake or fail? Real problem solving and idea creation is messy.

When you change your thoughts and change your actions and you’ll get better results.

Cultural & Environmental Blocks might be…. Other People’s Opinions… Lack of cooperation and trust among colleagues or co-workers. And then there’s Distractions – phone calls, and easy intrusions. All of these things can block your creativity…

Have you ever had a big idea that you didn’t take action on… Maybe it was your Perceptions or emotions that got in your way… Well, it almost happened to me…

In 1986, I invented a product line that was used to store bicycles inside your home or apartment… Maybe you’ve seen them in the Sky Mall Magazines on airplanes, in Sharper Image, sporting goods stores or other specialty catalogs…. The main line was hand-crafted from solid Oak and was a tension-mount system that went from Floor-to-Ceiling, to hold 2 bikes in a limited space, protecting your bikes and your home.

In the beginning, I tried several different ways to get the product to market. It was a tough first year and I thought about quitting many times. I can assure you that my own perceptions, emotions and my environment got in the way more than just a few times… but through creativity and innovation, and using the mindset tools we’re going to be exploring today, I was able to sell over 28 million dollars worth of product in just a few short years…

I’ve used these same tools, again and again to help clients differentiate themselves in a competitive market; to launch innovative publicity campaigns; to build websites and online marketing strategies that created virtual money-machines; to design new advertising concepts, and improve many other areas of their businesses, even beyond the marketing department. These are proven tools that YOU can start to apply immediately…

Think about your business… Products… or Services… Are you truly doing everything you can to find, attract and keep your customers?

Are you allowing self-imposed limitations to hold you back? It’s time to breakthrough those limitations, use your resources, and expand your creativity. You deserve it!

Wow, Might seem like a lot to think about, but actually, it’s all about your B.S…

Your Belief System can either get your way or launch you to success.

I’ve used the tools I’m about to share with you to help organizations in many different industries around the globe achieve amazing improvements in their marketing results and you can use them too.

You may be familiar with some of these techniques, but I’m sure you’ll have a new appreciation for them as they apply to your marketing strategies!

Have you ever heard of Idea-mapping or Mind-Mapping? It’s one of my favorite creativity tools! Idea Mapping is a simple technique you can use to capture and organize your thoughts and Ideas visually on one page.

Idea Maps are especially helpful for Brainstorming to help you think up new and creative ideas more quickly and easily. Here’s how you get started…

Take out a blank piece of paper with out lines. You want it without the lines because the lines can restrict the natural flow of your thoughts. Turn the paper landscape… with the long side of the paper at the top.

Next, in the center of the page, draw an image or print the words that represent your main theme, concept or topic that you want to brainstorm. For example, you might start with “ideas for New products” or “How to sell product X”…

State it in the form of a question… who, how, what, why?… you decide. Allow plenty of white space for the rest of the map. I like to have a few colored pens available too because color stimulates the brain and helps captures attention.

At first, your Idea maps might be pretty simple branches with lines and a few words and that’s okay… As you practice, you’ll become more creative and you’ll find this to be a fast way to capture and generate new ideas. This will also help you create new connections between ideas and concepts.

A picture really is worth a 1000 words! It stimulates the brain to think up new associations, it focuses the thoughts and it results in much better recall of the content at a later date. So draw pictures to represent your ideas. They can be simple stick figures, sketches, symbols…what ever makes sense to you. The brain works by association so by connecting the main branches to the central topic, the brain links those elements together.

The main branch words and images stimulate other thoughts and associations. They allow the random flow of your thoughts as you add other levels of thought. So make the central lines from the center thicker, curved and organic (like the branch of a tree attached to the trunk) to help organize your sub-themes.

Start to add a second level of thought. These words and/or images are linked to the main branch that triggered them. Add more branches and levels of thought as ideas come to you. Feel free to jump from branch to branch as the mood strikes you.

Remember, You can use:

• Pictures
• Line drawings
• Patterns
• Symbols
• Shapes, boxes, circles
• Colors, etc…

I encourage you to use this new tool. Use it in meetings, sales presentations, and of course when you are planning your marketing strategies. While I started out drawing most of my idea-maps, now I also us mind-mapping software called “MindManager from www.mindjet.com. There are several others too, but don’t think that you need to get software… Start right away using paper and pen to open your mind and expand your creativity. I’m sure that you’ll quickly see how using idea mapping can help you and your team!

I’ve explained how Idea mapping can work for brainstorming… and I’m sure that most of you are already familiar with the concept of brainstorming…but just to make sure, here is a quick review of the rules for GROUP BRAINSTORMING:

• Set a time frame… generally the shorter the better… like 15 to 30 minutes max!
• The Goal is to collect as many ideas as possible from all participants with no criticisms or judgments made while ideas are being generated.
• All ideas are welcome no matter how silly or far out they seem. Be creative. The more ideas the better because at this point you don’t know what might work.
• Absolutely no discussions during the brainstorming session. Talking about the ideas will take place after brainstorming session is complete.
• Do not criticize or judge the other people’s ideas. Seriously….Don’t even groan, frown, or laugh. If you do… you’ll hamper the creative process.
• Write all ideas on a flipchart or white board so the whole group can easily see them.

Here’s a great tip! If you’re in an organization that’s had trouble with brainstorming, either because of certain people, egos or office politics, or have trouble in getting a large list of ideas, then I suggest you send out a memo before the meeting with the main brainstorming topic or question?

Ask them to print their ideas on paper as a requirement to the meeting, or you can use post-it notes during the session, so people can participate anonymously.

Let’s talk about making your final selections.

• When all the ideas have been recorded–combine ideas as much as possible,
• Next, Vote to select the best 3 to 5 ideas.

Let’s review what we’ve covered so far…

That it’s your mindset that determines the actions you’ll take.

Without action… you can’t improve your results. Why improving your creativity helps your mindset as well as your business. We discussed removing the mental blocks that get in your way… like certain perceptions, emotions and your environment. And then how to use “idea-mapping” and brainstorming basics to stimulate your mind!

