Did you know that statistically your chances of survival in business beyond five years are about the same as the flip of a coin!?! According to recent statistics published by the Small Business Administration (SBA), seven out
of ten business startups will survive at least two years but only 51 percent will survive beyond five years. This is a far cry from the previous long-held belief that 50 percent of businesses fail in the first year and 95 percent fail within five years.

So with a 50/50 chance of success beyond the first five years what can you do to influence the odds in your favour? – Well, one thing you can do (which is becoming increasingly popular) is to recruit the services of a business coach and mentor. A professional business advisor that you can talk to and spend time with on a regular basis to help you avoid some of the mistakes and pitfalls that await you on your journey, and to help you grow and realize your full potential as an individual and as a new business owner.

It’s a fact that most every successful sports person and Olympic athlete will have a coach; someone to help, advice, support and bring out the very best in them. This concept translates into the business world perfectly too. Working with someone who will keep you on track, focused and accountable will help you to be a success whilst avoid being a statistic! Here are just some of the ways you should expect help and support from your business coach as a new business startup.

The building blocks of success – Structure and methodology

Ever wondered how to make your AdWords adverts REALLY stand out? Well here’s how!

To start with, make sure your headline closely matches the product or service you are creating the current Ad Group for.  Do this by placing the keyword in the heading.  Consider that an Ad Group should be only for a handful of keywords, to ensure that the keywords within the advert will show in bold and will ensure your potential client recognises that you sell what he/she is looking for.

You have just 2 more lines of text to try to entice your potential client to visit your website.  Each line will have 35 characters. So let’s make it count!

Verbs are very powerful – ideally strong verbs, so use wherever possible.  For example – don’t use Learn, use Master.  Don’t use Find use Get or Attract.  Use as strong verbs as you can for greater Click Through Rate (CTR)!

Note the capitalisation I have used above – this is deliberate.  Capitalisation will make a different to CTR – feel free to run your own tests but I can guarantee that writing in Title Case (capitalising the first letter of every word) will improve CTR substantially.

The list below are recognised as the most powerful words in the English language (taken from a Yale University study) so try using one or more of these in your adverts:

• You
• Money
• Save
• New
• Results
• Easy
• Health
• Safety
• Love
• Discovery
• Proven
• Guaranteed

 The rest of your advert could explain the features of the product or service in line 2, and then the benefit in line 3.  You could try using this section of the advert to detail financial information such as prices or minimum order levels. Including prices here will have the added advantage of disqualifying anyone looking for a free or cheap solution from visiting your site.

Numbers or dates also really work at making your advert stand out – which will increaseCTR.  For example if you have an open day running – give the date in the advert.  Just remember to keep regularly updating your advert with new dates, as out of date adverts will actually decrease CTR!

Remember you can use the display URL creatively – it doesn’t have to just say your website but you can use it for including some keywords at the end – eg www.marketingbyweb.co.uk/AdWords

Don’t be afraid to try something totalling different – remember you should be split testing ads continually to see what works! Here’s a couple of examples:

 PPC Management

Don’t Throw Money Down The Drain!

Expert Processes, Qualified Staff

www.MarketingByWeb.co.uk/HelpMeNow

Local Locksmith – Bristol

Just £80 Fixed Fee- 30 Mins Arrival

Any Quote Beaten! 24H 07883 448936

www.Bristol-Locksmiths.com/30Mins

So go and try some different ads today, and come back and let us know how you get on!

About the author:

Claire Jarrett is the owner of Marketing By Web, who are based in Bristol, UK employing 7 full-time staff.  Marketing By Web offer  both PPC Management and AdWords Courses for those who prefer to learn how to manage AdWords themselves.

Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger. In short, fear is the ability to recognize danger leading to an urge to confront it or flee from it (also known as the fight-or-flight response) but in extreme cases of fear (terror) a freeze or paralysis response is possible.

