Category: Sales & Marketing

Article Contributed by Paul Rakovich
There are two paths that you can take when it comes to managing your pay-per-click advertising campaign online. You can learn it yourself and make Google’s stock rise higher while you figure out the learning curve, then spend a lot of time keeping it running smoothly. Or, you can hire a professional pay-per-click firm to handle it for you.
I did both.
See, I know the position you’re in right now. I’ve been there. I’ve hired and fired 2 pay-per-click management companies. I was forced to learn on my own and spend tens of thousands of dollars.
My Experiences with Outsourcing My Pay-Per-Click Needs
The first pay-per-click management company that I hired kept raising my budget and jacking up my costs-per-click. Yet, I wasn’t getting any conversions!
So I decided to fire that PPC firm and manage my own pay-per-click campaigns. I studied under the top gurus like Perry Marshall. I bought all the ebooks and coaching programs. And, I spent more than $10,000.00 figuring everything out on my own until I grew a no name business into $50k per month in sales all from pay-per-click advertising.
But, I worked day and night on my pay-per-click campaigns. I spent a ton of time, money and effort on it. I couldn’t handle it anymore so I hired another pay-per-click firm to take over the accounts again. They did a nice job and are still around today, but I saw some holes in their approach.
Now, I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. I want to help you choose a pay-per-click management company that’s actually going to help you turn clicks into clients.
Here are 7 Questions You Need to Ask Before You Hire a Pay-Per-Click Management Company:
1. This is going to piss people off: How many accounts does an account manager handle? Just because you have a “dedicated” account manager doesn’t mean he/she isn’t dedicated to 50 other accounts. This is not uncommon in some of the larger pay-per-click firms out there. If they work 40 hours per week that’s less than 1 hour/week they are spending on your account, provided they do nothing but work on accounts every minute of the day.
2. Can I peek in and have access to my Google & Yahoo accounts? There’s a new breed of PPC management that keeps everything secret. They are basically buying a click for $1.00 then charging you an undisclosed markup on the click. That’s why their setup & management fees are low. They’re making money on marking up your clicks.
3. What constitutes an improvement? You need to put in your order with the pay-per-click firm just like you would order a steak medium rare with a side of truffle fries to a waiter. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to speak up. For example: I want to increase sales while keeping my cost-per-sale under $50.
4. Do you track phone calls? If you are doing any part of the business offline then your pay-per-click management company should offer a way to track where your calls are coming from. Tracking calls back to specific keywords helps eliminate waste and will reveal high response terms you’ll want to dominate.
5. What are your prices? Now, don’t be cheap. There is no such thing as a Mercedes Benz for Honda prices. I’ll admit some people don’t need the Mercedes, but if you are spending $2,000/month or more, chances are you at least need a certified, pre-owned BMW.
6. What is your experience? I’m all for giving the new guy a try. I was the new guy at one point. Nothing, I repeat nothing can replace experience. Experience comes from long hours of hard work. There are no magic formulas. Good solid basics and some creativity will always win in the end.
7. Will you involve me in the project? No one knows your business as well as you. Get specific on how often you’ll meet to review the results and plan next steps. A good pay-per-click firm will welcome your input. It is invaluable.
Now, it’s up to you. But, if you fail to ask the above questions, then you’re risking hiring and firing new pay-per-click management companies when things go south or spending tens of thousands of dollars learning how to do it yourself like I did. Learn from my pay-per-click outsourcing experiences.
About the Author
Pay-Per-Click Expert Paul Rakovich grew a no-named business selling Tony Robbins CDs to doing $50,000.00 per month in sales with PPC advertising. Today, he manages PPC campaigns for plastic surgeons, dermatologists, clothing companies, dentists, lawyers, Internet marketers, a famous copywriter and more! Now get his FREE 5 PPC Fixes That Could Save You Thousands at http://www.clicksandclients.com & learn how to turn your clicks into paying clients.

Article Contributed by Guy Kingston
Here is a truly horrifying thought: there is actually a specialist graduate degree of Master of Marketing Research, with the post-nominal letters MMR.
Nor is this a gimmick or a cash-cow for one of those otherwise unknown “universities” that offer to send you a degree in return for your “lifetime experience” and a large fee.
No, this is a proper degree offered by over a dozen serious universities, mainly in the USA.
You wonder what sort of eager young scholar, with all the mind-broadening opportunities of a university education spread before them, would choose to dedicate one or two of the most fertile years of their life to such a narrow subject.
Of course, if anyone developed a scientific system that enabled them to predict market responses with a high degree of accuracy, it would be worth the effort. It would open the doors to success not only in business but almost every other aspect of life. The world would belong to the market researchers. Not only a year or two but a decade or two would be well spent in its study.