Subscribe to the RSS feed using the link in the upper right corner and follow me on twitter.com at www.Twitter.com/Prime_Concepts

Think about your role in the marketing process?

Are you an Executive, Marketing Director, Entrepreneur, business owner, or sales person? … Regardless, “The Profit Rich Marketing Show” will help you increase your sales and profits!

Here are some Keys get you on track.

Check your (BS). Belief System. Is your BS supporting you or getting in your way?

What about your Self-Talk… That constant voice in your head… Is it mostly optimistic or pessimistic?

You’ll also want to Overcome F.U.D.(Fear, uncertainty and doubt-that can keep you stuck-in-a-rut of inaction or analysis paralysis.

My mindset as a marketer started at age 15 when I started my first business. It was a painting company and you can imagine the challenges I faced, especially since I was earning minimum wage, living on my own in the “projects-paying $17 a month for government housing.

I still remember my first customer lead. A prospect called asking for a quote to paint the interior of their home…I was so excited… whoo hoo!

One little problem. I didn’t even own a paint brush!

So I went to the local paint store and asked for help from the manager. I said “if you help me, I’ll buy all my paint and supplies from you forever.” At first, he was reluctant and didn’t take me seriously. I suppose I wasn’t the model businessman. Age 15… long hair… army jacket. He went over to the shelf and opened a can of paint, dipped a new brush and then started spackling me with paint.. He said, “If you want to be a painter-you’ll have to look like one!” He gave me a clipboard, calculator and instructions. I was set…or at least I thought I was…

I drove to the prospect’s house, walked up to the door and was about to knock… when that little voice in my head said, “Hey, what are you doing? You don’t have the skills, experience… You aren’t old enough, Smart enough…”

That self-talk wasn’t helping much. Then my other voice kicked in! “What have you got to lose? Go for it !” So I knocked on the door.

A man answered and we went through his house room by room, with him telling me what he wanted. “Oil based here. Semi-gloss there, Fix the cracks in the ceilings, Glaze the windows…”

My mind was racing… “Oh my god, What am I doing now”-but I just wrote it all down. I told the man I’d have to go back to my office to prepare the quote and that I’d be back in 30 minutes. My Office… Right.. J

I returned to the paint store and the manager helped me prepare the quote. Back to the prospects house I went. Walked up to the door again and just as I was ready to knock… that little voice said, “just go home… forget about it…” F. U. D!

Something possessed my hand, and I knocked! The door opened and this time the man’s wife was home too. Great!

She took one look at me and stepped behind right her husband.

I handed him the quote and said…, “The total for the painting job is $1,025. I need 50% up front… and 50% on completion”

There was the longest pause in my life. He took a look at me, took a look at the quote, and said, “Do you have any experience?” Being a street-smart kid, I replied “Here’s how we work… if you’re not 100% satisfied with the work we perform, then you don’t have pay!”

The wife said, “Honey… Write the boy the check!… And he did!”

I got to my car and sat there staring at this check for $525. That was more than I earned in a month… and I’d done it in about an hour. I thought, This is so cool! I’ve got to learn more about marketing and making money! By the end of the first year, I was making $35,000 with three crews with an average age 40 years old. This was 1976 – That was a lot of money for a teenager!

The main point is that it’s not your circumstances, experience, marketplace, competition, or products that determine you’re overall marketing success…. It’s your mindset!

This brings us to the next point…

There’s really no such thing as Money Problems… only a lack of ideas. If you want to increase your profits, then increase your creativity to generate more money-making ideas. Subscribe to the RSS feed to be automatically notified for Part 2.

I was at my desk when my new assistant brought me a stack of the day’s mail. She said, Don’t you want me sort this out for you so you don’t have to waste your time with the junk mail? I said, no thanks… I’ll like to look through it all. Why you may wonder? Because I know that new marketing ideas are found everywhere… especially in direct mail pieces. Sure, I sort my mail over the waste basket like everyone else. One stack for keepers and one for the trash, except my sorting process is a bit different. I keep the regular business correspondence & interesting mail pieces. I pay attention to the design and marketing messages of the mail pieces that catch my eye.

To me it’s not Junk Mail… It’s Idea Mail.

I like to study them for ideas. Ideas I can model to find new concepts that can be adapted to projects I might be working on. Key word– adapted–not copied. I look for interesting headlines, teaser copy, and creative designs. Companies spend millions on direct mail because it works… While a vast majority of it may end up in the trash, it’s your job to make sure that if you’re going to use direct mail, you do it effectively… otherwise you’re just killing trees and filling up landfills… and worse…wasting a lot of money.

I’ve worked with several clients and students of my marketing boot-camps that say direct mail doesn’t work. It certainly does work, but you need to follow the rules that we’re going to explore today. I use direct mail in conjunction with a multitude of other marketing methods to generate leads and sales. Recent statistics show that even with increases in postage and paper costs, marketers are continuing to spend over 70 billion, that’s billion with a B, on direct mail.

This blog posting is about making your direct mail efforts profitable.

First, a few clarifications are in order. The terms, direct marketing, direct-response and direct mail are easily confused by many people… even experienced marketers. So, to clarify, direct marketing typically refers to marketing efforts directed at the end-user when a retailer or distributor is in the middle. Direct-response advertising is any advertising method (print, broadcast or direct mail packages) that invites the recipient to contact you directly. with a specific call-to-action. Direct mail uses the mail service to deliver your sales piece directly to the mailbox of your prospect. I specialize in direct-response marketing because it allows me to solicit direct responses, hence the name, which is specific and measurable. By measuring the results, I can tweak the process until it’s profitable… thus creating a virtual lead-generating cash machine.

By the end of this show, you’ll never look at direct mail quite the same way again. You’ll be armed with the secrets of successful mailings that you can use to grow your profits. My goal is to help you increase your response rates, lower your cost per qualified lead and make you more money. If you’re using direct mail, do you know your response rates? Do you know how much you’re spending to generate a lead from the number of pieces that you’re mailing? Without measuring the costs, responses and profitability of the mailings you cannot insure your success.

