Once this business recognized who their true competitor was and changed their ad copy, they began to see measurable results in the bottom line!

STEP TWO - Determine the problems your customer has and the solutions you offer.Everyone has problems. Marketing is merely the act of bringing your solutions before the people who need it most and are ready, willing and able to pay for it.

The more you know about your customer, the better you'll be able to showcase the solutions you offer that s/he is seeking.

STEP THREE - Determine the emotional triggers that will ignite your sales.

The act of buying is a complex and emotional decision. The reason your customer is making a purchase is not always readily apparent. While you may think that you are selling candles, your customers may actually be buying:

• Emergency lighting
• Aroma therapy
• Ambiance

Notice, not one of the cu

Put The Shoe In The Other Foot At Job Interviews
It is amazing that most future employees feel that during a job interview that they are on stage. That is they are trying to project the image to the future employer in order that they should receive a job offer and ultimately be hired by the firm.Have you ever thought of the reverse? Here you are willing to devote many years of service to an organization and perhaps they are the ones who should be examined.Not that you should antagonize and harass the interviewer but rather you should prepare and demonstrate your concern, research skills and thorough overall nature of any project you involve yourself with.Are these not the skills and attributes that good employers are endlessly searching for in the job selection process rather than corporate interview “Parlor Games “?What questions should you ask and how should you prepare for these important events?Firstly if you ha

Ever wonder why some marketing tactics work for some businesses but not others? Maybe you heard about a business that paints their company website’s URL on the top of their delivery trucks and increased sales by 25%, yet when you try the same tactic, sales remained flat.

The reason most marketing tactics fail is that they are not part of a comprehensive marketing strategy. A comprehensive marketing strategy helps you to choose which tactics will work for your business and keep the sales coming in like clockwork no matter what the economy.

Defining Marketing Strategy

After 20 years of working with businesses on creating advertising messages that deliver results, I've come up with a few word pictures to try to help clients better understand why we do the things we do in advertising and marketing. To help clients get a handle on marketing strategy, I use the following illustration.

If you have ever gone fishing, you have probably realized that there is more to fishing than merely baiting your hook, casting it into the water and reeling in fish. The same is true in advertising.

When I was a child, I would take a fishing rod and reel -equipped with little more than a hook and a bobber - down to a creek behind our house. As I made my way to the creek, I dug up a few worms, and when I arrived at the water’s edge I impaled the unlucky creatures on my hook and tossed the line into the creek.

Because my goal was to catch “anything,” the only fish I ever caught were either carp or catfish and I didn’t catch those very often. I knew that the creek that ran behind my childhood home was teaming with blue gill, bass and other “desirable” fish. I knew because I saw other anglers stand in the very spot I did and catch those very fish. However, despite my good intentions and all of my efforts, the best I ever caught was an occasional carp or catfish.

Years later, I can see that the reason I was catching these “bottom feeders” is that I had my hook lying on the bottom of the creek. The anglers who were bringing in the fish I desired weren’t using the huge hook I was using, nor were they using earthworms for bait. (Nor, for that matter, were they using an oversized orange bobber!) In my youthful exuberance, I had over-estimated the depth of the waters and seriously over-estimated the mouths of the creek’s “desirable” fish. No matter how noble my goals, I was not fishing with the proper bait and tackle, so I could not catch the fish I desired.

Experienced anglers know that choosing the proper tackle is essential before you begin to fish. You have to know what fish you are targeting, because that determines everything else. By the time an angler picks a target, s/he will have made many decisions well in advance. The first choice is whether to fish in fresh water or salt water. From there, the angler will choose the weight of the line, the type of bait and the size of the hook.

If you want to be successful in fishing, you have to choose your target in advance. You have to develop a "fishing strategy". The same is true when you're fishing for customers for your business.

Using marketing tactics is like using bait when you fish. You may be using a bait that is irresistable to sailfish on the open ocean, but when you're sitting on a boat in the middle of a lake teaming with bluegill, your irresistable bait won't result in catching very many fish.

Marketing Tactics, when used to support a Marketing Strategy, can be powerful. However, when used haphazardly, they can actually hurt your business.

There is no such thing as a "magic marketing tactic" that works for everyone, every time. Yet, you'll find entire books focused solely upon marketing tactics instead of helping you develop a marketing strategy. That's probably because executing marketing tactics is easy. Developing a marketing strategy can be hard if you don't have direction.

The basics of developing powerful marketing strategies

STEP ONE - Research, research research

This is where you find out what you do not know. The more you know, the better your marketing strategy will be. Be certain you define the following:

• Your customers
  

  Why do they buy from you?
  

  What are they buying from you? (It may not be what you think!)
  

  What problems are they trying to solve?
  