Indeed, some of the finest minds in academia have been attracted, both by the cross-disciplinary intellectual challenges and by the potential rewards, to the study of customer behaviour.
It is a favourite subject at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, who dole out the Nobel Prizes for Economics. Several Laureates, like Professor Daniel McFadden of UC Berkeley, who won the Prize for his theories on “choice modelling”, have specialised in aspects of econometrics which, whether or not they liked to put it this way, provided a theoretical basis for market research.
There is only one drawback to all this formidable academic output: it is useless.
The test of the validity of any scientific theory is not only how well it explains the past but how well it predicts the future.
If these academic theories of consumer choice were of any use, they should be able to provide models to predict future consumer choice.
We cannot help noticing the absence of such a model in the business world.
If such a model existed, Professor McFadden and his ilk would be very wealthy. While some do indeed make a tidy sum from consultancy, it is difficult to see how their clients are better off for their services.
For the bottom line on market research is that all the greatest failures in marketing history have been preceded by intensive market research using the most advanced specialist techniques available.
This is because big failures can only come from big product launches, and big product launches can only come from big corporations, because only they can afford big products and big launches. The big corporations usually spend lavishly on market research before the launch. This is not because they really believe the market research but so that the junior executives can cover themselves with the senior executives, the marketing managers with the general managers, the management with the directors, and the board with their shareholders.
Then, if something goes wrong, everyone can say, “Well, it is not my fault – I employed the most respected market researchers, who used the very latest methods, and they told me everything was going to be fine, so how was I to know?”
This means that every big product launch has been approved by advanced market research – and since a lot of big product launches end in failure, all these failures have been endorsed by market research.
Perhaps the great problem with market research is conceptual. It puts a great deal of thought and analysis into studying consumer decisions, but consumers put very little thought or analysis into their decisions.
This is why the focus group is a bad idea: it gets potential customers to spend an hour talking about decisions they would usually make in a second. This is artificial as a method and so any conclusions it reaches will be equally artificial.
As ever, wisdom is found not in academia but in The Simpsons. When Homer’s millionaire brother asks him to design the car that average Americans like him would want to buy, Homer puts in every fantasy element he can imagine and ends up designing a monstrosity that no one would want to buy.
In fact, Homer’s car is curiously reminiscent of one that was designed in response to a great deal of market research into what the public “really wanted”… the Ford Edsel.
About the Author
Guy Kingston produces and presents the Mind Your Own Business podcast, offering free business advice to entrepreneurs and business owners. As well as audio podcasts there are more articles like this, compelling videos and a must-read blog. All at www.myobpod.com or you can network and join in discussions on the MYOB Facebook group.

Article Contributed by by David Gruttadaurio
One of the most reasonable approaches to surviving an economic downturn is to slash all unnecessary business expenses.
In their panic to save money, wild-eyed and frothy-mouthed entrepreneurs begin looking suspiciously at their marketing plans. On the surface, advertising cutbacks would seem to be a logical choice.
Why Entrepreneurs Make the Mistake of Cutting Their Marketing Budgets
If you have taken a close look at the magazines that arrive in your mailbox every month, you may have noticed they’ve been down-sized… and it wasn’t the publisher’s idea.
Advertisers are running for hills in droves as they pull back and slash their marketing budgets – in many cases by half. The result is formerly burgeoning magazines that are now a shadow of their former selves.
It’s a tempting… but very dangerous strategy. Especially when you consider that your company thrives on both client retention and new growth to survive.
To stay out of economic harms way, you need to keep your marketing momentum at full throttle even during a recession. And now is the BEST time since your competitors are hiding from potential customers. Your marketing will really stand out even more!
But, if you think that “hunkering down” through an economic storm is the way for your business to survive a recession…
Here Are the Top 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Kill Your Small Business
1. STOP MARKETING and pretend everybody knows who you are and what you have to sell.
2. STOP MARKETING and fantasize that you have more important worries than promoting your business.
3. STOP MARKETING and make believe your customers won’t notice that you discontinued your monthly client newsletter.
4. STOP MARKETING and keep telling yourself that your customers would never abandon you.
5. STOP MARKETING and ignore the potential new clients that would buy your products or services if they were contacted by you.
6. STOP MARKETING and stop thinking about your competitors and the fact they want your customers.
7. STOP MARKETING and keep telling yourself it costs too much to market.
8. STOP MARKETING and disregard the fact that marketing is not a business expense but an investment.
9. STOP MARKETING and make-believe your established customers don’t need to be reminded that you appreciate their business.
10. STOP MARKETING and forget that now is the best time to market since all of the idiots are cutting back on doing it.
Certainly the choice is yours. You can follow the above practices and drive your business into the ground. It’s up to you. But do you really want to bury your business forever?
