Posts Tagged ‘lead generation’

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Capturing Attention & Building Trust

Thursday, February 10th, 2011


Not that it comes as any great surprise-but the goal of your website (whether it be a one page micro-site or your more extensive “corporate” website) is to capture the interest and curiosity of your visitor.

Naturally the question becomes, “What’s the best way to do that?”

There’s two things to keep in mind. What you say and How you say it.

Let’s talk about the second one today.

The good news is that we have a couple of different options. By that I mean we’re not limited to just text based websites. In all candor, if you really want to accelerate the relationship building process, and get a lot more people to opt in to your list, video is the way to go.

Which leads us to the next question-“What type of video should I create?”

The answer depends in large part upon what you’re promoting. Your company? A brand? Yourself?

If you’re in the advice-giving business, the emphasis is most likely to be on yourself. In that case, a short video of either you talking directly to the visitor, and asking them to take the next step in the process (i.e. request your free information), or the “interview” model in which you discuss an key issue the visitor is likely to be working on…either of these can be very effective.

Here’s an example of what I refer to as an interview format video. (Please be patient this may take a minute to load. If you get frustrated you can also watch it HERE)

Affluent Marketing Advice from Mark Satterfield on Vimeo.

In the consulting and professional advice business, it’s all about demonstrating competence and building trust. Competence is developed by the content in the Gentle Rain Drops that you send out after your prospect has opted-in to your list.

Video-since it’s an opportunity for people to actually see you, helps considerably in building trust.

Of course not everyone feels comfortable in front of the camera. In that case a corporate video that encompasses music, graphics and other visuals can be extremely effective. (In an ideal world you would do both.) Creating these corporate videos is a pet project of mine, but they tend to be more appropriate to the higher-end services providers since they’re somewhat expensive to produce, edit, score ect. (But that said, if you’re interested drop me a note and we can chat about it.)

Food for thought
Mark
Warning! This Link Is A Blatant Pitch To Get You To Buy Something

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The 3 Most Powerful Methods For Marketing Your Business

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011


Without a doubt, the biggest question I get asked is, “How can I get more visibility without breaking the bank?” And, although it’s a simple question, the success of your business depends upon the answers you come up with.

Personally, I think there are 3 options you’ll want to pursue-especially if your goal is to grow your business as large as possible (or to become one of the highly recognized experts in your field).

The first is what I call “traditional” marketing. I’ve written a lot about that and if you want to learn more about it, I’d suggest you go HERE.

The second is social media. I’m particularly focusing on Linked-In, which for those of us who offer either B2B or high-value services, I think it’s the place with the most opportunity.

The 3rd leg of the stool is publicity and quite frankly, up to just recently, this was the weakest area for me. I didn’t need to be convinced that getting on radio, TV and in print had enormous benefits, I just didn’t know how to do it.

I hired two PR people over the past 5 years and might have well just flushed the money down the toilet. But, as I’ve shared with a number of you, my publicity efforts have recently started to gain enormous traction, and I owe it to one person-Steve Harrison.

Steve’s belief is that we can be our own best PR person if we learn a few basics, and I’m living proof that he’s right. I mean, what’s a guy like me doing on ESPN talking about Super Bowl ads? But there I was, and it’s all because of some simple advice I received from Steve and his team.

Which all leads up to my suggestion that you listen in to Steve’s free teleseminar this coming Thursday in which he and his guests talk about what it takes to get on the national publicity stage. Whether you have a book or not…whether you want national recognition, or just to be the proverbial big fish in a small pond…I guarantee that you’ll find the teleseminar valuable.

You can sign up HERE

As I hope you know, I only recommend people to you when I personally use their services. Steve is absolutely an “A” level player in this field (he’s actually the guy who launched Rich Dad/Poor Dad onto the national stage) so if you’re the least bit interested in getting the media promoting what you do, he’s someone definitely worth getting to know.

And the best way to do that is by sitting in on his teleseminar this Thursday which you can do by going HERE.

Trust, me-it will be a good investment of your time.

Talk with you soon,
Mark
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IN THE EVENT YOU’D LIKE TO JOIN MY TEAM

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Play Offense

Friday, January 7th, 2011


Obviously the last couple of years have been challenging. For many businesses, a hunker-down-bunker-mentality took hold. And while that may have made sense short term, at some point you have to stop playing defense and start to play offense.

