A few years back the Better Business Bureau cancelled one of my client’s memberships because they thought his marketing was “too aggressive.” Particularly his web site where he clearly and specifically stated why a prospect should choose his company over every other IT service company in the area (which I wrote for him). His reaction was the same as mine: Nuts to them. If anything, it validated what we were doing. In fact, their complaint wasn’t that our claims weren’t TRUE (they were) or even that they were getting complaints about it—their beef was that they deemed it “unfair.” Um, last time I checked, business is based on securing the biggest competitive advantage you can over your competition and then beating them over the head with it. I’ll play fair and honest in my dealings with customers, but I’m not pulling any punches when it comes to taking business away from a competitor—and offering better, more attractive and more valuable service IS fair and honest in business. (On a separate note, I think the BBB is one of the biggest scams going. Very similar to Mafia bosses selling protection. Who appointed those nitwits to be the police of what is and isn’t “fair” in business anyway?) 

On this same note, take a look at the e-mail campaign (below) forwarded to me by my staff from the folks at Axcient, a backup vendor that recently hired me to do a webinar for their clients. During one of our prep meetings, the Zenith bond default had just happened and came up during our discussion. I recommended they use that as the key message in a marketing piece to steal Zenith’s clients who were already unhappy with the service, and now rightfully concerned about having their clients’ data under their care. Much to my delight they actually took my advice and sent out the e-mail you see here. It’s nice to see someone willing to be a bit ballsy in their marketing when most are trying to be completely non-offensive, plain vanilla bland so they don’t rock anyone’s boat. Just remember if your marketing doesn’t arouse an emotion on some level, it’s getting ignored.

Example from Axcient

5%…15%…80% 

 Assemble any population. Randomly poll 100 business owners in your area in the IT industry. Look at your client base. Your employees. Your entire circle of friends. 100 sales people. Athletes or artists. Any small town. Your town. All the clients you serve. Here’s what you’ll find: the population can be divided into three distinct groups – 5%, 15% and 80%. 

The 5% are absolute winners, growing, thriving and making what some people would consider “obscene” amounts of money. 15% are doing fairly well, and 80% are floundering, broke, and getting nowhere. That’s true right now, in this economy, in this industry, in your town. 

No matter how you reshuffle the deck, change the circumstances or the situation, these percentages have forever stood the test of time since discovered in the 1800’s by Vilfredo Pareto (the “80-20 rule” or Pareto Principle). 

For those unfamiliar, the Pareto Principle proves that 20% of any group is responsible for 80% of the results or output. Put into the framework of IT companies in this industry (and based on surveys we’ve conducted), the percentage of IT service firms doing $5 million or more is in the 5% range, those doing $1 million to $5 million in the 15% range and the rest, 80%, are flat out struggling to break the million dollar mark or to make any real money. I can also tell you that the majority of those in the 5% are FAR MORE profitable in both a dollars and percentage standpoint than the rest of their peers. 

Why is this? What is it about the 5%ers that allows them to secure 20x or 30x results over their peers who are selling essentially the same services in the same geographic region, in the same economic environment, using the same vendors and pulling from the same hiring pool of potential employees? Do they have some insider connection? Do they have some special secret no one knows about? No, that’s how poverty-minded people think – that the world has kept some elusive secret from them and if they ONLY knew that ONE secret, they’d be wealthy and successful.

But the bigger and more relevant question you should ask yourself is: 

What Can You Change, Learn Or Do To Elevate 
Yourself Into The 5% Group As Quickly As Possible? 

Of course, there’s a chance you’re not that ambitious. Maybe you’re perfectly happy with the way things are and the income you’re making. Maybe having a company that can operate without you doing the work – and more importantly turn a profit to you, not just a salary – just isn’t important to you. If that’s you, then you most likely won’t be interested in what I’ve got to say for the rest of this letter outside of sheer curiosity or the entertainment value. But if you’re hungry and on fire to be more than mediocre… to be as successful as you can be and to actually earn the kind of money you know you should be earning, then there is a very important message in this letter you need to hear, served up without fluff and without a spoonful of sugar. If you want a rah-rah, hug-a-tree, rainbows and kittens motivational message, you won’t find it here. 

But if you want straight talk about why you’re not as successful as you should be AND what you can do about it, then shut the door, close the laptop and turn the phone OFF. You’re about to get the dose of tough love you need and want.

