Marketing Your Small Business

Small business marketing may be the most important part in owning and maintaining a successful small business. A good portion of the marketing effort is determining the needs of your target market and then explaining that you provide solutions to meet those needs. Contrary to popular belief, it is a lot more than posting a sign or handing out flyers. Though many of the philosophies and tactics may be similar, small business marketing is an entirely different discipline than marketing of large companies. Successful marketing is not just a tactic or strategy; it is an entire process and you are sure to fail if you are not enthusiastic about your small business.

Done properly, marketing can and will attract all the clients your small business can handle. But I would suggest you get to a place where you work only with clients who value what you have to offer. If you commit to following simple small business marketing systems, strategies and ideas you can significantly increase what you charge for your services. Unfortunately though, most small business promotions focus only on how great their products and services are. But you need to stay focused on what products and services your ideal clients want and need.

Heres another big no-no to avoid. Instead of marketing only when you need money or cash flow, commit to marketing your products and services all of the time. It is very important to consistently market your products and services because as I have been saying for years, success is based on persistency and consistency, not magic.

Planning is also a key ingredient to the success of any small business. Developing a small business marketing plan will be one of the most crucial elements to your success. By creating your marketing plan you will eliminate the panic and need for an instant solution to financial problems because you can avoid many of the ups and downs that result from the all to common stop and start marketing. Your plan does not have to be set in stone, it can evolve as you and your business grow. The important thing is your dedication to consistency with your marketing.

The lack of persistency and consistency will lead to an unused marketing plan. This in turn will lead to spits and starts in your cash flow. Successful entrepreneurs who have a small business marketing plan make more money in less time. When you start to think of who your ideal client is and what products and services they want or need and then combine that with your marketing tools and techniques, an effective marketing plan is not far behind.

As you are probably starting to see small business marketing is an entire process, a synergy of the individual tactics and strategies. That 's right, small business marketing is a system where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Another common misconception is that small business marketing is just common sense. Nothing could be further from the truth. An understanding of how small business marketing is conducted is essential for you if success is your goal. You do want results and success dont you?

Its all about determining the needs of your target market and then providing solutions to meet those needs. So many people believe that marketing their small business is all about running advertisements, but it isnt. If you are serious about your success in business, then make understanding marketing an on-going priority.

The ultimate result of small business marketing is to attract more new customers and persuade existing customers to purchase your products or services in higher quantities and more frequently. The successful can attribute their success to having a strategic plan and following it consistently. When you create a marketing plan you will be able to compete at a higher level. Your odds of winning the game significantly improve when you take the time to create a plan.

To your success!

About the Author

David Mason is President of Mason Performance Development Inc., and author of Marketing Your Small Business for Big Profits. Visit Your Big Profits and sign-up for The Performance Development News, a weekly ezine with free marketing tips.

Article Source: Content for Reprint

Brandt Stohr on using your small business marketing tools to differentiate your business

Using your small business marketing tools to differentiate your business
By Brandt Stohr


Perhaps the most important quality for your small business marketing materials is that they are different. If you do nothing else right in your small business marketing, at least be different.

Why is differentiation so important? Because, in most industries, there are hundreds – if not thousands or millions – of other businesses that claim to provide the same service or sell the same product as you do. If you don’t differentiate your business from all those others, the chances that you’ll get many customers are pretty slim.

Some common ways to differentiate your business are:
• Superior service
• Greater product availability
• Higher quality
• Better performance
• Greater durability
• Prestige
• Technology leadership
• Satisfaction guarantee
• Lower cost
• Faster delivery
• More customer support

But even if you are very different than your competitors – you offer superior service, greater durability, or a satisfaction guarantee that beats all others – it won’t matter unless your prospective customers know about it.

That’s where your small business marketing strategy comes in. Businesses have been using their small business marketing strategies to announce how they’re different from their competitors as long as they have been using small business marketing strategies. Think Maxwell House’s “Good to the last drop,” Campbell’s Soup’s “Mmm, mmm good,” or WalMart’s “Always low prices.” Those highly successful taglines not only get prospective customers to remember the company name, but also convey a message about the difference between that company and others.

To make differentiation a part of your small business marketing strategy, you first need to understand your competitors – you can only explain how you’re different from them once you know what they’re like. Learn what your competitors offer, how they differentiate themselves, and – most importantly – what your prospective customers think about them (if you know what qualities your prospective customers see as shortcomings in the other companies in the market, you’ll have a good idea of the market gap you can fill).

Once you’ve decided how you are different from your competitors, you need to tell your prospective customers about it. Building that differentiation into your tagline can be a very effective start. Then include that tagline, along with your logo, on every piece of small business marketing collateral you have. Another small business marketing way to publicize your differences is to write a press release. Explain how you’re filling a need in the market that no other company has filled.

Once you’ve differentiated your company and used your small business marketing tools to publicize your differences, you have to follow through on your promises. If you say that you’re the cheapest – or the highest quality, or the friendliest, or whatever – then you better be just that (nothing turns away a customer like a failed promise).

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About the Author: Brandt Stohr, The Small Business Marketing Genius has brought startup one man operations to billion dollar corporations by using creative marketing techniques rather then investors and capital. Brandt Stohr has been helped hundreds of entrepreneurs to get their small businesses exploding with sales without the use of expensive traditional marketing techniques. For more information and a free report on the ten deadly mistakes most small businesses are still making visit Brandt Stohr's site at http://www.smallbusinessmktng.com

marketing, small business marketing, small business

Small businesses face unique challenges when it comes to marketing. They need to get the word out about their products or services, just like their larger counterparts. But by their very nature, small businesses do not have the marketing budget of a larger corporation.

Fortunately, there are certain marketing tools and techniques that can help the small business compete with larger competitors. When used effectively, these marketing tools can help you take your small business to the next level.

Small Business Marketing Tools - 7 Tools for Success:

1. A Professional, Informative Website
From a business perspective, the Internet is the great equalizer. Online, nobody knows how many employees you have or how much revenue your company makes. All they know is what they find on your website. You can capitalize on this by building the kind of website that rivals -- or even outperforms -- your larger competitors.

Some web designers specialize in small business websites, and they charge accordingly. On top of that, good content is fairly easy to come by. And good content is what separates successful websites from all the rest, regardless of the company's size.

2. A Web "Presence"
A web presence is more than a website. A website is simply a grain of sand on a large beach. Sure it's there, but does it really matter? On the other hand, a web presence makes it easy for your potential customers to find you online.