Oh, one more quick clarification. Direct Mail is really categorized in two types. Internet-direct Mail (sent via EMAIL) and Traditional Direct Mail sent through the post office or shipping company.

Today, our focus is on traditional direct mail, but many of the strategies apply to both methods. Direct mail offers unique advantages over other media. You can selectively target a list of customers within your market. It can be personalized to your prospects allowing you to provide detailed information required to motivate them to take action. It can help you build a database with valuable information to help your sales efforts. It’s flexible because you can send small or large amount of marketing messages in a variety of printed formats, including letters, postcards and brochures. And as I’ve mentioned it’s measurable allowing you to quantify the results.

Think about your goals for direct mail… You may want to drive traffic into a retail store… Or generate traffic to a web site. Maybe you want to build your database, improve customer service or build relationships through special offers? Certainly you have products or services that can benefit from power of direct mail.

Subscribe to the RSS feed to be automatically notified for Part 2 on Free Publiciy.

Oh, and follow me on twitter.com at www.Twitter.com/Prime_Concepts

Are you surprised to know that many businesses operate their marketing efforts similar to this scenario?

They send out a few postcard campaigns and direct mailings, invest in a website, make a few signs and counter displays-oh yeah-and don’t forget about the pretty brochures with a picture of their building, their logo and tons of content with no action steps.

I’m not trying to sound cynical, but I hate to see good money being tossed down the drain because there isn’t even a basic marketing plan in place. Or maybe there’s a plan, but it’s being implemented without, testing, tracking or benchmarks for improvement.

When Was The Last Time You Reviewed Your Plan? I’m sure it’s a part of your regular operations, right? Generally speaking, developing a marketing plan is undertaken as part of the yearly planning process. It should also be used when you want to introduce new products & services; enter new markets; opening a new location, or when you’re using new strategy to fix an existing problem.

Use this outline to ensure success at your next planning meeting. It’s a Five Step Marketing Plan.

Step 1: Purpose & Mission (“Where do you want to go?”)

Create a summary of your market position & goals. Write out a clear statement of the purpose of your business, your chief product or service along with the problems that you help solve that other people will pay to make go away?

If I asked your employees what your company mission is, what would they say? It might be a good action step for you to take? You may be surprised with the answers you get.

I’m not talking about some 150 word mission statement that’s on a plaque in your office. I am taking about a clear vision and focus that can be explained and repeated easily. The shorter the better.

Step 2: Situational Analysis (“Where are you now? What’s working and what needs to be improved?”) Here’s are the major parts of step 2:

Do Your Research to gain a competitive edge.

Product Analysis – What stage in the product life cycle are your products? New, Growing, Mature, Declining?

Target Market Analysis – Profile your customers using Demographics – Statistics; and Psychographics – Behaviors.

Customer Analysis – Find out how customers react to your quality & price; service & delivery; image & brand-everything that influences their purchasing decision. To discover what they think just ask them. Make personal calls or send surveys via e-mail or postcards.

Distribution Analysis – What are your channels of distribution? Retail, Wholesale, Internet direct, Distributors, Sales Rep network, Mass Merchants?

Competitor Analysis – There are direct and indirect competitors. Direct is an actual competitor that offers the same solution. An Indirect competitor is something that competes for your same dollars. For example, if you sell copiers an indirect competitor might be new office furniture.

SWOT Analysis – Of course, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

Industry Analysis – How to you rate against others in your industry? Above or below average?

External Environment and Trends – Consider Market Factors, Political factors, Legal Factors, Economic Factors, Technological Factors? Social and Cultural Factors?

Financial Analysis – Are you making a profit? What are your primary financial ratios telling you? Can you identify any trends?

Let’s review what we’ve covered so far: Use the 4-Question System to measure performance of your promotions. And we’re in the middle of the 5-step Marketing Plan, Step one: Purpose & Mission. Step two was your Situation Analysis.

Post your comments or questions below. Thanks!

In today’s competitive marketplace-it’s critical that you make the most of your marketing efforts. A great way to accomplish this is with a solid marketing plan, combined with a marketing calendar. It sounds like common sense, but some things that are simple aren’t always easy-however, they can be with the right strategy.

If you’re like most of the businesses we work with you want to grow your business? Maybe you want to introduce a new product or service? Or differentiate yourself from the competition… or maybe you just want to sell more to your current and new customers…

Well, you’re watching the right show. Grab your note pad and pen and let’s get started!

I’ve used a four-step system to measure performance & generate millions of dollars sales. It starts with a basic understanding of these four questions.

Second question: 2. How many of these prospects get converted into customers?

The third question is: 3. “What’s the up-front profit on the first sale?

And the forth question is 4. “What’s the long-term value of the customer/client?”

Can you answer those questions about your business? Take them into consideration as you implement new marketing strategies.

To apply this system, select a specific promotion and then track your results!

For example, if you send a postcard mailing to 2,500 prospects and the mailing cost is $ .65 each, then the answer to question #1 is $1,625 dollars. That’s (2,500 x .65).

If you get 50 new customers from the mailing, then you know how many leads were converted and have the answer to question #2. Take the 50 Customers divided by the 2500 prospects and you get a conversion rate of 2% percent. That’s (50 / 2500 = .02 or 2%)

If you earn $100 on the first transaction-you raised $5,000, that’s (50 customers x 100 each=5,000) and you have the answer to question #3. This also let’s you calculate gross profit on that mailing. Take the $5,000 revenue MINUS the expense of $1,625 and that leaves you with a profit of $ 3,375 dollars.

Next, consider the long-term value of gaining a new 50 customers. Question #4 is the most important question. Sometimes you may lose money or just break-even on the actual promotion, but in the long-run with referrals and repeat sales, you can be very profitable.

Sure there are other considerations too, like the overlap of other promotions, different time frames and the synergistic effect of your other marketing efforts. Don’t let the math scare you. The point is to make sure that your marketing efforts are producing profitable results.