If the answer is ‘no’…
Here Are 3 Reasons Why You Should Relentlessly Market Your Business Today:
* Prove to your clients that you really do value and appreciate them – market to them using a print newsletter.
* Show your customers that you are a successful entrepreneur willing to invest in your relationship with them – send a monthly print newsletter.
* Instill trust, credibility and confidence in you and your company as well as your service or product – publish a customer newsletter.
The Bottom Line
If asked to list their company’s most valuable assets, many would include buildings, equipment, inventory and accounts receivables.
Very few would even think to include their customers.
Your clients are the most valuable asset you have. When you use attentive, relationship-building marketing strategies like distributing a print newsletter, you create a bond that will allow you to weather any type of economic environment.
About the Author
When Print Newsletter Marketing Expert David Gruttadaurio discovered the power of consistently writing and distributing print newsletters to attract and retain clients, he instantly tripled the sales of his cleaning business. Now, David is revealing his bullet-proof plan to survive this new, emerging economy with his Profit Exploding Newsletter Secrets Report at: http://www.NewslettersMadeForYou.com

Article Contributed by Greg Gaskill

Social networking was once the domain of people looking for friendship on the internet, but savvy businesses have also begun to realize the value of linking up with others through the wide variety of networks that are springing up almost daily. They have learned to enjoy the ease with which they can keep in touch with clients, suppliers, and a host of others. In fact, there are now sites that cater specifically to businesses. Social networking benefits to business are many; here are just a few, and how they can help you.
Why Social Networking?
When you develop a page on a social networking site, you are setting yourself up to connect with everyone else who has signed up on that service. So if you sign up on a service with millions of members, you are instantly able to connect with that many new people. Although you would not generally be able to send out a global email–that would be spam–you could search for those who are interested in your product or service. In other words, you could do a targeted search for your perfect customer or supplier.
Which Networks are Best for Businesses?
Although the ever-popular services like Myspace and Facebook have quite a few businesses with well-developed pages, they are mostly for social contacts, artists, social causes, and bands. Those who want more professional connections often turn to LinkedIn, Tribe, and Ryze.
These services will work best for those who create the most complete and targeted online identity. For instance, if you are a professional freelance editor but have a page full of information about your accomplished children, you may miss a lot of opportunity. Of course you are proud of your children, but they probably will not get you gigs. So stick to business.
One of the ways to make the most of your social networking page is to hire an online marketing company to create and maintain it. That way it stays professional, up to date, and has enough of the right material on it to make an impact and improve your search engine rankings.
How Do Business Social Networking Sites Improve Search Engine Rankings?
One way is that you can choose your own URL. With some services you start out with one their system gives you, then you enter your own. If you enter your business name, you have increased your internet exposure–the search engine spiders will find you more easily. Important tip: Make sure you link up to your company home page; backlinks count in search engine rankings. If you have multiple pages, provide a link to your company’s page in each one.
This brings up the idea of multiple pages. Some services allow you to have multiple hubs, but some do not. Social networking benefits to business are best when you find a way to use more than one page, so it might benefit you to use multiple email addresses so you can have more than one page with the same service. Then link them together. Having multiple pages will increase your exposure on the internet.
You can also use your blog space to provide informative articles to your contacts–make sure the article bears your business name and uses keywords related to your business. This is called SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, and you will rise in the rankings when potential customers use your exact keyword phrases as a search term. Again, an online marketing company will know the best keywords to use and will have professional writers available to perform this optimization.
Social networking benefits to business are enormous, and a business that takes advantage of this tool will see better exposure often in the same day they create the page! These days, to ignore social networking is to do so at your own peril.
Article Contributed by Greg Gaskill

Article Contributed by Mark Sneider
Whether an insurance agency, manufacturing firm, a law firm, or some other professional services organization, if you are like most other professional services organizations, your team may not be too well equipped to do what you need to do best to generate lifeblood leads.
Simply having your sales team drum up leads when they’re trying to manage existing clients or in the throws of presenting to new ones, or – let’s be honest here – relying on you, the president or principal to do it when you have to focus on managing the business – isn’t going to be the most effective or most efficient way to manage the lead generation process. And, do you really want to it anyway?
But if you choose to do so internally, likely how you’ve always done it and most of your competitors do so, here’s five best practices that make for successful lead generation programs – elements we’ve found at LeadArchitects: five critical steps central to building solid pipelines of new business opportunities for the organizations we represent.
1. Be Marketing Centric
Before you hand over the reigns to just anybody, establish a clear, concise, and well differentiated message for your “brand”. Without it, what will the prospect say when asked “Why should I consider you?”
I’ve learned from years of interviewing heads of organizations that most don’t know how to look at their business objectively when it comes to marketing and positioning. For example, consider this professional service: advertising agency principals (folks you think would “get it”) will more often than not say the same things when asked what makes them different. I recently presented to a group of agency executives and 15 out of 16 gave virtually the exact same answer when asked for their elevator pitch.