Here’s something to think about…and let me sum it up in one word…Trends.

What are the trends that are taking place, and more importantly what are the long-term trends that are just beginning?

Getting in front of long-term trends is one of the most effective methods to make a lot of money over an extended period of time.

So how do you find these trends? Here’s one way.

What are the baby boomers doing? They are the proverbial basketball in the middle of the garden hose. If you look at business history, the greatest explosions have been products and services that were just in front (and that’s key) of that group.

For example, real estate exploded as the baby boomers entered their first home buying years, and then collapsed (at a jaw-dropping rate as some of you may remember) as developers, late to the game, built homes for a group that had already passed on by.

Timing is everything.

So here’s something to ponder…

How does what the baby boomers are doing (or not doing as the case may be) impact your business? The answer to that question may open up some very interesting ideas for either getting more attention for your business, or even new products/service that you might want to offer.

In my case, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this, and have reached a conclusion that is going to have a significant impact on Gentle Rain.

I believe that the number of self-employed and small business owners is about to explode. There are a couple of reasons for my thinking.

First, baby boomers don’t want to retire. An important part of their DNA is to stay relevant. Thus, retiring-in the traditional sense-just doesn’t fit with how they view themselves.

However…the less-pleasant reality is that they are often being kicked out of Corporate America to make way for the younger players. From a practical perspective, the odds that a 55 year old will pick up a new job in Corporate America, is somewhere between the proverbial slim & none.

Perhaps some will become franchisees, but my guess is that many will hang out their shingle as advisors and consultants. That only makes sense. They want (and I think this is great) to provide value to companies or consumers by sharing the collective knowledge they’ve develop over the years.

But the one thing they don’t know how to do is…get consistent streams of new clients.

Nor do they realize the reality that getting new clients isn’t as easy as they think it will be.

Which is why so many of the self employed and small business owners struggle so much.

Obviously, Gentle Rain meets a need in this regard. Simply put, I know how to teach someone to put together a very effective marketing system in under 45 days that costs less than $600 to implement.

The second reason I think that the self employed and small business market is going to explode is because Baby Boomers just can’t afford to retire. The sad reality is that lots of people got completely hosed in the economic melt down, and they’re not back where they once were financially.

Again, the same scenario follows. In this case they NEED to work, but what are their options? Starting their own consulting or advising business is going to be a very attractive path.

But…they’ll still run into the same challenge I mentioned before about how to attract consistent streams of brand new clients.

Over the past year or so I’ve seen a dramatic uptick in the number of new solo-consultants and small businesses. I also believe that this is the beginning of a significant 15-year trend.

Which is why I’m launching my Gentle Rain Affiliate Licensing program next week. (You can sign up to join me on the kick-off teleseminar by going to the blog entry that immediate precedes this one, or clicking HERE. )

I’m looking for a small group of people who are interested in partnering with me to both assist these Baby Boom Business Advisors achieve the dreams they have for their businesses, AND earn a lot of money.

I’ll be explaining how the program works, who I’m looking for, the training (and it’s very comprehensive training), the compensation (and I think for the right people you can make a lot of money by partnering with me) as well as addressing many of the questions I know people have.

However, regardless of whether partnering with Gentle Rain makes sense for you or not, I encourage you to engage in a bit of “mental heavy lifting” and think about how the trends I’ve discussed, can lead to positive business opportunities for you.

And for those of you who are intrigued about possibly developing an alliance with Gentle Rain, I look forward to having you on the call next Wednesday.

Talk with you soon,
Mark
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The 3 Basic Things You Need

Saturday, December 4th, 2010


I think we tend to make marketing way too complicated.

Which is a shame.

Unfortunately there are lots of business that could end the feast-or-famine business cycles, who don’t, simply because marketing just seems too overwhelming.

Really all you need are…

A one page website that motivates prospects to opt-in and learn more about who you are and the services you offer. More HERE

A simple stay-in-touch system (AKA, autoresponder) that enables you to automatically send messages to those that opt-in. (The one I use and recommend is HERE)

A simple tutorial on how to set it up and then get lots of targeted prospects to come. (That’s HERE or if you want some personal assistance on how to set it up my coaching program may be a good fit. Some info is HERE.

