I wanted to fire off a post before I head off to hang out with my Boy Scouts.  In case you hadn’t caught my other references to it, I work with the 11 yr old Boy Scouts in my church.

Even though they’re a rambunctious bunch of kids, they’re a ton of fun.  Tonight we’re working on their physical fitness requirements, which means lots of pull-ups, push ups, sit-ups, and running. 

I’m glad I don’t have to do it though because these kids would probably run circles around me!  Regardless though, it should be a good time.

Okay, today’s quick marketing thought has to do with being consistent.

Give the glut of advertising all consumers are bombarded with these days, the number of times you must contact your prospect before they even realize you’re talking to them has risen from an average of 5-7, to somewhere closer to 9.

That’s almost double of what it was just a few year ago!

If you’re totally confused about what I’m talking about, let me restate it in ‘non-marketing geek speak’.  Basically, it means you need to plan on communicating with your target market somewhere between 7-9 times in order to achieve maximum effectiveness.

So how does this directly translate to useable, actionable items for you?

First, trim the size of your target market to a manageable size.  If you’d traditionally send out postcards twice a year to 5K somewhat targeted names, cut the number of names in half and mail to the 4 times a year instead.

Even better, cut it down to 1,000 HIGHLY TARGETED names and mail to them 9 times during the year.  You end up mailing a few less pieces, but each piece is part of a sequence that builds on top of the previous piece.

The key to really making all of this work however, is to be consistent.  If you’re going to reduce the size of your target market, you MUST commit to mailing to them 9 times.  Otherwise you might as well keep blindly sending out 5K pieces twice a year, hoping and praying the ‘blind squirrel finds the nut’, so to speak.

Alrighty, I’m off to play Boy Scouts for a while.  Wish me luck.

Although to be completely honest, there really is NO question.  You absolutely MUST target your marketing efforts in order to be effective.

You see, the BEST sales copy written by the undisputed champion of copywriters will fail miserably if the message isn’t properly targeted.  It’s like trying to sell ice to Eskimos.

Is it possible? You bet.  Every once in a while you’ll find some gullible chap that doesn’t realize he lives on smack dab, on top of a ready made supply of ice.

On the flip side though, your chances of success are CONSIDERABLY higher if you target your message to prospects that actually have a need for your service.

So, before you spend anymore money on marketing, stop and examine who your message is being sent to.  Is there any way to improve the targeting of it?  If so, invest some time and money identifying who should be receiving your message.

Your results will thank you.

A few weeks ago I asked my list member’s to send me their biggest lawn care marketing challenges.  I received dozens of questions and while I’m trying desperately to answer every single question, I’m still a ways off from getting back to everyone.  Hopefully those that I haven’t responded to yet will be understanding.

Anyway, here’s a great question I received from Tom:

 one of the biggest challenges I have right now is keeping customers. I’ve had three customers that I’ve lost to other companies who offered a cheaper price.  The properties were all 1/4 acre lots with house on the lot….my price was $40.  The customers would approach me and say that they found someone who will cut their lawn for 5-10 dollars less than what they are paying me now and asked if I was willing to match or beat the other offer. Sometimes I get tempted to lower my price by $5 just to keep the customer but to do it for $5 less makes me think 2x whether it’s really worth it.  It seems as though customers in my area are more concerned about price more than anything else.  What is the best way to deal with customers who are trying to create a pricing war and how do you keep customers when someone else is willing to do the same job for less.  I dont want try and outdo my competitors by offering the customers more services without increasing my prices because then I’ll be doing more for less. There goes the profit.  I need answers.

And here’s my response:

Holding on to customers is one of the biggest challenges any business faces, especially with the messy economic situation we find ourselves in.  However, you’re right though to NOT lower your prices simply to hold onto a few customers.  Getting in a price war doesn’t do anything to build long term stability for your business and it sends a message that your service is in some ways inferior.

When you think about price, the important thing to realize is that it all comes down to an exchange of value.  If you’re not doing anything to provide additional value for the price, then when push comes to shove, your customers are going to go with the cheaper price.  Fortunately, you already understand all this.

But, what you might be overlooking is the fact that this added value doesn’t necessarily need to come in the form of added services.  Some things you could do to offer your customer more value could be:

• customer surveys to find out what they like or don’t like
• a monthly, hard-copy customer newsletter
• a yearly audit or analysis and a complete action plan for resolving any problem spots
• a ‘Service Summary’ after every single visit - just like what you’d get at Jiffy Lube after getting your oil changed
• Send them greeting cards for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
• Become a trusted advisor for all things ‘green’ for them

Basically, it all comes down to finding ways to add value and establish a relationship without adding too much additional cost.  If you look at the list above, nothing on that list is super expensive or extremely time-intensive so they’re all things you could easily add to your existing service packages without too much hassle or expense.