What goes into a successful web presence? Search engine visibility for one. When search engines rank websites, they don't care how large the company is -- they only care how large, how relevant and how popular the website is. So by pursuing the fundamental techniques of search engine optimization (SEO), your website could rank right up there beside the "big dogs."

You can also grow your web presence with various types of online publishing, such as articles and press releases. Websites like PRWeb.com and EzineArticles.com can help you distribute your news and knowledge across the Internet, giving people even more ways to find you online.

3. A Business Blog
In my opinion, a business blogs can be one of the most effective and affordable marketing tools for the small business owner. In technical terms, a blog is a content-management tool that lets you to quickly and easily publish content onto the web, usually in reverse-chronological fashion. But in the right hands, a business blog can become much more than a publishing tool -- it can become an online dialogue between you and your target audience.

Popular blog programs include Blogger (owned by Google), WordPress and TypePad. Different blog programs have different features, but they all do essentially the same thing. They convert your text into an HTML web page (known as a blog post) at the click of a button. You simply type your blog post, add links or images as desired, and click a "Publish" button. The blog application will then publish your post onto the web, making it a part of your blog.

As your blog grows in size and popularity, it can support several marketing objectives at once. It can increase the overall size of your website, which will help with search engine visibility. It can help you position yourself as an expert in your field. And it can help you generate valuable leads that you can then follow up on. Best of all, many blog programs are free, which is an ideal price for the small business owner!

To learn more about business blogs, pay a visit to the informational website CEOblogwatch.com.

4. Direct Mail Postcards
"Postcards," you say, "aren't those a little outdated?" Not at all. Most small businesses can use direct mail postcard to put their message directly in front of a select audience. Landscapers, deck-builders and real estate agents can send postcards directly to homeowners. B2B marketers can send postcards directly to certain types of businesses. Hospitals, clinics and dentists can canvas entire zip codes. The possibilities are endless.

On top of that, postcard marketing has become a lot more affordable in recent years, thanks to the Internet. Modern printing companies use web-based interfaces and streamlined workflows to compete with others in their industry, and this drives the price per postcard down. Postcard marketing can be especially effective for small businesses that provide products or services that can be visually presented (in product photos, before-and-after photos, etc.).

To learn more about postcard marketing for small businesses, pay a visit to the informational website PostcardSmart.com.

5. Referrals and Word-of-Mouth
The best salespeople for your small business are those who aren't even on the payroll -- your past customers / clients. The reasons are obvious. As consumers, we are much more likely to trust the word of a friend or colleague than the words of a marketing pitch. Obviously, you can fuel referrals by providing a good product or service at a good price. But the farther you go beyond that, the more referrals you will enjoy.

It's the little things that get people's attention. A thank-you card after the sale, a discount coupon, a follow-up phone call 30 days post-sale ... these are all easy things for the small business owner to implement, and they go a long way toward generating referrals and word-of-mouth advertising.

* You may republish this article online if you retain the author's byline and the active hyperlinks below. Copyright 2007, Brandon Cornett.

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About the Author: Brandon Cornett writes on behalf of Far West Capital, which provides small business financing to businesses nationwide. Learn more at http://www.farwestcap.com

Small Business Marketing: Overtaking Your Competitors

By: Ben Botes

Few businesses keep tabs on competitors, yet such knowledge can give you a distinctive competitive edge. Building a file on them, looking at everything from the customer’s viewpoint and asking suppliers and employees what they know about them can be worthwhile. Keeping a jump ahead of the competition means knowing precisely what they are up to. Here are some tips to help you stay one, if not several, leaps ahead.

Step 1
Get clear on your marketing mix

You will often here someone on the website refer to the marketing mix. This refers to the five P's of marketing. Product, Place, Price, Promotion and People. Any business who combines the 5 P's effectively will be successful.

Who is Your Customer?
In order to tailor your marketing and advertising strategies to appeal to the tastes and interests of your market, you must first identify your customer. In order to do this, you it is necessary to conduct thorough research of the consumer marketplace. Keep in mind, the more information you have about your target market, the better able you will be to develop a successful marketing plan.

A market profile typically uses primary and secondary sources to answer key questions about a potential market. A profile is a picture or an outline. Information that makes up the social profiles of the people in your target market is called demographic information, and includes: age, usually given in a range (20-35 years) sex marriage/partner status location of household family size and description income, especially disposable income (money available to spend) education level, usually to last level completed occupation interests, purchasing profile (what are consumers known to want?) cultural, ethnic, racial background

A clothing manufacturer may consider a number of possible target markets--toddlers, athletes, grandparents (for grandchildren), teenagers, and tourists. A general profile of each of these possible markets will reveal which ones are more realistic, pose less risk, and which are more likely to show a profit. A test market survey of the most likely market groups, or those who buy for them, such as parents for babies and toddlers, can help you separate real target markets from unlikely possibilities.

The Right Product
What are your customer's needs? What do they expect to get when they buy your product or use your service? The right product is the one that best fits their requirements. People who eat in restaurants want more than a good meal. They might expect quick service, a reasonable price, a vegetarian menu, a children's menu, entertainment, a drive through window, or to be identified with a trendy crowd. It becomes a difficult and probably an unprofitable venture trying to satisfy everyone's needs.

If you have identified your customer and listed their expectations, you can design your product or service around their requirements.

The more you fulfil your customer's expectations, the better the quality of your product. Think of your product or service as more than just what the customers pays for. When you are planning your business consider how the whole transaction meets the customer's needs.

It is important to note that developing the product or service COMES AFTER you have identified the customer and their need. If you have an idea you think might be worth pursuing, develop the concept only when you have determined a genuine need and interest in the product.

Then let the market help you develop it and strengthen it. Most small businesses fail because the market was not enthusiastic about their idea and the entrepreneur was too vested to listen to the market early in the process.

Positioning your Business
Positioning refers to the image customers have of your business. The goal is to create a business image that enables you to position your business in such a way that, in essence, it acts as a natural magnet for your intended customers. A number of factors that customers often look for include:

price (i.e. cheapest price, fair price, price for quality, etc.)
assortment
parking
service
sales personnel
quality
fashion
convenience
location
atmosphere

Your overall position should emphasize those areas that your customers value most, and those which make you different from your competition. Pricing Techniques The importance of pricing can not be underestimated as incorrect pricing can often result in the failure of a business. New businesses often make the mistake of either charging too little or too much for their product or service. So to help you avoid making one of these mistakes, the following section will outline some of the guiding principles of price determination. Price is a key part of marketing. Setting prices is called pricing.