  How old are they?
  

  What is their income?
  

  What is their level of education?
  

  What is their marital statues?
  

  Do they have a religious preference?
  

  What is their comfort level with technology?
  

  Where do they live?
  

  Where do they work?
  

  What do they drive?
  

  How far do they drive?

The list goes on and on. You simply cannot know too much about your customers.

• Your competitors
  

  Who are your competitors?
  

  Are they only in your industry?
  

  What is their USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
  

  Why do their customers choose them?

  You may be surprised to discover your competition may not be another business after all. Consider the car wash chain that discovered their biggest competitor was their own customer! Instead of focusing their marketing messages on "on upping" other car wash facilities, this chain changed their focus and began airing messages to educate their customers on the benefits of their system over washing their cars at home.

Once this business recognized who their true competitor was and changed their ad copy, they began to see measurable results in the bottom line!

STEP TWO - Determine the problems your customer has and the solutions you offer.Everyone has problems. Marketing is merely the act of bringing your solutions before the people who need it most and are ready, willing and able to pay for it.

The more you know about your customer, the better you'll be able to showcase the solutions you offer that s/he is seeking.

STEP THREE - Determine the emotional triggers that will ignite your sales.

The act of buying is a complex and emotional decision. The reason your customer is making a purchase is not always readily apparent. While you may think that you are selling candles, your customers may actually be buying:

• Emergency lighting
• Aroma therapy
• Ambiance

Notice, not one of the cus

What Is Costa Mesa Mold Abatement?
Are you a Costa Mesa homeowner or business owner? If you are, have you ever heard of a process that is sometimes referred to as Costa Mesa mold abatement? If not, you may want to take time to familiarize yourself with it, especially if you feel that your home or business may have a mold problem.Although a Costa Mesa mold abatement process is a relatively common one, there are some California homeowners and business owners who are unfamiliar with the term Costa Mesa mold abatement. What you should know is that Costa Mesa mold abatement is the same thing as mold removal. Mold abatement involves the removal and cleanup of all mold types. In addition to being known as mold removal, mold abatement is also commonly referred to as mold remediation.No matter what the name, Costa Mesa mold abatement is something that your home or business may have to undergo. Although it is not always healthy or

a few worms, and when I arrived at the water’s edge I impaled the unlucky creatures on my hook and tossed the line into the creek.

Because my goal was to catch “anything,” the only fish I ever caught were either carp or catfish and I didn’t catch those very often. I knew that the creek that ran behind my childhood home was teaming with blue gill, bass and other “desirable” fish. I knew because I saw other anglers stand in the very spot I did and catch those very fish. However, despite my good intentions and all of my efforts, the best I ever caught was an occasional carp or catfish.

Years later, I can see that the reason I was catching these “bottom feeders” is that I had my hook lying on the bottom of the creek. The anglers who were bringing in the fish I desired weren’t using the huge hook I was using, nor were they using earthworms for bait. (Nor, for that matter, were they using an oversized orange bobber!) In my youthful exuberance, I had over-estimated the depth of the waters and seriously over-estimated the mouths of the creek’s “desirable” fish. No matter how noble my goals, I was not fishing with the proper bait and tackle, so I could not catch the fish I desired.

Experienced anglers know that choosing the proper tackle is essential before you begin to fish. You have to know what fish you are targeting, because that determines everything else. By the time an angler picks a target, s/he will have made many decisions well in advance. The first choice is whether to fish in fresh water or salt water. From there, the angler will choose the weight of the line, the type of bait and the size of the hook.

If you want to be successful in fishing, you have to choose your target in advance. You have to develop a "fishing strategy". The same is true when you're fishing for customers for your business.

Using marketing tactics is like using bait when you fish. You may be using a bait that is irresistable to sailfish on the open ocean, but when you're sitting on a boat in the middle of a lake teaming with bluegill, your irresistable bait won't result in catching very many fish.

Marketing Tactics, when used to support a Marketing Strategy, can be powerful. However, when used haphazardly, they can actually hurt your business.

There is no such thing as a "magic marketing tactic" that works for everyone, every time. Yet, you'll find entire books focused solely upon marketing tactics instead of helping you develop a marketing strategy. That's probably because executing marketing tactics is easy. Developing a marketing strategy can be hard if you don't have direction.

The basics of developing powerful marketing strategies

STEP ONE - Research, research research

This is where you find out what you do not know. The more you know, the better your marketing strategy will be. Be certain you define the following:

• Your customers
  

  Why do they buy from you?
  

  What are they buying from you? (It may not be what you think!)
  

  What problems are they trying to solve?
  

  How old are they?
  

  What is their income?
  

  What is their level of education?
  

  What is their marital statues?
  