Finally, if these things don’t work, I’d suggest looking at your customers to see if they’re the kind of customers you won’t to build a long term business around.  If the only thing they’re concerned about is price, I’d suggest looking for another type of customer to target.  I’m not saying eliminate them completely, but you definitely need to start looking for ways to begin adding the kind of customers you want long term.

If you have a website and want to drive traffic to it, or are just looking for some good media exposure, here’s a great opportunity to do so.

Renee Fellows, a freelance writer is looking to speak with seasonal business owners about what they do during the off-season.  As an LCO, it may be a good opportunity to talk about some of your off-season endeavors.

Here’s all the information about the opportunity:

Summary: SEASONAL BUSINESS SUCCESSES

Name: Renee Fellows

Email: Rfellows@oneclearpoint.com

Title: Freelance writer

Media Outlet/Publication: Fiducial.com

Anonymous? No

Deadline: 9:00 AM EASTERN - May 9

Query:

“Working on a Small Business Update on seasonal businesses - how do
they structure their businesses for the lean times? Do you have an
interesting off-season businesses (i.e. does the New England ice
cream stand run a tiki bar on South Beach in February?) What are
the keys to success? Ideally, I’d like to talk with small to medium
sized business owners who have some unique answers to the age-old
question of managing cash flow for the off months. Interviews will
be done via concall and email, so any U.S. time zone is fine.
Thanks!!”

The only thing I ask is PLEASE don’t contact Renee  if you honestly don’t think you can help her out.  Unless you really think you can add value to her story, it’s probably best if you look for other ways to capture the media’s attention.

* * * *

I received this notification from Peter Shankman.  He manages a unique website that sends out a list of media persons looking for contacts/resources for stories they’re working on.

No matter what business you’re in, if you’re online, you MUST drive traffic to your website in order to build your list.  Fortunately, there are lots of ways you can drive traffic to your website, but most of them are either expensive or confusing to figure out.

Well, Matt Bacak who is considered the ‘go to’ guy for quickly building targeted, has a simple 9 step process for driving MASSIVE amounts of free, targeted traffic to your website.

STEP 1: Write an article.
STEP 2: Submit your Article
STEP 3: Rework Your Article intoa Press Release and then Submit.
STEP 4: Rework Your Article into a Video.
STEP 5: Submit video.
STEP 6: Turn your audio into a Pod Cast.
STEP 7: Create a blog entry.
STEP 8: Create a Squidoo Lens.
STEP 9: Bookmark Your Video Links.

Now admittedly, this process is a bit long and it can easily take a few hours to complete.  However, it’s a process that can easily be systematized with the right pieces in place.

If you’re interested in learning how you could quickly systematize this process for your business, post a comment below and let me know what specific questions you have.

It seems as though some people had an issue with either the link I attached or with the coupon code.  I tested the entire process several times before sending anything out, but as technology sometimes does, it still decided to cause some headaches.

So, I’ve reworked everything to hopefully eliminate any problems.  I eliminated the ‘tinyurl.com’ link which I sometimes use to shorten the length of the links.  I’m don’t like sending out ridiculously long URL’s, but with the tracking codes I typically like to include (so I can measure and test my marketing, just like I suggest you do) the links can sometimes get pretty long.

I also eliminated the coupon code and just setup the special with the $5 price.

So, if you tried to order the Cinco de Mayo special yesterday and had trouble, first off, I apologize.  No matter how much you try to make sure things are perfect, it doesn’t always work out according to plan.  Hopefully you’ll be able to see past this glitch.

If you haven’t already ordered or had trouble placing an order yesterday, you can find all the details about the package and get the $5 price right here:

http://www.lawncaremarketingmagic.com/cincodemayo.htm

Remember, this special price is good until tomorrow at 11:59pm so don’t sit on your hands for too long. 

If you’re confused and frustrated with your marketing, this package is stuffed full of valuable information to help you eliminate the hassles and headaches of knowing marketing your business like a seasoned pro.

First off, even though I’m not latino, I did spend 2 year South of the border so I have a special place in my heart for Cinco de Mayo.  As such, I have a special offer for you at the very end of today’s message.  Be sure to check it out.

Okay, I’m writing as promised which means I managed to avoid any bear attacks this past weekend while camping with my little guy.  Overall, it was a pretty low key, relaxing time and we had a lot of fun.

We made some pretty good memories too.  At least I know I made a few.

After I got him ready for bed and all tucked into his sleeping bag, he got this really excited looked on his face, and shouted out, “This is the best day ever!”  It was absolutely priceless.  Definitely a moment I won’t soon forget.

In fact, as I lay there thinking about what just happened, it was a very clear reminder of why I enjoy so much working for myself like I do.  I really enjoy the ability to take off whenever I need to in order to go camping with my son.  Or take an extended lunch with my wife.  Or go watch my kid’s sporting events or performances.