Pricing to the Market
Compare prices with your competitors for similar products and services. Set the price range that customers will expect. You can use that market price range--what is acceptable to the market--as a guide to set your prices. Businesses or people to whom you sell may also price to the market by telling you what they will pay for your product or service. As you keep records of actual costs, the cost approach to pricing will help you make sure all your costs are covered, which may not be true in a market approach to pricing.

NOTE: Be careful about under pricing in order to compete or make sales. Use competitor's prices to establish the price range for similar products or services but don't under price; if your true costs are higher, your final prices will have to be higher.

Cost Approach to Pricing
Price must cover all costs of goods/services sold, including production costs of supplies, materials, fixed overhead, and time/labour, plus a profit. Costs should include costs of production, labour and non-labour, including overhead or fixed costs as well as supplies and materials. Use this simple formula in setting a price (per unit): Total Costs of Production Per Unit + Desired Dollar Profit Per Unit.

Businesses can set different profit rates, for example 15% profit on supplies and materials, 20% profit on labour/time, and 25% profit on overhead. These more complicated approaches to pricing usually emerge in response to the special needs of a particular business.

If your research reveals that similar products or services are available on the market at a cost much lower than what you could offer, you may have to either adjust your profit margin, the return you expect, or decide to provide enough specialized service or selection that the market will pay the extra. Alternatively, you may be forced to conclude that you cannot afford to make this item or provide this service and look for something else to do.

NOTE: Remember to cost materials at the level it costs to replace them - NOT at original prices; include salaries as a business expense; include interest in your business cost calculations -- interest that could have been accrued had the money used in the company been invested elsewhere (i.e. a bank); make allowances for future refunds, servicing, bad debts, amortization of capital costs of equipment or machinery.

"Rules of Thumb" in Setting Prices Some types of businesses charge prices according to certain "rules of thumb": For example: price is always twice labour plus materials, or twice materials plus labour depending on which is higher; price is always materials and labour plus 20% for fixed costs, plus 25% for profits.

Calculating actual costs is the only proven way to make sure your prices cover your costs. Labour/time charges are to be covered partly in the costs of production and partly as a salary in the fixed/operating or overhead costs.

In summary, key points to consider in setting prices are: marketing strategy and your immediate goals competitors' prices, and the market market demand for the product and consumer buying trends need to cover costs and provide an adequate profit.

Step 2
Build a profile of your competitors

Ask yourself what products and services they offer. Do they overlap with yours? What customer needs and wants are they satisfying? What is their unique selling proposition? How do they position themselves? Are they the Savoy or a McDonald’s? Is their mind-set corner shop, high street franchise or old establishment? Are they exclusive and high-priced or a dime-a-dozen? Are they as passionate and knowledgeable as you? How do they market themselves? Where do they advertise? What sales channels do they use – retail, direct mail, Internet, wholesale? What is their sales literature like? How good are their employees? Should you be considering enticing them over to you? Are they growing, level pegging or declining? If so, why? Use the Internet to get hold of credit reports on them. Find out how many employees they have, and what they do.

Step 3
Develop a strategy

Develop a strategy through which you can stand out from the rest. Two effective strategies are:

Specialization, differentiation, segmentation, concentration

Specialization is your area of excellence or core business. Differentiation is your competitive advantage, i.e. the reason why customers buy the product or service from you. Segmentation involves identifying your customers or market niche. Concentration means focusing all the resources of the business, hitting your market niche with your competitive advantage in your area of excellence. Many of us start out believing that business is about selling rubbish products to idiots who do not really need or want them, but are still persuaded to buy them at prices they certainly cannot afford. Apparently, this is not the case. If we believe in the free enterprise market system, then we believe, and a great deal of evidence suggests, that in order to run a successful business we must concentrate all our forces, hitting our market segment with our competitive advantage in our area of excellence.

Specialization
Which product or service would you like to produce and sell? In which area of human activity would you like to improve the lives of other people? To which area of human improvement can you bring excitement and enthusiasm? What is your area of excellence? What is your core business? For which product or service are you prepared to be a product champion? What would you love to do to improve the lives of others for 16 hours each day, even if you received no financial reward? What is it that makes you feel valuable and worthwhile? Remember there is a strong relationship between high self-esteem and peak performance. The more you love doing something, the greater will be your success. All successful businesses specialize in their areas of excellence. Many unsuccessful people drift into areas where they do not have the excitement, enthusiasm, energy, knowledge, etc., to establish competitive advantage and find their market segment.

Step 4
Regular SWOT

Conduct a regular SWOT analysis of your competitors to ensure that you stay ahead.

What are your competitors'
Main Strengths

Main weaknesses - where are they vulnerable and how can you take advantage?

Which opportunities can you identify?

Does your competitor pose a threat to you, and how will you overcome it?

About the Author:

Learn more at http://www.my1stbusiness.com Ben Botes MSc. MBA, is an Entrepreneur, Speaker, Writer, Coach and academic. He is the founder of My1stBusiness.com, a web portal dedicated to 1st time business leaders and entrepreneurs. He is also the Co-founder of South African Business Hubs, Business support Hubs and incubators for the new breed of So Read more articles by: Ben Botes
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Small Business Marketing And Advertising: Branding vs. Direct Response

By: Joel Walsh

Too often, small business advertising and marketing campaigns prioritize branding at the expense of direct response--i.e., actually getting leads and/or sales right now. That is almost always a foolish and even dangerous proposition.

Small Business Branding Advertising and Marketing an Oxymoron?

Unless you're a ubiquitous consumer products company, the value of branding is far, far less than the value of direct response. What good is impressing someone with your brand if he or she never comes into contact with your business again? Why would they come into contact with your business again if you haven’t gotten a direct response?

Branding is essential for Coca Cola and Microsoft and all the other consumer giants because they don't need direct response. Their offering is available every time you drive down the street, so burning their logos into your eyeballs will actually make you more likely to buy. But if you have to search out the business, having a logo floating in your consciousness won't be enough to motivate you.

Even if branding alone could drive business, how long will it be before that logo or slogan or jingle has left your memory forever? A few hours? A day?