What The 5%ers Know And Do That The 80% Don’t, Won’t Or Can’t 

In Napoleon Hill’s best-selling book, “Think And Grow Rich,” he details 17 principles shared by the wealthiest, most successful people. These “secrets” have been shared millions of ways by thousands of authors, speakers and consultants and in numerous books on the topics of success in business, money and life. The Internet has made it easier than breathing to find “how to” information about building wealth and being successful in business. The last time I looked, there were over 1 million books on “Business” at Amazon and over a quarter of a million on marketing alone. So as the saying goes, the “jig is up.” There are no secrets about how to be successful in marketing, business, management and wealth creation. 

You already know that you need to be a sharp marketer and sales pro to be successful in business. You already know you need to be organized, highly productive and make good decisions to thrive. You already know you need to find, hire and keep great employees, build a productive culture and develop solid leadership skills. You already know that you have to understand market trends, price points and your competition to even begin to be an effective competitor and make correct decisions about the direction of your business. But, as mentioned a moment ago, you already have access to MORE resources than you could possibly consume to show you how to excel in all those areas.

So What’s Missing? 

As a serious student of personal development, marketing, sales and professional coaching AND as someone who’s invested over a DECADE of in-the-trenches research with (quite literally) thousands of business owners, vendors and leaders in the IT services industry, I believe it comes down to just a few key principles – specifically, two intertwined things – that separate those who truly know how to be consistently successful from those who forever fumble, stumble and fail. There are patterns if you’re paying attention. 

The first is how successful IT business owners think about opportunity, their business, their customers and themselves. The second is how they make decisions. Naturally, flawed thinking leads to poor decisions. As my friend Nido Qubein says, an empty bank account is a sign of a lifetime of bad decisions. 

I can assure you the unsuccessful majority is choosing to say “no” frequently to opportunities where they can gain relevant information, critical thinking, study, skill advancement, useful networking, and new ideas while they simultaneously say “yes” to trivial activities. The “no” gives them a brief, apparent gain of saving a bit of money or not having to do anything uncomfortable or slightly inconvenient. No is easy. No doesn’t need to be explained to a spouse or business partner. And in a situation where new skills and new information can be gained, no is the shortcut to not doing anything, not having more work, not having more complexity, not progressing. I understand the attractiveness of the word “no.” And the reality is, there are a lot of things you should make the decision to say “no” to like people who waste your time, incessantly checking e-mail and other bad work habits of disorganization and distraction that suck the life out of your day. 

But, bluntly, this is NOT how top income earners and performers act. We deal in the concept of the slight edge. We know that one idea…one new concept learned…can be the hinge that swings a very big door. We are not cheap or stingy with investing in ourselves because we know that investing in the development of our skills is the BEST investment that can be made by far. Not in homes, not in the stock market. And CERTAINLY not on vacations and cars we can’t afford. 

To quote Keith Cameron Smith, author of The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires And The Middle Class: “Winners find a way, whiners find an excuse.” 

So now to the point of this letter and a “crass” commercial for the upcoming Boot Camp. Since I don’t know what group you are in, I’ve written a personal message for each of the three groups, with each message sure to be relevant to those who belong to that group. If you find the message not resonating with you, perhaps you need to choose a different group:

To the 5%ers: Congratulations on your decision to attend. I have no doubt you’ll be thrilled with what you observe, learn and discover at this event. How can I be so confident that you have already registered? Because the one thing I know for certain about the 5%ers is this: you can count on them to invest in themselves and to constantly seek the slight edge. They don’t have to use tired old excuses like “I don’t have the time” or “I don’t have the money” because, quite frankly, they DO have the money. And the reason they have the money is because they constantly, doggedly pursue excellence. On a selfish note, my delight in your attendance goes much, much further than the money earned from the tuition you’ve paid. Nothing is more energizing to me than collaborating with truly smart, driven entrepreneurs like you. It is one of the great fringe benefits of what I do. Your attendance is important to me because many of the other members know you or know of you, look for you, and want to meet you. They are inspired by your example as a serious student of marketing and business success.

To the 15%ers: It is, frankly, MOST important for YOU to attend over any other group. The 5%ers are already successful and, arguably, need me the least. They don’t come to events like the Boot Camp out of desperation but rather for inspiration and because of their desire to be the absolute best. That’s an easy conclusion to come to. But why do YOU need to be at the Boot Camp more than the 80%ers? 

