That’s what getting referrals should be.

Actually, I hate the word “referrals” because everyone has such a preconceived idea about this word and overall strategy.

Most THINK they rely on it exclusively, others they overlook it altogether.

NO ONE gets it right.  That’s because they and probably you, do not operate your referral strategies with a formula.

Tami and I are going to give you my exact Referral Marketing Formula that will directly and dramatically put you back in control of your new customer acquisition and you will see immediate impact to your ability to get more customers from your existing customers and others.

**(if you’d like to fill your funnel, grow your business, and have more customers than you’ve ever had before from this one method I’m talking about now, you must be at our Chapter Event next week

Marketing Summit RSVP

“So what?”  You might say.  But you’d be wrong.  Referrals are critical for these reasons:

-          The 2^nd easiest customers to sell and keep (the first being your existing customers)

-          The best (when done right) qualified prospect, because they came from another customer

-          The fastest to move up the ascension ladder or upsell, because they come already trusting you

There is another reason that you want to get referrals that most people never think about, don’t know, and if they do, never acknowledge it.

It’s the very simple fact that when someone gives you a referral that person then becomes a better more committed customer themselves.  MAGIC!

If for no other reason, that ought to be enough for you to want to get every single one of your customers to refer you business.

It’s the concept and power of that turning one into many thing I told you about earlier this week.  If you want a healthy customer base, you must be nurturing your customers for referrals.

Forget the guesswork; get past the frustration of what you’ve tried and what hasn’t worked.

You’ve not had a formula to follow until now.  Until next week.  You need to be at our marketing Summit, now more than ever. With new customers being harder and more expensive to acquire, you must master this marketing method.

We’re going to hand feed you the way to execute this in your business.  You’ll leave with strategies in motion, referrals in progresses, and money on its way.

Click here and I’ll see you next week:

Marketing Summit RSVP

Sgt Chuck

P.S.  I’ve got a lot more to say about this “referral” stuff. The next week will fly by, so do yourself a favor and click this link, grab your seat, and get ready for the single most effective means of growing your business – by getting your customers to do all the work.  And know this, no one has ever talked with you, shown you specific strategies, and helped you lay them out in your business the way we’re going to do when we get together next week at the Marketing Summit in Phoenix on Wednesday, February 8th!

We’re all looking for ways to grow our business, aren’t we?

And I can only assume you’d like to find more, better and faster ways to get more customers…

There is one way that is so-overlooked, misunderstood, never maximized, and often neglected entirely that can have such a dramatic impact on your ability to grow your business that it warrants an entire Marketing Summit Topic.

So, that’s what we’re doing.  In the wonderful “Month of Love” We’re going to hand deliver you the most powerful marketing strategy to get new customers on the planet -

It’s the ability to turn one customer into many more customers.

Click here to get in:

Marketing Summit RSVP

You can call it “referral-marketing” for simplicity’s sake; although it goes so far beyond the usual notion of referral- marking that calling it that makes it sound more elementary than it is.

In less than two weeks, we’re going to give you more than you can handle! Quite frankly, we’re going to knock your socks off with REAL referral marketing strategies that will enable you to immediately begin reaping the benefits and getting new customers.

In fact, I’ll guarantee that before you even get up and walk out of the room, I’ll deliver to you one sure-fire fast action get-your-customers-to-bring-you-customers strategy that you’ve never heard of!

It’s vitally important that you be there. (This one Marketing Summit could be the thing that turns your business into a thriving customer generating machine in 2012.)

Click this link, register now, and you’ll be on your way to turning one into many…

Marketing Summit RSVP

Sgt Chuck

P.S.  I’ve got a lot more to say about this “referral” stuff.  The next 10 days will fly by;  so do yourself a favor and click this link, grab your seat, and get ready for the single more effective means of growing your business by getting your customers to do all the work.  And know this, no one has ever talked with you, shown you specific strategies, and helped you lay them out in your business the way we’re going to do when we get together next week at the Phoenix Maeketing Summit on Wednesday, Febuary 8th.

Don’t miss it!  Click here: Marketing Summit RSVP

February 8 – February Chapter Event

6:30 PM – Check In, Networking and Snacks

7:00 to 9:00 PM – February Program

Marketing Summit RSVP

Air Marketing Centre

3419 East University Drive (just off I-10 & 32nd St.)

Phoenix

Guarantee:  If you attend and feel you do not get value for your time, I will refund your registration AND donate $50 to a charity of your choice.