That’s all you need.

My point is that you don’t want to sit on the sidelines hoping the economy will improve, and that the waters of prosperity will raise all boats.

I think you know that’s just not a viable strategy.

I also know that marketing can be a bit of a “black box”, and often times just too confusing. You don’t know where to begin so you simply…do nothing.

However, if you take it step by step, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t have a very effective marketing system up and running, generating you consistent streams of new clients in less than 45 days.

Let me know if I can help.
Mark
RELATED LINKS
Personal Advice & Mentoring
Micro-Websites That Get Your More New Clients

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Questions From Readers On Branding & Differentiation

Thursday, November 4th, 2010


Today I answer a couple of questions readers have asked about branding and differentiating your business from the competition.

Hi Mark, I’m a solo-HR consultant who previously worked in corporate HR. I’m worried that I won’t be taken seriously by the larger companies I most want to do business with and want to know how I can create a brand image that’s bigger than just me. Thoughts? Jason Arnold, St Louis, MO

Hi Jason- There’s a saying that “You can’t Out-McKinsey, McKinsey.” Basically what that means is that it’s a mistake to try to position yourself as something you’re not.

From a practical perspective, if a client wants to hire a large consulting firm-that’s what they’re going to do. Trying to make yourself appear bigger is actually playing against the biggest advantage you have…the uniqueness that is you.

There are lots of solo-consultants who have very large companies as clients. For example, in your field, David Maister consults with some of the world’s largest companies and his entire firm consists of…him. My own clients over the years have included CitiGroup, A.T. Kearney and Apple Computer, in addition to many small firms and solo-consultants.

The key is:

1) Identify a very specific niche market that you can easily reach and communicate with on a regular basis. You also want to thoroughly think through the question, “Why you are best suited to serve this market?” Just because “you’d like them as clients”, isn’t a good enough reason.

2) Develop a platform/perspective that you become well known for. This is crucial. Having an “opinion” is very important in carving out a niche for yourself. For example Gentle Rain is all about a philosophy for how to attract consistent streams of brand new clients without cold calling or hard selling.

3) Have a process for continually bringing new people into your circle of relationships and then systematically communicate with them (using different mediums and offers) to establish yourself as the go-to person in your field.

Naturally, this is just the 10,000 perspective on this issue, and yes, the devil is in the details, but rather than trying to position yourself as something you’re not (or even worse, equate a branding strategy with logo design), it’s these key issues that are the most important to focus on.

***Make sure you join me on Thursday November 11th for my free one-hour teleseminar on strategies you can begin to implement immediately to become the recognized expert in your field. The program is free but you need to register which you can do HERE***

Hello Mark-I’m a financial advisor and obviously there are a lot of us out there and we all seem to be saying the same things. What realistically can I do to brand myself without running into legal and compliance issues? Tom Jacobsen, Baltimore MD

Tom-Although I’m not the person to give you legal advice, I think the first thing we need to do is define what we mean by branding. Morgan Stanley is a brand. So is Merrill Lynch. But that’s not what we’re talking about.

Rather, when I work on “branding” strategies for financial advisors, what we’re focusing on is “How can we get you very well known to a very specific group of people who can either hire you or refer you to others?”

Financial advisors live and die by referrals. However the problem that most financial advisors face is that…

1) They don’t know enough people

2) They don’t know the “right” people, and

3) They’re not top of mind when those people who do know them, are in a position to refer them business.

Let’s take the last issue first.

If you want more referrals you need to remember this…”People do not remember facts-people remember stories.” Why am I telling you this? Because when I meet most financial advisors they launch into a rather dreary discourse on how large the firm is, its assets, offices…all of it just goes in one ear and out the other.

People don’t remember any of that, and as a consequence they don’t remember you.

And not being top of mind kills you when it comes time for people to refer you business.

What you want to focus on are developing stories. Stories that can be delivered through the three classic “get the word out” strategies that are still available to financial advisors.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Ultimately financial services is all about close personal connections. The relationships that you have with your client. Thus the first story you need to develop is about you. Not about the success you’ve achieved for your clients (that’s too “salesy” to use until you’ve established some sort of connection or relationship). Rather, you need the story about How & Why you got in the business. How & Why you work with the people you do.

