Recurring Billing & Multimedia Marketing Mix

By now you've either read about, been a party to or have an
opinion about forced continuity programs. Whatever you want to
call it, paid membership or subscription it's still recurring
billing. That's about as far as the similarity begins and ends.

Before you jump on the forced continuity bandwagon,
Terry Dean has written a thought provoking post on his blog
about them.

In a nutshell, here's how the deal works:
To get Red Widget #1, you have to commit to regular monthly
payments for Blue Widget #2. Of course, you can cancel any time.

Yeah, assuming you remember six months down the road why you’re
being charged $XX for Blue Widgets and have the papers telling you
how to stop getting them!

Who benefits most from forced continuity? Of course, the
merchant.

There are posts on the Copywriter's Board about Dan Kennedy,
using this in his copywriting programs.

Yes, I still stand by learning as many ways to get the word out
about your business from the old guard of direct marketing.

But this is important to remember also... if it sounds fishy,
looks like a duck and quacks - it's a damn duck! Take what
seems ethical and legal to you, leave the rest.

Here's how I've witnessed it working online:
Basically, you get the taters Free (usually a CD/DVD/Book that
is claimed worth $$$ outrageous price) and you get to pay
monthly for the meat (what they are really selling you).

But here's where it starts smelling fishy: The super fine print
states you will continue to be billed in a font so small you'll
need a magnifier to read it.

This is what it would look like for you visuals!
Here's the Taters: Free CD/DVD valued at $197,0000,0000, for a
measly (they love that word) $2.50 s/h fee.

Here's the Meat:
After 15 days, your account will be billed $1,000 per day to
continue in the program. You can cancel at anytime.


When reading a long sales page, many people skim read - they
don't read every, single line. Their eyes pick out the large
text (that's why you're told to use them as your headline) and
scroll to the end for the price.

Guess where that 'fine print' is located? It sure isn't in
the headline or sub-head!

You know how I'm always telling you - Don't Piss Off Your Customers!
Not being upfront about your recurring billing in your sales
copy, email follow-up and opt-in pages, you're heading in the
right direction to definitely do just that.

Moving On.....Multimedia Marketing
Recently there's been another brick and mortar concept being
praised as 'Web 2.0 New' which is internet speak for: We
don't have a clue but it sounds good.

If you're unfamiliar with the Web2.0 term, multi-channel marketing
then maybe multimedia marketing will ring a bell.

Both refer to marketing your business using as many different
types of media (or channels) as possible. These various forms
include (but aren't limited to):

* Search engine optimization
* Direct mail
* Personalized e-mail
* Teleseminars & webinars
* Event marketing
* Print advertising
* Social media
* Direct-response classified ads
* Coupon packs & flyers
* Press Releases & articles
* Infomercials
* Radio & podcasts

The idea behind this marketing strategy mix is two-fold:
First, the more channels you use to reach your target customer,
the better your chance of reaching her right when she's ready to
buy.

Second, finding more than one way to connect with your target
customer using a multiple marketing mix is the absolute best way to
get your message seen and heard as often as possible.

While writing this another idea came to mind:
Have you considered doing this for the local organizations you
belong to. How about your children's school programs? Do
they offer sponsor links in the PT newsletter? If not what's
keeping you from suggesting it.

Even if you're an introvert, multimedia offers you creative
ways to market your business.

Multimedia isn't about glad handing strangers, it's about
finding only those people who may now or in the future want to
do business with you.

A logo ad in a free weekly may appear to be a waste, but if you
sell clothes on consignment in a college town - your market is
waiting!

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

If you're attacking your market from multiple positions and
your competition isn't, you have all the advantage and it will
show up in your increased success and income. ~ Jay Abraham

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Post Between Posts: Pink Elephants

I'm sending this 'between posts' because it's important to
stay focused during these trying times. In a previous post of
my own, I reminded you - you can't do anything about the
economy but you can survive it. It appears there's someone
else who agrees with me.

May have mentioned Craig Garber a time or two because he's one
of the people I read every email, he knows his sh...stuff:)

Anywho, I wanted to get this out to you before life interrupts.
Take what you can use...leave the rest.

The Pink Elephant in the room no one wants to talk about.

Do you know what the "pink elephant in the room" means?
It's a metaphor for "something uncomfortable" no one wants to
talk about.

So for example, lots of personal issues may fall under this
category: marital infidelity, a recent stint in rehab, your
kid's arrest, someone's critical illness or a death in the
family.

These are all issues that we carry on our back, and in fact,
they're heavy enough that others around you wind up carrying
them as well, but... they aren't necessarily easily discussed.
That's why they're called "the pink elephant in the room."

