Category Archives: Marketing

The Power of the Business Card: It Brands You and Creates a Source of Leads When You Collect Others

| May 30, 2012

How often do you attend a networking event only to find you did not bring enough business cards?  Or perhaps the one person you want to connect with had run out of cards and all you could do is give them yours, with the hope they would follow up?

Never down play the power of a good business card and the leverage it can have.  Your Business card is one of the
most classic ways to brand you, your business or service.  They are inexpensive, portable and a powerful marketing tool.

Your business card helps you put your best foot … Read More

Marketing Elements Through Which Everything Flows

| April 26, 2012

During the last six weeks the topics at our Mind Masters meetings have focused on the essential aspects of a marketing system. Yes, marketing is not only a system, it may be the most important system in any business. We recognized that before you can put all the elements into a system you must gather the “pieces parts.”

To help you determine the current viability of your marketing elements (and ultimately, your marketing system) let’s see what you have in place.

  • How about an active mailing or email list? Do you have from 500 to 2,000 on this list that
… Read More

Prospect Your Way to Millions

| November 8, 2011

We use goal setting in various areas of our life, why not set a goal to master Prospecting?

The internet has created a false sense of hope about millions of customers out there waiting to beat a path to your door. Having people friend you or like your business page, or those who comment on your postings aren’t the answers to generating the sale.

Prospecting demands a more proactive approach. Suspects still have to get to your web site or you have to meet them face to face so you can begin prospecting (finding out what their needs/problems are).

A … Read More

Selling for People Who Don’t Like Selling

| February 1, 2011

Here’s some tips to set the stage for better Selling:

1. Create the sales process ahead of time, (an appointment script, a list of qualifying questions, a presentation script and your closing question).

2. You need a lead management system, (know who your A, B and C prospects are).

3. Perfect your two most important sales skills: listening & observing.

4. Remember, people trust people they like and selling is all about trust

5. Take action and track your results, (know your appointment to call ratio, presentation to sales ratio so you can work on the areas that need improvement).… Read More

Sales is NOT an Evil Word

| January 25, 2011

How are you at selling or is selling a concept that you tend to shy away from? You are not alone, but resistance to it shows up in how consistently your business grows.

Perhaps you find marketing tactics more fun, you know postcards, email newsletters, brochures, social networking, but sales tactics are essential to every business and can be learned. In fact sales is a function of marketing and requires a process and tactics.

When you walk into a department store, their sales people are assigned to a particular department so they can answer your specific questions about colors, or … Read More

Success Essentials

| October 26, 2010

If goal setting is essential to success, then time control and organized activity is the other hand of achievement. Several week ago at the end of one of our weekly Mind Masters meetings the topic of what activities were necessary to guarantee success came up. I commented, that fifty percent of the time members were spending in their daily schedules had absolutely nothing to do with the achievement of their goals.

What are the high priority, high pay off activities in your business? Do you have a formula that you track to produce consistent results? In order to generate income, … Read More

Closing Time

| August 14, 2010

   Small business owners often find sales the most difficult part of being in business. In fact I have found they don’t want to be categorized as “sales” people. Often during Mind Masters meetings I suggest they reframe how they see the process.

   Selling in today’s environment requires an inquisitive mindset. So the consultative sales process is a way to gather as much information as possible about a prospect and then be able to prescribe one’s product or service solution to the prospect’s problem/issue. If this process is followed carefully, the close (asking for the “order”) will follow easily also keeping … Read More

The Power of Ideas 3

| July 13, 2010

How many times has someone let you know there was a misspelled word on your flyer, brochure or web site? Those mistakes affect how professional you are perceived you to be. Again, when Mind Masters members’ have an expertise, they willing share it so their fellow members can gain some insight. Since small business owners do it all, Laurie’s editing tips were the perfect information we all could use.

Quick Proofreading Tips

Let’s face it: spell-check isn’t enough. Word processing software just isn’t smart enough to distinguish between “to,” “two,” and “too”; only a human brain can do that. The … Read More

The Power of Ideas 2

| July 8, 2010

Mind Masters members’ have skills, experiences and expertise that they willing share with fellow members each week. Again how you present yourself to your market creates a perception. With a highly visual audience, a good photograph is on of the essential tools. Our member Barbara Steinberg shared her expertise, so we all can manage the perceptions we want our market to have.

Tips from a professional photographer for a successful portrait session.

  • Review the photographer’s portfolio to see the style of his or her work.
  • Request a variety of expressions. Include a fun smile, a warm friendly smile, or a
… Read More

The Power of Ideas

| June 28, 2010

When you have a team of people who support each other in getting clear and sharing ideas, great information is produced. This of course has produced tremendous power in our Mind Masters groups. Napoleon Hill commented about it in Think and Grow Rich, when he wrote “Power is essential for success … Gaining power through the … coordination of knowledge and effort. . . .”. I want to share with you some of the knowledge that members have shared, that if used can affect how you show up in your market place for a more powerful brand.

Communication is one … Read More