Additionally, fear is frequently related to the specific behaviours of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is the result of threats which are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable. It is worth noting that fear almost always relates to future events, such as worsening of a situation, or continuation of a situation that is unacceptable. Fear can also be an instant reaction to something presently happening.

Here a few profound and helpful quotes that might help you overcome your fears

 1. “If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?” – Confucius

Fear is not real, it is nothing more than a state of mind. We control our fears, they don’t control us. It’s a built in subconscious response normally designed to protect us.

Action: Next time you feel fear, acknowledge its presence. Then look inwards and tell yourself “it’s OK, I choose to override my fear response and step forward”

2. “Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment”. – Mahatma Gandhi

We are each driven towards or away from our goal, target, destination, and objective. If we are driven towards it this is a positive experience (Reward).If we are driven away it is felt as a negative experience (Fear).

Action: Consider what your motivational stimulus is for each goal, especially those you appear to be struggling with. If you are driven by the fear of failure or punishment, then what can you do to turn that stimulus into a happy, positive rewarding experience.

3. “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot”. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Sometimes it actually makes sense to confront to confront our fears and work through the challenge to reach the other side. This then empowers you and makes you stronger by learning from the experience and opportunity. It generates courage, which is knowing what not to fear. Attack your fear!

Action: Identify something that you are fearful of and make a decision to work to confront that fear and overcome it. By working proactively and managing the situation you have a better opportunity and greater chance to overcome that fear.

4. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” –Dale Carnegie

Sometimes the boldest, bravest step is the first one. However scary it may seem the secret here is to take that initial step; the moment we get the ball rolling, fear starts to dissipate. We get so involved in the process of doing and we actually forget to be scared and it feel great!

Action: When you feel scared, think of one thing you can do right now to get you closer to your desired outcome, however small it may seem take some action, get moving and just do it.

5. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who am I to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?” -Marianne Williamson (Peace Activist & Writer)

Wow!!! How cool is that! Not being afraid of greatness is something I’m still coming to terms with. But I’m starting to realize that the only way to live life to the fullest (and bring our greatest contribution to the world) is by shining brightly and expressing ourselves fully.

Action: Take stock, everyone has the potential for greatness and to be able to contribute to the world. Tap into your belief systems and start to understand what you believe to be true and what you know to be true. By believing you are talented and beautiful your behaviours will start to change to reflect this.

Remember….  The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth really will set you free. 

What would you do if you had no fear!

Never underestimate the power of the business card and what it can do for you. It portrays the personality and image of your company and can be the difference between success and failure. Here are my top ten tips for business card design.

1. Be memorable!
Professionals and consumers see numerous business cards during their travels so make your card a memorable one. Put on your creative thinking cap and customise every detail of your card according to the audience you are marketing to and the services you are marketing. Anyone can hand out a standard business card but the professional who expresses their organisation’s message and personality through their card will have the edge on the competition.

2. Worth the weight!
The weight and texture of your card is the first thing someone notices when it is handed to them. Handing out a thin, flimsy card will signal that you put little thought and even less effort into the development it. Use high-quality cards with a glossy or matte finish for a sharp look that will call your audience to action. You can also use vertical business cards to stand out among your competitors.

3. Use the back of your card
It’s important to give your cards as much leverage as possible, so use all available space, including the back. While the back content should be secondary in importance to contact information, you can include product information, customer testimonials, guarantees, USP’s etc. Business cards are small and supply us with limited space but it is important space. Don’t waste it.

4. Face up to the challenge!
Adding your photo to a business card can be a great way to build trust, especially if you’re working in an industry where a personal relationship is important. Trust is the key to a lasting and profitable business relationship and giving your organisation a face can help this along.

5. Back to basics!
It may seem obvious, but some people fail to list all the necessary information on their business cards. The basic elements of a business card include

• Name
• Title
• Company name
• Telephone number
• Website address
• Social media information

Try not to list more than one phone number on your card as too much information can cause confusion. Lead with your company’s name and, space permitting, include a clear, concise positioning statement or tagline.