“No one plans to fail… but many fail to plan” Face it. Having a marketing plan saves you money, saves you time, keeps you focused, and says that you’re serious about your business. “Planning without action is futile… Action without planning is FATAL”

Is your business acting without a marketing plan? Do you feel overwhelmed, over-worked, or frustrated trying to get it all done? Well, a marketing plan won’t solve ALL of your problems, but it will help your organization increase the chances of success.

A marketing plan is a road map detailing the route you’ll take to get your business noticed by potential clients. By following a properly crafted plan, you’ll know what to do and why you re doing it, while avoiding some of the mistakes that can cost you money and future growth.

Subscribe to the RSS feed or follow me, Ford Saeks on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Prime_Concepts

I just watched this Wireless Hacking Demonstration by IT Security Consultant, Mike Foster as he shows how easily your personal data and wireless traffic can be stolen even with a firewall, virus protection and spyware installed.

Watch the two videos now…  The second video is the Mike’s demo showing the Laptop wireless hacking demo. You don’t need to be technical to understand how scary this is if you are traveling… and it can even happen at your business. His new book “The Secure CEO explains how to protect your computer and network in plain english. Get it today and get secure! You’ve been warned… so don’t call me when you lose your vital computer data.

Click here to view the embedded video.

How Safe Is Your Computer Data from Internet Hackers? Watch The Demo Below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

“The Secure CEO: How to Protect Your Computer Systems, Your Company, and Your Job” Packs Plain-English Security Solutions for Executives

Viruses… hackers… malware… identity theft… security breaches… it’s enough to make any CEO’s head spin. In order to remain competitive and profitable these days, it’s absolutely imperative that you—and your organization—take control of your IT issues before they take control of you!

In his new book “The Secure CEO,” Vital Systems Security Review Specialist Mike Foster combines his considerable Internet technology experience with his innate understanding of the latest business and security technologies. The result is “The Secure CEO,” the definitive IT handbook for CEOs and key executives. And best of all, it’s written in easy-to-follow “plain English” that readers can understand, regardless of their technological background.

Foster’s premise is that although CEOs may ‘think’ their networks and company information are safe from prying eyes, more often than not they are not. In his book Foster asks critical questions key executives need to consider, such as:

• Are you sure your network isn’t running illegal programs that have been remotely installed by criminals in other countries without your knowledge?
• Is your IT team so under-trained or over-whelmed that daily “fires” keep them from performing critical security tasks?
• Are unclear communication and negative personality types adversely affecting your IT department?

“The Secure CEO” gives you the bottom line answers you need to effectively analyze your current use of Internet technology. Readers will uncover strategies to minimize IT security breaches, tactics for keeping their companies safer, and proven “best practices” to implement to help keep systems secure in the future.

http://www.keepmynetworksafe.com/secure-ceo.html

So what does this have to do with marketing and making more money? Plenty. Often clients will tell me that a certain form of marketing, say direct-mail postcards, doesn’t work for them. It’s not the marketing method that doesn’t work, it’s the application of the method combined with a benefit message to a target market. Their expectations and beliefs can influence the results. They focus on their preconceived beliefs.

People see what they want to see.

Don’t believe me? Just check out this short video clip about awareness.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In marketing it’s your job to communicate the value of your products and services. To do that effectively and profitably requires 100% belief and the ability to help your prospects focus on what you want them to see. It’s the same with web design, print design and copywriting. Over the past 25 years I’ve worked with many talented graphic designers. In each case or project, I have to help guide them not to lose the message in the creative design. The message is my focus, the design is their focus. It’s a delicate balance, and when we get it right, everybody wins — including the client and the prospects.

What about you? Did you see the dancing bear in the video?

I missed it the first time since I was focused on counting the number of passes the team in white was making. The awareness video was about awareness for cyclists, but it also is a good example that when you focus your attention, you block out other options. That’s a powerful concept that when applied positively to your marketing and sales will help you increase your results.

If you focus on creating positive results, track your efforts and make the proper adjustments you’re guaranteed to improve. The same goes for negativity. Focus on your problems, weaknesses, or limitations, and they expand.

Prosperity consciousness can be developed. As a gift and thank you for reading my blog, you can download a free prosperity book from Randy Gage. It’s called “Accept Your Abundance ” and it’s free.

Action Items:

1. Watch the video on awareness in this blog posting

2. Download and read the FREE book: Accept Your Abundance” by Randy Gage

3. Subscribe to the e-zine and RSS feed in the right column

4. Post your comments

I’d love to hear what you think. It’s easy, just enter them below. Thank you.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – “The U.S. economy is now in a recession, according to a poll of economists published Thursday, March 13^th by The Wall Street Journal.”

What do you think?  Are you worried about a recession?

I was speaking to a group of commercial customers in Ohio last week, and I asked them what their biggest challenge was in growing their business. 

They said things like the economy, the recession, the competition, the weak value of the dollar… but no one in a room of over 200 people said anything about their own businesses.

Then I said something really shocking… I said, “there is no such thing as money problems…” (and paused for about five seconds) and added, “there are only idea problems.  If you want to make more money, then generate more ideas and implement them!”

Want to grow your business, and increase your sales and profits? 

Then think about your business and how you can add more value. More value means more profits.   While statistics and the media may show the country in a recession, it’s hardly going to stop people from spending money over the long term.   Just visit your local shopping mall, department store, or highway, and look at the traffic.  Where are all of these people going?  Either to work or to spend money… no doubt.

Hey, I’m a marketer… not an economist.  My goal is to make sure you focus on your business and take care of your customers.  You attract new prospects with compelling benefit-driven marketing messages, and you keep them by delivering value through your products and services.

So instead of focusing on the news, point your focus toward your prospects and customers. Think about new ways to offer them value.  Ask better questions and you’ll get better answers.  Put yourself in the mind of your prospect and get clear on what they really want.  

Remember that people don’t buy what they need–they buy what they want.  Find the “want” and fill it.  Then nurture the relationship.  

Send them “thank you” letters or cards. I’ve sent over 500 “thank you” cards this month alone.  I found a convenient way to order online and get them mailed immediately. As a thank you for reading my blog, you can get your free gift account and send a free card to one of YOUR customers today on me.  