One of the basic requirements for branding is repetition. Numerous repetitions. Like seeing the little Microsoft flag every single day, in the lower left corner of your screen, on your computer's case, in magazine advertisements and on television commercials.

One visit to your website or one glimpse of your advertisement won't accomplish this—and remember, unless you have Microsoft’s budget, one exposure is all you’ll likely get if you don't get a direct response.

In reality, even numerous exposures to your brand might not be enough. There's only so much room for logos in people's minds, and you've got an awful lot of deep-pocketed competition for that space.

In contrast, if someone requested a whitepaper from you, or called in for more information, you would have their attention for much longer, even if you never followed up--which you could do, since you had their contact information.

The Two Cases when Branding Makes Small Business Marketing Sense

1. When branding enhances direct response rather than detracting from it.

Good branding enhances trust in your business. A good tagline, graphic design, and logo can also make it instantly clear what your business does, allowing users to go directly to your message without having to decide if you’re worth listening to.

Simply put: if you’re a watchmaker, put a watch in your logo, and the word “watch” in your name and your tagline or slogan. When you’re selling services picking a logo can be trickier, but it can be done. UpMarket Content’s logo is a scroll and pen. Just make sure your logo communicates what you do, rather than something foolish like a black rocket for an advertising agency.

Yet while branding usually enhances direct response, you should not hesitate to sacrifice branding if it hurts your response. If you find that a different tagline or font does significantly better in getting responses, run with them.

2. When you actually do have the opportunity to impress your brand on the same person dozens of times over the course of an average month.

For branding to work, you don’t just have to maximize total exposures, but exposures to unique individuals. Let’s be absolutely clear: in terms of branding, exposing 1,000,000 people to your brand once each is infinitely less valuable than exposing 1,000 people to your brand 1,000 times each. You have to maximize exposures to the same individuals. Aim for a hundred exposures per individual if you want to really enter people’s consciousnesses.

Of course, it may take far fewer than a thousand individual exposures. If someone is sitting in front of your branding advertisement for more than a few minutes, they may in fact be exposed to it dozens of times, each time their line of sight crosses it. But this kind of long-term exposure is likely going to cost you more.

How can you ensure that your brand advertising will maximize your brand exposure per unique individual? Place your brand advertising where users will come back often to see it. For instance, a banner on a website that has a strong following of returning users, or an advertisement on the local diner's placemat.

Even when branding does make sense, direct response will often also make sense, so you should combine the two if possible. For instance, at the bottom of a banner advertisement with your logo and tagline looming large, put a button labeled “get more information.” Or, underneath your businesses sign, put a telephone number with an offer to get more information.

Because if they never visit or call, who cares if they have your logo burnt onto their retinas?

About the Author:

Joel Walsh is a professional content writer and founder of UpMarket Content, whose site has information on promoting your business with great website content: http://upmarketcontent.com [When posting on the web, please hyperlink this text as the visible anchor text: "website content"] Read more articles by: Joel Walsh
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Small Business Marketing - "Sales" As A Positive Experience

By: Don Osborne

No matter what your age or stage in life, some words come with preconceived meaning. "Sales" is one of them. For most people, it means being put in a position to have to buy something you don't want at a price you can't afford. Therefore, how do you conduct a critical element of the small business marketing process without incurring the negative impact of the word "sales"?

It starts with you. Check your own attitude about the word. What does "sales" mean to you? How do you feel when you're the one being sold? How much of that feeling do you transfer to the sales experience you're now conducting as a small business owner?

Next, putting aside any of your own negative feelings, what exactly are you offering your potential customers - what's in it for them? How you answer this question is the starting point for a "Positive Experience" for your potential customer. When a person really understands the pain you'll helped them relieve or the joy you'll help them experience as a result of your product or service, they'll see your "sales" process as a positive experience.

So, what's the lesson to be learned? Develop a positive, personal understanding about your own products and services. Determine what you're selling in terms of it's value to the potential customer. Present your product and service value as a solutions. Result: you'll turn your sales process into a Positive Experience for both you and your customer.

"Learn & Do" Action Steps:

1. Write a 3 - 5 sentence description of how you feel when you're the customer?

2. Select the product or service you're most passionate about. List 5 incentives with matching features and benefits you feel have a high value to your customer.

3. Role play with a trusted friend the perfect, interactive presentation of the product or service you've selected

About the Author:

Don Osborne is the author/publisher of The Profit Puzzle (http://www.profitpuzzle.com), an ideal small business tool for anyone thinking about, planning, starting, running or growing a small or home-based business. You may reprint this article by including this information box. Copyright 2005 - Don Osborne. Read more articles by: Don Osborne
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Small Business Marketing, According to Seinfeld

by: Will Dylan

What could Seinfeld possibly have to do with marketing a small business? As it turns out, all small business owners could take a few lessons from the show that brought us such popular phrases as “Man Hands” and “master of your domain”.

The Coffee Shop – Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine spent countless hours in the coffee shop, talking about “nothing.” You should spend some time there as well, but instead of talking about your parents or your date last night, get together with other small business owners and talk about your respective business and marketing activities. Many of you already participate in local business clubs and organizations, but the feedback and shared ideas that are generated in an informal business chat over a coffee are often the most valuable. My “coffee shop group” consists of 3 small businesses owners from different industries. Between us, we generate great marketing ideas for each other or in my case, new topics for small business articles. You can easily gather a few small business owners together for this type of meeting. Just be sure they are not competitors!

The Short-Term Relationship – It seemed that every Thursday, Jerry was dating a different woman. In fact, outside of Elaine he rarely dated a woman for any length of time. Jerry understood that sometimes, you don’t want to be tied down to a long-term relationship. The same rule applies to your small business marketing activities. Too many small businesses get drawn in to long-term advertising relationships by committing to a certain amount of advertising in exchange for a discount. Those who sell advertising try to convince business owners that you can’t evaluate a particular form of advertising based on just a small sampling period, and thus a longer contract is required. This is simply not true. In the small business world, ads must at least pay for themselves before you agree to investigate any long-term advertising commitment. You’re not building the next mega conglomerate (not yet, anyway), so ad money that doesn’t produce a positive ROI is wasted money. Jerry understood that if the early part of the relationship wasn’t perfect, the rest was bound to go downhill. Apply that rule to your marketing and advertising purchases and you’ll maximize the effectiveness of your advertising. If it works on a sample basis, consider a long term plan. If it doesn’t work in the short term, give them the “it’s not you, it’s me” routine and move on.