These brutal truths are with you, but they linger unaddressed or
undiscussed. Usually, the pain of dealing with them is greater
than the pain of ignoring them. And sometimes, they infer value
judgements or personal embarrassment. (Who wants to discuss
their infidelity, especially if they've been caught, for
goodness sakes?)

To a great extent, the current recession we've been
experiencing is a pink elephant.

I can't tell you how many e-mails I've received over the last
45 days, from a variety of marketers, which sort of gloss over
the recession as if it's a fleeting cold sore that's going to
go away -- all you need to do is put a little ointment on it or
something and wait 7 days.

Or else they say things like this, "Hey, what are you talking
about? I just had my best month yet -- there must be something
wrong with all you whiners. All you need to do is surround
yourself with people like me and buy my shit and you'll be fine
and dandy."

Let me tell you something.

I don't know ANYONE who hasn't felt the effects of the
recession, myself included. My income is down from last year,
thank God only slightly, but what I'm having to do to keep it
up, is pretty darn hard.

I had to start another business from scratch and kill myself for
90 days, to make things happen. Now you may say, "Well, at
least you can do this." But who wants to do extra, just to
keep the status quo?

Not me. You want to do extra to GET extra. Right?

You know, I was even talking to a divorce lawyer the other day,
and he told me there isn't an attorney in his town who's not
feeling it.

He said people are initiating a divorce, and then they're
simply not able to make any payments to their attorneys. After
all, in a typical divorce, you wind up splitting apart some kind
of an asset base to initiate the divorce proceedings and to then
go on with your separate lives.

But today, there's no more asset base to pull apart. Retirement
savings, 401(k)'s, and other savings accounts have been halved
in just the last few months alone. And home equity -- shit,
that's a joke. Home equity's been stripped to the bone, and
most people are upside down in their homes now, especially if
they moved in sometime during the last 5 years.

He also told me most people are just staying together and sort
of "grinning and bearing it" until things get better
financially.

Sure enough, Anne comes home that same night and tells me about
some friends of hers who are splitting up but they can't afford
to get divorced so they're staying together in their house for
now.

Listen, it's really crazy out there.

So here's the REAL deal about the recession, in case you were
starting to feel like you're the only one feeling it. Rest
assured, you're not -- and... there's nothing wrong with you.

Here's what happens during times like this, and some solutions about how to overcome these issues:

One, people stop paying their bills on time. So even if your
customers don't want to stop paying you, many of them aren't
getting paid on time, or even at all, and this ultimately
trickles down (or up) to you. If they aren't getting paid, you
won't get paid either.

Two, your receivables may build up, depending on what kind of a
business you're in. So do whatever you can to initiate or
rapidly collect them, including offering discounts. Remember, a
dollar today is worth far more than the promise of a dollar
tomorrow -- especially if that promise gets broken.

Three, there are lots of good buys out there. So if you do have
some cash and you've been needing things like PPE (Plant,
property, equipment -- I harken back to my days as a CPA.),
you're going to find loads of bargains around.

Four, cut any unnecessary costs. If you've got an assistant,
then make sure they're busy all the time, or else clip their
hours to part-time or use someone virtual. Bottom line is,
now's not the time to be dicking around "hoping" things get
better.

"Hope" is not a good business strategy, and it's not a good
recession-fighting strategy either.

Five, since most of your competitors have been either wiped out
or decimated, ramp up your marketing. This is the one area you
want to sink more money into. However, the good news is, just
as with the PPE deals, media is hurting as well. You've got
lots of leverage now, especially if you're using space
advertising. Newspapers and magazines are at an all-time low,
profit-wise, and they want your business.

In fact, in many cases they want your money much more than you
want their ad space. Direct-mail is also down now, so your list
broker is hungry, and so is your printer. This is THE time to
be picking up new customers, by niching your list further, and
by cutting a deeper swath into your marketplace.

Establishing yourself as a leader is easy now, when most others
are cowering in the basement. It's important however, you
target your marketplace specifically, since they too, are
trimming the fat.

There is money out there, you just have to work smarter (not

necessarily harder) to get it.

Six, appreciate that most people who are running around telling
you "everything's beautiful" are either lying, or their head
is up their ass. Everything's NOT beautiful, but that's
simply the market risk we all take running our own business.

You either deal with it, and make things happen to overcome the
challenges you're facing, or... you sit on the pink elephant
and ride off into the imaginary sunset, on his back.

Denial is an ugly thing, and it's also insulting.
The choice is yours.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

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How To Gauge Your Progress & The Art of Reciprocity

It's this time of the year that I do my biannual progress
report. What's that?