My advice… Don’t participate in the recession.  

Ignite your creativity.  Unleash the ideas that you’ve thought about, but might have been reluctant to act upon. There is no better time than NOW to get started.

Focus on your business… not the fear-based media that wants to manipulate you into thinking that the sky is falling.

What do you think? Subscribe to the RSS feed on the right or use the icons below.  I’d love to read your comments! 

I like to read blogs, newsletters, and magazines to stay up to date. I realize everyone has an opinion, but I would think a publication like “BusinessWeek” would be more diligent in checking the content they publish.

I’m referring to an article by Gene Marks, titled “Tech ‘Solutions’ Your Small Biz Can’t Use: A lot of highfalutin software and gadgets aim to help you run your company, but too little of it is suited for a small-business environment.” Gene Marks writes for BusinessWeek on MSNBC and his column is read by a large percentage of small businesses.

I bring attention to it, not because it’s helpful in content, but to illustrate the point that you, the reader, must be a critical thinker! I use technology in many facets of my business and this guy is an idiot. He’s misleading small-business owners. Just read the many reader comments, over 109 on BusinessWeek’s site.

It’s so bad, it got him listed as “dumbass of the week“ on Ask Kalena: The Daily Search Engine Advice Column. I’d go into more detail about what’s wrong with his post, but they did a superb job of it.

Action Tip:

1. Become a critical thinker

2. Do your due diligence when selecting any type of technology

3. Check references

4. Focus on your outcome and match the technology to the desired solution

 Let me know your thoughts. Comment below.

How is your telephone answered?  Are you using a real person or an automated attendant with voice prompts?

Either way, I’d encourage you to “mystery shop” your own company. Mystery shopping is the process of pretending to be a prospect and calling, e-mailing, or visiting your business to see how well customer service is handled.

What I’m focusing on here are your phones… I hate it when I call my bank, get forced to go through all sorts of prompts, only to sit on hold forever before being transferred to a rep who doesn’t speak English fluently and who can’t help anyway. So many reps these days seem completely untrained, unempowered, and inept — it amazes me.  Then there are the voice-automated attendants that if not configured properly send you to “voice-mail hell” where you’ll freeze over before you get any help.

Let’s talk for example about Bank of America.  Soon to be my “old” bank.  I’ve been with them for years, and moved millions through their bank, yet I cannot call the local branch and it takes an act of congress just to get a trained person to respond with professional and helpful answers.

I don’t have a problem moving customer service call centers to India or even Mars, but the staff should be trained how to properly answer and route calls.  What good is it to call a department “customer service” when in reality, there’s no “service” involved?

When I tried asking for Bank of America’s Sales and New Accounts it was the same issues and lack of service.  I don’t believe they have a sales department… they have a Sales “Prevention” department.

I don’t know how many millions Bank of America spends in advertising to attract new clients, but I’m sure it’s a big number.  I wonder if their marketing department ever looks at their attrition rate to see how many customers they lose just from poor customer service (I’m certain it’s a big number too!).  What good is it to get a customer and then irritate them with lackluster service and support?

If you’re going to work hard to get your prospects, clients, and customers to come to YOUR business, shouldn’t you make sure you take care of them once they’re there?  It’s been proven that it’s easier, faster, and less expensive to sell to an existing customer than it is to find new ones.

Action Items:

1. Mystery shop your own phones.

2. Listen to your voice-mail greetings and options.

3. Do you mention your website on your voice-mail greeting?

4. Are your people doing a great job? If not, take action to improve it!

Have more tips? Feel free to share them below!

I get asked this all the time.  Let’s see if we can clear this up… 

Short Answer:

A blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ at the top of the main page to the older entries toward the bottom. Watch this short video that answers the questions in simple and easy — non-techie — terms.

More Details:

The word BLOG is short for web log. A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging.” Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts” or entries. A person who posts these entries is called a “blogger.”

A blog may consist of text, images, video and links to other web pages. Blogs generally use a conversational style of writing with the best blogs focusing on a particular “area of interest.” They are typically updated at regular intervals using software that allows people with little or no technical experience to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured at the top of the page. Confused? Don’t be. It’s really quite simple.

Great Video Explanation

Click here to view the embedded video.

The money will not just flow to you without some effort.  There is no Free Lunch. As my prosperity Mentor Randy Gage says, “The only free cheese is in the mouse trap!”

I’ve been self-employed my entire life. I’ve made millions and lost millions on my journey to creating wealth. I’ve hired the right people and the wrong people and continue to learn life’s lessons along the way.  Through it all, I’d hardly call my efforts “passive”, but now after years of investing time and money I have several streams of income.

What do you think?  Do you Agree or Disagree?  Comment here and let me know your opinion.

– Until next time,

Ford Saeks

One of the most important ones to always follow is to adapt your “story”(or theme) to a favorite media topic in the news. That will make it more interesting to your media contact, as well as to their readers. To help you get started, here are my TOP 5 topics that I use to increase the chances of getting publicity through traditional sources like newspapers, magazines, and newsletters.

HEALTH is one of the most popular topics covered in the media. Can you find a way to tie your product, service, or media promotion to a current, health-related topic? One of my clients runs a successful pilates studio and even though it’s a local studio, her press releases and articles have been published in several national publications and on tons of sites.

Even if you’re not in the Health industry, who cares? You can still be creative and find a way to tie your media release to a health-related topic. Once you’ve found that connection… exploit it and editors and prosects will want to read about it.

HOLIDAYS are another great way to tie into your press releases. The media are always looking for stories related to holidays. Connect your product or service to a holiday–as a gift, a thank you, a recognition for a job well done–whatever–and you are halfway there.

A great publicity resource I’ve used for finding holiday-related topics (and one of my favorite marketing “secret weapons”) is called “CHASE’S Calendar of Events,” and it’s available as a book or CD-Rom.  For over 50 years, CHASE’S Calendar of Events has been the most trusted and comprehensive reference to what’s going on today. Be it an important historical anniversary, the phases of the moon, a sports event, the birthday of a favorite celebrity, a festival, CHASE’S has it all–and you can use it to come up with a ton of innovative publicity ideas.

