No Money Down Marketing Plan

When times get tough, the first things to go are excess expenses those costs that are not absolutely critical to doing business. As your organization braces itself for tough times, how can it boost revenue without breaking the budget? Here are some steps to building your own no-money-down marketing plan.

1. Write a revised marketing plan and execute it.
Assuming you have a plan in the first place, go back and review every element to see how it fits into the current environment.

2. Uncover your opportunities.

Do you have certain products that stand out or other competitive strengths? Look for the opportunities. Check out your key competitors who are weak and whose customers may be feeling uncertain, and respond.

3. Develop new terms and conditions for doing business.
Now is the time to look at ways to exploit your opportunities with new thinking. For example, if your customers may not have the money for inventory, but you know they can sell much more if they have goods in their stores, then work out an opportunity such as consignment. Work out terms and conditions to protect your investment and make it profitable for you.

4. Don't accept "no," "We never did it before" and the big one, "Our systems won't allow it." Just because you have never done it before doesn't mean it won't work. Systems are there to serve the company--not prevent progress. As a leader, you cannot allow "no" or other objections to stand in the way of a program that has great upside potential.

5. Promote your company's major skills.
Your company does certain things very well. Look at your company very honestly and figure out the one or two things you do best. Then constantly promote these to your customers and to your own team.

6. Go back to lost customers.
When business was good, losing a customer may not have seemed important. Now that the market is significantly smaller, the customers who have survived are much more important. All it may take is a simple "we are sorry".

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Source:  John Haskell, aka Dr. Revenue®, is a professional speaker, seminar leader, marketing and sales consultant, and author of Profit Rx. As a former CEO/COO of divisions of Fortune 500 companies and as president of The Professional Marketing Group, Inc., he consistently demonstrates the value of written marketing and sales planning. He helps his clients write and implement marketing and sales plans, and his "Dr. Revenue Marketing and Sales Clinics" results in immediate sales and marketing focus.

Working Successfully With An Indecisive Prospect

When it comes to making a proposal or pitch to deliver your product or service to a prospect, remember that the question is not just the answer; the question is the cure. Keep in mind that the one asking the question actually controls the conversation. So find out early if the person you are speaking to can actually make the decision to purchase the product or service you seek to provide.

For some decision-making is not something they can do solo; they must go to someone else, a partner, manager or someone higher up in the company, in order to make up their own minds. Rather than dismissing such prospects, treat these customers with a greater degree of care since they are no doubt already uncertain, possibly insecure and maybe in a little over their heads.

In this increasingly complex world, many businesses practice a division of labor, especially where purchasing goods and services is concerned, and particularly when money is tight and times are tough.

Let's imagine such a scenario. Albert, your prospect, has been listening to the options you have outlined and now says one of three things:
• "I need to think about it."
• "I'll have to talk to my manager about that."
• "That's awfully expensive (or a big project). I can't make that kind of decision independently."

In the first example, Albert has elected to share very little information. Understand, he is actually telling you a great deal, namely that he's too uncomfortable to share the actual objection or that there may be a third party involved. That's a tip-off that a greater degree of trust is necessary before any disclosure about the real issue can take place.

The second example shows that Albert is revealing his dilemma and not just brushing you off, so don't brush off his remark. Although you and have spent time getting to know him and his business, and presenting your information in his style, it's now time to find out more about his manager. In the third scenario, an actual objection is stated -- it's expensive, or time consuming -- and Albert tells you he needs help with the decision. Knowing the objection and that another person is involved in the decision makes it a great deal easier to proceed.

In all three examples, your concern is how to encourage the person who isn't present to consider your proposal. Your job is to give Albert, your walking, talking marketing tool, the opportunity to send a beneficial and acceptable message to the person who will make the final decision.

So what do you say to Albert? "In addition to you, is there anyone else who might influence the decision?" Or, "Besides you, is there anyone who might also be interested in the proposal we're discussing?" Neither question demeans Albert, exploits his indecision or forces his hand in any way. It's a natural outcome of the conversation expressed with curiosity. What might the prospect reply? "Yes, my manager (or company owner, etc.)"

Your next question should be: "What might his or her concerns be about this proposal?" Or: "What is it he or she might want to know about this product or service?"