In order to know if I'm on track, there must be something to
measure. For me, it means looking at where my business was six
months ago, what goals did I hit (or miss) and overall evaluate
various processes in relation to how effective they were.

Here's what I mean. Let's say the goal for the past six months
was to add another 200 subscribers to my blog list. The method
would be social networking and posting on 2 niche forums. Ok,
six months go by and the result - 50 new subscribers, 5 from
social networking and 45 from forum postings.

Was this a failure? To many of you, it would seem so since the
goal was 200 subscribers. In my opinion it isn't a failure
because I learned something.

First, social marketing has a low ROI for the time I put in,
so it will move down on my list of effective methods for getting
subscribers.

Second, niche forum marketing pulled in more targeted
subscribers. So move this to the top of my marketing methods for
getting subscribers.

Finally, it tells me where to focus my efforts to reach my goal,
and gives me numbers to better estimate what the return should be
for the next six months. This isn't an exact science.

It's only meant to make me more effective as a solo business
owner. In this way I can gauge my progress and eliminate that
'deer in the headlights' tunnel vision that can set in when you
work on your own.

The Art of Reciprocity. While reading what others had to say on
the subject of social marketing, it occurred to me that social
marketing is no more than an old technique with a newy name -
reciprocity.

In simple terms - You wash my back and I'll wash yours. A
technique someone posted in a forum about using this online
was...interesting, to say the least. Here's the internet
equivalent (I guess) of reciprocity:

Go to my Blog which is in my signature.
1) Subscribe to my RSS feed
2) Leave a comment
3) Rate my blog at Blog Catalog
4) Add to favorites at Blog Catalog
5) Post a comment at Blog Catalog
6) Post a free add daily on my new forum.
Then let me know and I'll do the same for you.

Does it work? Don't get me lying, I have no idea.
It does appear if only 3 people were doing this, it would
seriously eat into the time you spend operating your business

But it does bring up an interesting question: How does this build
a business relationship?

Maybe I am missing the point here and being a bit 'old
fashioned'. Isn't all the talk of JV partners and networking
for your business about mutually cooperative interaction, even if
cyber enhanced?

Or is the whole Squidoo, Technorati, Chamber of Commerce thing
about ganking off other peoples time and efforts...who knows,
it's beyond my tiny universe.

My definition of reciprocity - I know or like what you
do/say/offer as a business owner and would recommend you to my
circle based on my having this knowledge of your business.

You, when the opportunity presents itself after having learned
over time what I offer/say/do in my business will also recommend
me to your circle.

Look, there's nothing wrong with what other people choose to do
in their business. You, me, and everyone else hopefully are
trying to get to the same place...earn enough to live decently
with our values intact.

You have to decide which methods you choose will get you there.
For those of you with no values...there's hope.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

"What our country deserves from everyone who enjoys
its fruits and freedoms is a little more gratitude -- and a lot less greed" ~ Michelle Malkin

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Social Marketing To Affiliate List Building

It's been an interesting week of unsubscribing from lists. The
economy has nothing to do with it but 80% of my recent emails has
been about - the big, bad economy.

Then there are the ones who use it to 'scare up' affiliate
sales with products they haven't used, don't have a clue if it
works or not and then send 2 a day. What about I didn't
respond the first time don't they get!

Anyway, enough of my drama because you probably are going through
the same thing.

Let's get to it -

1. Social Marketing Can Be A Dangerous Thing
Blog Bloke post on using social networking sites. I've
mentioned this before when it comes to doing business, trying to
connect with your site visitors but not knowing who you are
actually sharing your information with in the 'anonymous'
aspect of the internet.

It's been an increasing security risk for any company using the
internet to market products and services. Large companies
usually have inhouse IT people to implement risk management
processes, but when you're a solo entrepreneur working alone it
comes down to one simple question: "If I lose all my business
data, what will it cost me?" Don't assume that email you
receive from your security software company is legit either.

McAfee has seen an increase in malicious software posing as
applications from security vendors. To read the entire post.
Here

2. Finding Your Passion
I've been reading this blog for a while and Paul shares what he would say
to his coaching clients but won't. This 'dream comment' is the subject of his post.

Yes, it's a rant disguised as a dream but he is telling you the same thing I have
over the past 3 years: Get off your butt and get going!
Here's Dream Sequence

3. Comment Posting: What name do you use?
This was an interesting question asked by Darren Row that never
occurred to me when making comments on others blogs. Because I'm
so used to just typing in my name it never dawned on me to use
keywords, my blog domain name or anything else.

