I’ve been asking a lot of questions of business owners I  know and meet in my  everyday travels. It seems that some  are doing alright, others are struggling,  and a few say  they are doing great.

What makes the difference?

If you listen to the news, you’d get the impression that  every business is  failing, but that’s not an accurate  assessment of the situation.

Given the choice, I suspect most business owners would  rather be in the category  that say things are great. What  many fail to realize is that what’s separating  the  businesses that are doing great from all the rest is  literally very little  at all.

A business that can successfully navigate the rough economic  waters will not  only thrive now, they will be the leaders  when things once again smooth out.

The trick, if you will, is to be willing to break out of  your old habits, look  for new ways of getting things done,  cut expenses where possible, do more with  less, and  leverage social media as much as possible to reach your  buyers.

http://www.ultimatewealthstore.com/tff.htm

When asked, most business owners who have not yet tried to  market using social  media simply sag at it and say “it  doesn’t work.” These same business owners  said that about  paid search too not all that many years ago. Click to read entire post now

by Robert Imbriale, The Motivational Marketer

For me, selling online began in 1989 with my very first sale.  Back then, few people even knew there was an online world.

Today, people come from all walks of life to try their hand at  creating successful Internet businesses. The sad fact is that the  vast, vast majority will fail to even make their first sale. Most  will be out of business inside of 6 months. Click to read entire post now

How Do You Protect Yourself Financially During Rough Economic Times?

Today, I am inviting you to tune into a very special live video broadcast unlike any other I’ve ever delivered.

You see, like you, I’ve been searching for ways to build my business during these challenging economic times. But unlike so many other people, my solution did not include working harder, longer, or even faster.

Instead, I wanted to find ways to work less, have multiple income streams that are both predictable and reliable so that I’d have more time to do other things other than chasing dollars.

Today, I’m going to share with you what I’ve uncovered and how I’m now filling up my PayPal account each and every month.

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The Simplicity of Marketing

For some people, marketing seems like a really challenging thing to do. In fact, it’s really nothing more than common sense. Let me explain.

In all my years of marketing both online and offline, what I’ve always found interesting is how complex people tend to make their marketing efforts. They add layers and layers of complexity to something that should otherwise be a fairly simple process.

Here are the 3 core elements to a successful business.

1) Product: You need something to offer people, and it does not have to be a product that you’ve created. There is plenty of success to be had in marketing other people’s products.

2) Audience: You need to be able to reach the kind of people who can and who will buy your products. Again, this does not mean you have to start out with your own list, there are plenty of lists already out there that you can leverage in order to promote your products.

3) Offer: This is where the marketing is. You’ve simply got to make offers in everything you send out. The more offers you make, the more people will take you up on your offer and the more sales you’ll make.

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This is the Most Effective Marketing Tool of All!

If there’s one marketing element that has helped me become more successful than any other it’s customer testimonials.

Listen, I can rave about just how good I am as a coach all day long, but that will never be enough to convince a new client to hire me as their coach, consultant, or mentor.

But if my clients rave about it, their words have incredible power and more often than not, it’s their words that close the deals, not mine.

Ironically, as a long-time marketer, I can market anybody in any market yet I can’t sell myself! But I can let me customers sell me instead and that’s how I build my business.

If you’re not using testimonials in your marketing, on your web site, in your e-mail messages, you’re leaving the most powerful marketing tool out of the mix!

What’s it costing you to NOT have other people raving about you?

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What Would You Do?

It’s 2am.

The phone rings.

At first you ignore it and hope it stops. It rings again, and again, and again. Finally, you stumble out of bed and search for the handset.

On the phone is somebody you care a lot about. A parent, sibling, your significant other. Something horrible has just happened to them.

What do you say to them?

What should you never say?

Do you even know what you would say in such a crisis situation?

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It was 1995 and I was struggling to get my business off the  ground. I was excited, spinning my wheels, yet getting nowhere  fast. Money was coming in, but more of it was going out than was  coming in.

Before very long, I found myself questioning whether or not to  close my business and give up on my lifelong dreams.