  Do they have a religious preference?
  

  What is their comfort level with technology?
  

  Where do they live?
  

  Where do they work?
  

  What do they drive?
  

  How far do they drive?

The list goes on and on. You simply cannot know too much about your customers.

• Your competitors
  

  Who are your competitors?
  

  Are they only in your industry?
  

  What is their USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
  

  Why do their customers choose them?

  You may be surprised to discover your competition may not be another business after all. Consider the car wash chain that discovered their biggest competitor was their own customer! Instead of focusing their marketing messages on "on upping" other car wash facilities, this chain changed their focus and began airing messages to educate their customers on the benefits of their system over washing their cars at home.

Once this business recognized who their true competitor was and changed their ad copy, they began to see measurable results in the bottom line!

STEP TWO - Determine the problems your customer has and the solutions you offer.Everyone has problems. Marketing is merely the act of bringing your solutions before the people who need it most and are ready, willing and able to pay for it.

The more you know about your customer, the better you'll be able to showcase the solutions you offer that s/he is seeking.

STEP THREE - Determine the emotional triggers that will ignite your sales.

The act of buying is a complex and emotional decision. The reason your customer is making a purchase is not always readily apparent. While you may think that you are selling candles, your customers may actually be buying:

• Emergency lighting
• Aroma therapy
• Ambiance

Notice, not one of the cu

5 Steps to Continuous Process Improvement
Part One of Creating Well-Defined Processes SeriesWhat if your sales increased from $100,000 to $110,000 per day and your profit increased from $10,000 to $11,000 – did you improve by 10%? The answer might shock you...Because the answer is no. No improvement occurred. In fact, your process deteriorated. Sure, revenue increased, but is this really an improvement? Let’s take a look at the problem by looking at revenue and expenses.Extra Expenses Prevent Process ImprovementLet’s examine the before and the after scenario. Say, in the before picture, you have sales of $100,000, fixed costs of $20,000 and variable costs of $70,000. Total expenses amount to $90,000, giving you a gross profit of $10,000. In the after picture, sales increase to $110,000, while variable costs rise to $77,000 in addition to $2,000 in Extra Expenses – which give you total expenses of $99

what fish you are targeting, because that determines everything else. By the time an angler picks a target, s/he will have made many decisions well in advance. The first choice is whether to fish in fresh water or salt water. From there, the angler will choose the weight of the line, the type of bait and the size of the hook.

If you want to be successful in fishing, you have to choose your target in advance. You have to develop a "fishing strategy". The same is true when you're fishing for customers for your business.

Using marketing tactics is like using bait when you fish. You may be using a bait that is irresistable to sailfish on the open ocean, but when you're sitting on a boat in the middle of a lake teaming with bluegill, your irresistable bait won't result in catching very many fish.

Marketing Tactics, when used to support a Marketing Strategy, can be powerful. However, when used haphazardly, they can actually hurt your business.

There is no such thing as a "magic marketing tactic" that works for everyone, every time. Yet, you'll find entire books focused solely upon marketing tactics instead of helping you develop a marketing strategy. That's probably because executing marketing tactics is easy. Developing a marketing strategy can be hard if you don't have direction.

The basics of developing powerful marketing strategies

STEP ONE - Research, research research

This is where you find out what you do not know. The more you know, the better your marketing strategy will be. Be certain you define the following:

• Your customers
  

  Why do they buy from you?
  

  What are they buying from you? (It may not be what you think!)
  

  What problems are they trying to solve?
  

  How old are they?
  

  What is their income?
  

  What is their level of education?
  

  What is their marital statues?
  

  Do they have a religious preference?
  

  What is their comfort level with technology?
  

  Where do they live?
  

  Where do they work?
  

  What do they drive?
  

  How far do they drive?

The list goes on and on. You simply cannot know too much about your customers.

• Your competitors
  

  Who are your competitors?
  

  Are they only in your industry?
  

  What is their USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
  

  Why do their customers choose them?

  You may be surprised to discover your competition may not be another business after all. Consider the car wash chain that discovered their biggest competitor was their own customer! Instead of focusing their marketing messages on "on upping" other car wash facilities, this chain changed their focus and began airing messages to educate their customers on the benefits of their system over washing their cars at home.

Once this business recognized who their true competitor was and changed their ad copy, they began to see measurable results in the bottom line!

STEP TWO - Determine the problems your customer has and the solutions you offer.Everyone has problems. Marketing is merely the act of bringing your solutions before the people who need it most and are ready, willing and able to pay for it.

The more you know about your customer, the better you'll be able to showcase the solutions you offer that s/he is seeking.

STEP THREE - Determine the emotional triggers that will ignite your sales.