Solo Entrepreneur I am, but using others blogs as a marketing
ploy just never came up on my radar. Why? Who knows but it just
seems a bit slimey to me to plug my keywords or blog twice.

Here's what I mean. Every comment form has a place for your
site address, so once you put that information into the 'Name'
field, doesn't it seem a bit amateurish to type it in again?
Not to mention it may appear to be spam to the site owner.

What do you do when commenting, I'd be interested in knowing
what method you use.

4. List Building: Building A List For Affiliate Programs
Do you use affiliate programs as additional sources of income with
your primary Solo venture?

If you do use affiliate programs as an additional income stream,
this tip from Reed Floren's blog might give you ideas. I use
this in a different way because the booklet I offer is related
to the topic of my paid newsletter but it might be something to
add later.

Having your own list makes the difference in making more sales and
finding a new customer every time you need to increase the cash
flow. Here's the link to the post: List Building Tip

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Take your life into your own hands and what happens?
A terrible thing: no one to blame~ Erica Jong

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Solo Entrepreneur Quicken Update

This is just a heads-up before you start your weekend. Many of you are using Quicken to manage your home-based business and probably received a notice from Intuit about this.

For those of you still not convinced to try Quicken (instead of the 'Oh God, what have I done?! Quickbooks), now you have no excuse to get your finances organized - Quicken Online is now Free! Before you did get a trial and then charged $2.99 a month. No more, now you get to use this quick and easy accounting software for the price of - Zero! Zip! Nada!!


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Solo Entrepreneur Tribute - Blog Action Day

I have at least 10 emails about Blog Action Day (forgive me if it didn't ring a bell), so here's a post for my new readers and 'Shakin In My Shoes' Solo Entrepreneur Gonna Be's. Regular readers....go do something else because this is a Seth Godin full post.

Looking For A Reason To Hide.

I've seen it before and I'm sure I'll see it again.

Whenever a business cycle starts to falter, the media start wringing their hands. Then big businesses do, freelancers, entrepreneurs and soon everyone is keening.

People and organizations that have no real financial stress start to pull back, "because it's prudent." Now is not the time, they say. They cut budgets and put off investments. It's almost as if everyone is just waiting for an excuse to do less.

In fact, they are.

Growth is frightening for a lot of people. It brings change and the opportunity for public failure. So if the astrological signs aren't right or the water is too cold or we've got a twinge in our elbow, we find an excuse. We decide to do it later, or not at all.

What a shame. What a waste.

Inc. magazine reports that a huge percentage of companies in this year's Inc. 500 were founded within months of 9/11. Talk about uncertain times.

But uncertain times, frozen liquidity, political change and poor astrological forecasts (not to mention chicken entrails) all lead to less competition, more available talent and a do-or-die attitude that causes real change to happen.

If I wasn't already running my own business, today is the day I'd start one.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Never be afraid to try something new. Amateurs built the
ark. Professionals built the Titanic~Anonymous

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Recession Proof Promotion & Marketing - Part 2

Finally finished with my catch-up reading and lowering my blood pressure.
If you've been reading the news (which I avoid like the
plague), it appears the inmates are running the asylum in many
countries and no more apparent than in the US.

It used to be the only time my blood pressure would go up
over paying taxes was when I would hear perfectly healthy 16-20
year olds talking about being 'entitled to....' Section 8 and
welfare checks.

Now I'm helping to 'feed' the un-hungry, wealthy masses.
Damnit! Can't win for losing it seems.

This week let's focus on our own financial survival and leave
the 'Gimme, Can You Lend Me, Can You Spare Me' government
handout crowd to their own devices.


Let's get to it -
Natural News
has a very good online ebook titled "How to Build Your Financial Safety Net". Mike has some very good pointers for those of you still waiting for the Government Is Going To Take Care Of Me fairy.

Here's the opening summary for you then go read the rest:

In betrayal of 99% of the American taxpayers who opposed
the pork-packed financial bailout bill of 2008, Congress
passed the bill on Friday, October 3. President Bush signed it into
law within minutes, and King Henry (Henry Paulson, Treasury
Secretary) went right to work using taxpayer dollars to
start buying up bad banking debt that nobody else would
touch.

Next is a good read for those of us not waiting to see what happens.
Tessa is the editor of Sales Conversation Newsletter and this article is for
anyone who sells personal services face-to-face. This is a very good resource that
shows you the benefits of selling your services by being yourself, even if you are
selling is online - it makes good business sense.

In last week's newsletter she covered "7 Reasons Why You Must Zealously Qualify Prospects". This is the cut-down version of a client qualification process:

Qualifying ensures that you only sell to people who are going to buy.

