Over the past year, I have part of a Mastermind group. And, now I’m actually part of two - one that is focused on wealth building and the other on Internet Marketing strategies. In my Mastermind groups, we challenge each other to develop new ideas, implement goals, and support each other with honesty and compassion.

I’ve learned successful masterminding from two different high-priced programs I’ve been involved in over the last year. It is such a powerful catalyst for growth - both in business and in other areas of life that I want to show YOU how you can do the very same thing. So, I am offering a teleclass to help you “Create Your Own Power Mastermind Group.

How far could you go if you had the support of a group of highly-motivated, like-minded individuals to be your mentors, cheerleaders, and accountability partners? How big would you dare to dream if you had a team who could show you shortcuts to take your business to the next level? You would be inspired, motivated, and unstoppable!

A Powerful Mastermind Group can take you anywhere you want to go in a remarkably short amount of time. And this teleclass is designed to teach you EXACTLY how to set up an effective, committed group.

TIME: FRIDAY, June 1, 2007, 4:00 - 5:15 pm Eastern (starts at 3:00 pm central, 2:00 pm mountain, 1:00 pm pacific) Can’t make the live class? Don’t worry!

This call is FREE for all Marketing Maven Inner Success Circle members. Not a member? Join now to access this call with Wendy’s special $1 “Silver Membership” trial. (Past members can re-join at regular monthly rate. See order form for details.) http://www.gomarketingmaven.com/inner_success_1.html

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As part of your marketing efforts, be sure to offer discounts and sales. People love them and it’s a great way to create cash flow. You can use incentives to entice new people to try your services/products. Sales are also a powerful tool to encourage past customers to come back to your company if they’ve drifted away.

Here are some pointers to help you with your sales:

1. Offer a trial discount: If you want to get people to try a program or product you are launching, you can have a pre-release sale or a trial membership like I am offering for my Inner Success Circle. You can also offer an early-bird discount for a seminar or workshop.

2. Try discounting to groups: If you provide services or products to large companies or associations, you can offer a discount if a group signs up together to encourage their participation. You can also offer incentives to organizers to bring a group - for example, bring a group of 5 or more people and the leader can register for free.

3. Tell-A-Friend incentive: This is an effective promotional tool and can be used in a number of ways. For instance, a postcard mailing could promote “Register for XYZ program and register your friend for 5o% off with this postcard” or “Two registrations for the price of one with this coupon” and so on.

4. Make a reason for your sale: You can hold a sa1e because of a special event like Mother’s Day or your birthday or the anniversary of your business. Promote it to your customers in a way that gets them excited and be sure to let them know the offer is good for a limited time only!

5. Send out multiple reminders: Whether you are promoting your sale via e-mail, direct mail, or your ezine (or in all three), it’s important that you remind people several times about your sa1e. Why? Because all of us are bombarded by lots of information and it’s easy to miss a single notice about something.

6. Expect orders right before the deadline: Make sure to send out a reminder on the day of the deadline. Don’t be surprised if 50% or more of your orders come in at the 11th hour. Many of us are procrastinators and will put in the order at the last minute. But, if you don’t send a reminder…you probably won’t get the order at all.

The key is to avoid using this discounting strategy too often. Pull it out of your marketing tool box a few times a year. Otherwise it can seem like you are simply inflating the original price and you devalue your services/products. But once in a while, when sales are slow or you need a cash infusion…go for it!

Ready to learn more great success tips? Then it’s time to get a copy of the Maven Marketing Home Study System! It’s everything you need to know to attract the best customers for your business. You’ll learn how to describe what makes your business remarkable, how to get new customers calling YOU, and lots of other valuable strategies to help you fill your sales pipeline quickly. (Why struggle with your marketing anymore?)

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If I haven’t been posting as regularly as usual, please forgive me. I’m getting married in less than six weeks and am a bit mired in the details.

Nathan and I got engaged on March 25, 2006 so it’s been a year that we’ve been savoring our engagement. But, now I am scrambling to get everything done! Dress alterations and videographers and hair consultations…a little overwhelming to say the least.

But, I can barely wait - Nathan is my true heartmate! Plus, we have an amazing woman performing our ceremony, my friends’ bands will be playing at the reception, and we’ll be surrounded by our friends and family. I feel very blessed.

Hugs and success,

Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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Are you publishing an ezine (electronic newsletter)? By creating an informative publication that is sent out on a regular basis, you stay in the awareness of your your customers and leads. It also reinforces your expertise.

Your ezine can provide your readers with helpful tips and advice. You can also give them updates about your company, as well as showcasing your latest projects. Your ezine can help drive repeat business to your website. It also reminds people you are still available the next time they need your fabulous services or products.

Over time, an ezine establishes trust with your readers. You begin to form a relationship, even if you’ve never met face to face. Be there for your readers if they have questions, need advice, or want support. E-mail or call them back promptly. Ultimately, your publication will lead to more word-of-mouth business and referrals.