When you arrive at a point like this, there are two choices you  can make. First, you can choose to throw in the towel and walk  away. Many people take this route and in later years begin to  regret their  decision. Click to read entire post now

If you’ve been involved in marketing of any kind over the last  two decades, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “content is King.”  Marketers, successful marketers, live by that mantra. When I look  at the Internet what I really see are two things. There is the  content and then there are the applications that allow you to  interact with the content.

To completely over-simplify things, the applications are what  make is possible for us to create, share, and use the content we  find on the Internet. So to say content is King, you’d have to  also say that the applications are Queen in order to have a more  complete view of the Internet. There are all kinds of  applications from the browsers that make surfing the Internet  possible to all sorts of applications that manage and deliver the  content.

Think about it. Without the application we know as Google, how  would you find the content you’re looking for on the Internet?  I’ve been there and I remember finding things online was next to  impossible, but that was back in 1987. Then we have Adobe TM  Flash that allows us to see and hear sounds and images over the  Internet.

There are sorts of content management systems available to us  today that simply didn’t exist a few years back. As it becomes  easier and easier to manage and digest, the demand for new  content grows and grows. 

Marketers who create quality content often find they are able to  generate large amounts of traffic, they usually have large  mailing lists, and it almost goes without saying that they  usually have healthy bank accounts.

It all starts with the content. The more you create, share,  distribute, the better off you’ll be in building a profitable  business on the web. If you want the real secret to Internet  success, this is it.

Content comes in many forms, and it’s best to use as many forms  as possible on your web site because there are now so many ways  to access and use content and not everybody wants it the same  way. Some people love to read, others prefer to listen, some  prefer to sit back and watch a video.

As you develop your content, think about creating not just  written articles, white papers, and special reports. Be sure to  add streaming audio, podcasts, videos, screen-captures, and even  animations to your mix.

Sometimes it’s best to offer the same content in different  formats. For instance, you might offer an article as both a  regular web page and a downloadable .PDF file. You might offer a  video and also offer just the audio track from that same video.

Now how do you get from creating content to building a successful  business?

Think about why most people use the Internet. They get online and  check e-mail. They log into their social networks to keep up with  their friends. They search for  information to help them answer a  question. They look for things to buy. They  come to play games  and meet people. All of these activities revolve around finding  and using content.

When you’ve got content on your web site and you make it easy for  people to find,  you increase the traffic to your web site,  naturally.

The more content you have, the more people will be stopping by  your webs site. Truly the days of the single-page sales letter  web sites are done. You’ve got to do more than make a compelling  sales pitch, you’ve got to demonstrate that you’re the leader in  your market. You’ve got to show people why they need what you  have and how it will truly make their lives better. And most of  all, you’ve got to let them sample your stuff before they buy.

Let’s look at it from the customer’s perspective. Your customer  wants the best of  what’s available but how can they figure out  what’s best from a sales letter alone? They need more information  that’s not in the form of a sales pitch. They need to feel like  they can try it on, test it out, and they can do that when you  offer them plenty of content on your web site.

So if you’re selling a product that is best demonstrated in a  video, be sure you have a number of videos on your web site  showing customers using and loving your product. If you sell  consulting, demonstrate your knowledge of your topic with  articles, reports, white papers, audio presentations, and even  videos of you speaking about to an audience.

As you plan your content, also keep in mind how you’re going to  present it on your web site so that’s its in the formats people  can really use, that it’s easy to find, and that’s it readily  accessible from different Internet devices, including smart  phones.

If you’ll take to time to do this, what you’ll soon realize is  that your sales letters will perform better, people will not need  as much strong-arm salesmanship before they buy, your mailing  list will grow, and your web site will show up in more places on  the Internet.

It’s no surprise that web sites that offer a lot of content lead  the field when it comes to sales. Take a look at your web site  today and think about how a new visitor would really get to  sample what it is you do without having to buy what you’re  selling.

How good is your web site at attracting new visitors without  little or no direct effort on your part? Do you have enough  easily accessible content on your web site to keep people coming  back for more?

Most web sites, including my own, can always use more great  content. Adding content is the best and profitable use of your  marketing dollars because the return on your investment continues  for years.