The Superman Effect – Did you know that Superman appears or is mentioned in every Seinfeld episode? It’s true, largely because Jerry kept a Superman figurine in his apartment that popped up in the background numerous times during each episode. For small business marketers, Jerry’s Superman equates to your core business. With so many marketing opportunities to consider, it’s easy to lose sight of your primary business in pursuit of new revenue streams. Unfortunately, this can often leads to the collapse of your business. Take a page out of Jerry’s book, and be sure to keep your core business (your “Superman”) a part of everything you do, even if it is only in the background. Every opportunity and every possible marketing strategy that you consider must relate back to your core product/service offering to ensure the continuity of your business. Don’t allow yourself to become so sidetracked that you end up chasing marketing opportunities that detract from your current strengths. When evaluating a new business opportunity, ask yourself “How will this new marketing or business idea impact on my core business?” before you begin a new marketing venture.

The next time you are watching a Seinfeld Rerun, be sure to look for the hidden small business tips in each episode. You might find that it wasn’t a show about nothing after all.

About The Author

Will Dylan is the Author of Small Business Big Marketing and owner of www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com. Will also offers article and news release writing services through his website. You can contact Will at askwill@marketingyoursmallbusiness.com

Google AdWords and AdSense - A Dynamic Small Business Marketing Duo

by: John Jantsch

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last year or so, you probably know that Google has become the king of the search engine hill. There are many reasons for this but number one in my opinion is that above all else they put value on content. Today I want to introduce you to two very powerful small business advertising options created by Google.

These two ingenious programs have all but revolutionized the way advertising is done on the web. Warning: If you are thinking..."web advertising isn't for me, I just need a few more clients around the block"...you better read this or be prepared to have your competitors eat your lunch.

Goolge AdSense - Again content is king at Google. This program allows web site "publishers" to add some code from Google and receive "content relevant" ads on their site from other site owners. Here is an example - those ads in the box on the right of the page are delivered by Google and are matched to the content on the page. When someone surfs to the page and decides to check out one of those ads, the web site owner earns a portion of the advertising revenue that Google collects.

The key here is that if you go to a site about quilting, you will see ads about quilting and not about dog grooming. I know this sounds so obvious but Google was the first to really figure this out.

This program has worked so well that some website owners are actually building content specific sites and paying for them solely through AdSense revenue. Small business owners should consider adding this feature to pages on their site for several reasons.

I've already mentioned the fact that there is money to be made, but what many site owners are finding is that because Google is so respected and because the ads are highly targeted...they are no longer looked at by surfers as ads, they are looked at as content.

Some will even go as far as to say that by putting the Google ads on your site you actually better your chances of higher rankings with Google. Google flatly denies this claim and I don't think it is true but I do know that Google AdSense ads should be on every small business owner's site. (Google AdSense)

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Another Warning: This is somewhat complex stuff. This article is only meant to introduce you to the power of these programs. Check out Google Cash by Chris Carpenter for a deeper understanding of ways to make this work for you.

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Google AdWords - I've already talked about those ads you see on websites, well those ads need to come from somewhere don't they. AdWords is Google's program for advertisers.

Any site that wishes to participate bids for "keywords" that are relevant to their product, service, or site and then creates ads to attract hits. These ads show up on private websites, like this example, and on the right side of Google search results like this search for "Free sales letters and tools" As you can see from this Google search you received the content related sites that you searched for but you also get some related ads that are sponsored.

Now here is where Google is genius. Instead of simply subjecting surfers to any ads that anyone is willing to pay for, they actually police the ads that are running. On some pay per click programs, whoever is willing to pay to most wins. Google uses a performance model. In other words an ad that is the most relevant and therefore receives the most clicks will move ahead of an ad that may pay more but isn't as effective. This simple philosophy is why Google has quickly dominated the PPC world.

Okay...and now the really big innovation

Regional targeting. Google recently introduced a system that allows advertisers to target certain metropolitan markets only. In other words, a remodeling contractor who only wants to do kitchen remodels in say, Denver, can bid on the keyword phrase "kitchen remodel" and only have his ads show up for people who live in and around Denver.

The implication this has for local small business owners is staggering. In the example above, our Remodeler can now tap into highly targeted web traffic for pennies per lead. In my opinion, small business owner who learn the ins and outs of this medium will dominate their markets. (Google AdWords)

Look for more on this topic in the future.

Copyright 2004 John Jantsch

About The Author

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant based in Kansas City, Mo. He writes frequently on real world small business marketing tactics and is the creator of “Duct Tape Marketing” a turn-key small business marketing system. Check out his blog at http://www.DuctTapeMarketing.com/weblog.php

Small Business Marketing: Are You Using a Net or a Spear

by: Jeremy Cohen

When I was back in college, over a decade ago, I decided that when I was done I would run off to Alaska and work in the fishing industry. The lure of hard menial labor and the outdoorsman’s life seemed so tantalizing to me after having toiled away in academia, not just for the past four years, but for most of my life.

I learned as much as I could about the fishing industry: working on boats, at the docks and in canneries. I learned that one of the popular techniques used by commercial fishing companies is to cast huge nets between ships miles apart and drag them through the sea capturing anything unfortunate enough to get snarled. While this technique netted prolific amounts of fish, the vast majority of the catch could not be sold at the market.

What a waste! Not only do these companies unnecessarily deplete a precious natural resource they also waste their valuable time and energy setting and hauling in nets and then sorting through their catch to identify and pluck marketable fish from the masses.

While large fishing companies can afford to expend their resources in such a manner, as a small business owner, you would be ill advised to follow such a path when fishing for new clients. Small business marketing tactics must be much more precise and efficient to be viable.

To continue our fishing example, consider a tribesman from a pacific island. Instead of employing large nets a tribal fisherman will stand and wait, knee deep in water known to be plentiful with the type of fish he seeks with only a spear in hand. When a fish swims by he lunges with his spear and voila! Dinner is served, or at least caught. The tribesman’s method is highly efficient and effective.

The methods you employ when marketing your small business or professional service firm should minimize waste and maximize sales.

Are you using a marketing net or a marketing spear to find new customers?

Size Matters

A marketing net can take many forms. One of the most common forms of marketing with a net is investing in the belief that the larger the group you market to the better the chance of developing new business. This type of thinking could not be farther removed from reality. You can much more effectively generate quality leads and sales by focusing your marketing efforts on a smaller yet highly specific audience.