Please register NOW by clicking on the following link: Marketing Summit RSVP

If you have never been to your local chapter meeting before and wonder if it is for you, click on the testimonial link and see what others say about our meetings. Testimonials

Seth’s Blog

The most frustrating thing for me in the SOPA/PIPA debate now winding down is how unnecessary the whole thing should have been. It occurred to me that we learned a lot about what sort of behaviors make for great leaders and careers. The short version: do the opposite.

When did we lose Congress? Not just in terms of losing our respect for just about everyone there (one of the least respected careers in the USA) but in the sense that they no longer even pretend to represent our interests or act as we would act if given the chance?

I’m not so much angry as saddened that it has come to this.

When planning your career, avoid these pitfalls, behaviors evidenced by many elected officials:

• In all things, look for money first. Listen to people with money, respond to people with money, justify your actions around money. Worth noting that 47% of those in Congress (House and Senate) are millionaires–an even greater percentage than those that are lawyers.
• Embrace the fact that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Aspire to run systems you don’t understand.
• Compromise over the important issues, but dig in and fight forever over trivia.
• Along those lines: focus obsessively on the short run. Even though you are virtually assured of re-election, define the long term as “before the next election.”
• Take months off from your day job (with pay) to actively campaign for a better job.
• Blame the system, the other side and your predecessors for the fact that you are not taking brave, independent action.
• Avoid developing independent thought and analysis. Focus on parroting the work of lobbyists and the party line.
• When given the choice between being on television or doing hard work, pick television.
• When a difficult problem shows up, duck.
• Try mightily to outlast passionate resistance by quietly ignoring it and waiting for it to go away.

I’m thrilled that reality has intruded and SOPA is derailed (for now). You probably know more about how the internet works than your senator does. Has he or she called you or asked your insight?

I’m disheartened that even when a linchpin shows up in Washington, she is quickly beaten into submission. Where are the lions, the Mr. Smith‘s and the statesmen who would rather do the people’s business than business as usual? Sure, Congress has a marketing problem–largely because they have a problem with the decisions they make and the way that they make them.

At least they’ve left us a useful career guide about what not to do in the real world.

Hi Folks,

This post is from Seth Godin’s blog.  As you know I am an absolute customer service fanatic so this piece really resonated with me.

A guy walks into a shop that sells ties. He’s opened the conversation by walking in.

Salesman says, “can I help you?”

The conversation is now closed. The prospect can politely say, “no thanks, just looking.”

Consider the alternative: “That’s a [insert adjective here] tie you’re wearing, sir. Where did you buy it?”

Conversation is now open. Attention has been paid, a rapport can be built. They can talk about ties. And good taste.

Or consider a patron at a fancy restaurant. He was served an old piece of fish, something hardly worth the place’s reputation. On the way out, he says to the chef,

“It must be hard to get great fish on Mondays. I’m afraid the filet I was served had turned.”

If the chef says, “I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your meal…” then the conversation is over. The patron has been rebuffed, the feedback considered merely whining and a matter of personal perspective.

What if the chef said instead, “what kind of fish was it?” What if the chef invited the patron back into the kitchen to take a look at the process and was asked for feedback?

Open conversations generate loyalty, sales and most of all, learning… for both sides.

from “Seth Godin’s Blog.”

I hope you enjoyed this.

Sgt Chuck

On Tuesday morning we pulled out of Reno with Bend, Oregon as our day’s destination.  But of course we just had to detour up to Lake Tahoe first.

We headed up to Mt Rose.  Unlike me (type A’s don’t stop!), we stopped several  times at the viewpoints just to walk in the forest.  We crossed the mountain pass at the 9,000 foot level.   Finally the lake in all its glory was shimmering  below in the morning sun.  We drove along the north shore enjoying the view.

When we came to Crystal Bay we reminisced about the good times we used to have at the lake.  One year we rented a condo for week.  The condo came with a boat slip so we were able to keep our ski boat in the water the whole week.  Over the course of the week we cruised the entire shore line around Lake Tahoe and enjoyed the raw beauty of a place we find special.  Of course we and our kids were young so we water skied and knee boarded for miles every day.

