·:[ Success Insider Secrets ]:·
• • • • •

”But this won’t work” said Steve. “I’ve tried it in the past and had no response.” Does this sound familiar? My newer clients often resist implementing certain strategies based on past experiences. However, I usually find out that it wasn’t the strategy itself – but how it was implemented that caused the dismal results.

So whether you are designing a simple flier or developing a plan for a strategic partnership you can increase your chances for success by following these five tips.

1. Develop Your Marketing For Your Potential Clients – Not Yourself.

What looks good to you may not necessarily be appealing to your audience. It’s OK to ask your friends and associates for feedback – but their comments are only relevant if they are members of your target market. Also – just because everyone else advertises in a certain way is not a proof that it works.

2. Provide Answers To These Three Critical Marketing Questions:

QUESTION 1: What’s this about?
Check that your materials immediately and clearly communicate what you offer, who it’s for and what’s the next step you are asking them to take.

QUESTION 2: What’s in it for me?
Don’t make your audience guess about what’s in it for them by leaving this information out or hiding it in the small print at the bottom.

Use clear language free of industry jargon. Describe your offering not from the perspective of what you do but in terms of what the clients will receive and how they will be better off as a result of it.

QUESTION 3: Why should I listen to you?
How will you establish credibility with your audience? Include your photo and prominently display your contact info. Present case studies, statistics, endorsements, testimonies from satisfied clients. If people don’t believe you they will not respond to your offer.
3. Always follow the proven A.I.D.A. format.

ATTENTION – Use a powerful headline that grabs attention. Don’t try to be cute, don’t expect that your prospects will take the time look for a deeper meaning in your clever slogans – they won’t. So be as direct and to the point as you possibly can. If you can boil the essence of the benefits you are offering to just one short sentence what would it be? That’s you headline!

INTEREST – Now that you have their attention you must quickly build your prospects interest. Use subtitles, questions and short stories to illustrate and communicate how well you understand their needs. This is a good place to allow your audience to connect with the pain their problems are causing them.

DESIRE – Technical descriptions and numbers provide information but don’t incite action. Your marketing must arouse in your prospects the emotion of desire. Show your audience how a solution is available and achievable to them through doing business with you. Offer powerful performance promise and eliminate the risk of giving you a “try” by a strong guarantee.

ACTION – Without this part your marketing is like a salesman who gives a great presentation but forgets to ask for the order. Give your prospects a compelling reason to take action. Make your offer so incredibly irresistible they simply cannot refuse!
4. Follow up, Follow Up, Follow Up…

Over 80% of all sales are made after the prospect has heard from you at least seven times. Yet a typical business person gives up after just one or two follow up contacts.

Plan your follow-up steps in advance. Use a combination of mail, email, telephone and personal visits as your follow-up strategy. At each opportunity provide your potential clients with value – this way they will forgive you the intrusion.

5. Develop a System

Most entrepreneurs and professionals waste their time and money on one-shot, fragmented promotional tactics. They practice “hit and miss” marketing system; they try a strategy and abandon it before it has a chance to produce any results.

Instead of developing new marketing strategies look for ways to improve the ones your are currently using. When you find a promotional strategy that works for you build a system around it so that you can consistently implement it over and over again.

Following these tips will make all the difference in the world between struggling to get clients and becoming wildly successfully in marketing your services. They are worth investing your best efforts and getting the support you need to implement them effectively.

© 2002-2007 Marketing Mentors. All Rights Reserved.

The Author, Marketing Mentor, Adam Urbanski, works exclusively with Independent Service Professionals who want to grow their business, attract more clients, and increase sales and profits. Visit his website for more free tutorial articles and how-to tips to creating a winning Marketing Action Plan

Whether you are a professional in a solo-practice or own a small business, chances are you feel overwhelmed when it comes to marketing. While you may be an expert in your field, consistently attracting new clients probably isn’t one of your strengths.

Here is just a short list of “marketing culprits” that are likely keeping your business from reaching its full potential:

Unclear Target Market. It absolutely makes my marketing blood boil when I hear “our service can help everyone”. How on Earth do you find everyone?