If you’ve ever placed a display ad in your local newspaper, paid for banner advertising on a popular web site or paid for a radio or TV commercial only to be disappointed by a meager response there is good reason dissatisfaction.

While there were likely a few potential clients who saw or heard your ad the vast majority of those you reached simply had no need for your products or services. What’s more, those who might indeed have a need for your product or service were likely not actively seeking what you sell at the moment they saw your ad.

You can improve the response to your advertising by marketing to a smaller but more focused audience. Your ad will not only appear in front of those who have a need for what you sell, it will be seen by more people who are actively seeking what you provide.

Take some time to identify periodicals and other ad vehicles that serve your market and fit your budget and then place your ads in front of a smaller but more specialized audience. You will sell more and get more for your advertising dollar. It’s amazing what a spear can do.

Sharpness Matters Too

Even if you trade in your marketing net for a spear (focus your market) your marketing results may still be disappointing if your spear is dull - you may squarely hit a fish with the tip of your spear but if it is not sharp the fish may squirm away.

You can perpetually keep your spear sharp with an outstanding marketing message. Your marketing message should speak directly to your buyers and clearly communicate why they should buy from you. If it does not your future customers won’t ever take notice of you, even if you are the ideal solution for their needs.

Many small business owners use a poor and ineffective marketing message because they do not fully appreciate the value of a good one. A strong marketing message will be noticed by those most likely to become your clients and will work to get your prospects to take the action you want them to take: visit your store or web site, contact you for more information and ultimately, buy from you.

Take some time to examine your marketing message. If you get the sense that it isn’t very focused, it probably isn’t. What words and phrases can you use to sharpen it up?

Move Your Marketing Forward

Get rid of your net and sharpen you spear. Even if you hate to fish or have never gone fishing, you’ll find yourself looking forward to every opportunity to wade into knee deep water.

About The Author

Copyright 2005 Jeremy Cohen, Better Marketing Results. All rights reserved.

Marketing Coach, Jeremy Cohen, helps small business owners and professional service providers attract more clients, grow their business and be more successful with his coaching services and free marketing guide: Jumpstart Marketing: More Profits, Clients and Success. Get the FREE guide at:
http://www.bettermarketingresults.com/marketing-services.asp

jcohen@bettermarketingresults.com

Are You Targeting the Right Prospects with Your Small Business Marketing?

by: Charlie Cook

Steve called from Minneapolis to ask how to attract new clients for his auto repair shop. He has been in business for two years and has four trained technicians to keep busy, but he was having difficulty attracting enough new customers.

Steve wasn't just waiting for people to show up at his shop. He regularly mailed letters to new homeowners in the area. His rationale was that people who had just moved into town would be looking for a mechanic before long.

Steve wanted to know why what seemed like a good strategy wasn’t working. Why was he only getting one or two inquires from each mailing to 500 prospects? He asked me if he was targeting the right people. "Anyone with a car is in my target market, right?"

Good question. In theory, yes, any car owner living in the area is a potential client. But in reality, car owners have very different attitudes towards car maintenance.

Steve was making the same mistake that most small business owners make in thinking about their target market. He was trying to market to everyone who might use his service instead of targeting the most likely prospects. After trying this for a year, he recognized that this marketing strategy was costly and inefficient.

According to Albert Einstein, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Are you getting the number of inquiries and sales you want from your target market? If you're not getting results then why keep marketing the same way over and over again?

The alternative to broad based, costly marketing is to target your prospects more precisely and shape your marketing accordingly.

There are three types of people in your target market.

First, there are people with immediate problems. These prospects have urgent concerns and want solutions today. In Steve's case, these are the customers who come in with a flat tire or a blown head gasket.

Second, there are people who have a problem or want to improve their situation and are considering a purchase.

They need more information in order to understand why they should use your product or service. They may take more time to reach a decision to buy.

Again in Steve's case, these are people who need their disc brake pads replaced before they fail and cause more costly damage, or who could be getting better mileage with a properly tuned engine, or who should purchase new tires soon to avoid a potential accident. These are the people who need to be educated in order to make a decision.

Finally, there are people like my dear Dad in every target market. It was a point of pride with Dad to see how little he could spend to maintain his cars. He never took a car to a mechanic unless the broken part could no longer be wired back together or the car just wouldn't start. People like Dad have blind spots in certain areas.

The same is true in any business. Some people won't spend money to fix or repair something even if it's barely functioning. No matter what you say or do they don’t want to be bothered. Their objective is to spend as little money as possible regardless of whether it costs them more in the long run or not. Know anyone like this?

Even if you have the perfect product or solution for these people, you're not going to get their business. They either know it all or don’t want to know. Marketing to this group is a waste of your time and money.

You'll get a much better response by targeting your prospects more precisely. That means marketing to what your prospects are looking for. You'll end up spending less and making more. Steve needed to focus his marketing on car owners who want to fix a problem or prevent one from developing.

In Steve's case a few changes to his marketing letter could make a huge difference. With a few questions he could help his prospects identify their concerns and then give them some helpful maintenance tips that involve his services.

You can do the same. With a few changes to your marketing strategy and your marketing copy you'll get a much better response and see your business soar.
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2006 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.
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About The Author

Charlie Cook helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Small Business Marketing Ideas eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at: http://www.marketingforsuccess.com

Self Promotion, Small Business Marketing, and Your Core Values

Molly Gordon, MCC,

The core premise of authentic self promotion is that showing up, serving, and thriving are interrelated. Promotion, or putting yourself forward, is part of showing up and is essential to having a successful business. Having a successful business is essential to being and sustaining an offer of service. In other words, you cannot serve if you do not take care of business.

Authenticity is the cornerstone of effective, sustainable self promotion because being authentic draws on a renewable resource, i.e., your core values and strengths. Put it all together, and you have authentic promotion.

Authentic self promotion is grounded in the conviction that you have something of unique value to offer the world and that you are willing to discover how to embody that offer, to show up and serve, and to thrive in the process.

Authentic self promotion reconciles values of service and integrity with the tools and practices of effective small business marketing. Authentic promotion of your small business rejects the easy dismissal of marketing and sales as shallow, manipulative, and inauthentic. Instead, authentic self promotion claims that marketing and sales are vehicles for creating enduring relationships and delivering substantial value. If you choose the path of authentic self promotion, you will learn that marketing your small business effectively will challenge you to evolve continually as a person and as a professional.