Because often the mindset, poor habits, fear, procrastination, laziness and broken business of those in the 80% group is so far out of whack that no seminar, method or teacher – no matter how great – can fix what’s wrong. 

YOU are far from that. YOU are sitting on the edge…

The strategies and disciplines between a person who owns a 6-figure business and a 7- or 8-figure business is slight – and you certainly aren’t going to make that breakthrough by working longer hours or working harder. You already KNOW that. The key for you is finding and tweaking just a few of the things you are doing right now and finding and leveraging underperforming assets hidden in your business.

I recall a previous Boot Camp where one of my clients revealed a single, simple change he’s making in his sales presentations that has enabled him to close 74% of all the new managed services opportunities he’s had coming his way – at a HIGHER price – while his colleagues in lesser depressed areas are barely closing 10% to 15% of the same deals at lower price points. Another took ONE idea I talked about and used it to generate close to a million dollars in recurring revenue – and had that on the books at the start of the year BEFORE any other projects and without having to secure another client – a real game changer for his business. 

These are the kinds of strategies you’ll collect when you attend the annual Boot Camp. What one strategy will you hear that will double or triple the revenue you are generating from your clients? What one hallway conversation will finally give you the answer to the question you’ve been wrestling with for months? What one connection will you make that will turn itself into lifetime profits? What key change in your thinking or approach will massively and rapidly move you closer to the results you so desperately want? 

You’ll never know if you stay at home and only get to hear about the “party” after everyone’s gone home. And since you are in the 15% group, you are a hair’s breath away from securing a big breakthrough in your income and in your business to leap into the 5%, which is exactly why you need to do everything within your power to attend.

To The 80% Struggling, Directionless, and Broke: George Washington Carver said, “Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.” I suppose that is all I really need to write to those of you in this group because it pretty much says it all. This is the vast majority who “can’t” come because of some excuse thinly veiled as a “reason” that cannot be changed.

Quite frankly, there really aren’t any good excuses for not registering, but I’ll play along…

Excuse #1: “I can’t afford it.” It’s funny to me how folks who don’t think twice about spending $20,000 to $100,000 on a college education they never use or $5,000 to $10,000 on a vacation that will be forgotten as soon as it’s over will cringe at investing $1,000 into a program that they can directly and immediately apply to generate more income and secure a better life for themselves. 

As you know, I’m completely guaranteeing you’ll get what you came for or you’ll get every single penny back PLUS up to $300 in travel expenses. Name ONE investment you can make that will put that kind of guarantee on it. Not real estate. Not the stock market. Not your home. Not your business. Besides, all you need is ONE more client to MORE than make back your investment. What fool would NOT take that kind of deal?

Excuse #2: “I don’t have the time.” I know, I know…you’re too busy chopping trees to sharpen your axe. So, unless you are making some serious money, what could you possibly be too busy doing to distract you from your #1 most important priority of making more money? And exactly how is staying at home, not learning, not growing, going to solve that problem? 

Let me share a true story with you… 

I had a client make the expensive mistake of NOT attending one of my events so he could renovate a rental property he had, in order to save $500 per month over the next year. Expensive mistake. That saved him $6,000, but it COST him five to six times that since one of the strategies covered in detail was how a client of mine secured over 17 new managed services contracts, generating over $600,000 in revenue. A strategy he has now missed and will never learn because of his erroneous decision to sit that event out – but that is a PERFECT example of why he’s out of business and in a job.

Excuse #3: “It’s not the RIGHT time.” Time flies whether you’re having fun or not; and right now, we are still early into a fresh new year. A lot has been happening in this industry. We’ve seen close to 20% of the MSPs and IT consultants close their doors, out of business. Companies are NOT eager and willing to spend money on IT as they once did. And layoffs from big companies are saturating the market with a fresh crop of newbie IT “pros” offering their services for $40 per hour. With these threats looming, if “now” isn’t the right time to learn how to secure what business there is to be had in the marketplace, when is? 

I’ll also point out that many of my clients are having stellar success selling cloud computing – or at least using that buzz word to their advantage. There IS quite a bit of money to be made for those who are sharp enough and FAST enough to market with cloud solutions. Bigger accounts are being won due to larger companies wanting to simplify IT, cut expenses and offload expensive IT staff; many MSPs are now ABLE to cherry pick those prime accounts AND service them well thanks to cloud technologies. That’s why we are dedicating an entire pre-day to cloud computing and several sessions at the Boot Camp.