6. Mix and Match!
The branding, logo and colours on your card should be a match to your other marketing materials, such as your website, signage and stationary. The trick is to make the connection between your business card and the other places your prospect will have seen your marketing. Remember the card should compliment your other marketing touches.

7. Different strokes for different folks!
Businesses marketing to a wide-ranging audience should consider creating more than one business card design for their personnel. For example, a florist could tailor one card to target the wedding industry and another for the funeral industry. Your company needs to be all things to all people so why not have multiple card designs when you have to influence very different audiences with very different needs? The small amount of money spent developing the additional cards will pay for itself in the form of the extra business gained.

8. Size matters!
Never use font smaller than 8-10 point on your business cards.  While it’s great to be stylish, avoid using an ultra fancy font that’s on the verge of being illegible. Make sure the print on your card blends properly with its background colour and design. When it comes to actual card size I recommend you stay within the standard size for cards. Portrait and Landscape are fine. Also unusual shapes can be very effective. I just recommend you stay consistent with the traditional business card sizes.

9. Blow your horn!
Tell the world if you or your organisation has won awards. Proudly list any awards on the front or back of your card as it can only enhance your contact’s interest in doing business with you. Whether you are an MD, or PhD, list your qualifications and professional status. It won’t take up much space and it will signal that you are knowledgeable and experienced.

10. Don’t break the bank!
Business cards are worth every penny but you don’t have to spend a chunk of your marketing budget on them. Search for free business card offers and enlist the services of a company that can produce high-quality yet affordable cards. If you’re a small business, work with a company that allows card orders in small business-friendly quantities.

No matter what your budget is, I hope these simple tips will help you design a killer business card that captures the imagination and attention of your prospects and customers.

Your feedback and views are always welcome.

In my experience, I am convinced that techniques and methods of sales are teachable to anyone who has the desire to learn. However, there are a few natural skills that are of great benefit if they already exist within those that want to be successful in sales. Without these, success will take a longer time but it can still be achieved. If there is no desire and dedication to learning or developing these skills, then the selling will be much more difficult and often very stressful.

Effective Communicator
Communication covers a lot of territory. I am not talking about superb orator skills here, but the ability to speak clearly and in a manner that is easy to understand. Sales is all about talking to people and getting them to understand what you are trying to communicate.

Ability to Listen
Along with speaking, a great salesperson knows when to stop talking and listen. They never cut someone off while they are talking, because in doing so they would fail to hear a key element in identifying what that person’s needs might be.

Asks Great Questions
Salespeople are naturally inquisitive and know that in order to isolate what the real need or desire is in the buyer, they need to ask questions that will lead them to the answer. They naturally ask questions because they have a desire to help solve their problem.

Problem Solver
Another natural skill is the desire and ability to solve problems. Great salespeople are always solving problems. The ability to hone in on what the buyer’s problem is and offering suggestions that will effectively solve the problem with respect to what products or services you sell, generally results with a sale.

Well Organized
I am not necessarily speaking of your personal surroundings, but more with your thoughts and methods of planning. Sales people have a keen ability to break things down into smaller steps and organize a plan of action. They know how to analyse what their goal is and in what order the steps need to be in in order to reach that goal.

Self-Starter and Self-Finisher
A successful sales person moves forward on their own. They never need anyone to tell them when it is time to go to work because they know that if they do not work they will not earn. They are also very persistent to finish what they start. They achieve their goals, even if they are small ones.

Positive Self Image
Having the attitude that they can do just about anything that they put their mind to is usually very common among sales people. They do not cower from meeting or talking to people or trying something new. They rarely allow negatives that are either spoken to them or about them to effect what they are trying to accomplish because they know who they are and what they are capable of doing.

Well Mannered and Courteous
The best sales people are very well mannered. You may not realize it, but good manners is a way of showing respect for others. People are attracted to those that respect them and mutual respect is fundamental in building lasting relationships with people; including buyers.

Naturally Persuasive
Another very common inherent skill with great salespeople is that they are very persuasive or know how to get what they want. They focus on what they want and they are persistent to keep chipping away until they get what they want. They almost never give up or give in.

