Marketing is an Investment in Your Company's Future

I had to turn away a prospect today.

He found me on the internet, called me, and said "I need a new marketing plan – one that gets results right away. I don't want to sit around and wait for clients anymore. I want them to hire me now."

Well. Marketing is not a miracle.

It takes time to get results. You can't create a new business development plan and then expect it to produce instant results. It just doesn't work that way. If I could promise instant results, I'd be a multi millionaire sitting on the beach in Thailand, sipping a mojito while being waited on hand and foot.

The best marketing plans are devised based on the problem your target client seeks to solve. Goals are created, strategies formulated, and marketing activities acted upon. Plan on giving your marketing tactics six to twelve months to produce real results. Create a spreadsheet that tracks your results.

Marketing is an investment in your company's future. Let that investment have time to produce a return.

Need help? Try my business and marketing system: http://www.twopageminibusinessplan.com

Suzanne Muusers

Business Coach for Entrepreneurs and Independent Financial Advisors

Prosperous Business: Using Video Marketing to Grow Your Business

The following is an interview with Joey Sampaga and Linda Hall, partners in First Priority Financial, a Mortgage Brokerage located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Joey and Linda have managed to build a highly successful mortgage business in a challenging market by partnering and using Video Marketing to stand out from the crowd. See a sample of their video marketing below.

Tell us about your business
First Priority Financial is a Mortgage Brokerage. We mainly focus on Residential Home Loans (Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, 203K, etc.). We do purchase and refinance transactions.

How are you handling the current economic environment?
We have truly been blessed during these economic times. Our business has be extremely busy. One thing we don’t do is listen to negative media. In fact, we are always surrounding ourselves with other motivated and successful people to keep the enthusiasm and the positive energy flowing.

What makes you different and able to do well in the face of negativity all around us?
One thing that really sets us apart is the “Giving Without Expectations” type mentality. We go the extra mile to provide value, education and enrichment to our clients and to our referral partners. We look forward to finding and using the latest technology to help our clients and referral partners get to the next level. One of the technologies we use is Video “VIRAL” Marketing. I feel that one of the most important things we do is we stick to the basics… building our relationships with our Clients and Referral Partners by telephone, hand written notes and the latest communication technologies. Of course, nothing can beat the “Personal Touches.”

Tell us about the marketing tactics that are working for you in spite of this economy:
As mentioned previously, what is working for us is:
1. Phone Calls
2. Hand Written Notes
3. Face-to-Face meetings
4. Video “VIRAL” Marketing (this brands you as a true professional, people will like and trust you… if done right).
I know I listed four things, however, I would classify them under the “Personal Touch” category.

What advice do you have for those starting a business right now?
Stick to the basics. Build relationships with your clients and referral partners. Be personal and genuinely care about them. I always say that people love to do business with people they like. Make your phone calls, then write a personal note, then setup a face-to-face meeting. Create Video “VIRAL” Marketing videos to keep your face in front of them.


Here's a sample of Joey's Video "Kick Your Own Butt 101" with Dawn McAuley:
Please click the Play button to view

You can subscribe to Joey's Video Marketing here: Kick Your Own Butt 101

What's Twitter Good For??

How about Media exposure?

I used to live in Hong Kong – so whenever there's news regarding the island nation, I am very interested.

On Friday I wrote a post on Twitter about the MetroPark Hotel in Hong Kong and how guests can't leave the hotel due to Swine Flu – guests are effectively quarantined inside the hotel. Within an hour I was contacted by the BBC asking if I would be willing to be interviewed about my experience at the hotel.

They thought I was actually there and I could have been. It seems that the media is searching Twitter for certain keywords and if you have a relevant post you may be contacted.

Think about how you could use this strategy in your business. What are you doing that's relevant to news of the day?


Suzanne Muusers

Business Coach for Entrepreneurs and Independent Financial Advisors

Scottsdale, Arizona

http://www.prosperitycoaching.biz/

Be Better at Networking and Banish Fear

Today I'd like to talk about FEAR. There's so much of it out there now. Fear of the economy. Fear of Swine Flu. And most importantly, Fear of Success. It's amazing how fear can hold us back from getting what we SAY we want.

Fear is like your best friend. The one who made fun of you behind your back in grade school, when you did nothing about it. You were afraid of confronting fear then, and you might be afraid now. That which we fear the most can hurt us the most.

The fear of success is very real. I see it daily. Sometimes I even see it in my bathroom mirror.

* Sometimes we fear success because we know we have work to do that may force us out of our comfort zone. That's scary. I don't want to do it.
* Sometimes we fear success because we may actually have to live up to who we said we would be. You mean I have to perform now? What if I'm not smart enough?
* But most of the time we fear success because we are lazy. We want success to come easily. We want the shortcuts. We want someone to hand us the key.

Real success comes with real effort. Do the work, earn the reward!!!

What are you NOT doing that could take your business to the next level? What are you afraid of? This coming week, I want you to get out of your own way. One way to do this is to do more networking and get comfortable making new business contacts.

Read this great article about Four Ways to Be a Better Networker. After all, you can't grow your business if you don't get out of the office.


Suzanne Muusers
Business Coach for Entrepreneurs and Independent Financial Advisors

http://www.prosperitycoaching.biz/