“In the old days” we used to frequent the Cal Neva Lodge and Casino at Crystal Bay.  The state line between Nevada and California runs through the lodge and middle of the swimming pool.  It was the first legal gambling house in Nevada circa 1930.

We saw some big name acts and played blackjack next to celebrities who were only there for R & R.  Before our time this was the place of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and the rest of the “rat pack” crowd.

The current state of this icon saddened us.  Most of the casino was filled with furniture to make a large lobby for the hotel.  The morning we dropped in, there were less than 15 patrons in the whole place.  And there was no excitement or atmosphere.  The only thing time could not change was the magnificent lake views from the lobby and bar area.

We ate lunch at a place called “The Blue Onion”.  It was the restaurant at the clubhouse of a small golf course.  The food was terrific!  We sat outside at a table with a view of the lake and trees just beginning to turn to fall.

From there we took a scenic road to Truckee, CA and then back-tracked to Reno to catch Hwy 395 up to Susanville where we turned off to go to Klamath Falls, OR.

To date, construction delays requiring pilot cars and a long wait are all over the west.  There is road construction / repair everywhere.  We were delayed 6 times in Nevada, 3 times in California, and twice in Oregon so far.  That’s a small price to pay to stay off the interstates!

The beauty of the countryside is absolutely amazing.  We passed through forests, over mountains, through valleys and across farmland and ranches.  There is a lot of hay cutting going on (must be 3^rd cutting at least), and I love the smell of fresh cut grass and alfalfa hay.

At Honey Lake in Northeastern California we stopped at one of the nicest, cleanest rest stops that either of us had ever been in.  The state crew taking care of that rest stop obviously had some pride.

The drive from Klamath Falls to Bend, OR is through high desert forest most of the way.  I was looking forward to seeing it again, but after the late start out of Tahoe, we made the drive in the dark.  We kept our eyes peeled for deer but all we ran into were moths and other bugs.

After we checked into the hotel in Bend, I took Zazu out to do her nightly business.  About 50 yards away I saw a large buck with a huge rack of antlers.  He was staring at us and not moving so I thought, hell, it might be a statue.  The next morning when Zazu and I returned to the scene, there was no deer but certainly fresh deer droppings, so it really was a huge buck in the middle of Bend.  Glad we saw him there and not out on the highway.

The next day we had a short drive of just 5 hours on to Kennewick, WA where Carol’s sister, Lynne, lives.  Again it was another beautiful drive across farmland, ranches and wheat fields.  For a while we were on the interstate but we were driving next to the Columbia River so we didn’t mind.

I will talk about Lynne’s court date in Grandview, Washington in my next update.

Until then,

Chuck

Through my blog, I will share some entertaining stories from this trip.  On the day before we left I needed an air filter for my Mercedes SUV.  I swung into O’Reilly Auto Parts on Happy Valley.  It turns out there were two possible filters for my vehicle.  The young counterman asked if the vehicle was in the parking lot, grabbed both filters, and headed to the car, me in tow.

I popped open the hood and the parts man popped out the old filter and replaced it with the correct new filter.  On my model of Mercedes, this is a 10 minute job.  This was the best auto parts customer service story I’ve seen since I owned auto parts stores!  The young man was awesome.

As a side note I used to hang with David O’Reilly at national auto parts conventions before he went big time, went public, and expanded nationally.

The Arizona Republic is featured in my negative customer service story.  Our paper was not delivered the Sunday morning we left for this trip (we left Sunday afternoon).  It is the 2^nd time our Sunday paper has not been delivered in the last 8 weeks.  I reported the paper missing and told the agent that a 75% delivery rate was not much to brag about.  The guy had no sense of humor and said he would have my paper to me by 11:30 AM.  I told him I like to read my Sunday paper at 7:30AM so 11:30 wasn’t helpful.

Long story short I did not receive the paper before we left at 2PM, nor was the paper delivered by 11:30 the last time it was missing.  How do I, a person who helps clients make advertising decisions, ever recommend the AZ Republic?

Back to the trip.  Carol and I have always enjoyed road trips.  When we vacation via car we avoid the interstates and stick to the back roads as much as possible.

On Sunday afternoon we cruised up to Las Vegas.  Not a gambling trip, it was just a place to spend the night.  It was our first trip across the new bridge at Hoover Dam.  We were expecting something much more magnificent.  At least it was a time saver from the old route across the dam.