A Few More Things You Should Know… 

#1. This event is entirely focused on one thing and one thing only: Helping you break free of the incredible struggle to bring in MORE clients, MORE sales and MORE profits. Every speaker, every session and every attendee will be focused on this single purpose. 

#2. The sessions won’t just be about “positive thinking” or telling you to just refuse to participate in the recession. That’s just foolish.

 Optimism that is not founded in solid, concrete strategy is stupid. Instead, every session will be focused on giving you tangible, “take home” strategies to help you squeeze more productivity and profit out of every activity, every marketing campaign, heck, every MINUTE of your day for faster, greater results. And that is, of course, REAL motivation. 

#3. This is NOT about teaching you to be a better technician, crawling around under people’s desks, being on call 24-7 and staying trapped “doing” the work…that’s the job of an employee (and quite honestly, if you are only interested in that, please send in your resume. I have a few of my clients who might hire you). 

It IS about being an active participant in a unique and extremely productive environment of entrepreneurs – not technicians and managers. So, regardless of what group you find yourself in, think twice before you let this opportunity pass you by. The sum total of the results we get in business, physically, mentally, and financially, are based on the decisions we make. Make sure you are making the RIGHT one now: go to www.RobinsBigSeminar.com and register today. 

I’m looking to hire an expert on creating, selling and delivering disaster recovery plans (not just backup services) to small and medium businesses. I would pay for these consulting services, but don’t know what amount of time and involvement it would require; that will be part of the discovery process I’m conducting right now. The person I’m looking for must meet the following criteria:

1. They must have extensive experience in creating, selling and implementing IT specific disaster recovery plans for small and medium businesses; not just Fortune 500 companies. If they have experience in non IT business continuity, such as setting up temporary work places, dealing with food, utilities, etc., that’s a plus. However, my focus is on the disaster recovery and business continuity specific to IT systems, data, phone and Internet.
2. Must be technically proficient with the various backup and disaster recovery technologies (almost everyone we’ll be dealing with on this project will be IT savvy and will want to know the technical aspect of disaster recovery and continuity)
3. Must understand “consultative selling” and the aspect of working with the client to craft an agreed upon plan based on their needs, budget, etc. They also need to know how to properly set expectations with the client. Ideally, this person would have a process for this.

If you are that person, please email ask@technologymarketingtoolkit.com with the subject line "Disaster Recovery Plans" with a number to best reach you at to discuss. If you are NOT the right person, please forward this on to anyone you know who fits the project.

Many thanks,

Robin

Online web videos can build a great amount of personality and credibility in your marketing. The reason that video is such a great social media tool is that it provides your ideal clients with information that instantly builds your relationship with them, gives you credibility and helps you to generate sales leads. BUT… 

Shooting a video of yourself can be downright scary for many people. I hear it all the time: “Jeff, I really know that I should do more online videos, but I look horrible on camera and hate to look at myself.” A little secret: Everyone (except ego maniacs) hates the way they look and sound on video. Even Robin refuses to watch her own videos for this reason.

So here’s a simple (but effective) strategy for getting started with videos:

Use video to answer questions that your prospects and customers ask about the services that you provide (or IT questions in general). Here’s the formula:

Step 1: Brainstorm a list of the TOP 10 questions you hear from clients and prospects. This could be about what you do, cloud computing, what to spend on IT, how to keep employees in check, or anything related to your business. Brainstorm a 2nd list of the TOP 10 questions that your clients and prospects SHOULD have but rarely ever ask. (See Robin’s wedge letters, free reports and other sales letters for good content here.)

Step 2: Setup your video camera for recording. I recommend the Kodak Zi8 with an attached lavalier microphone, but a simple Flip camera or webcam would work just fine.