Confusing, Self-Centered Marketing Message. Since the early 1900 marketing geniuses like Claude Hopkins have been telling us that shouting “we are the best, come buy from us” doesn’t work – no matter how loud you scream! Amazingly, over 90% of all marketing materials out there are doing exactly that!

‘Hop-And-Drop’ Approach. Any worthwhile skill takes practice. Yet most small business owners abandon each marketing tactic after just one try, without giving themselves a chance to get good at it. It’s like a running rabbit – switching direction with every hop!

On and Off Approach. Spending a lot of time and effort on marketing when the business is slow, but then giving up on almost all promotional activities when business gains momentum!

Not Preaching To The Choir. Most businesses make the mistake of chasing new markets all the time instead of maximizing profits using their existing database of current and prospective clients.
If you can put a “yes, guilty as charged” checkmark next to any of those statements, chances are you are not profiting from your business as much as you could. To help unleash the extra profits currently hidden in your business or practice here is a simple Six Step Marketing Model.

1. Create a MAP!

You don’t need to kill a tree to create an effective Marketing Action Plan. Simply describe your target market, their problem, and the benefits your service or product offers. Identify five to ten ways in which you can get visibility and generate new leads. Finally, list all the action steps you need to take daily, weekly and monthly and assign specific deadlines and outcomes to each step.

2. Craft Your Magnetic Marketing Message!

Potential clients don’t give a hoot about your titles, awards, and prestigious office location! All they want to know is that you understand their problem and have an effective solution to it. Communicate those two things clearly and new clients will flock to you like bees to honey!

3. Develop Attraction Tools!

Forget about the self-focused brochures! You need promotional materials that intrigue interest and generate response. Today’s technology allows to easily and inexpensively assemble and distribute information products – like special reports or CDs – that illustrate your capabilities and effortlessly promote your services.

4. Generate Leads.

Getting all the visibility in the world will not do any good if you are not giving your potential client an irresistible reason to contact you. Try and test several marketing messages and media to see what promotional strategies bring in the biggest bang for the buck.

The key here is testing – tweak your approach multiple times before you decide to completely abandon it. What might have been a big flop at first, with a bit of tweaking can turn into a total goldmine!

5. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up!

Studies show that over 80% of all sales are made on or after five contacts with the prospect. However, more than 80% of follow-up ends after just three attempts! Creating and automating a systematic follow-up process is a must to maximizing your marketing ROI.

Develop a series of 12 to 24 meaningful communications each addressing something of relevance to your prospects and find a way to periodically distribute them to prospects and clients.

6. Learn To Sell!

The thought of selling causes most professionals to cringe. Fact is, effective selling is not about memorizing hundreds of closings tactics or becoming an attack dog that corners prospects into saying “yes”. Instead, study a consultative approach model and become a master of asking powerful questions that compel others to action!

© 2002-2007 Marketing Mentors. All Rights Reserved.

The Author, Marketing Mentor, Adam Urbanski, works exclusively with Independent Service Professionals who want to grow their business, attract more clients, and increase sales and profits. Visit his website for more free tutorial articles and how-to tips to creating a winning Marketing Action Plan

Quote for the day:

The greatest wealth is health.  ~Virgil

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Today’s issue features tips from Darin Steen.  I recently
adopted Darin as my fitness coach to help me achieve specific
Goals in the area of health and wellness.  If you would like
to join me in his 12 Week Body Transformation program from
the comfort of your own home, click here to learn how:

http://www.goalguru.com/recommends/fatlosslifestyle

Live Your Dreams,

Jill Koenig
http://www.GoalGuru.com

================

Taking Charge of the Thoughts You Think
By Darin Steen

The attributes of optimum wellness can be broken down into
three simple areas which I call The Three Pillars of Health.

The Three Pillars of Health are:

The Exercise That You Get
The Foods That You Eat
The Thoughts That You Think

Today we are going to work on “The Thoughts That You Think”.
I believe it is the most important area to focus on.

When you start thinking more positively about yourself and
your future, the rest of the pieces fall into place.