Monday we drove up US 95 to Fallon, NV and then over to Reno.  I have always enjoyed the advertising for the two small brothels, Angel’s Ladies and the Shady Lady which you pass on the way.  It seems the biggest benefit they offer is “Lots of truck parking”.  If I was doing their marketing, I would knock off the old Burma Shave road signs and come up with some clever sayings based on the benefits of stopping at a brothel in the middle of nowhere.  I am sure there must be some I just can’t think of any right now.

Now there online marketing – that’s a different story.  Carol suggested I Google them.  I said yeah, right.  But intrigued, I did a search and was amazed.  They had a price list, monthly specials, photo tours – everything you would expect from any retail website.   I still think they could produce more revenue with better signage for “spur of moment” clientele.

We stopped for lunch at a Subway / gas station in Tonapah.  While I was in line to get the sandwiches, Carol came out of the restrooms holding her sunglasses in a paper towel.  Her explanation was that they fell off her head into the toilet and she had to scrub them after she fished them out.  I was the only man in line with tears rolling down his cheeks from laughing!

And what goes on in Hawthorne?  There are thousands of covered of bunkers all over the area.  There is also a Naval underwater training facility on the south end of town and an Army detachment on the north end.  It makes you wonder what’s in those bunkers?  It is rumored they are ammunition storage bunkers and security is supplied by the Marines.

After seeing the filth of Las Vegas, it was refreshing to see how clean Fallon, NV was.  There is Naval Air Station in Fallon. When I was training Marine reserves at NAS Alameda we shared A4 aircraft with the Navy.  One of the Navy reserve pilots ejected at Fallon.  The only trouble was he was upside down and ejected himself into the runway.  The unit I was responsible for had performed the periodic maintenance on the ejection seat of the aircraft.  There was an investigation, but film showed the seat worked as advertised.

Reno has fond memories for both of us.  It was the first place we ever did any legal gambling.  We had not been to Reno in at least 15 years until this trip.  Years ago the MGM built a new hotel casino complete with a bowling alley and live lions.  At that time we preferred the down town casinos so we seldom played there.

This trip we checked out the old MGM which is now the Grand Sierra Resort.  Granted it was a Monday night, but the place was dead.  We did spend a couple of hours gambling – successfully I might add.  Carol won a couple of hundred bucks playing video poker and I had a great little streak at the Blackjack tables.

The place was interesting from a customer service standpoint.  Every blackjack dealer asked the names of those sitting at the table.  And then remembered them and introduced us to new players joining the table.

In my next post I will take you from Reno to Lake Tahoe, to Northeastern California and up through Central Oregon.

Until then…

Chuck Trautman

After our GKIC Phoenix Ali Brown Event on Wednesday, several folks ask about how to find a niche.  This article is a starting point.

If you haven’t heard the word ‘niche’ being batted around by Internet Marketers then you haven’t been listening.

Finding a niche has become the antidote to competing in overly saturated online markets.

What is a niche?

According to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary a niche is described as “a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted… a specialized market”.

Have you noticed that despite the closing of many businesses in these harsh economic times, the local hobby train store is still around? That the ‘hole-in-the-wall’ eatery is thriving? Or that trends such as scrapbooking can start with a bang and still close within a year when four similar businesses start up in the same area?

The online business world reflects the same trends as experienced in the offline world – often with faster turnover and startup rates. Those who promote a product or site that targets a small, select audience can tap into a market that is otherwise being under-served. Despite the limitations of the client base, the targeted nature of the business creates a devoted and active market – the aim of any business.

HOW DO I FIND A NICHE?

Finding a niche requires diligent research. Whether you have access to software that harvests and sorts information or you take a manual approach you must first start with ideas.

First, list the things you like to do and what you have specialized knowledge about.  Examples may be golf, car enthusiast, quilting, photography, dog training, etc.

With a pen and paper (or computer,  if that’s more comfortable) brainstorm a list of businesses, products and industries. Create a list of keywords and  phrases you think would be used by individuals looking for these items online.

Use a software program such as Wordtracker or a free resource such as the Google Keyword Tool to find keywords for your niche that have a high amount of traffic.