CONTROVERSY sells, no matter what side of the fence you are on. Since this is an election year, you have multiple opportunities to tie your releases to controversial current events. You can take sides, give your opinion and show how your expertise on a subject matter can help.

One of my clients, Randy Gage, recently published his new book entitled “Why You’re Dumb, Sick & Broke… and How to Get Smart, Healthy & Rich.” We created a media release with the headline “Millionaire Messiah Debunks Politics, Religion and Society as Impediments and Reveals How Prosperity Begins in the Mind,” and that one release helped us get on the best-sellers list of the New York Times, USA Today and Amazon.

Now I’m not suggesting you copy the style we used for Randy–that worked for us, but it may not be congruent with your company and target audience. So think about current events and how you can create a bit of controversy.

MONEY is one of the few topics in life that never fails to grab a prospect’s attention. Do you know anyone who isn’t interested in anything relating to money? I don’t.

Does your product or service offer a unique way to save your customers money? Can you help them be more productive or profitable? Do you offer free training, special reports, or a resources section on your site that can help them make more/save more money. If you do, I guarantee you’ll get their attention. Write a release about it and publish and distribute it.

TRENDS are everywhere–and are the topic of discussion over dinner tables and around water coolers everywhere. Watch the media TV, or read newspapers and magazines to stay abreast of the latest emerging trends, and then see how you might tie your product or service into a particular trend.

Just by watching the news, reading popular magazines, or surfing websites you’ll be bombarded with the “topic of the week” or month.  Look for ways to leverage a particular trend through your press releases. You can do this with events, movies, or any topic on the “pop culture radar” of your prospects.

Develop a unique and interesting story angle and then pitch it to a media representative (editor, writer, etc.) and with a little luck you’ll watch your release go viral through the news distribution services.

Remember, the secret is to make your press release relevant. Tie it to a current topic and use emotion to make it entertaining. See how you (or your product/service) solve problems, meet a need, or fill a void… tell your prospects something that they don’t already know, or give your release a unique angle.

Good luck, and let me know how these topics work for you.

Unlock the secrets to writing powerful and intriguing press releases that hook editors’ interest with million-dollar copywriting advice from marketing guru Randy Gage at www.cashcopywriting.com.

Secret #6: ADVERTISE your site and electronic newsletter in other publications or use web banners and traditional advertising mediums, such as print, TV and radio. Encourage e-mail subscriptions on all print ads. This secret may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by how often it is overlooked. Depending on your type of business and industry, this can be an effective method to grow your list. 

Secret #7: Use PAY-PER-CLICK Advertising to send targeted traffic to your mini-site or main site through Pay-Per-Click search engines. Pay-Per-Click advertisements show up alongside the natural site listings on the search results pages (SRPs). You go to your favorite search engines and set up an account and bid on the keywords terms related to your target market. By using PPC advertising you get you in front of your target market almost instantly. More traffic means more subscribers. But before you rush off and open a PPC account, keep in mind that you need to know the “value” of each subscriber, as well as your break-even cost of acquiring a lead and customer. If you haphazardly set up PPC and start bidding on keywords without understanding what you’re doing, you could easily waste thousands of dollars. If you can’t devote the time and energy to do it right, or can’t hire an expert certified in Pay-Per-Click advertising (like me!), skip this secret for now! I guarantee you that if you implement the other secrets I’ve offered you, you’ll still have more than enough to keep you and your marketing team busy for quite a while.

Secret #8: Get listed in E-ZINE DIRECTORIES. There are many sites that contain directories of e-zines; most list new e-zines for free. Getting your e-zine listed in these directories can help you attract more subscribers (and perhaps even some advertisers if you offer advertising in your e-zine). I’ve seen a wide variety of results generated from this method, so get listed! E-zine directories can also be a great resource for finding other lists for JV deals. 

Secret #9: Create an E-MAIL SIGNATURE.  An e-mail signature is the text that you see at the bottom of an e-mail message. Most e-mail software applications allow you to create a custom e-mail signature that will be used automatically each time you send out a message. I have several e-mail signatures that I use, depending upon the purpose of the e-mail, but all of them promote something with a link back to one of my websites. While advertising is often banned in mailing lists and newsgroups, e-mail signatures are not. Post a message and your carefully worded signature will follow. Use e-mail signatures and watch your subscriptions grow.

Secret #10: OFFLINE PROMOTIONS can work wonders. Don’t forget you can promote subscriptions to your e-zine offline too. Here are a few quick ideas–train your staff to collect subscribers from incoming sales and service calls; create printed subscription forms that customers can fill out and send back to you (add a field for them to enter their e-mail address if they want to subscribe to your e-zine); if you have a retail store, have your printed forms available on point-of-purchase displays or at the checkout counter. If you attend trade shows, make sure you have printed sign-up forms in your booth. If you send direct mail, include a subscription form with your sales letter or catalog. If you don’t want to bother with printed forms, simply put a note on your documents and brochures telling prospects how they can receive your free e-newsletters via e-mail. You can even use your voice mail system. For example, “Hi I’m Ford Saeks, I must be out helping someone improve their marketing efforts so please leave a detailed message.”

So there you have it–10 great strategies for building up your e-mail list quickly and dramatically. I hope you see how easy these are to implement right away. Good luck!

For more Internet marketing techniques to help you increase search engine rankings and generate more traffic to your site, check out the “Internet Profit Kit for Information Marketers: 101 Proven Tactics & Tools You Can Use to Build Your Business.” Visit http://www.internetprofitkit.com for details.

What are your favorite websites—and why? Make a list of the top five that you visit and once you’re finished reading this blog, go visit them again and evaluate them through the mind of an “Internet Marketer.”

As a marketer, being able to get inside the mind of your prospects is critical. You need to understand the behaviors and habits of your prospects (what do they buy, how do they buy, what factors influence their buying decision, etc.).