Authenticity is intimately involved with creativity, evolution, and change. It is closely allied with the notion of authorship, thus of owning and being accountable for one's actions. Authenticity acknowledges that we are always creating or writing our life stories. Expressed in business, such authenticity will step up to the challenge of making strong, clear, valid offers to prospects who are likely to benefit from those offers.

When we do business in an authentic fashion, we understand that we will be affected and even changed by the processes of doing business. Authenticity is dynamic. When you extend yourself authentically in the world, you expect an authentic response -- one that may touch you deeply and influence your future decisions. There are risks, then, in authenticity.

Egocentric business practices, on the other hand, declare, "I don't need to answer to anyone. I have no intention of being changed or affected by you as we do business together. Either you like me or you don't. You'll either find me or you won't."

Often this egocentricity is masked by a pseudo-authenticity, one that pretends to stand for immutable values and unassailable principles but that is really a declaration of self-absorption, "My way or the highway." A better test for authenticity is whether or not we are willing to be affected by our transactions. The authentic expression of our deepest values and most closely held principles will always open us to the risk and blessings of new possibilities.

Authentic marketing and self promotion says, "I'm here to connect with you. I expect that we will both be changed in the course of our relationship. I am willing to discover you and myself in new ways as we do business. Come on down, let's see what we can create together."

I propose that the very real excesses and evils of some business practices can be countered in a powerful way by independent professionals and artists who use their businesses as a vehicle for showing up, serving, and thriving. It's about more than making a living. Though, unless you do make a living, you will not be able to express your gifts to the fullest.

Authentic self promotion is about trying on business and marketing practices and adapting them to fit your values, your resources, and your unique gifts. It's about having enough integrity and courage to welcome the inevitable breakdowns as occasions for learning and platforms for future success. In order to be truly authentic -- in other words, to authenticate our values and our standards -- we must act in the world. We must show up to serve, and we must stop pretending that commerce is something the bad guys do. In this way, we will shine a light on unfamiliar or inadequate practices for the sake of devising better practices.

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Use Molly Gordon's Small Business Marketing Resource to cast a fresh eye on your business practices -- niche marketing, self promotion, marketing plan components, pricing strategies, and work life balance, and become more vibrant, more authentic, more engaged in your life as well as your work, effortlessly attracting business.

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About the Author: Molly Gordon, MCC, is a leading figure in business coaching and personal growth coaching, writer, and a frequent presenter at live and virtual events worldwide. Join 12,000 readers of her Authentic Promotion® ezine, an invaluable small business marketing resource helping you grow your strong business while you feed your soul, and receive a free 31-page guide on effective self promotion.

Small Business Marketing: Risk Reversal Will Sky Rocket Your Sales

by: George Dodge

One of the top obstacles that you have to get over is the prospect's sensation that they are at risk when buying from you. The more they feel that they are at risk, the larger will be their reluctance to buy.

To get over this hurdle, you need to reserve the sense of risk. You must assume the risk yourself.

Have you ever considered how many businesses transfer the built-in risks of conducting such a business to the customer?

Well, the following is a classic model of how this is done currently:

Recently, I went into a store to buy a anniversary present for a friend. I saw a sign on the wall behind the cash counter that said "Absolutely no refund after 7 days" and I thought to myself, "How negative is that?" It sounded so severe and foreboding, even threatening.

I was wondering why these people would want to lessen their customer's goodwill by stating the policy in such a negative way and risk turning off even one customer. Especially, when the very same message could have been stated in a much more favorable way and help to make lasting customer relationships. For example, the same line on the store’s return policy could have read, "We will gladly refund your full purchase price within 7 days."

The difference:

I am sure the difference in the two approaches is quite obvious. In the first statement, it is implied that the customer has to bear the burden of responsibility while the second statement indicates that the store management is willing to go out of his or her way to help the customer.

The above example is only a small one with perhaps only a minor negligible effect on sales, but the idea is not to state things in a negative fashion when there is a much better and more positive way of saying the same thing.

Your risk, your gain:

The wide range of anti-customer policies employed by various businesses never ceases to amaze me. The point that they all miss here is that, if you believe you have a sound product or service, then you should leave no stone unturned in advertising it to your customers.

For example:

"Our prices are the lowest in town or we’ll refund double the difference" or "If we don’t have your size in stock, we’ll make a special order and have it here within two days" or "Marketing that gets you results or it costs you zilch, nada, zero.

All of the above statements have a powerful and positive psychological impact on the mind of the customer. If you can perform, you must make sure you let people know. If you were the gift shop owner, as in the earlier example, you may get a few returns and refund requests to begin with, but those will be of no consequence at all compared to all the new business you will be getting just by thinking smart and communicating right.

As a matter of fact, studies have generally found that with product guraantees, the longer the guarantee period, the fewer returns. The longer guarantee gives the customer a sense that you really believe in your product.

Take for example an information product. If a customer has not had a chance to really get into the product and consume the information provided within the guarantee period, they may decide to return simply because they haven't had the time to satisfy themselfves that the information is really useful to them.

On the other hand, if the guarantee is for a year, then they don't feel rushed and if they never get to the product and it sits on the shelf unopened, they will have long forgotten all about it and the guarantee when the deadline comes up.

Taking the risk on yourself is good for your business.

Small businesses are in need of effective marketing and advertising.

by Kathy Mcgoldrick

90% of businesses in America do not have the savvy to survive and thrive on the internet. Evidence indicates that there are more than 11 million searches by small and medium businesses on the internet for marketing, advertising and promotion assistance. There are twenty-five million businesses that need advertising and marketing.

What if there was a system that would revolutionize the way these small businesses could attract more customers using the internet? What if the system and training was offered by one of the leading experts in online marketing?

Finally there is a solution to the problem for these small businesses. There is a program called Promo Black Box that provides highly advanced advertising and marketing software and executive training at “average Joe” affordability.

The main components are live webinars and site conversion tools. Some of the features include, pay per click advertising, web design, where to get free advertising, correct use of key words and much more. The site conversion tools are downloadable software that will adapt the verbiage of the web page to each customer’s keyword search. The auto-responder is becoming a more popular feature for communication with prospects and clients and article submissions are a great way to create publicity for any business or product.