Although a programs like Wordtracker and the Google Keyword Tool makes it easy to find details such as how many sites compete for that market, you can also do your own research.

Concentrate your attention on question phrases such as “how do I…” or “where can I…”. These questions will clue you into potential markets that need servicing.

Type one of your keywords into search engine. What questions are being asked?  Are people willing to pay for answers?

What sites come up? Do they provide answers or solutions to the problem? How are they making money? Can you see an opportunity to service these individuals?

Finding a niche can open the door to a profitable online business. Research the market and be certain that your product or service is valuable to this group. Find forums or groups that target this audience and pay close attention to their concerns.

If you can help these people you WILL make money. The best of both
worlds!

Until next time!

Sgt Chuck

No matter whether they are writing novels, nonfiction books, articles or whatever, all writers rely to some degree at least on carrying out research, which they then use as the foundation for the written work that they produce.  Typically they use numerous sources of information,  so that they can check and cross-check their facts, and then they organize these details and present them in order; in context; and, of course, in their own words.

Even if you have no particular aspiration to be an author, this same process is one that works extremely well whenever you want to learn about something new, whether that something happens to be how to improve your golf swing, how to create a resume or how to run your own business.

Often when we want to start learning something new, especially if it is something complicated or in-depth like how to start a business, it can be hard to know where to start.  Our thoughts are all over the place and the whole subject just feels overwhelming.  By breaking it down and organizing it logically as a writer would, however, it all becomes clearer and more straightforward.

In addition, the mere fact of writing things down in your own words helps to retain information.  Who knows, by the time you have learned about your subject, you might even have created a saleable “how to” book to teach others!

Until next time,

Chuck

Have patience: When you have a freelance project that needs to be completed, the temptation can be to post an ad on a job site and to hire someone from the first few freelancers who respond. Keep in mind, however, the fact that your project is important to you and your company; if you give it enough time, you will likely receive hundreds of inquiries regarding the job you have posted, and even though it will feel nice to “get it over with” and hire someone right away, it will be much better in the long run if you take the time to make sure you are putting the project in good hands.

Look at the resumes: Any good freelancer will also have a freelance resume that they can send; unless you are unable to pay for an experienced freelancer, you should make sure you take the time to look over these resumes, paying close attention to the resumes that show a track record of good work and a great deal of experience.

Ask for samples: A great way to narrow down the “applicants” for a freelance job is to ask for samples of their work, but an even better way (perhaps the best way of all) is to ask them to do a small test assignment for you. When you take this final step, you will be able to truly discern which of the qualified applicants are the right applicants for the assignment you need taken care of.

Last Wednesday morning I rebooted my HP laptop,  Instead of rebooting normally I got the dreaded black screen with the words “operating system not found”.

Before panic set in, I restarted it a couple of more times.  Then I first called Microsoft where I ended up in India.  They had me repeat everything I had done before telling me to call HP.  Boo Microsoft support!

The second call to HP was ridiculous.  I don’t know what country the CSR was in, but she spoke poor English, was rude, and had no helpful advice to offer.  In fact she told me to try reinstalling Windows from the manufacturers disk, which would of course wipe out all the other programs installed since the purchase of the laptop.

I took the the computer to Data Doctors for a free hard drive check.  Sure enough it was wiped out.

Panic set in for a moment, because I had my PowerPoint presentation for the monthly chapter event ready to go.  I calmed down quickly, wrote my notes out by hand, and gave the presentation without technology – just the way we used to do them before computers!

Fortunately I subscribe to Crash Plan which automatically backs up by files daily.  That was a comfort to know.

I spent Thursday doing research and making the decision whether to repair what I have or buying a new PC.  The final decision was to repair what I have.

A new 500 GB hard drive (the old one was 250 GB) was $100 and a snap to install.  I purchased Windows 7 so I could rid myself of Vista and purchased Office 2010 so I would be “current”.  Of course every thing is slightly different so the adaptation process is a pain in the ass.

All other programs have to be reinstalled as they are not part of a back up plan.  That is certainly a reason for a 2nd, external hard drive that mirrors drive 1.

The restored data is now on my desktop waiting to be copied into the proper folders.  The only flaw, so far, is that my Outlook files did not copy.  Hopefully, I can try to restore them again.

Until next time,

Chuck Trautman

480-773-74910