Step 3: Record your 20 videos one by one. Here’s the format:

• Start by saying who you are. For example, “This is Jeff Johnson, Head Marketing Coach and Master Mentor at Technology Marketing Toolkit, Inc.” Do this for every video since someone might not watch the video in a series; they may skip around and only watch one or two that interests them.
• Next, state the question that your video is going to answer. For example, “One of the questions I get asked a lot is…” or, “In this video, I’m going to answer the question…”
• Answer the question without a script by pretending the camera is someone who you’ve just met at a networking event and has asked you that question. Look them right in the eye and keep it simple.
• At the end of your video, give them an irresistible offer (ideally on a dedicated landing page where you can capture their lead info).
• Aim for 60-90 seconds per video, but if it needs to go longer to answer the question and you feel that your answer will hit the mark, then go for it.
• The only editing you should do is cutting off the start and end of the video. Don’t fuss with it!
• I recommend recording 10 to 20 videos at a time. Once you have the questions ready, just set aside a few hours to get this done and knock them all out at once. 

Step 4: Post and share your videos. YouTube is ideal (for the SEO). Next, release a new video every other week on your company blog. Cross post the blog entry on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter at the same time. Send a teaser e-mail to your e-mail list telling them about a new video that you just posted. If you create 20 videos, you now have nearly 10 months of videos ready to go! 

Start to finish, this is a strategy that can be implemented in 2 hours of time. You could even schedule the blog posts, social media posts, and even the e-mails in advance, giving you an automated system for posting content. 

The January 2012 Marketing GENIUS of the Month 

Story as told by Tim Shea…

Before finding Robin, our business was hovering just below $1 million dollars in sales for a couple of years. We were making a profit, but I was incredibly frustrated by the lack of growth. It seemed as though we were stuck and needed to figure out how to get over the hump and bring more new customers in the door. Like most of her clients, we were good technicians but not good at sales or marketing, so when I saw that her program was geared specifically toward managed service providers, signing up was a no-brainer – and thank God I did.

Two Catastrophic Events That Almost Bankrupt Us 

Shortly after signing up with Robin, I had two catastrophic events happen that had the potential to put us out of business. A key engineer quit because he was going through a divorce. He had been servicing a contract that represented 25% of our

 revenue and, since we couldn’t service the contract without him, we lost it. Then, a month later, our largest MSP client (135 computers) decided they had outgrown us and cancelled their contract. That meant 20% of our revenue stopped suddenly, leaving a big, gaping hole in our profitability. Leveraging Robin’s strategies for marketing, I was able to sign 26 new accounts that year and re-sign the lost account a few months later. That means we ended up recovering the 45% in lost revenue. Since then, she’s gotten me through a number of mini-crises, but those were the ones where the marketing really saved our bacon.

The Best Campaigns We’ve Implemented To Date 

Since then, I’ve implemented a lot of Robin’s marketing campaigns. First, we completely revised our web site, and are working with Tom Malesic at EZSolution to improve our SEO. I also spend about $400 per month on Google AdWords, something we’re still working on improving. The one campaign I’ve had a lot of success with is Robin’s classic “Bad Date” letter, as well as a BDR campaign. But in addition to those campaigns, I’ve implemented a monthly hardcopy newsletter that I send to all my clients and warm prospects, a monthly e-mail TechTip (to warm leads and cold suspects we have), and a quarterly seminar at my office. The seminar has gotten such a great response that we’re going to start doing them monthly. We are also starting to implement web videos and telemarketing to follow up on the campaigns we’re sending out and, based on our early estimation, should see a significant boost in response, leads and sales from it. 

250% Increase To The Bottom Line 

It’s hard to say which particular marketing campaign gave us the best results overall, but it IS working. This year, we are on track to increase gross revenue from $1 million to $1.3 million (a solid 30% increase) and a net profit increase from $136,000 to $340,000 (a whopping 250% increase). 

Looking back, I wish I had been more consistent in the marketing and promotions. I think this is a mistake many new clients make: they get the material and dabble, yet we all know that generating results requires more than just the occasional campaign – it takes a serious effort and focus. If anyone out there is unsure, my advice would be to stop second guessing everything and just put it into practice. But make sure you do it with 100% effort and not a half-attempt or you’ll waste your time and be disappointed with the results. 