There are many ways in which the internet can be utilized for building a business and when done correctly the potential for a small business to gain global impact is an exciting idea. Promo Black Box is a tool that small businesses can take advantage of in order to expand to new heights.

Small Business Marketing in the Real World -- Article Marketing

by Nancy Amada

Billboards, magazines, television commercials, newspapers, and radio spots. There are countless ways to market your small business. Hiring a sky-writer or paying millions for a few seconds of airtime just isn't the most cost-effective way to do it.

Sure the advertising hoopla surrounding events like the Superbowl is exciting. It just simply is not necessary for a business to succeed. Unless you've got a very generous donor who insists that you spend your marketing budget frivolously, finding practical ways to get your name out there is not all that difficult.

Article marketing has proven to be one of the most widely used of these methods. It's fast, it's easy, and it doesn't cost a fortune. It requires a small investment of time to get the article marketing campaign fired up, but then takes on a life of its own.

To begin the process, business owners write short articles about topics relating to their business. The articles serve as informative pieces, rather than sales pitches. The authors are careful to provide useful information, not just a bunch of advertising mumbo jumbo.

Once the articles are created, they are sent off to an article distribution service. These services specialize in making thousands of contacts with websites who are looking for fresh content.

The article distribution service reviews each and every article to determine what types of websites might want articles about the subject at hand. This greatly increases the chances of the various articles being published.

The magic really happens when the first articles are published. As readers connect with what you say in your articles, they are likely to click on the link back to your website. And as more people visit your website and see what your business has to offer, the more customers you gain.

Article marketing is truly a win-win process. The arrangement between business owners and publishers allows both sides to benefit. While business owners have the opportunity to get their names out there, publishers are able to constantly offer their readers new and interesting information.

It is this vital partnership that has allowed article marketing to take off in the business world. It is now being utilized by companies both big and small. Regardless of the product or service being offered, article marketing gives business owners a platform from which to speak to customers.

While the article marketing phenomenon may seem to good to be true, it is definitely more pragmatic than pie-in-the-sky advertising ambitions involving Superbowl ads. Article marketing has shown to be a powerhouse in the world of marketing and small businesses, and it is likely to continue gaining speed as more and more companies jump on the bandwagon.

Small Business Marketing - Creatively Reach Your Target!

by Nancy Amada

Marketing a small business is no easy task. While inventions such as the Internet have made many things easier, it has also created further frustration for some people. In the information jungle known as the World Wide Web, how is one to get noticed?

It all begins with a process called article marketing. This is one of those tried and true methods of small business marketing that has long been used in print, but really took off with the advent of the Internet. The Web has breathed new life into the practice of article marketing, making it one of the number one ways to promote a small business and build site traffic.

Article marketing begins with the business owner creating several short articles about their particular industry. These articles are informative and interesting, not marketing pitches. It is all about offering the reader some useful information.

Then these articles are submitted to an article distribution service. These services insure that the articles are in tip-top shape before they are sent to any publishers. Article distribution services know exactly what the content site owners want and they help business owners get their articles into the appropriate format.

The distribution services play an important role since there are specific guidelines provided by each and every publisher, making it nearly impossible for an individual to keep track of the various stipulations. In addition to that, the services help the writer edit each article in order to help the business owner put his or her best face forward. These articles are about gaining exposure and credibility. A bad article will reflect poorly upon the business as a whole, so professional editors play an important role.

Once articles are edited, the distribution services identify the most relevant publishers for each article. This means that the articles will be published in places where readers will likely take an interest in the information presented.

The ability that article marketing has to reach the target market every single time an article is published is among its greatest appeals to business owners. Why waste your time and money in marketing efforts that will be thwarted by the disinterested masses? By going straight to the source of your target market, you'll hit a home run every time.

Whenever an interested reader likes your article they will go back to check out your website. And it doesn't take a computer wizard to know that high traffic and high sales almost always correlate.

Small Business Marketing Tip: Success Can Make a Failure Out of you

by Tim Allen

Success! It's something that makes its way into the signature lines of marketers across the world. Everyone in the world wants it. If you are an athlete you dream of making it on the team, in the pros and then to the highest trophy in the sport. Those in the sales and management industry aspire to make more sales and make more money. Yes, Success is the driving force of any venture big or small. But a danger exists when you pursue success in whatever field you are in. In fact I can guarantee any person who finds success will be in danger.

What is the danger we are talking about when it comes to success? Simply it is success itself. Now you may think that is strange. That success is a danger onto its own achievement. Perhaps though I can illustrate by this simple scientific fact, "What goes up has to come down". When you first throw a ball up in the air you'll find that it loses its steam when it reaches the pinnacle of its climb. It does not have the same force or push that it had when it started. You could say the ball has lost interest because it has reached its target.

Or what happens in sports when teams win the championship in their league. Is the desire as strong as when the team did not have that success of winning it all? The answer can vary. However when the other teams and players see the success of the winning team it makes them want what the winning team has. Their hunger and their desire eclipses the team that previously won it all. Thus our former champion becomes the hunted.

Now granted sports players in professional leagues are usually taken care of for life after their 10-20 year career. Perhaps even just 1 or a couple years would make them set for life. For most of us that's not the case. If we see some success it's probably only going to last us a fraction of our lifetime monetarily. If we fall into the lull of thinking that we can take it easy on ourselves we risk losing the passion we need for the profession we are in. Face it, any profession you take up now a days you need to keep that fire in your belly to stay in good form. Seeing success can soften you and turn you into a procrastinator. This may not happen at first; but over time you could see that trend developing in yourself. Your upcoming projects will then suffer.

What's the solution? When lunch comes around and you missed breakfast what is it that drives you to find that lunch time meal? It is hunger! Hunger is what drove you to success in the first place. Hunger is what made you work those long hard hours to get where you are at. You saw a vision in your mind and there was nothing that would satisfy you until you made it happen.

Do whatever you need to keep that hunger alive. If it is getting additional education and learning a new slant on the industry you are in - do it. If it is being a part of a support group - do it. If it's maintaining your lifestyle - by all means do it.

Remember that hunger is what got you success in the first place. That hunger is like a fire that burns within you. A shift in your mindset may also help. Instead of viewing success by monetary numbers view it as projects you were able to complete in a timeframe. Education is also important. It can inspire you to try new things in your business ventures and keep things fresh.

To conclude I'm not going to just wish you some success. My hope is that your future success does not make a failure out of you.