The act of buying is a complex and emotional decision. The reason your customer is making a purchase is not always readily apparent. While you may think that you are selling candles, your customers may actually be buying:

• Emergency lighting
• Aroma therapy
• Ambiance

Notice, not one of the cu

Medical Billing - The Support Tech's Troubles
If you think that the programmer has nightmares trying to get a piece of medical billing software to work correctly and the QA tech has headaches trying to test this software under every possible condition, imagine the troubles that the support tech has when he is basically stuck in the middle of this no win battle. In this installment, we're going to show you just what the support tech has to go through on a daily basis.The biggest problem that the support tech has is that they are basically the last one to find out what the software does and the first line of defense when it comes to taking support calls. This gives them the least amount of time to prepare what is inevitably going to come down the pike. Need an example? Here's a perfect one.The DME medical billing software company decides to add barcoding to their line of products. So the hardware department makes the barcoding machin

t have direction.

The basics of developing powerful marketing strategies

STEP ONE - Research, research research

This is where you find out what you do not know. The more you know, the better your marketing strategy will be. Be certain you define the following:

• Your customers
  

  Why do they buy from you?
  

  What are they buying from you? (It may not be what you think!)
  

  What problems are they trying to solve?
  

  How old are they?
  

  What is their income?
  

  What is their level of education?
  

  What is their marital statues?
  

  Do they have a religious preference?
  

  What is their comfort level with technology?
  

  Where do they live?
  

  Where do they work?
  

  What do they drive?
  

  How far do they drive?

The list goes on and on. You simply cannot know too much about your customers.

• Your competitors
  

  Who are your competitors?
  

  Are they only in your industry?
  

  What is their USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
  

  Why do their customers choose them?

  You may be surprised to discover your competition may not be another business after all. Consider the car wash chain that discovered their biggest competitor was their own customer! Instead of focusing their marketing messages on "on upping" other car wash facilities, this chain changed their focus and began airing messages to educate their customers on the benefits of their system over washing their cars at home.

Once this business recognized who their true competitor was and changed their ad copy, they began to see measurable results in the bottom line!

STEP TWO - Determine the problems your customer has and the solutions you offer.Everyone has problems. Marketing is merely the act of bringing your solutions before the people who need it most and are ready, willing and able to pay for it.

The more you know about your customer, the better you'll be able to showcase the solutions you offer that s/he is seeking.

STEP THREE - Determine the emotional triggers that will ignite your sales.

The act of buying is a complex and emotional decision. The reason your customer is making a purchase is not always readily apparent. While you may think that you are selling candles, your customers may actually be buying:

• Emergency lighting
• Aroma therapy
• Ambiance

Notice, not one of the cu

Back Office Outsourcing Can Enhance Business Prospects Tremendously
Back office is one of the most crucial aspects of any business. It is this aspect that keeps all the financial transaction and dealing of the company proper and smoothly running. In fact, most of the tasks that are require for the proper functioning of the company take place under the back office work of a company or business. Most people who start a business or company are not the ones that are expert in handling the financial and other back office work of the business. However this does not mean that they can neglect this aspect of their business, but they must take special care not to neglect this aspect. Back office outsourcing can be one option that they can opt to take care of this thing.Setting up a business is not too difficult if you have all the proper resources in place. Even the most difficult, tiresome and time consuming this can be taken care of if you know how to go about doing d

nsider the car wash chain that discovered their biggest competitor was their own customer! Instead of focusing their marketing messages on "on upping" other car wash facilities, this chain changed their focus and began airing messages to educate their customers on the benefits of their system over washing their cars at home.

Once this business recognized who their true competitor was and changed their ad copy, they began to see measurable results in the bottom line!

STEP TWO - Determine the problems your customer has and the solutions you offer.Everyone has problems. Marketing is merely the act of bringing your solutions before the people who need it most and are ready, willing and able to pay for it.

The more you know about your customer, the better you'll be able to showcase the solutions you offer that s/he is seeking.

STEP THREE - Determine the emotional triggers that will ignite your sales.

The act of buying is a complex and emotional decision. The reason your customer is making a purchase is not always readily apparent. While you may think that you are selling candles, your customers may actually be buying:

• Emergency lighting
• Aroma therapy
• Ambiance

Notice, not one of the customers above is buying candles. They are instead, purchasing a function of the candles.

Find out why your customers are buying and you will be on your way to marketing success.

STEP FOUR - Creating a marketing strategy that delivers results!

Now it is time to take the information gathered in the first three steps to create a precise marketing strategy for your business or product. Once you recognize who your potential customer is, you can begin to focus your message on their wants, their needs and their desires.

A marketing strategy is simply a plan where you get your message in front of the right people, those who want and need your product or service.