Person of Integrity
A salesperson without integrity will have many struggles which will often include hopping from job to job. Honesty in sales is so important and it is almost impossible for this skill to be taught. You or the person you are looking to hire is either a person of integrity or are not. Be as analytical as possible on the evaluation of this skill.

1. If it’s not in writing, it’s not a goal. An unwritten want is a wish, a dream, a never-happen. If it’s in writing, it’s a commitment.

2. If it’s not specific, it’s not a goal. Broad desires and lofty aims have no effect. It must be concrete.

3. Goals must be believable. If you don’t believe you can achieve a goal, you won’t pay the price for it.

4. An effective goal is an exciting challenge. It must demand your best and a bit more or it isn’t going to change your ways and elevate your lifestyle.

5. Goals must be adjusted to new information. Adjust them down if they become unbelievable or up if they’re too easy.

6. Dynamic goals guide our choices. If you want it badly enough, you’ll turn off the TV and get to it. Goals will show you the right way to go on most decisions.

7. Don’t set short-term goals for more than 90 days. If you set a short-term goal that takes more than 90 days, you may lose interest.

8. Maintain a balance between long-term and short-term goals. Long-term goals tend to be hidden in a fog of the future, so have some short-term goals – like clothes, cars, vacations— to keep your excitement up.

9. Include your loved ones in your goals. Involve them and they’ll buck you up when you need encouragement.

10. Set goals in all areas of your life. Have other goals besides career objectives.

11. Your goals must harmonize. Whenever you detect a conflict, set priorities that will eliminate the conflict.

12. Review your goals regularly. Remember, long-term goals can only be achieved if they are the culmination of short-term goals.

13. Set vivid goals. Define not only what you want but by when you want it, and concentrate on it for a few moments every day.

14. Don’t chisel your goals in granite. Sometimes you have to change goals to conform to your growing awareness of what’s really important in your life.

15. Reach out into the future. The idea of goal-setting is to plan your life rather than taking it as it comes. Begin by setting 20-year goals. Then 10-year, five-year, 30-month, 12-month, monthly, weekly, and finally goals for tomorrow and each day for the coming week.

16. Have a set of goals for every day, and review results each night.

17. Train yourself to crave your goals. Visualize yourself possessing what you’ve set your goals for.

18. Set activity goals, not production goals. Activity will lead to production by itself.

19. Understand luck, and make it work for you. Expect good things to happen, and they probably will.

20. Start now. Give goal-setting two hours of concentrated through today. Then set aside 10 minutes a day for the next 21 days to review and revise. After that, two minutes a day and one hour a week is all it will take to keep you on track.

People Talk!

When you deliver your  product or service to the customers expectations they will be satisfied, no more, no less.

They will simply go away having received the goods or service to the expected standards and basically say nothing.

That is what you or I would do right? – We don’t have any reason to complain or sing your praises.

However – If you deliver your products or service BELOW the level of expected standards your customers will definitely talk about you.

IN THE NEGATIVE!

And they won’t just tell one person.. They will take great pleasure in warning all their friends about the challenges of using your services.

In fact they will likely tell people they don’t even know by posting to the infinite online feedback websites and social media networks

The same rule applies if you deliver over and above their expectation. Your customers will go away and talk about you.

IN THE POSITIVE!

Hopefully, if you have done an exceptional job of wowing them they will tell their friends and colleagues and the online community too.

Every sale creates an opportunity to enrol the services of a great salesman for you. They bought your product or service and can therefore speak confidently about how good it is.

So the trick is to ALWAYS deliver above expectation, WOW your customers and they will talk about you to their friends, family and online community..

Silence is not always golden!

]]> http://iandickson.biz/blog/you-dont-want-your-customer-to-be-simply-satisfied/feed/ 0 http://iandickson.biz/blog/1431/ http://iandickson.biz/blog/1431/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:34:03 +0000 Ian Dickson http://iandickson.biz/blog/?p=1431 Napoleon Hill’s 17 Principles of Personal Achievement

Lesson 1: Definiteness of Purpose
Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. Without a purpose and a plan, people drift aimlessly through life.

