You may think your biggest business assets are your equipment or your inventory. But, you have two assets even more important than these. One of these is your expertise…your brainpower and the specific manner in which you help your clients.

And, the other is your list of satisfied, loyal customers, as well as your pool of warm prospects with whom you are building a relationship of credibility and trust. Building this list of warm prospects and satisfied customers is your ticket to a steady stream of income.

Here are some tips to build your list:

1. If you have a website, make sure you have some kind of name capture mechanism. In exchange for people’s contact information, offer a subscription to an ezine, a free report, an e-course, a free forum, or some other perk.

Make sure you have an effective online system to collect the names of your customers and prospects. The best program I’ve found for managing my lead generation and follow-up activities is Professional Cart Services. This program allows you to set up a name capture form for your website, as well as auto responders to automate the process of communicating with your list on a regular basis. Set it up and let it work for you as your online salesperson - 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

2. If you have a physical location, place a sign-up form in an obvious place for your visitors so you can stay in touch with them on an ongoing basis. You can offer an incentive to sign up such as special coupons, discounts, or a print newsletter with tips.

3. When you give speeches, presentations, and attend trade shows, collect the names of people you interact with! Offer a prize like a free product or a discount. You can do the same thing if you offer telephone seminars or online courses to your clients.

4. Grow your list by conducting a joint venture with a like-minded business. For example, a mortgage broker and realtor can offer a free seminar on home buying. Both businesses can collect the names of the attendees.

5. Submit articles to various websites and ezines. Make sure each article has a resource box with information about your business and a link to a name capture page. Submit Your Article is a powerful service that will send your articles to numerous websites.

6. Of course, anyone and everyone who has ever purchased from you should go on your list. It is much easier and cost effective to cross-sell and up-sell to past, satisfied customers than it is to convert a prospect into a customer. Regularly keep in touch to ensure your company stays in the forefront of their awareness.

Be sure to track your marketing activities with your customers and prospects. This includes direct mail, phone calls, estimates sent, and meetings. You can use something as simple as Microsoft Outlook, which has client relationship management (CRM) functions. You can also use software with more robust CRM capabilities such as ACT! Or Goldmine. If you don’t need to have the latest version of these, look on the Ebay for great deals on an earlier release of the software.

Action Item: Take a look at your current system for collecting names and following up with prospects and customers? How do you store your contact data? What actions will you take in the next three months to improve these aspects of your marketing?

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I am honored that Kinetic Ideas has been nominated in the Best Small Business Marketing Blog by Marketing Sherpa. And I am in great company - many of the other blog nominees are ones that that I regularly enjoy reading!

Oooooh…this is so exciting! It’s almost like being Miss. Oregon without the crown, runway, or bathing suit competition - how do you think I would look in a tiara?

If you enjoy my blog, would you take a few minutes and vote for Kinetic Ideas?

Visit Marketing Sherpa Blog Award page and scroll down to the Blogs on Small Business Marketing category.

I certainly hope you’ll vote “Excellent” as your choice for Kinetic Ideas. The form has quite a few blogs on it and may take a little while to load, so please be patient

Voting ends this Friday and the winners will be announced next Tuesday the 27th.

Thanks so much for your support and for taking the time to vote!

Hugs and success,
Wendy Maynard, your friendly marketing maven

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One way to stand out among your competitors is to make sure you are current with trends in your industry. For some businesses, it means you should keep up-to-date with the latest software or equipment. For other industries, it might be a style, a specific service, or a product upgrade.

With my design and marketing business, Kinesis, it is absolutely essential that our design team stays current with the latest design trends - both print and on the web. They also have to know how to use the most recent software programs (i.e. Flash, Illustrator, and Photoshop) As a company that offers high-end design, if we didn’t capitalize on the developments in our industry, we would quickly lose our clients. They count on us to create compelling marketing materials.

I have a friend who is a nurse-midwife. She works in an OB/GYN clinic. Did you know that more and more healthcare practices are offering elective procedures like laser hair removal? This is a trend in my friend’s industry that her clinic has found important to add to their services.