Over the years, I’ve worked with many entrepreneurs, small businesses, and major corporations to help them improve their sales and profits. Through that experience, I’ve realized that it was not uncommon for many of them to be under-utilizing the four stages of the buying process. Yes, there is more than one stage in the buying process; the actual purchase is just one of four main stages.

The concept of multiple “stages” in the buying process applies to all types of selling, but especially for the web, where marketers will need content to address each stage in the buying process. This not only helps your visitors have an improved experience, but it also helps the search engines catalog you as a good reference.   

Here are the four stages of the buying process.

Stage 1—“Recognition that they have a problem.”
Every sale begins only after your prospects realize that they have a need. Once your prospects recognize that they have a “problem” (i.e., they are aware of a need or desire!), then they will begin their search for a solution to that problem.  Sometimes, as marketers, we need to help them see the problem… we need to point out their headache before we can sell them the pain reliever.    

Stage 2—“Research and comparison shopping phase.”
You can help guide your prospects through this phase by including on your website an archive of helpful, free articles they can read to learn more about a particular product or service, “specials” landing pages, and content devoted to helping them along through the purchasing process.    

Stage 3—“The purchase.”
This is the stage where the actual purchase takes place. Once a prospect is aware that they have a need, and they’ve done their research and comparison shopping, they are ready to buy. All that you need to do here is make sure your website has easy-to-follow navigation and links to get them to the check out page. Make the process as easy as possible for your customers to purchase from you—especially online.   

Stage 4—“The post-purchase evaluation.”
You’ve sold a product and they’ve spent their money, but your job isn’t over if you want them to keep coming back to you. Always follow up a sale with a post-purchase evaluation from your customer. Ask them if they are satisfied or dissatisfied with their purchase? Prospects are always asking themselves whether or not they made the right decision, but you can reduce their pre-purchase concerns by offering guarantees, warrantees, and testimonials from satisfied customers. You can help eliminate any post-purchase doubts with after-sales communications (including a post-purchase satisfaction evaluation).

As an example, let’s say I’m in the market for new energy-efficient hybrid car, but I don’t want a little wimpy car. I want an SUV… and a luxury SUV at that!   

What types of keywords might I use to do some online research?  I’d start out with “hybrid car,”
“luxury hybrid SUV,” “how hybrids work,” or maybe “hybrid SUV performance ratings.”

If you’re in the business of selling high-performance luxury hybrids, you’d better have content and keywords on your site that match my search engine inquiries. 

A final point to keep in mind is that prospects who visit your site will invariably be at different stages of the buying process (a few may even jump right to the purchase stage). Be careful with your assumptions. Let the market tell you what’s working, and if whatever you’re doing now isn’t working—that’s a clear sign you need to change.

As an action step (and you know how I love action steps!), think about the “problems” that your products and services solve for your customers. Are you making the fatal assumption that your prospects will just figure out the benefits you offer on their own?

The best advice I can offer is to resist the temptation of making any assumptions about your prospect’s decision-making process. Remember, stage one of the buying process is helping your customers become aware that they have a problem that you offer a solution to. Their “problem” may also be positioned as a desire, too. But the goal here is to make it crystal clear to them that they found the best source for resolving their problems, wants, and desires when they reached your website. 

For more Internet marketing techniques, check out the “Internet Profit Kit for Information Marketers: 101 Proven Tactics & Tools You Can Use to Build Your Business.” Visit http://www.internetprofitkit.com/  for details.

Technology options aside, here are a few thoughts on the most important part of your “on-hold” system—the message. I’m sure you already know this, but remember… content is king. It’s critical that you craft an informative, benefit-driven marketing message for your “on-hold” audio. Each one should be about 10 to 30 seconds long and mention the benefits/solutions your business provides.

Listen to a good example of a custom on-hold message.

I recommend recording a loop of two or three different messages, with each separated by music. This way you’ll have a variety of messages for callers to hear, reducing the chances of them always hearing the same recording.

Make sure your recordings are fast-paced, to the point, and dynamic (like a real conversation and not a robot reading from a script!). Other points to keep in mind include:

• Assure prospects that a representative will be with them as soon as possible.
• End every message with a quick statement of appreciation for the customer’s call.
• Change messages periodically. If you offer special sales frequently, update more often.
• Change “on-hold” messages at least once a year.

There are hundreds of “music-on-hold” companies that for a fee can sell you the equipment, help you write your script, provide the voiceover talent and help you find the right music too. You can visit their websites and listen to samples of “on-hold” messages to get an idea of what you need.

There will always be times when you have to put a customer on hold, but there’s no reason why it can’t be a win-win situation for you and your prospect. If they’ve got to be on hold, don’t waste their time playing music or commercials for other businesses.

Whether you go the “do-it-yourself” route or pay a professional service to create your messages, the important thing to understand is that you definitely need a custom “music-on-hold” system as part of your relationship-building and marketing program.

If you’re still not convinced, let me leave you with this: a recent telephone marketing survey showed that custom “on-hold” message systems can increase sales by as much as 26%.

Wouldn’t a double-digit sales increase make your day?

Want to learn more about writing great copy? Discover the secrets and strategies of million-dollar copywriting from marketing guru Randy Gage at http://www.cashcopywriting.com/.

What do your customers hear when they’re put on hold?

Neither you nor your prospects get anything of value when your customers are left listening to music. And having them listen to a radio station isn’t much better, because chances are they’re not hearing music, just commercials. Worse still, they could end up hearing a commercial for a competitor!

Putting callers on hold and leaving them in total silence is a bad idea too, because it can make them think they’ve been disconnected and cause them to hang up.

So if you don’t have (or aren’t using) a “music-on-hold” system to promote your business, you’re missing out on significant relationship-building opportunities.

Maybe you thought about creating promotional “on-hold” messages in the past, but were afraid they were too difficult or too expensive, but these days nothing could be further from the truth!

There is a vast selection of top-quality “on-hold” message systems available for businesses of all sizes and budgets. You can compare features and prices at just about any major brick-and-mortar electronics store, as well as on dozens of “music-on-hold” websites.