Lesson 2: Mastermind Alliance
The Mastermind principle consists of an alliance of two or more minds working in perfect harmony for the attainment of a common definite objective. Success does not come without the cooperation of others.

Lesson 3: Applied Faith
Faith is a state of mind through which your aims, desires, plans and purposes may be translated into their physical or financial equivalent.

Lesson 4: Going the Extra Mile
Going the extra mile is the action of rendering more and better service than that for which you are presently paid. When you go the extra mile, the Law of Compensation comes into play.

Lesson 5: Pleasing Personality
Personality is the sum total of one’s mental, spiritual and physical traits and habits that distinguish one from all others. It is the factor that determines whether one is liked or disliked by others.

Lesson 6: Personal Initiative
Personal initiative is the power that inspires the completion of that which one begins. It is the power that starts all action. No person is free until he learns to do his own thinking and gains the courage to act on his own.

Lesson 7: Positive Mental Attitude
Positive mental attitude is the right mental attitude in all circumstances. Success attracts more success while failure attracts more failure.

Lesson 8: Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is faith in action. It is the intense emotion known as burning desire. It comes from within, although it radiates outwardly in the expression of one’s voice and countenance.

Lesson 9: Self-Discipline
Self-discipline begins with the mastery of thought. If you do not control your thoughts, you cannot control your needs. Self-discipline calls for a balancing of the emotions of your heart with the reasoning faculty of your head.

Lesson 10: Accurate Thinking
The power of thought is the most dangerous or the most beneficial power available to man, depending on how it is used.

Lesson 11: Controlled Attention
Controlled attention leads to mastery in any type of human endeavor, because it enables one to focus the powers of his mind upon the attainment of a definite objective and to keep it so directed at will.

Lesson 12: Teamwork
Teamwork is harmonious cooperation that is willing, voluntary and free. Whenever the spirit of teamwork is the dominating influence in business or industry, success is inevitable. Harmonious cooperation is a priceless asset that you can acquire in proportion to your giving.

Lesson 13: Adversity & Defeat
Individual success usually is in exact proportion of the scope of the defeat the individual has experienced and mastered. Many so-called failures represent only a temporary defeat that may prove to be a blessing in disguise.

Lesson 14: Creative Vision
Creative vision is developed by the free and fearless use of one’s imagination. It is not a miraculous quality with which one is gifted or is not gifted at birth.

Lesson 15: Health
Sound health begins with a sound health consciousness, just as financial success begins with a prosperity consciousness.

Lesson 16: Budgeting Time & Money
Time and money are precious resources, and few people striving for success ever believe they possess either one in excess.

Lesson 17: Habits
Developing and establishing positive habits leads to peace of mind, health and financial security. You are where you are because of your established habits and thoughts and deeds.