Here are forty suggestions you can draw from to propel your
thoughts in the affirmative starting today.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk,
smile. It is the ultimate antidepressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock
if you have too. As thoughts come into your mind get rid of
them (minimize them like on a computer screen) and focus on
the sounds of your breathing.

3. Buy a Tivo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more
sleep. Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy,
wealthy and wise.

4. When you wake up in the morning stand up tall, take a long
deep breath in and hold for 10 seconds, then slowly exhale;
smile and say, “I am so grateful for all that I have. Everyday
is another opportunity”!

5. Do not gossip or hold on to any negative thoughts or words.
If you think or say something negative, catch yourself, and
say, “oops what I meant to say was,” and put a positive spin
on it.  Twenty one days of this exercise will train you to be
more positive. Try it, I dare you. Make a game out of it and
have fun.

6. Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than
you did last year.

7. Always pray and schedule exercise (two cardio and two
resistance sessions per week)

8. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under
the age of six.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat fewer
foods that are manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild
Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk,
your computer files, and your closet. Doing so will let new energy,thoughts, and things flow into your life.

14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires,
issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot
control. Do not watch or listen to the news. Instead, invest
energy in the positive, precious now.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade
away like algebra class …….but the lessons you learn will
last a lifetime. I believe that everything happens for a reason.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner
like a college kid with a maxed out charge card. Eat protein
and carbs together in each meal. Eat small meals often throughout
the day. Eat at least five small meals.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Life isn’t always fair, but it’s still good.

21. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

19. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

20. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

21. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

22. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what
their life is like. Everyone is right in their own mind.

23. Ladies- Go on and burn those ’special’ scented candles,
use the 600 thread count sheets, the good china and wear your
fancy lingerie now. Stop waiting for a special occasion.
Everyday is special. We are not guaranteed that we will have
a tomorrow.

24. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, all we have
is today, that is why we call it “the present”.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. The only
thing in life that we are in control of is our attitude. Every
day you have a choice. What are you going to choose?

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words:
‘In five years, will this really matter?’

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
What you think of yourself means everything. Your confidence,
self image, and your health are directly proportionate to your
ability to achieve.

29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time!

30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your
friends will. Stay in touch with them.

31. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
God provides everything that wildlife needs. He will do the
same for you.

33. We can not do it all by ourselves. Focus on helping others
in a genuine way. Learn to live to give and the universe will
open up its flood gates back to you.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often.

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following
statement:
I am thankful for __________.
Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World;
you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride
through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

40. LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH. LIFE’S A GIFT… UNWRAP IT! If your
thoughts and words do not get you closer to your dreams, then
flush them.

Your Healthy Lifestyle Coach,

Darin Steen

Darin Steen, the “Trainers Trainer” is America’s Top Fat loss
and Healthy Lifestyle Coach. A best selling Author, drug-free
for life professional Bodybuilder, Personal trainer, Motivational
Speaker, and family man. He is an expert on fat loss, fitness,
aging gracefully, and is the most sought after, “Reach Your
True Potential” coach for individuals in over 8 countries.
http://www.goalguru.com/recommends/fatlosslifestyle

==============

Learn how I lost 3/4 of an inch of my waist in one week.
Join me in living the Fat Loss Lifestyle and achieve your
health and fitness Goals:

http://www.goalguru.com/recommends/fatlosslifestyle

==============

Work less, earn more and gain control over your life:

http://www.TheTimeCommandments.com

==============

Make 2008 Your Breakout Year! New Year New Life!

http://www.goalguru.com/products

Listen to Maintainers, Not to Losers: 5 secrets to keeping the weight off for good

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com
I have very little interest these days in all the media-hyped stories of dramatic, rapid losses of body weight. “Big losers” don’t impress me, for numerous reasons. For example, weight is not fat. “Weight” could be composed of mostly lean tissue, or it could be mostly water weight. In fact, I would go a step further and point out that rapid loss of bodyweight correlates very highly with a greater chance of relapse, weight re-gain and long term failure.

So what does impress me? What gets my attention?

I pay attention to what the “long term maintainers” have to say – those are the people who have maintained an ideal weight for over a year… preferably even 2-5 years or more.