Financial advisor (and friend) Linda Jones does one of the best jobs I’ve heard in this regard. Her story is both real, believable and actually poignant in parts. Plus it’s targeted to a very specific niche. More about Linda is here

Ultimately, branding and differentiating yourself comes down to creating great stories around 4 key areas and then systematically using them to spread the word about who you are and the services you provide. That’s how you get remembered and attract consistent streams of brand new clients.

It’s also the focus of my one-day live event here in Atlanta on December 9th. If you’re looking for a small group environment and are not afraid of some “heavy mental lifting” I guarantee you’ll leave the day with a specific plan for What to communicate that will differentiate you from the competition, and How to get the message out.

Class size is severely limited so if you’d like to enroll I encourage you to go HERE.

Talk with you soon
Mark
Related Link: Personal Advice On Developing Your Brand

PS: If you find these blog postings helpful you can do me a HUGE favor and pass this link on to 5 other people you know who you think would benefit from it. Thanks!

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What Type Of Website Do You Really Need?

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010


Back when I started Gentle Rain in ’92, websites really weren’t used extensively. And boy, were they expensive. If memory serves, I think I paid $3,000 for a simple 3-page site way-back-then.

Today of course, websites are simple, inexpensive and can quickly be put up (or taken down). So let’s talk today about some options and what might be best for you.

First…I believe that you should reorient your thinking.

Instead of website (singular) think websites (plural).

The key to selling and marketing services is to get lots of prospective clients to opt-in and become subscribers to your newsletter, since your clients are going to come from your subscribers.

So how do we get lots of subscribers?

One of the tricks to successfully marketing your services is to get your prospective client to see a reflection of themselves in your marketing materials. This is what’s often referred to as the “message to market match”. The closer it is, the more people pay attention to you.

That’s why having a lot of micro-sites (in addition to your main “corporate” website) is an option you should consider.

This is what’s called the “hub & spokes” system. In this you have one main site that serves as your corporate site. If you currently have a website, it probably falls into this category.

The one disadvantage of corporate sites is that they are usually not designed to motivate visitors to opt-in to your list. Thus, you don’t want to spend a lot of money driving traffic to them, since most of it will simply bounce off.

In our types of businesses it’s all about building relationships. In order to do that I need to be communicating with you on a consistent basis.

That’s a bit difficult to do if you don’t provide me with your contact information when you visit.

To capture that crucial information we need micro-sites. These are highly specific one page websites that might target specific audiences. For example I micro-target those who market to the affluent at this site

You can also use micro-sites to target one very specific service that you offer. For example, I attract people who want to learn how to write a great sales letter at this site …I target those who want to learn branding techniques here …or those who want to market their services to hard-to-reach senior level decision makers at this site.

All told, I have 60-some micro sites that feed people into my overall subscription base.

As I said, the reason that is important is that your clients are going to come from those who have opted-in and become subscribers. These are the people with whom you have developed a relationship.

The big mistake I see most advisors, consultants and other services providers make is that they don’t do a good job of building relationships with enough prospects. Remember, this is largely about message and math. Your marketing message has to be compelling but the numbers have to work as well.

Most people I coach just aren’t building relationships with enough prospects.

They’re not leveraging the power that micro-sites could provide but instead are hoping that their corporate site will pull double duty and generate the leads they need.

Which it doesn’t.

My model from the beginning has been to get people to opt-in to receive something interesting for free. Then I try very hard to build trust and credibility by offering helpful advice through newsletters such as these.

I didn’t make up this approach. I learned it from others, and to be honest, a lot of trial and error went into it before I finally figured it out.

But at the end of the proverbial day, it’s worked real well for me, and for my clients, and I think this approach would work well for you too.

I’m a firm believer that the easiest way to get lots of subscribers is through micro-sites that target specific groups of prospects or focus on specific services you offer.

Blatant Plug: Want us to completely create a client attraction micro-site for you? Information is HERE

Thanks
Mark

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This is one of the BIG keys for getting more new clients

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010


The longer I work with people like yourself-those who fundamentally market their services-the more I’m convinced that it’s the stories you tell that separate those who thrive from those who…well, don’t.