Qualifying tells you where to focus

Qualifying enables you to win more sales

Qualifying speeds up your sales and results in a shorter sales cycle.

Qualifying reduces your wasted costs.

Qualifying enables you to choose who you want to become your client.

Qualifying attracts prospects.

These pointers will work in any economic environment because they're the
same ones that direct marketers and advertising copywriters like Claude
Hopkins used in the 20's to sell Rolls Royce, Luxury train travel and Blue Chip
Stocks...while the stock market tanked!

The strategy outlined in these 7 simple steps work. For me, there are simply people I will not work with. They must have two qualifications and both are important to how I market my coaching services: Is the prospect both willing and able.

Willing to be coached (many think they are until the rubber meets the road and they realize they still have to make a decision) and able to pay me (I am neither a non-profit nor the most expensive out there, but my bills must be paid too).

If you're selling a service, then this is one of those inbox newsletters you'll want to print for your swipe file.

Finally, just because it's you have an opt-in page doesn't mean you know what you're
doing...is this super fast read CopyWriting Case Study: How To Insult Your Audience. Yes, for you video addicts there is also a flash video too.

It references using comparisons in your marketing, whether print or when talking
to your customers. Sometimes it's just best to focus on the benefits you offer....

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but what happens inside your house! ~ Barbara Bush

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Holiday Promotion Idea & Productive Toughness

I'm not going on about the economy nor the Bucket Head election in the U.S., good or bad because it is all relative - remember if it's not under your immediate control you roll with it and focus on what you can do.

This post is longer than usual (ha!)...Let's get to it -

The holiday promotions season is in full swing and that means it's time we start thinking about other ways we can promote our own small enterprises. This idea goes beyond the usual executive gifts basket.

Let's talk - Chocolate. Edible Imprints will put your image or text directly on delicious chocolates. Imagine the reaction from your best customers or your best suppliers when they receive your logo made into an edible, chocolate CD!

As a Solo Entrepreneur, we don't have the luxury to be dumped in the 'Oh, one of our customers/vendors/somebody we do business with' category.

You want to get my attention and have me remember your business....do something that will give me a reason! Send me chocolate?! And with your logo or picture on it?! Get out the way Richard Simmons, Georjina is comin' through!!

So how can you use this holiday business gift idea for your own business? Here's a few promotion ideas I came up with for my short list this year:

Send your website logo or your mug shot to your customers with a holiday specific greeting. Something like "Jane Green and her team wishes you and yours a Prosperous New Year" on a 3-inch Cookie.

How about a Deluxe Portraits With Truffles consisting of 13-ounce Chocolate Columns and a message like "Fred Flintstone, Hardworking Dino Driver wishes your family a Very Bed Rock Kwanzaa".

Talk about effective?! It doesn't stop with your best customers or clients, what about a vendor that provides excellent service (or your favorite blogger with an attitude). Take some time to think about it - How can you make a lasting impression during your 2008 holiday promotions?

Taking Back Your Time! Over at Lifehack Joel Falconer makes a point about reclaiming your work day time. What he calls ruthless, I call being smart and necessary. I can relate to the person who calls and wants to bond with you by telling you their life story. I don't mean this in a bad way but...Get Away From Me! Read the rest of the post and find some way to take back your time.

Are You Resilient? I'm always finding new solo entrepreneurs, some are full of it but others tend to rise above the heap. Ivan Widjaya is one of these.

When it comes to being an entrepreneur, the ability to recover quickly from change or misfortune will get you through the rough times more than the latest gadget, technique or even money. Emotional toughness is absolutely necessary.

Though I do take issue with a few things in Ivan's post (he recommends selling your business when times are tough) yeah, like that's going to happen for most small businesses but overall he makes a few very good points about how much resilience you need to keep going.

Quite often I slip up and add a post about believing in yourself as a Solo Entrepreneur. I hope this one inspires you to keep going and create the business of your dreams.

Dream Big!
That's it for today and I leave you with this quote from one of the world's most successful Solo Entrepreneurs who continues to maintain full control over his business and is still going strong after 33 years in the fashion industry - Giorgio Armani.

Remain true to yourself and your philosophy. Changing in the face of adversity will in fact diminish your credibility with your customers. You have to think of the future. If not, we would close town! My work is my life. Even though it is good to take a holiday, after two vacations it is boring.

The long and short of it for me is that the entrepreneur is the one who at the end decides yes or no and I like that even though it’s a lot of responsibility. It would be very hard for me to do things somebody else’s way. At this point I think of myself more as an entrepreneur than a designer. This is my life’s work and I’m more passionate about it than ever.~Giorgio Armani

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