It’s the ability to do what I want, when I want, and for however long I want that makes working for myself so gratifying.  Yes, it can be a huge challenge at times, but being in control of my own time is definitely worth all the hassles.

I truly hope you are creating a business that allows you to control your time in such a way that you can take off as needed.  If you’re working so hard, and you have so much to do that you can’t take any time off without things completely falling off, it’s time to re-examine your business.

Yes, you want to be extremely busy and have more than enough work, but you also need to design your business so that it’s not completely dependent upon your doing EVERYTHING. 

That’s where creating and implementing systems comes into play.  In order to have a thriving, successful business that allows you to take time off as needed, it’s important to get the right pieces in place.  This comes down to people, processes, and plans.

Do you have these in place or are you at least moving towards getting them in place?

If this is something you’d like to hear more about, drop me a quick note and let me know.  I have quite a few things I could share on the topic that I have no doubt could help you get these 3 important P’s in place.

Okay, now for the special Cinco de Mayo offer. 

One of the biggest challenges most small business owners face is knowing what makes for effective marketing and how to spend their marketing dollars wisely. 

Without this knowledge, they waste countless resources (dollars, time, effort, etc.) on TRYING to grow their business, but all they end up with is a huge invoice from their advertising rep.

So, I put together a resource called, ‘7 Little Known Steps to Putting an End to All the Marketing Mayhem, Madness, and Miscues’.  It’s a crash course in what it takes to finally put an end to all your marketing frustrations and headaches.

You can get all the details right here:

http://tiny.cc/GduUp

I normally sell it for $37, but in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I’m basically giving it away for just $5.  That’s right, a full $32 off the normal price!

To claim your $32 discount, you’ll need to enter coupon code ‘CINCODEMAYO08’ at checkout.  Also, I’m extending the ‘fiesta’ past today but the discount code will only work until Wednesday night at 11:59pmEST so don’t procrastinate.

Well, that’s it for today.  I truly hope you have a fantastic week and I’m still looking to hear about your biggest challenges and frustrations.

For me, there’s nothing better than a gorgeous Spring Friday after a busy week.  Especially when I know I’ll be going camping with my son tonight!

Every year our church has a Father & Son campout, which is basically an opportunity to just get away with the ‘boys’ and get out into nature.  It’s the first year my son (he’s 6) and I will be going and we’re both really looking forward to the time together.

I’ll be sure to give you a report of all the excitement on Monday.  And I’m sure I’ll figure out a way to sneak in a marketing lesson or two out of it!

Okay, today I wanted to just give you something to think about over the weekend.  When you think about TV commercials, which are the ones you actually look forward to seeing?

For the most part, commercials are just annoying, but there are a rare few that we’ll actually rewind the DVR to watch.

For me, there are 2 that stick out.  The first one being the series of Apple computer commercials.  I love the sarcasm and underhanded humor pointed directly at Microsoft.

The second series is the Career Builder commercials.  You know, the ones where people are running through the jungle like some real life ‘Lord of the Flies’ saga.

So, what is it about these commercials that makes us actually stop the DVR or TiVo? 

It’s because they’re NOT BORING.  In spite of the fact they’re trying to sell us something, they’re actually quite entertaining.

Now, there are all kinds of things these commercials are doing to sell their products, but the point of today’s message is to simply point out the importance of not being boring.

You see, with the way the world is changing and given the increasing difficulty of reaching your prospects these days, it’s very important to approach your prospects and customers in such a way that they actually don’t mind getting your sales message.

So my challenge to you for this weekend is to think about your marketing.  Is it something your prospects would actually look forward to getting?  Would they actually stop the DVR just to hear your message?

Also, what are your favorite commercials?  What are the ones you rewind to see again or you don’t skip when you see them come up?  I’d love to know what you think.

Finally, don’t forget to send me your questions.  If you’ll remember, in my last message I asked you to send me your biggest questions, frustrations, or challenges with respect to marketing your business.

I’m compiling a list of all the questions and will go through and answer each one individually.  So to send me your questions simply click on ‘Comment’ below and type out a short message.  It really is that easy and will take just a few minutes.

Have a FANTASTIC weekend and if you don’t hear from me on Monday, it’s probably because I got eaten by a bear while camping.

As I’ve mentioned quite a few times recently, the face of marketing is rapidly changing.  To be more accurate, the face of SUCCESSFUL marketing is changing.

No longer can a business simply blast out their sales message unsolicited to targets that have no interest or desire to receive it and expect to receive positive results. 

Now, it’s still entirely possible to do so, but the effectiveness of this type of marketing is very quickly going the way of the dodo bird.  Fortunately for you, the vast majority of your competitors are totally clueless about these changes.

Also, the ‘branding’ style marketing used by most of your competitors has always been a crap shoot and given these changes that are taking place, it’s even more of a gamble.  Especially if you want to grow your business effectively in the coming months and years.