"We Are Not Going To Die…  Butters stared up at me, pale, his eyes terrified. "We're not?" "No. And do you know why?" He shook his head. "Because Thomas is too pretty to die. And because I'm too stubborn to die." I hauled on his shirt even harder. "And most of all because tomorrow is Oktoberfest, Butters, and polka will never die." — An excerpt from book 7 of the Dresden Files, “Dead Beat”

 Okay, if you’re not a fan of the Jim Butcher series “The Dresden Files” you won’t find the humor in (or even understand) the above reference, but it’s my newsletter and I get to write what I want. I would have to imagine that there are a handful of fellow fans in my member base since the series has sold a few million copies and has been made into a comic book series and a TV show. Briefly, it’s about the life of Harry Dresden, a highly-skilled but scrappy wizard living in Chicago, trying to eek out a living as a private investigator (he’s the only person listed under “Wizard” in the phone book). His investigations always seem to suck him into incredibly dangerous situations that he somehow manages to overcome. I got hooked a few years back when searching for something new to read before bed to switch my mind off and have since come to love the unlikely super hero Harry is. 

Speaking of “super heroes,” you may have already guessed this year’s Boot Camp theme is “The Super Marketing League.” I’ve been wanting to do this theme for awhile now…and since running a business has gotten to be significantly more difficult over the last 4 years, requiring near super-human strength, wit and abilities to achieve any significant progress, there’s no time like the present to pull out our tights, don our capes and tap into whatever super-human talents we can muster up to fight the good fight (that and the fact that I’m dying to see our current Spokesperson, Tom Malesic of EZSolution, in his Superman speedo. LOL). I’m often thought of as a super hero in my own way, even though I don’t do anything to try and propagate that belief. In fact, there’s a reason I don’t show pictures of my real office and invite you to come and hang out with me for a day: you’d be hugely unimpressed. Damn little magic going on around here on a day-to-day basis. I don’t really leap tall buildings in a single bound. I painstakingly climb over them, inch-by-inch, much like other successful entrepreneurs I know.

I know because I’ve had the unique opportunity to meet with and hang out with many celebrities and the rich and famous—and the more I do this, the more convinced I am that there are no REAL superheroes. BUT, there ARE a lot of hardworking, seriously passionate people with unwavering determination to make things happen despite the fact they often find themselves mired in setbacks, disappointments and outright messes, wading through waist-deep muddy, stinking water filled with alligators and mosquitoes on a daily basis. If you want to see a real super hero, I submit to the “average Joe” entrepreneur who, despite being utterly exhausted both physically and mentally…despite disappointment after disappointment…missing yet ANOTHER goal…encountering yet another major roadblock entirely out of their control…beat up, taxed, overworked, regulated, burned and screwed by the government they work so hard to support and the employees they provide opportunity for…overworked (yes, I said that but it bears repeating)…gets back up again early in the morning with renewed passion and determination to actually make something happen instead of standing around “occupying” something. Now THAT’S a real super power and one that won’t get featured on the news.

 By the time you get this, we’ll have celebrated the arrival of another fresh New Year. Congratulations are in order to many of you reading this. I know of multiple members who had their best year ever, securing notable increases in sales, profits and new clients. Many of them will be the super heroes of the Boot Camp you’ll get to see them showcase their incredible feats of marketing and business strategy—and you will get to profit from their hard work by taking home the blueprints. I’m proud of you because I know how hard you worked to make that happen.

Others, while not having a stellar year in terms of current sales, are planting and cultivating the seeds that will inevitably lead to a big harvest. They too deserve a congratulations for their determination and foresight and should know that I’m proud of them, too. Don’t forget to stop and give yourself a gold star for doing the right thing, even though it may not feel like you’ve accomplished much—yet. I and your fellow members applaud you because we know how tough it can be to keep going when you’re not yet seeing the results. Of course, there are some who are still barely hanging on by their fingernails, stubbornly waiting for the elusive magic pill, the “one thing,” that will make all things easy and effortless instead of rolling up their shirt sleeves and getting to work at being a serious student of sales, marketing and business strategy. There may be a few reading this but they’ll be gone in a month or two. This newsletter looks too much like broccoli to them instead of cheesecake. 