You can never know until you find out more, and you can only find out by asking with care, concern, respect and non-judgment. The more information you can find out about your prospect's concerns and objections, the more material you have at your disposal. The art of persuasion is nothing more than building a roadmap that establishes value and integrity for the product or service.
Many individuals simply can never say "yes" to anything. Structure your presentation or pitch so you make it easy for the indecisive customers to do what you want them to do, and hard for them to do what you don't want them to do.

Source: JoAn Majors is a professional speaker, a two-time business founder and a three-time author. Her latest book is Encouragementors:16 Attitude Steps for Building Your Business, Family & Future.

Not All Promo Products Are Created Equal - How to Avoid Costly Mistakes

By Rob Stillman

It goes without saying but not every promotional product will be the perfect fit for your marketing campaign. Those mouse pads may look cool but that doesn't mean your customers will think so. The best way to avoid making costly mistakes is to do your homework. This article will attempt to clear up some of the confusion surrounding promo products, as it directly relates to perceived value versus actual value.

The case of the typical online shopper

Let's say you got $500 to spend on branded ad specialty items (also known as promo products). So you jump on Safari and start searching for "eco-friendly promotional products." You click through the first couple of web sites that appear on the first page of Google and come across items you think will complement your direct mail campaign.

"My customers would definitely appreciate those eco-friendly pens made from corn plastic. It sends the right message. Wait...let me check. Ok. These pens are about the same price as its petroleum-based cousin. Actually, I come out ahead on this model. Looks good."

So you place your order online for a few hundred pens and it goes out in your mail package. Let's fast-forward to the day some of your customers open the package.

* Suzy Q. could use another pen, but she can't accept your gift due to strict company guidelines.
* Rob happens to be a writing instrument aficionado, so when he sees your corn plastic pen he isn't impressed. It quickly finds the recycling bin.
* Melissa absolutely loves the pen. She quickly anoints it as her favorite and religiously uses it every day. But before long she has a disappointed look on her face: the cheap pen just couldn't stand up to the rigors of daily use.

The anatomy of the gift

Suzy Q. - What are the chances an employee of a company cannot accept a gift as harmful as a pen? Believe it or not, some companies won't allow their employees to accept anything on behalf of a vendor...not matter the cost of the item.

Rob - Yeah guys like Rob do exist. Just because something is free doesn't mean it bears value in the recipient's eyes. This scenario is hard to plan for; Suzy's situation can be cleared up with a simple phone call before hand.

Melissa - This is what I have coined, 'The case of the crappy mouse pad.' Choosing bottom dollar promo products versus spending a little more coin can make the difference between a successful campaign and one that falls flat on its face. Giving someone a lesser quality item than what they already have - it could be anything from a mug to a mouse pad - does not make sense. It makes you and your business look bad. Anyway, the point of giving away promo items is to create multiple impressions each day.

How to avoid these costly mistakes

Before you incorporate a promotional product into your advertising mix you first have to take into consideration 5 components:

• Gender preferences
• Age
• Lifestyle
• Hobbies
• Scope of work

Remember, as much as you would like to think you brand has the same reach as Starbucks or FedEx or McDonald's, it doesn't. Small business owners have to understand the promotional product you slap your logo on has to represent your company in the best light. Give away a cheap item and you will be perceived as cheap. And that may lead to the false belief that your business isn't run properly, even if your customer is wrong for thinking that. But you know the deal: perception is reality.

My advice is to seek the counsel of a professional, someone who assists businesses with the selection of promotional products that will generate the greatest ROI. If you decide to take me up on my suggestion, here are three ways you can tell if a distributor is looking out for your best interest from one that just wants to push profit-laden units.

3 sure-fire ways to tell if your supplier knows the advertising biz

* Emphasize offer not brand: Does your online supplier suggest you combine an offer with your branded promo item? If not, dial another one. Branded bait pieces work well in this instance.
* Get creative: Is your distributor lacking quality promo ideas? If he is qualified there should be no shortage of ideas when it comes to eliciting a call to action, working in a USP, tagline or discount on the item. It is also important to consider choosing an item that is different, an inherently unique product that stands apart from what the competition is already giving away.
* USP: If you can clearly demonstrate how your product or service is different or better than the competition, and how this advantage benefits the customer, than you have what Rosser Reeves identified as a unique selling proposition (USP) in his book, "Reality in Advertising." Reeves stated that the benefit must not be trivial, but strong enough to motivate prospects to buy your product (or service) over others. Example: In an effort to keep customers loyal, a car wash might offer to clean your car for free if it has rained within two days of your car wash purchase. A tag line to that effect would be imprinted on a keychain so your USP is never forgotten.