The difference between losers and maintainers

As I was researching the subject of long term weight maintenance recently, I was surprised at the huge amount of research that’s already been done in this area.

One paper that caught my interest was published by Judy Kruger and colleagues in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, titled,

“Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults successful at weight loss maintenance.”

This was not an experimental study, but a compilation of data from the “Styles Survey” which was representative of the U.S. population and asked respondants questions about strategies to aid with maintaining an ideal weight.

In this particular survey, only one-third (30.96%) of the respondents said they were successful at keeping their weight off. The researchers wanted to know the difference between the small group that was successful and the majority that were not.

Both groups reduced the amount of food they consumed, they ate smaller portions, more fruits and vegetables, fewer fatty foods and fewer sweetened beverages.

Not really any surprises there, but what we want to know most is not what losers and maintainers have in common, but what the maintainers did that the losers didn’t.

Some major differences emerged between losers and maintainers:

First, a significantly higher proportion of successful maintainers reported exercising 30 minutes or more daily, and they also reported adding other physical activity to their daily schedules (recreation, sports, physical work, etc). In addition, more of the successful maintainers included weight training in their exercise regimens than did the losers.

Reducing sedentary activities (TV watching, etc) was also a significant difference between those who successfully maintained and those who did not.

The next big difference that separated the successful maintainers from the unsuccessful was in their “self-monitoring behaviors” including:

tracking calories
tracking body weight
planning meals
tracking fat
measuring the amount of food on their plate
Unfortunately, these types of self-monitoring behaviors, especially weighing and measuring food and counting calories, are among the most avoided and even criticized weight control techniques. Some weight loss “experts” even claim that it’s detrimental to count calories, weigh yourself or measure and weigh your food.

However, these self monitoring behaviors are being identified more and more frequently in the research as part of “the difference that makes the difference.” I agree, and they have always played a major role in my own Burn The Fat program.

A final difference was that people who reported self-perceived “barriers” to their success were 48-76% less likely to be a successful maintainer.

For example, they said they had no time to exercise, they were too tired to exercise or it was too hard to maintain an exercise routine. I interpret this as: the unsuccessful losers were excuse makers!

THE TOP 5 STRATEGIES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MAINTAINER

So let’s recap and turn these research findings into some practical action steps you can apply today.

1. Increase your total daily activity level, including formal exercise as well as sports, physical work or recreational activity. Exercise improves weight loss, but more importantly, it is critical for weight maintenance.

2. Decrease sedentary recreational activities by cutting back on TV watching, computer games and web surfing. Take up physical recreation such as sports, boating, biking, walking, hiking, gardening, physical hobbies and playing with your kids, if you have them.

3. Include weight training as part of your formal exercise program, throughout the fat loss phase and even more seriously during maintenance.

4. Track and monitor everything! Count calories and nutrients, measure your portion sizes, weigh your food, plan your menus in writing and monitor your body weight and body fat percentage.

5. Avoid excuses and maintain positive beliefs and attitudes towards your environment and what you perceive as “barriers.” For example, say, “I can always make time for what is most important to me” instead of, “I don’t have time to exercise.”

If you’re currently on a fat loss journey, and you want to know how good your odds are for being a successful maintainer, it’s pretty easy to predict using these 5 strategies. If you’re not using all 5 of them yet, then when would be a good time to start today?

There are limitations to survey results such as these, including the fact that they are cross sectional, and therefore cannot prove causality. However, I believe these findings are important and significant.

Not only do they confirm previous similar studies and agree with the findings of other groups of successful maintainers (such as the National Weight Control Registry), I found that these results match precisely what I’ve seen among my most successful “Burn The Fat” clients.

THIS is the type of advice I’d suggest you listen to the most: Advice about how to lose body FAT, not body WEIGHT, and how to maintain an ideal bodyweight and body composition over the long haul, not how to lose weight as fast as possible.

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

P.S. There was one more “difference that made the difference,” in this study, and this one may surprise you (although it didn’t surprise me). Successful maintainers were LESS likely to take over the counter diet products (pills, etc).

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com