Before any prospecting is done by LeadArchitects on behalf of our clients, we develop what we call a “Brand Story” or communications strategy that highlights the firm’s reasons to believe (RTBs) that define what really makes a firm different. That differentiation could be expertise, process, insights, or some other dimension – or a combination of a number of these. The key is being objective, or bringing in a group that can take an objective look at your world.
Once you create this communications strategy, carry it throughout every touch point: letter copy, advertising, public relations, key talking points for your new business manager, and certainly the web copy. One must be able to see the big picture and navigate through the changes needed to ensure consistency in marketing communications.
2. Be Consistent
Asking sales people to sell, and manage accounts, and generate leads, and, and, and will not prove successful to the organization. We’ve also consistently found that having the principal or the president act as part time lead generator will only lead to less than part time success.
If you put a program together to generate leads, you need to make certain that there are no breaks in the action, because the lead generation “game” is as much an aperture marketing game as it is a positioning and process and skill set game. Maintaining consistency of reach-out is critical. Today your prospect may be fine with their existing service, however tomorrow they may have an issue or a problem that their current partner or law firm or accountant isn’t doing a good job of fixing – you need to be there.
3. Be Relevant
The last thing you want to do is simply pound on doors in the hopes of one opening up – doing so makes you look less than strategic. You don’t look like a good potential partner, and you don’t look like you understand your prospect’s business. Being relevant takes time and focus – the kind of focus a well-organized, strategic group can bring to the effort.
For example, before any call is made into any prospect, the new business manager at LeadArchitects conducts news searches on the prospect, checks the website for press releases, and scours the category’s e-publications for a nugget of an insight they can bring to the table. This way, you exhibit empathy and understanding when you connect and are better able to “bridge” the prospect’s situation back to challenges you yourself have solved for your own clients. Prospects appreciate this – they like to be heard, not to be told.
4. Be Particular
The problem with many prospecting efforts is they are more about numbers and not about the quality of the engagement. As the manager of a lead generator, you need to establish clear and measurable qualifying criteria upfront.
There are different points at which qualification can occur: when the list is built; when the list is cleaned; and when the prospecting begins. The key is making sure your person or your firm has a clear handle on what the qualifiers are, and stands up to deliver them.
For illustration, we build lists for 90 percent of our client programs. When building lists, we can screen for prospect size (e.g. revenue, employees, etc.) type, location. When we clean the list before it’s used, we can qualify for things like decision maker status, or insights relative to the nature of the business. And when the work really begins and we start prospecting, we can dial it down to a more granular level and glean information on virtually any dimension, so long as the prospect is willing to share it, of course.
One step we take that should be a step that any organization takes even if they manage the prospecting inside, is to conduct an open assessment after the first meetings to ensure that what’s being delivered is on par with expectations. If it isn’t, clearly define the deficiencies and put the plan in place to correct it so you maximize the productivity of the program.
5. Be a Value-Added Partner
The best long-term partner is one who goes beyond the task at hand and brings new thinking, new processes, and new ways of doing things to the table for your client. While hackneyed and overused it rings true when done properly: in the end, if you can be a real value-added partner, your clients will be more forgiving when things are going just right and more likely to keep you on board, longer.
The same holds true when you reach out to your prospects. Not only is it important to reach out with relevancy, it is critical to show that you understand your prospect’s situation. Show that you want to help the prospect by sharing news, ideas, suggestions with them to help their business. At LeadArchitects, we continually reach out to prospects on behalf of our clients with interesting industry news, updates on trends, or insights about competitors – all with the goal of suggesting we’re there to partner.
Bottom Line
There is a lot you need to consider if you’re going to build an effective lead generation program internally. Software, people, lists, branding, follow up, and on and on. It’s not as simple as picking up the phone and dialing for dollars. If you want to do it, at least do it properly – but you know you don’t want to do it.
Remember, also, to look at lead generation from a big picture standpoint. If you’re a law firm, you got into the business of helping manage your client’s well being. If you’re an accountant, you got into the business to manage client’s taxes, or if you’re in the manufacturing business, you got into to the business to build, create, and sell – not generate leads. In the end, you’re probably best off keeping overhead low by not trying to build up a sophisticated infrastructure to manage a process that can feed quality leads, better position your firm in the marketplace, and keep you looking like the real value-added partner you are.
About the Author
Mark Sneider is the president of LeadArchitects, an outsourced lead generation and sales firm. Prior to LeadArchitects, Mark spent ten years working for two top tier packaged goods companies, and ten years on the marketing services side of the business. He started his career at DDB Needham in Chicago. Mark is a graduate of Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business with a major in Marketing and Economics. He can be reached at msneider@leadarchitects.com.