For instance, in 1991 I wrote my very first article on marketing.  It was published in a national business magazine a few months  later and it continues to appear on the Internet almost 20 years  later. In that time, this one article has been read more than a  million times, and has generated countless sales for my business.  What other kind of marketing can do that?

In my opinion, no other marketing piece can do what adding fresh  content to your web site can. Ideally, you’ll be adding new  content regularly, and expiring content that is no longer  relevant. When you do, you’ll have the most profitable marketing  strategy working for you all day, every day for years to come.
About the Author

Robert Imbriale is the author of the best-selling book,  Motivational Marketing (Wiley, 2007). He has personally coached  thousands of business owners since he began coaching in 1995. He  is a leader in the marketing industry and regularly appears on  radio and television. To get your free copy of ‘Why People Buy’  go to  www.UltimateWealth.com/money.htm

President’s Day… Another Way of Looking at it!

You’ll never see this day the same way again!

You might have guessed that I don’t see “President’s Day” as the rest of the country does. To me, the real heroes will always be the presidents of companies. Yes, even a 1-person operation is worth celebrating today.

Throughout time, it has been the business owner who has created the jobs, taken the risks, invented the technology, and generally helped to move society forward in so many areas. Click to read entire post now

Want a BIGGER Mailing List?

But you’re not sure where to start?

I had a call with a new coaching client the other day who wanted, more than anything, to build a list that he could use to market his products. He had the right idea, but his ideas on how to go about building that list sounded like they came from an old time movie!

In fact, he was so lost when it came to building a list that had he even tried what he had in mind, he would have lost his shirt! A lot has changed on the web in recent years, and building a list today is NOTHING like it was just 12 months ago.

In fact, today, it’s easier, faster, and cheaper than at anytime in history, yet few people have figured that out yet! Over the past year, I’ve been showing my clients where the tools are on the web, how to quickly build a list of people who WANT to hear from you, and I’ve been showing them what to say and how often to say it so that they make more sales.

I’ve been really amazed at their results. I’ve been watching them add new clients, and increase their sales and build larger and larger lists and it’s been a complete thrill for me.

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I get asked a lot about how you generate leads to build a mailing list. Back in 1995, yes that was a loooong time ago, I was teaching people how to generate leads.

The Internet was a very different place back then, and few business owners really thought much of it. In fact, many believed it was just another trend or fad that would soon fade. I never thought that for one moment from the very first day I logged onto an online service in 1984 to this very day.

The basic premise of generating a lead has not changed. In order to get the contact information you want from a potential customer, they need to get something of value from you. That’s the BIG secret of lead generation.

Make them an offer of something that they view of being valuable and they will generally be happy to give you their contact
information.

Offer them a trip to Hawaii and you’ll build a list of tens of thousands of people in just a few days.

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Welcome to 2010, the start of a fresh new year, and a new decade!

Every year at this time, I get tons of e-mail messages from people who are eager to tell me about their resolutions for the next year. While I am indeed impressed at what people plan on doing, what really does it for me is to see the RESULTS of what had been planned.

So as you look back over the past year, what did you accomplish? What goal did you set for yourself that you hit, and even exceeded? Or do you even remember the goals you set for yourself?

Like so many people out there, I too set goals for myself at this time of year. But I do it with a twist. Let me share with you what I mean.

Success Begins in the Shower!

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The Best Christmas Gift of All

There is something you can give yourself now that doesn’t come in box, a bag, or wrapped up with bow, that you’ll love more than anything else you get this Christmas

You may be excited today because you’re going to both giving and receiving gifts for those you love most, but did you know that there is a gift that you can give yourself that will last a lifetime and that will give you great joy for all the years of your life?

It was back in 1994, Christmas Day to be exact that I gave myself this gift. Back then I was not making much progress in my career. In fact, I had just recently left a full time job with a great salary and benefits to go out on my own.

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Are you one of those people who has a strong tendency to pay close attention to the news? Do you always seem to be up to date on whatever is going on out there?

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Have you seen patient visits decline over the past 90 days? If you’re like many business owners, you’re feeling the pinch as consumers pull back and tighten up.

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