And I’m sure, at least on some level, you believe that to be true.

Which makes me wonder, why doesn’t everyone have great stories developed?

Because the reality is that most don’t.

So let me help.

As you probably know, I’ve written a book about creating and communicating great sales and marketing stories.

Because you’re a subscriber to my newsletter, I’d like to offer you a copy for free. (You can get the electronic version 100% free and if you’d like the paperback edition, all I ask is that you help me out with the S&H.)

You can get it HERE

Naturally, if you’re planning a company retreat or meeting, I’d love to chat with you about presenting to your team, but my goal today is simply to share some information around a topic that I think is real important for business success.

Talk soon-Mark

PS: There is a favor you can do for me. I’d really appreciate it if you would forward the link to this page to 3 people you know who you think might also enjoy a free copy of my book. Much appreciated!

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Why Marketing To Those Who Need Your Services Is a Bad Idea

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010


Why Marketing To Those Who Only ‘Need” Your Services Is a Bad Idea

I know, that sounds a bit unusual, but hear me out.

I had a prospective platinum level client call me the other day. (That’s the program in which I develop and implement your marketing system for you in exchange for a percentage of the new business. However in the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll also tell you that it requires a $15K retainer that’s credited against the results. Plus, you need to have some additional money to spend on marketing your services-so this isn’t a program for smaller players.)

Anyway, after he pitched me his idea, I asked the logical question, “Why do you think this is a good business idea?”

His answer is one that I hear a lot (and probably will sound familiar), “Because there is a need for this.”

OK, fair enough. We certainly don’t want to enter into a business in which there is no need.

But is it enough?

The unfortunate answer is, “No”.

“Need”, in and of itself, is seldom a strong enough reason to go into (or continue to be in) a particular market.

There’s something missing that’s even more important, which I’ll share with you in just a minute.

But back to “need” and why it’s not enough.

Since I don’t know that much about your business, but know a lot about mine, I’ll use Gentle Rain as an example.

Fundamentally, I’m in the business of getting more business for my clients. That’s the end result of everything I do.

Now you might say that there’s a great “need” for this type of service-and you’d be right. Over 25,000 of you subscribe to this newsletter and I’ll assume that you would not be doing so if you didn’t have some level of need around getting consistent streams of brand new clients.

But here’s the interesting thing.

Although there’s great need, only a teensy-tiny percentage of you actually take action. It isn’t just me-I’ve talked to my marketing consulting colleagues and they report the exact same thing.

In fact regardless of the type of business you’re in…There’s a big discrepancy between those who have self-identified themselves as having a need, and those that actually do something.

From a purely practical perspective it’s not that the information I teach hasn’t been around for a long time. (It has.) And it’s not that the need all of a sudden “just occurs”.

All of my readers have the “need”, but if that was the only criteria I used-my business never would have achieved the success it has.

But what I’ve done, (and what you need to do as well) is focus on the other 2 key components. These ensure that you just don’t attract tire kickers, but prospects who are eager to actually do business with you.

What’s the next component?

It’s: “Desire”

It’s the segment of your market that really wants to achieve results. And that’s only a small percentage.

I know that’s true for my market, I’ll bet it’s the same for yours.

Although my market may “say” they desire to have a marketing system that attracts consistent streams of new clients, in reality they just want relief from a famine business cycle. They’re looking for a short term fix rather than a long term solution.

I get that. (And it’s one of the reasons why so many people unsubscribe and then re-subscribe to my list when the “temporary” solution that offered short term relief was…well, temporary.)

There aren’t too many markets in which “desire” is virtually universal. Golf comes to mind. There are probably a few others. But in most b2b businesses, there’s only a small segment that really has the desire to implement the solution you offer. The key is to focus on them. (I’ve shared the two easiest ways to identify this group in previous articles and programs.)

Need + Desire= A better business. (But there’s another component as well.)

The late great marketing guru Gary Halbert was famous for his challenge of asking his seminar audiences to imagine they were about to open a restaurant. What competitive advantage would they most desired for their business? People would say “lowest price”, “best location”, “greatest quality”.

Gary would listen and nod and say, “I’ll beat you every time. What I would ask for is ‘a starving crowd’”.

The classic example of Need + Desire.