The custom options for “on-hold” messages can be summed up in two words—variety and affordability. There are “bare bones” setups starting around $50, all the way up to multi-line, multi-message units designed for larger companies.

At the entry-level end of the spectrum is single-line, music-on-hold units designed for small office or home office use. These can be used by anyone wanting to provide music or custom messages to callers placed on hold. Just plug in:

• your phone line from the wall.
• your single-line telephone.
• a sound source (CD player, MP3 player, computer sound card).
• to place callers on hold, just push a button; to remove hold, press again. It’s that simple.

Digital “on-hold” players are great because you don’t have to worry about wear and tear on your message because the message is played from a digital memory chip. It will sound exactly the same even after a year or more of playing to your callers. And again, many units let you use your own audio source like a CD player, an MP3 player, or your computer. And if there’s a power outage, most digital units automatically reload when power is restored.

Some equipment for “on-hold” systems you can purchase, others you lease under contract. Be careful leasing though, as with some companies you may end up paying much more for that player over time than it’s actually worth. Costs vary with the systems and your requirements. Some “on-hold” companies have subscriptions that require a monthly payment (even if you only update your message once a year); others let you purchase a one-time program with nothing more to buy. Word to the wise… do your research.

I’ll end part one of this two-part blog here, so you can think over some of your equipment options for a bit. In part two we’ll take a look at the most important part of your “music-on-hold” message–the crafting of the message itself.

In the meantime, if you want to learn more about how to write effective marketing copy, check out the business-building secrets and strategies of million-dollar copywriting guru Randy Gage at www.cashcopywriting.com.

One of the most important tools I use when starting a new marketing project is sometimes called “idea mapping” or “mind mapping.” It’s one of my favorite creativity tools and it always helps me get inspired. Idea mapping is a simple technique you use to capture and organize your thoughts and ideas visually on a page.

Idea maps are especially helpful when you are brainstorming for new and creative ideas. Here’s how you can get started…

Take out a blank piece of paper (use paper without lines because lines can restrict the natural flow of your thoughts). Turn the paper lengthwise, with the long side of the paper at the top.

Next, in the center of the page, draw an image or print the words that represent the main theme, concept, or topic that you want to brainstorm. For example, you might start with “what ideas for new products?” or “How to sell product X?”

State it in the form of a question, using the words “who,” “how,” “what,” or “why” if possible. Leave plenty of white space for you to lay out the rest of your map. I like to have a few colored pens available too, because color stimulates the brain and helps capture attention.

At first your idea maps might be pretty simple, branches with lines and a few words. That’s okay. Because the more you practice this method, the more creative you’ll become, and the more you’ll discover idea mapping to be a fast way to capture and generate new ideas. It also helps you create new connections between your ideas and concepts.

When it comes to idea mapping, a picture really is worth a 1000 words! Images stimulate the brain to think up new associations, and focus your thoughts, resulting in much better recall of the content at a later date. So use pictures to represent your ideas. They can be simple stick figures, sketches, symbols…whatever makes sense to you. Because your brain works by association, visually connecting the main branches to your central topic helps you link those elements in your brain.

The main branch words and images stimulate other thoughts and associations. They allow the random flow of your thoughts as you add other levels to your map. So make the lines from the central topic thicker, curved and “organic” (like the branch of a tree attached to the trunk) to help organize your sub-themes. 

Now try adding a secondary level of thought. Link these words and/or images back to the main branch that inspired them. Continue to add more branches (levels of thought) as ideas come to you. Feel free to jump from branch to branch as the mood strikes you. Remember, it’s your idea map so you can use any of the following to create it:

• pictures

• stick figures

• lines

• patterns

• symbols

• shapes, boxes, circles

• colors

If you’re not already using idea maps or mind maps as part of your creative process, I strongly encourage you to start using this tool in meetings, sales presentations, and of course, when you’re planning your marketing strategies.

Although I started by drawing out most of my idea maps, now I also use mind-mapping software called “MindManager” from http://www.mindjet.com/. There are several others too, but don’t think that you have to run out and get this software right away. It’s just as effective if you start out using just pen and paper – the goal is to open your mind and expand your creativity. Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll quickly see how idea mapping can help you and your team!

I’ve already explained how idea mapping can help your brainstorming efforts, but here are a few quick points to keep in mind about the actual brainstorming session itself. For maximum results and openness to the creative process, there are a few rules you need to adhere to for successful brainstorming.

Set a time frame for your session; generally the shorter the better (like 15 to 30 minutes max.). The goal of brainstorming is to collect as many ideas as possible from participants, without criticism or judgments while ideas are being offered.

All ideas must be welcome, no matter how silly or far out they might seem. The goal is to be creative; not brilliant. The more ideas gathered the   better, because at this point no one knows what might (or might not) work.

Allow absolutely no discussion during a brainstorming session. Stopping the creative flow to talk about ideas being offered should take place after the brainstorming session is over. Don’t criticize or judge the ideas! Seriously, don’t allow groans, frowns, or laughs. If you do, it can make participants less willing to offer input and hampers the creative process. Write all ideas on a flipchart or white dry erase board so the entire group can see them.

Here’s a final great tip: If you’re in an organization that’s had trouble with brainstorming in the past (because of egos or office politics), or if you’ve had trouble in getting a large list of ideas, I suggest you send out a memo before the meeting outlining the main brainstorming topic or question.

Ask participants to print their ideas on paper as a requirement of attending the meeting, or you can use post-it notes during the brainstorming so people can offer ideas anonymously.

Let’s talk about making your final selections. Once all the ideas have been recorded, combine similar ideas as much as possible to reduce any redundancy. Next, vote to select the best three to five ideas from the session.

Hopefully by now you’ll see the important role creativity and free thinking plays in improving your mindset as well as your business. If you’re not already using it, try  idea mapping (or mind mapping) and good old-fashioned brainstorming to stimulate your thought processes!

For more examples and ideas on indea and mind mapping, check out Ford’s “Internet Profit Kit for Information Marketers: 101 Proven Tactics & Tools You Can Use to Build Your Business” at http://www.internetprofitkit.com/.