AdXPress carries over 750,000 promotional products.

Custom Lip Balm As Low as 49¢ each

As Low as 49¢ each!

Yesterday, I went to a promotional products showcase featuring all hottest new items that one can place a logo upon. I especially like these lip balms. I'm sure you will, too. I picked up several different sample scents, and I must say, the coffee scented one is phenomenal!

You really can't go wrong with AdXPress Legacy Balm because it feels and acts just like the lip balms we have all purchased on the market for years, with one difference:


AdXPress Legacy Lip balm Tastes Great !!!

Legacy Balm is Petrolatum-based. And we ALL know what Petrolatum is: It is what our grandmothers knew to be the best skin protectant around, and marketed as Vaseline(R). It has been used for over a hundred years for protecting the skin against the elements. This balm comes in many flavors, with or without SPF.

Active Ingredients: Octinoxate, 7%; Oxybenzone, 4%. Other Ingredients: Petrolatum, Ozokerite, Beeswax, Mineral Oil, Coconut Oil, Flavor, Saccharin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Safflower Seed Oil, Aloe Oil, Vitamin E Acetate.

Container: White Polypropylene (PP) Propel-Repel Style Tube / White Polypropylene (PP) Cap
Unit Net Weight: 4.5 Grams (0.15 oz)
Label Options: Thermographic Spot; CMYK Digital.
Packout Options: Bulk
Flavor: Tropical

Imprint Area: 1.75" x 1.25"
250 piece minimum
Production 5 working days
Set up Charge $45
6 Day Production after approval
Thermographic Print: Colors Available are Blue, Green, Black, Navy,
Orange, Purple, Red, Wine (1 Color Spot, No Lamination)

Tropical Flavor 250 pieces plus - 49¢ each
All Stock Flavors & Natural Flavors 250 pieces plus - 54¢ each
Over 50 stock flavors.

Contact us to get flavor list and a full quote including shipping. Minnesota pays sales tax of 7.125%.

There are specials on full 4 color process imprinting as well. Please inquire.

"Must-Have" Social Media Profiles For A Great Marketing Campaign

Social media platforms are the most popular destinations on the Internet. It started with the personal profile phenomenon, quickly evolved into video sharing profiles and then the floodgates opened up. Now internet users--including small businesses--have more than 400 social media platforms to consider.

Business people need to develop a social media advertising formula, a mix of sites that business owners must have in order to run a successful social media advertising campaign. Each social platform plays a very specific role, and the combination of the sites below along with keyword optimization on these sites will take your social advertising campaign to the next level.

Today, AdXPress Imprints takes a look at three popular platforms and gives tips on how you can optimize your presence through the use of keywords.

Linked In:  A popular business profile site, LinkedIn ranks very well in search engines and is a great platform for sending event updates out to business associates. Tip: When optimizing your LinkedIn profile, select one core keyword (or search term you would like to be found under), use it frequently without sacrificing consumer experience and watch your profile skyrocket in the search engines.

Facebook:  This is the best choice if you want to have a personal profile online. However, optimizing your Facebook profile with your business keyword can make it an invaluable marketing effort. Tip: Optimize your Facebook profile for one keyword and become the “go-to” expert in your industry for the more than 500 million Facebook users. Also, include some personal touches, but beware of putting too much personal information online.


YouTube:  The main video sharing platform, YouTube is one of the best forums available to create a viral marketing campaign. From publishing client video testimonials to creating social proof of your abilities, YouTube videos are a great way to get other site owners to link to your website.  Tip: Each new video is a new opportunity to optimize for a different keyword. For each video, be sure to include your keyword in the title and at least once in the description section.

Tomorrow, AdXPress Imprints will look at two more social media platforms:   blogging and Twitter.

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Source:  Heather Lutze has spent the last 10 years as CEO of The Findability Group, formerly Lutze Consulting, a search engine marketing firm that works with companies to attain maximum internet exposure. A nationally recognized speaker, she is the author of The FindAbility Formula: The Simple and Non-Technical Approach To Search Engine Marketing (Wiley & Sons). Lutze is a lead speaker for Pay Per Click Summit, and previously spent two years speaking for Yahoo! Search Marketing.