Every market has its “starving crowd”. It’s your job to find it and tailor your marketing to them.

Which brings me to the third component.

As you know, I do a lot of work with consultants and advisors. My strategy up until a few years ago was to focus on new businesses after they had been around for 18 months. Why that long?

Here’s the reality I face. One thing most every new business owner underestimates is how difficult it is to attract consistent streams of brand new clients. When they start off, they’ve got their (usually small) network of people they know, and for the first year and a half they are able to get a reasonable amount of business from them. But they forget an important truism.

Clients Go Away.

And after approximately 18 months they’ve now lapped the track with their current circle of relationships, money’s running low, and now they finally have both the NEED and the DESIRE to take action.

But they’re missing something.

Resources.

They’ve now got no money to invest in what I’m going to tell them to do.

So the complete formula is:

Need+Desire+Resources=Very Successful Business

The trick is 1) determining who that is, and 2) developing a marketing campaign that appeals specifically to them.

In my case that’s my Platinum program. And for the very (very) small percentage of you who have all three components, I hope you’ll reach out to me so we can talk more about your specific goals and how I can assist you.

Let me know. Talk soon.
Mark
Practical Advice For Growing Your Business. Learn More HERE

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A Mindset That’s Getting In Your Way

Friday, October 1st, 2010


If I asked you, “How much do you spend to get a new client?” what would you tell me?

I’d imagine that many of you would say, “I don’t know”.

Others would tell me, “Zero”.

Which is a problem.

There’s a mindset that says, “I shouldn’t have to spend anything to get a new client.”

You need to change that mindset.

Seriously.

Business development, marketing, client attraction, call-it-what-you-like, is all about two things.

Message & Math.

You’ve got to have the right message. The right story that differentiates you from the competition and makes people interested in learning more about you.

But, you’ve also got to know your numbers.

And some of the most important ones are 1) what’s the cost to get a new prospect? 2) What’s your cost to get a new client?

You’ve got to know these two numbers (and another very important one that I’ll discuss in a minute) in order to know what you can spend to acquire new clients. (Because, despite what you may think, it’s never free.)

So let’s assume that you don’t know what those numbers are, how do we start?

We ask ourselves another series of questions. These are equally important.

“What’s the initial value of a client?” “What does your typical client spend with you the first time you do business?”

Secondly, “What’s the lifetime value of that client?”

Here’s an illustration…

You may have a business in which your typical client initially spends $100 with you. However, you know from experience that this type of client will on average spend a total of $500 with you over the lifetime of your relationship.

Based on these numbers we can now make some decisions.

You may decide that you’re going to budget the cost for getting a new client at 50% of their initial investment with you, or $50.

Or, you may decide that you’re going to budget your cost of getting a new client at 20% of the estimated lifetime investment they make with you, or $100.

Naturally if you budget $100 vs $50 a lot more marketing options open up. There are very specific reasons why you do one vs. the other, but the most important point is that now you have a key number from which you can develop your marketing budget.

Based on this number and some others, you can then make valid business decisions about where you should be advertising and what you can safely spend to acquire more new clients.

But the cost of getting a new piece of business is NEVER free.

Even if you think that you’re not spending any money on getting new business because you get almost all your new clients from networking, the reality is that this is one of the most expensive and least efficient methods for attracting new clients.

Let’s play with numbers.

Let’s say that you limit your marketing to attending networking events, chamber meetings, association events ect. Those aren’t free. There’s the cost-of—your-time as well as admission fees, parking ect. Add those up and divide them by the number of really truly valuable prospects you get (usually no more than one or two).

Even this simple exercise should demonstrate that your cost per lead is around $25-$50.

How many leads does it take to turn into one client? 30 is probably a very conservative number.

That means that the cost to acquire a new client from networking events is between $750-$1500.

Do you know how many other options you have available to you at a fraction of that cost-per-new-client number?

Let’s say I’m off by a lot. Divide that number by any reasonable percentage and your cost to acquire a new client from networking is still around $500.

That’s a big number. In fact it’s a HUGE cost per client. It’s one of the primary reasons why you don’t ever see really successful businesses rely heavily on allegedly “low cost” networking events.

Think of this as a wake-up call. You need to know some numbers.

And most importantly, you have to eliminate the mindset that the cost of acquiring new clients should be…free.