So as we move into the New Year, I submit to you the Lombardi quote, “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” So true. If you quit on marketing, I can guarantee there are other things in your business or your life that you’re doing half-assed too. So here’s a good question to ask yourself: “Where in my life have I developed the habit of quitting?” And quitting is not just defined by a moment where you say to yourself I give up; you quit whenever you don’t give an important project or goal your full effort. If you could do 30 prospecting calls but stop at 29, you quit. You quit whenever you procrastinate or make excuses rather than methodically sticking with your plan and re-energizing and re-calibrating your efforts when the results are not achieved in a set time frame. You quit when you think it’s “impossible for me because…” and you fill in the blank with some “reason” that is completely out of your control. And you quit whenever you say to yourself, “I’ll work on that later…” knowing deep down “later” is never. If you were truly serious about getting out of debt or losing weight or making more money, you’d have it done OR at least have some significant progress made. Not “working on it,” not “trying.” Done. Anyone can be “trying” to do something—but only those who are truly serious, and willing to commit to the steady headed, methodical implementation of sound principles, figure out how to stay engaged— even excited—through the tedium and boredom of implementing winning systems and stick through the complexity of it all will truly win in business and in life. So for those of you who are my winners who aren’t going to quit, I submit to you another month of inspiration. Let’s get to work… 

When you get right down to it, marketing really isn’t that hard. What’s hard is getting out of our own way and setting aside everything WE know so we can think more like our prospects. Stop trying to be cute and clever and just say what you mean to say. Below is a one-page advertisement I found in my swipe file that is several years old, but could be used today. While it is for a chiropractor, there are several things you can (and should) note and study: 

1. The prospect we are looking for is flagged in the headline by the problem they are having. This is a simple, brilliant but often forgotten strategy. 

2. The entire ad focuses on the situation and pain of the prospect and very little on what the solution itself is. In fact, it’s not until the middle of the ad that the solution is revealed. THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT LESSON TO TAKE NOTE OF. I see IT companies making this mistake constantly: focusing on the product or service and what it is before they’ve accurately aligned with the prospect and flagged the prospects they are dealing with. 

3. There is urgency created with a great offer for the cervical pillow for the first 10 who respond. Using a free gift like this can really boost response. 

4. There is a selling of the “free exam” for only $17.00, as well as a value build. All of you currently using free network audits need to take note of this campaign. 

5. There is a free recorded message available for those who are not quite ready to “buy.” Since they are targeting the elderly, I’m sure that’s why a phone number was given versus a web site; but for all of you, I would recommend adding a URL for a free report. 

Please note that this can easily be used as the basis for a sales letter, web landing page or even your home page. 

I hate dieting. Requires a LOT of self-discipline; a word that is usually associated with Nuns and flogging. To me, eating good food with an excellent vino is one of the great pleasures in life…and I do mean GOOD food…not the factory-made mystery meat, intestine-clogging cryogenically manufactured corn products, or the anti-freeze dipped mock-vegetables Taco Bell tries to pass off as food. But, if you’re like millions of other people, “losing weight” is probably one of the New Year’s goals you have. So is “saving more money” or “getting out of debt.” If you’re an entrepreneur, I’m sure you have certain goals you want to hit that are tied to personal income, business growth and profits.

But are you REALLY serious about these goals, or are they going to show up again next year with very little progress made? And were these the same goals you made last year that are now showing up again, little to no progress made?

If you were sitting at your desk on December 31st looking at the final numbers, disappointed because you didn't make your goal, what were you doing the morning of January 1st to make sure 2012 is any different? If you were sleeping off a hangover, you're not serious about acheiving it. And if you're not that driven to acheive great wealth and success that's fine…but stop whining about not having any money.

If people were truly HONEST with themselves, they’d admit the reason they’re not achieving a key goal is because they lack sufficient motivation to achieve it. They want it, but they are desperately, eagerly (and foolishly) hoping they can find some easy way to make it happen…some simple solution. An “easy button.” And they reject doing anything that appears to be out of their comfort zone or learning something new. (By the way, trying to get your plan “perfect” or “right” before you take action is a form of procrastination too. Don’t kid yourself).

If you were really serious about losing weight…  you’d stop eating a daily diet of sugar and carbs and you’d start exercising in some form, be it walking, joining a gym or buying an exercise tape. Not complex. Check out bodyrock.tv if you want a short, simple and very effective workout that is FREE and can be done in your home. It’s not like you don’t know a half a dozen or more things you could do RIGHT NOW that would move you toward that goal – so why aren’t you doing them? If you were truly serious about getting out of debt and building wealth, you’d cut up the credit cards, move into a cheaper home, drive a beater car and learn to live on less than you make. There are dozens of FREE web sites and resources online to help you craft a simple budget. If you were truly serious about growing your client base and increasing profits, you’d be a serious student of marketing – and last time I checked, the library is still FREE.