Ten Strategies for Time Management

1. The first step is being aware of where your time is going, now.
   You can’t find something you’ve lost when you don’t know where you might have lost it in the first place. So the first strategy for managing your time is to know where it’s going, now. That means actually tracking or logging your time daily, for at least 1-week (preferably 2). Track the exact time you begin and end an activity, make a note of the duration in exact minutes, and a few words to describe the activity. This step requires you to be really honest with yourself and track EVERYTHING you do in your work day so you can see where your time is really going — so if you spent 23 minutes chatting with co-workers at the coffee machine (no cheating by logging all your time in nice, even 15, 30 or 60 minute intervals) — write it down exactly.
2. Analyze and summarize your time logs.
   At the end of the week, review your time logs and start to summarize the tasks (and the amount of time spent on each) into categories. You will create these categories yourself, and you should have between 6 and 12 categories. They should be meaningful to you, self-defining, mutually exclusive and as concise as possible. Some examples might be Administration, Business Development, Sales & Marketing, Computer, etc. You will then summarize, for each day, how much time you spent doing tasks or activities for each category, in the exact number of minutes. You might also do a little math, to figure the percentage of time each category takes out of each day. You make this step as detailed as you like, but the key here is awareness.
3. Create a New Daily Routine.
   If you were honest and diligent during steps 1 and 2, chances are you had a rude awakening when you reviewed and analyzed your time logs. You no doubt can see where the time drains are occurring — and now you’re ready to make better choices and create a new daily routine. This routine will maximize the time you spend on productive work by conforming to the natural flow of your day and with your natural rhythms, by taking into consideration when you’re at your best for certain tasks, grouping similar tasks together for greater efficiency and by setting aside dedicated time for doing uninterrupted work. How do you create your routine? Look at where you’ve been spending your time and start making some decisions about where the different tasks can best be fit into your day, then actually write this routine down and post it where you’ll see it every day. Strategies 4 through 10 will give you some food for thought as you develop and implement your new daily routine.
4. Prioritize and stay focused.
   Once you’ve done the up-front work of tracking and analyzing your time, and creating a new routine, how do you keep it on track? You will also need to do some work on prioritizing what you do. You can create your own easy tools to do this. On one sheet of paper, create 5 sections: High Priorities, Secondary Priorities, People to Contact, Telephone Calls, and Schedule. You can fill this out each day, first thing in the morning (or better yet, at the end of your workday so you are well prepared to start fresh tomorrow!) Each day, ask yourself: “If nothing else gets done today, what are the one or two items that absolutely MUST be done?” Those are the items you will use to focus your day. You should also periodically go back to the time logging exercise, so you can determine if you are slipping back into those old bad habits and take immediate steps to get back on track.
5. Reduce interruptions by creating stronger boundaries.
   It is true that interruptions to your day can and will happen, and to some degree they are out of your control. However, you probably have more control than you think. Instead of blaming other people and getting frustrated with them for interrupting you, take responsibility for creating stronger boundaries with your co-workers where appropriate. Keep in mind, other people don’t mean to be inconsiderate by interrupting, they are just caught up in their own “stuff” and probably don’t realize. It is really up to you to set up some guidelines for when you can and cannot be interrupted, to communicate them to others, and then to stick by them. For example: you might institute a “quiet time” policy (mornings are usually best) where you let everyone know that this is a time where you cannot be interrupted — and then set up another time later in the day where you have an open-door policy. This strategy creates a firm boundary but also provides time for you to be accessible to others. At first, those around you might try to cross your boundaries, and it’s up to you to gently remind them that they can come back and talk during your “open door” time. After a while, they’ll get used to it. Change takes time, so stick with it!
6. Structure your telephone time.
   Set aside certain periods of the day to accept, initiate and return calls. The best time to accept incoming calls is just prior to lunch or at the end of the work day (the other person will not want to dawdle on the phone at those times either) — so whenever possible, let others know this is your preference and set that time aside so you are available. When initiating or returning calls, the best time to contact those difficult-to-reach clients is early in the morning, just before or after lunch, or late in the day.
7. Don’t procrastinate.
   Procrastination is probably one of the biggest “time hogs” we have. Not only are we NOT doing the thing we’re procrastinating about, but we also end up wasting even more time worrying about how much we’re procrastinating. So, if you have an unpleasant task to do, simply make up your mind to take care of it immediately and just get it done.
8. Under-promise and over-deliver.
   You may have heard this one before, but a little reinforcement never hurts. Many of us have too many requirements on our time because we take on more than we should. When we over-commit ourselves, we are not only creating unnecessary stress in our lives, but we are also creating potential situations where we cannot deliver what we’ve promised. We also don’t realize that when we can’t deliver what we’ve promised, we can inadvertently cause more pain and hurt feelings than if we’d been willing to say no in the first place. Remember that you’re not doing yourself or anyone else any favours by taking on more than you can reasonably deliver. Commit yourself to making this strategy a high priority in your life, and watch what happens.
9. Separate your work from your personal life.
   It is critical for your health and emotional balance that you find a way to separate your work from your personal life. If possible, don’t take work to be done after hours at all unless you are certain you can get to it. It’s better to stay a little longer at the office (but be sure and set time limits for yourself) to get it done, then enjoy your leisure time without the stress of having to do work after hours. If you work from a remote office, you will need to be even more diligent in setting aside separate times in your day for work and for your personal time and family.
10. Remember that you’re only human.
    We all have only 24 hours in the day — and sometimes that just doesn’t feel like enough, does it? There will always be days where things happen that are unplanned and which can throw even the most organized day into a tailspin. When that happens, take a deep breath or two, and accept that you are doing the very best you can, right now. Tomorrow is a new day and a chance to start fresh. Let go of the need to be a perfectionist and remember you’re only human.