Food for thought.
Mark

PS: If you find this blog helpful, do me a favor. Send the link to this page to 3 friends or colleagues you think would also find it helpful. Thanks.

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If You Would Like For Me To Personally Work With You

Friday, September 10th, 2010


Obviously, I don’t know what business goals you’ve set for yourself.

As you might guess I believe the type of marketing system you need largely depends upon the type of vision you have for your company. Modest goals (and I’m not passing judgment) translate into modest marketing (or perhaps none at all). I know a number of business owners who although they complain about the feast or famine business cycles, have a business model that enables them to ride out the lean times. With extremely low overhead and limited expenses, they can survive and even turn a small profit with revenues under $100,000.

But certainly that’s not all of us. Others (and I would put myself into this category) desire for greater levels of success. Our vision is to influence a large audience, provide new thinking around our expertise and achieve a level of financial independence in which having the money to spend on the things your family wants is no longer an issue.

And to achieve that vision, one not only needs a plan, but one also needs to be able to implement the plan.

Which leads me to a question I am frequently asked, “Mark, if I wanted to work with you personally, what are the options?”

Basically there are three options. Let me review them very briefly here. If any of them sound interesting, send me an email (mark@gentlerainmarketing.com) and we’ll send you some more information.

The first is my Platinum Level Consulting program. This is the program in which I partner with you to grow your business. Thus, I’m writing and designing website landing pages, free reports, stay in touch messages, sales letters, advertisements…everything you need to take your business to the highest level.

This is my premium service and I’ll be the first to admit, it’s only right for a small handful of my subscribers. The way it works is that I earn a commission on the revenues we achieve together and realistically I expect to make a minimum of $50,000 per project. So if you don’t aspire to grow your business by $500K+, this isn’t for you. And, in the sprit of candor, although my compensation is based on the results we achieve together, the Platinum Program does require a $15,000 retainer-payable in 5 payments of $3000.

However, if you’re looking for substantial growth, have money to invest in marketing and are looking for a partner to help you achieve your goals…then perhaps this may be worth considering. Email if you want the PDF that tells you more. (Put something like “Platinum Info Please” in the subject line so I make sure to send you the right information.

Second is my coaching program. This is where I advise and mentor you on how to put your marketing system in place. The big problem with marketing, the reason so many attempts fail, is because people do things in the wrong order. For example, they get all excited about generating traffic to a website that visitors just bounce off from. Dumb, dumb, dumb. My goal with coaching is to have your first marketing campaign up and running, getting your more business inside of 60 days. Although you can have a single session of coaching with me ($250) the best deal is 3 sessions a month for 3 months @$495 per month. There’s more information HERE or if you’re serious and want to have a half hour conversation with me to discuss precisely how it works, send an email (or call). The info to reach me is at the bottom of this post.

Finally, there are my a la carte copywriting services. Need a landing page written that makes prospects curious to learn more about what you do? Want a sales letter that will attract new prospects like the world’s most powerful magnet? Need a success story that offers social proof that you’re the real deal? If you need any of those…you need to hire me. Again if you’re serious, send an email and I’ll send you my portfolio and fee schedule.

Look, I know that there are lots (and lots) of marketing consultants out there. Choosing the right one for you isn’t easy. But, all false modesty aside, you should know that I’ve helped clients grow their businesses by $2 million+, I’ve mentored start-ups to quickly grow to the $200,000+ level and everything in between. No matter the size stage you want to play on, I can show you how to get there.

For those of you who are new to Gentle Rain and may not know that much about me…before I started Gentle Rain in 1992 I was a senior person at two of the best marketing companies in the world (Pepsi & Kraft Foods). I started my career as an advertising copywriter, I’ve written 7 books, won all sorts of awards, made my clients lots of money. But what I treasure most is what people like turnaround specialist Van Lanier says, “We tripled our inquiries from qualified prospects and doubled our contact-to-close ratio using Mark’s system.”

At the end of the proverbial day, it’s all about getting you more business and making you more money. That’s what I do best.

Let me know if I can help you do precisely just that.

And again, thanks for being a subscriber to Gentle Rain Marketing.

Talk soon,
Mark
mark@gentlerainmarketing.com
770-643-8566

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