To generate your mailing list, start by asking your current customers, friends, associates, and vendors if they would like to subscribe. Include a sign-up form on your website for print and/or electronic versions. For an example of a sign-up page, go to my ezine page at Go Marketing Maven/ezine_3.html. Ask new customers if they would like to receive your newsletter. Organize your contacts using some kind of database software. Make sure you keep your list up to date.

To collect the names of your ezine subscribers, you will have to pick out a system as a database and to send out information. I highly recommend Professional Cart Solutions as your management system for your subscriber info, ezine sign-up forms, autoresponders, shopping cart, affiliate program, ad tracking, and more. This is the best system if you marketing online. Professional Cart Solutions has a “starter” version for only $29/mo. They offer a FREE 30-day trial, so you can even just play around with the program for a bit and see how you like it!

The common protocol in today’s spam-heavy Internet climate is to use an opt-in list in which a person has to agree to become a subscriber. I also recommend having a privacy statement on your website to reassure potential subscribers that you won’t give away or sell their name to other entities. Be sure to include a method for people to unsubscribe if they no longer want to receive it.

Some advice: Keep the majority of your publication focused on advice and resources. If it is too sales-oriented, people will be a LOT less interested in it. You will also lose some of your credibility and may be perceived as pushy. Make your ezine fun, interesting, creative, and informative. Try organizing each issue around a theme. Develop a mailing schedule and stick to it.

If you want to learn more about how to get started on your ezine, Alexandria Brown, the “Ezine Queen” is an expert in ezine publishing. She has a wonderful product to help you learn all about how to start one and to make it successful. Learn more about her manual at Boost Business With Your Ezine (even if you don’t purchase it, be sure to sign up for her ezine for tips).

ACTION ITEM: Today, start making plans to create an ezine. If you already have one, is it being sent regularly? Does it need a facelift? Is the content interesting? Are you receiving positive feedback? Make sure your publication is creative and that it’s working effectively. If you want to read more about how to build your list, read my article on Six Tips to Build Your List. Hugs and Success, Wendy Maynard, your Friendly Marketing Maven

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Wowee! I just got back last week from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico as a part of Loral Langemeier’s Big Table Alumni. It was was absolutely amazing. I have at least a dozen new ideas to skyrocket my revenue. Talk about some intensive learning, networking, and investing strategies! Loral just released her third book, Cash Machine for Life - I’m looking forward to reading it for even more ideas.

Having a community of like-minded peers has helped to give me new business ideas and tactics. Why do I mention this? First of all, because I think that my readers are interested in the steps I take to further my professional development. More importantly, I encourage you to look within your own industry or interest area to find a community of mentors and peers who can further your development.

I’ve found over the last year by being a part of Loral’s community that I have grown not only from the direct lessons I’ve been taught, but also from the people I’ve met - they are running businesses and marketing their companies and making investments in ways that are new to me. Peer learning is fantastically inspiring!

Hugs and success,

Wendy Maynard

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As the owner of Kinesis, a creative firm, it’s imperative that I not only stay on top of marketing and design trends…but also the trends related to the way clients are reacting to my industry as a whole. One of the ways I do this is through one of my favorite subscriptions - the Creative Business newsletter by Cam Foote.

Today, I opened my e-mail to find the latest issue and it has a fantastic article called Promises and Perils of Educating Clients. Here are a couple of excerpted paragraphs to provide an overview:

“Each year an increasing percentage of desirable accounts and projects comes from knowledgeable clients, a decreasing percentage from less knowledgeable ones. The reason is that the latter are more likely to be attracted to today’s alternatives: everything from freelance wannabees, to do-it-yourself software, to internet pitches. Knowledgeable clients are less likely to be swayed by these options….

The more clients understand value, the less likely they are to be concerned about pricing. Similarly, the more they know about how things are done, the less demanding and easier they are to work with. All of which lead to higher profit margins. Knowledgeable clients who appreciate quality work are also more likely to generate referrals, both within and outside their organizations. This lowers marketing costs, further increasing profits.”

Foote’s main point in this article is that education of clients should be selective and intentional. Many creative firms focus on “show and tell” - this is what we did and this is how we did it. He advocates infusing client education into the process. For example, “This is what you need to know to make your sales literature more effective.”

And also…being selective about which clients you should choose to educate. He writes, “one-on-one education should be limited to turn dross into gold is a costly mistake. Client education rarely turns good ones to bad ones.”

I wholeheartedly agree with Foote. In my experience as the owner of a creative firm, the more carefully we select and nurture select client relationships, the more profitable our firm is and the better we serve those select clients - helping them to increase their sales and ensuring a great return on their investment in us.

Attempting to educate struggling clients (even if they can use it) is a time suck. The odds of a payback in long-term work is just too great. The ramp-up time to get these types of clients where they need to be is just too great. In other words…if they ain’t a fit, let’ em go!

For more on the subject of pricing and client relationships, you may want to see these other posts I’ve written.

Hugs and success,
Wendy Maynard
Your friendly marketing maven

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