I am re-publishing this article today for several reasons.

Most importantly is that I want people to have an opportunity to make 2011 a really great year and that starts by building a plan.

The 90 day plan format is perfect for so many reasons, not least it is manageable and achievable for pretty much anybody.

The vast majority of business owners (over 90%) will go into 2011 exactly the same way they went into 2010, but will expect and hope for different results.

By taking just a few hours out of your business and concentrating on planning and strategy for the first quarter of the New Year has the potential to make a massive difference.

This Friday (10th December) I have just two spaces available for my last and best 90 day planning day of the year.

If you really, truly want different results in 2011 then you really, truly need to do something different. Building a great plan is the best place to start.

These workshops have been going on all year every 90 days and we have returning business owners at each event. They have an edge over their competition – you can too.

Join us this Friday 10th 12 noon through til 16:30 with lunch provided.

• Small group
• Planning workbook to complete
• 121 time with the coach to help you find some goals and objectives
• Help with building your very own plan
• Work together with like minded local business owners

It’s not too late to book, simply go to www.iandickson.biz/events

It’s that time of year where we begin to evaluate how well we did and start to develop new plans for this year. This year I’d like to suggest that you try something new, rather than creating a one-year marketing plan or a five-year marketing plan, why not try creating a 90-day plan?

While it’s important to always monitoring your marketing it is vital in this economy to be diligent and watch where you spend your marketing pounds as well as track how effective your marketing campaigns are.

Why a 90-day plan?

• You can use it to clearly track progress in the short-term.
• You can use the data you gather over the 90-days to create a baseline that you can use to track your grand plan.
• It enables you to re-direct your plan if something is not working and do it quickly without worrying that it will affect your annual plan.
• Using 90-day increments enable you to stay in tune with change and meet the market demands, without detouring from your master goal.
• Your master plan will not become irrelevant, because your 90-day goals will continue to drive you the finish line.

What better time to get started than today? I’ve always noticed when working with companies to redo their marketing plan and build out a workable strategy that it ignites a new excitement about the business and the potential that may have been lost in the paperwork and busyness of day-to-day duties.

Are you ready to get started? Find a quiet place, sit down and spend some time evaluating and answering the following questions:

• What marketing worked well for my business in 2010?
• What marketing worked well, but could have done better in 2010?
• What marketing did I do in 2010 that didn’t work well at all?
• The marketing that I did in 2010 that did well, performed well because:
• The marketing that I did in 2010 that failed, failed because:
• In the next 90-days, I define my target market as?
  • Will I change the geography I target?
  • Will I target a different income level or demographic of consumers?
  • Will I target product-oriented users, service users or both?
• In 2010 my consumers could be defined by target market as?
• What marketing vehicles will I use in the next 90-days and why?
• I really need to work on enhancing, concentrating or revising my marketing message by:
• In the next 90-days my marketing budget will be?

Now use the answers to these questions and chart them on a 90-day timeline. Set your start date, your end date and what you will do in between. Evaluate weekly how your plan is working, make changes where you need to and adjust when necessary. When you list out what has to happen in the next 90-days, you’ll have a clearer picture of priorities, a realistic working plan, and the results you’ll generate.