Of course, constantly looking back at what you didn’t accomplish and where you failed is no good either, UNLESS you look at it as an opportunity to learn by asking yourself the question, “Why didn’t I follow this through?” and then using your answer to change your plan the next time. What you don’t want to do is look back at your failures and use them to reinforce negative beliefs such as, “I’m just not good at (fill in the blank),” or, “I’m just a screw up.” In marketing, we call our failures “tests,” which is a much more productive way of looking at things. If our “test” didn’t work, we simply chalk it up to experience and learn from it, changing our approach and moving on to the next new idea or “test” quickly.

I’m happy to report that I’ve lost 18 pounds since the baby was born. LOTS of things had to change and it’s a battle I have to THINK about and fight every day. Progress has been slow…but I’ve hit my first goal and now I’m on to the next one of 5 more pounds. Why? For me, it’s a valuable lesson (and practice) in self-mastery, which is far more important and far more valuable than the result of fitting into my skinny jeans. Don’t let this last comment be lost on you.

So as we wrap up another year and move into 2012, have you truly defined what you want to achieve? And more importantly, do you have the passion and the drive to truly achieve it…or are you just giving it lip service? 

Does your website incorporate any social interactivity on it? I’m talking about more than a little Facebook logo that directs to your company page… something with more substance that actually KEEPS your website visitors on your page at that same time.

If not, you may want to test the use of Facebook’s social plugins to easily accomplish this—but be careful! You don’t want to take the focus away from generating leads on your site, which is the #1 goal. How to get the plugins for your Facebook company page:

1) Go to your company’s Facebook page.

2) In the right hand corner, select “Edit Page.”

3) In the left hand column, select the “Resources” tab.

4) On the Resources tab, select “Use social plugins” and then follow Facebook’s instructions from there.

4 Plugins I Recommend:

1) Adding a “Like” or “Send” button to your written and video blog posts easily allows and encourages your readers and viewers to send the post to a friend or “like” the post, which will show up for their friends in their Facebook stream, giving you more exposure.

2) Add the “Facepile” plugin. If someone has Facebook friends that like your Facebook page, then they will show up in a plugin on your page. If they don’t know anyone who likes your Facebook page, then the widget won’t show up at all (ensuring that you won’t have an embarrassing plugin on your page that shows that none of their friends like your page). This plugin provides social proof to the visitor by showing how many of their friends like your page.

3) Add Facebook’s “Like Box” plugin. This box is the Swiss army knife of Facebook, combining a view of your most recent Facebook posts, the ability for someone to “Like” your Facebook page right from your web site, and pictures of Facebook friends who like your page (similar to the Facepile plugin, but smaller).

4) Facebook “Comments” plugin. Add this plugin to your blog to allow others to comment on your articles through their Facebook login. Their comments will show up in their Facebook social feed (if they check off a box to share their comments) giving you more exposure for your blog. What makes this a better tool than most other blog commenting tools is that Facebook will automatically add their name and photo along with their comments, so you get the advantage of it being a real person instead of an anonymous alias that shows up on many blog comment tools.

Q: From John Micciche, Micciche Computer Services: “What’s the most common mistake business owners make that causes them to go out of business?”

A: While it seems an incredibly self-serving answer, ineffective or non-existent marketing to bring in new customers. Put another way, a complete lack of systems or process to generate sales and profits on a consistent basis. After all, I don’t know of too many IT firms making good money who go out of business.

In almost all cases, they run out of money. And when you’re just starting up a business, the single most important thing you need to figure out and validate is can I make money? Yet newbie business owners do everything BUT marketing. They work on their infrastructure, contracts, systems, operations, etc., THEN marketing and sales comes in as an afterthought. Why is this? Because marketing—or bringing in new customers profitably—is one of the hardest things to do. It’s also highly unpopular because most people are too fearful to sell and have grossly negative beliefs about selling that are rooted in a fear of asking others for money.

As a new member, you have an advantage of being part of this tribe of unique IT business owners who actually realize that the fear and ignorance they have around selling and marketing needs to be corrected—and many are enjoying amazing growth in all areas (profits, new customers and recurring revenue). The challenge for YOU is to stay engaged and not tell yourself “I’m too busy” and need to “hold off on marketing for awhile until…<<fill in the blank with whatever excuse you have.>>”