Here’s another example of an industry trend. More and more cosmetic dentists are turning their practices into spa-like environments with candles and soft lighting, and comfortable, cushy chairs with headsets and DVD players for patients to watch during their procedures. Dental customers can also take advantage of treatments typically found in spas such as massage, aromatherapy, waxing, and airbrush tanning.

In the online world, something you can do to stand out is to have audio and even video on your website. You can also have a blog to help promote your services. Some people are selling information products and offering web-based seminars.

So, make sure that you aren’t left behind with the trends in your industry, because you will have competitors who jump on board quickly. You should always be aware of what is the latest and greatest in your field, so you can offer the most remarkable services and products.

Staying current with industry trends is an investment in your business, your success, and your customers. It is an important part of being a remarkable marketer. What current industry trends can you integrate into your company?

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven
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If you want to improve your marketing, one effective approach is to learn what your competitors are doing and to differentiate yourself from them. Go to their website and sign up for any free offers they have such as white papers, ezines, and newsletters. You can also call their office and ask to have a brochure or marketing kit sent to you (if you feel uncomfortable, ask your assistant or a friend to do this for you.)

Study the way your competition positions their company. What do you like and dislike about their approach. What can you do that is better and unique?

Another Secret Shopper approach for marketing ideas is to study similar companies that market to other industries. For instance, perhaps you are a photographer who specializes in architectural photography. What can you learn from cohorts who specialize in product photography? Again, be a secret shopper and order their marketing materials. Study their website and brochure. Are there elements that are appealing to you? And, are there things that you want to avoid at all costs?

To become a better marketer, study what is around you and learn what to do and to NOT do. What seems to be working for others? Consider modeling aspects of your marketing approach after others’ success. Make sure that you use what you learn to make your business more unique and appealing to your target audience.

For more about how to differentiate your business and sell more through niche marketing, you might want to order my Marketing Action Guide: A Niche Will Make You Rich.

Hugs and success,
Wendy Maynard, Marketing Maven

Go to my website for more small business marketing ideas and promotion tips

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My business partner, Shawn Busse, just sent me a fantastic post about pricing a blog. At Kinesis, our clients value professionally-designed websites and blogs. I think that Chris Pearson makes some excellent points about the value of of a blog to a company.

He writes:

Based on my experience, I have reason to believe that about 90% of you who just saw my prices thought, “Gosh, that’s awfully expensive!”

Well, you’re right, but actually, you’re wrong too.

You’re right because $1800 is a decent chunk of change - for an individual. You’re wrong because companies throw this kind of bread around all the time. They do so because they understand that crafting a brand holds a value that is oftentimes hard to measure in dollars and cents alone. On top of that, companies typically have a monetary objective behind the launch of a new design, so to them, there’s a foreseeable payoff. Individuals, on the other hand, are oftentimes unable to see things in such a positive light. Let’s face it - most people don’t make a sustainable (or even decent) income off of their blog.

Everybody wants a killer design, especially after seeing one that they lust over. Problem is, nobody wants to pay for it.

As the owner of a marketing and design firm, I really appreciate his post.

In addition to the hours that go into designing a blog or website, graphic designers also add a lot of additional value that isn’t immediately apparent to the client that says “Wow that’s expensive.”

This includes the knowledge of how to code and use the various software programs, the artistic ability to make it compelling, the time to concept and listen to the client’s specific needs, and the costs for all of the expensive software upgrades.

Considering that a client can get a blog built without taking on any of these expenses, I think they are still getting a pretty good deal at $2K.

You can read his entire post at Pearsonified - be sure to read the comments, as well. Some of his readers make excellent points.

Hugs and success, Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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I’m pleased to say that I’ve just completed FOUR valuable Marketing Strategy reports to provide you with proven marketing ideas, techniques, and strategies that will accelerate your small business success!

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Order yours today to take the next steps toward your business success.
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I look forward to working with you!

Hugs and success,
Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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