Let’s talk about your specific business for just a moment.  If you’re sending out sales letters or postcards without spending a fair amount of time carefully targeting the recipients of these, I bet your response rate is pretty poor.

Or, if your ads look or sound pretty similar to what the competition’s ads look or sound like, I imagine your response rates aren’t very good. 

So what can you do to increase the effectiveness of your marketing IN SPITE of this rapidly changing environment?

The first thing that needs to take place in order to make this happen is a shift in mindset of how you view customers and prospects.  Because consumers have so much control over the marketing ‘conversation’, it’s important to become a ‘welcome guest’ instead of an ‘annoying pest’ like the majority of businesses.

The easiest way to do this is start viewing your prospects and customers like friends.  People you genuinely want to help.

Once you change the way you look at them and start thinking about THEIR problems, not the fact you need their business, selling your services to them becomes much easier because now you’re providing solutions to their problems.

Instead of you message coming across as marketing, it now comes across as answers to their problems. 

Instead of your communications being about helping you get more business, they are about helping your prospects lives easier.

And as a result, you’re no longer seen as someone looking to steal their precise time, but rather someone looking to help them better use the time they have.

Now, as I’ve mentioned several times recently I’m working on a project that I hope will help you understand the changing environment and learn how to use these changes to your advantage.

But to ensure I’m providing you with the information, tools, and resources you need, I first need your help.  You see, I’ve already got a lot of information together that I THINK you’ll need based on the comments and questions I’ve received from others.

However, I want to make sure I’m covering everything that YOU need to create a killer marketing system that will run on auto-pilot and allow you to become this trusted ‘friend’.

So, what I need you to do is click on ‘Comment’ below and let me know what challenges you’re currently facing when it comes to marketing your business. 

What are your biggest frustrations?  What are the biggest obstacles you face?  What are your biggest fears heading into these uncertain times?

Take just minute to share with me your responses and I’ll do my best to make sure they get answered.

If you’ve already sent me your biggest questions, concerns, or comments, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d take another few minutes to do it again. 

Here’s why:

I’m working on a coaching program that’s going to be extremely comprehensive.  It’s going to cover EVERYTHING you’ll need to first, understand this new environment, and second, create a killer marketing system that will help you totally dominate your marketplace.  This program will also include ALL the tools and resources you’ll need to make this happen.

So, to ensure I’m not missing anything, please take just a few minutes to let me know what your biggest marketing challenges, fears, headaches, and concerns are.  I want to make sure I’m covering everything you’ll need to make marketing your business a breeze.

So go ahead and click on ‘Comment’ below and take a few minutes to share your questions, concerns, fears, or headaches with respect to marketing your business. 

Please don’t procrastinate.  Do it now.

I wanted to share a quick thought with you before the weekend got underway.

Marketing by itself is difficult enough process. If it weren’t, EVERYONE would have rock solid businesses that throw off tons of cash. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Plus, throw in the economic mayhem taking place these days and sales and marketing is pretty much a nightmare. Big time.

And unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like things are going to be getting any better any time soon.

So, as you look for new ways to cost effectively market your business, keep these two thoughts in mind:

1. People do things for their reasons, not yours.
2. Imagine your prospects have a sign permanently tattooed in the forehead that says, ‘So What?”

Think about it, people don’t care one lick about who you are, how long you’ve been in business, what kind of equipment you use, or the fact you desperately need to feed your family.

They have their own problems and concerns they’re trying to deal with so if you really want to sell them your services, your job to translate everything you offer into benefits that answer their question, “So What?”

So as you’re thinking about what you can do to grow your business, figure out what you need to say to answer that question. If you can do this consistently, you’ll find that it doesn’t matter what your competition is saying or how crazy the financial markets are.

If you’re not sure how to create marketing materials that help your prospects answer the question of “So What?”, then I encourage you to check out the Lawn Care Champion’s Circle. It’s a member’s only resource that contains dozens of usable marketing materials that are ready made.

All you need to do is spend 10min or so customizing things for your business and you’ve got in your hands powerful, magnetic marketing materials that convey to your customers the benefits they get from your services and there’s never any question of “So What?”

These materials definitely answer that question for them.

Also included each month is a ready-made customer newsletter template, an invitation to the member’s only tele-seminar as well as a downloadable mp3 of the call, and new templates you can use to prospect for customers, create joint venture relationships with non-competing businesses, and stimulate referrals from your customers.

For only $59.95/mo, it really is a steal of a deal. Especially if you’re struggling to answer your prospect’s and customer’s question of “So What?”

You can get all the details and sign-up for the Champion’s Circle right here:

www.LawnCareChampionsCircle.com

Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic weekend and I’ve got a bunch of great stuff planned for you starting next week so….

Stay tuned!