Cross Promotions- Your Ticket To Low Cost New Long Term Growth!

How to improve retail sales for peanuts!

    (Even In A Really Bad Economy!)

So the nagging question bears asking; how to improve retail sales, especially in a really bad economy? Ah yes, the joys of being an entrepreneur.

Let’s face it (already); as your best customers and clients struggle with the fact that their disposal income is temporarily shrinking.

And they are constantly (both) on and offline being bombarded with all types of sales messages at every turn.

They can’t simply afford to be loyal to you; while any number of your main competitors and other vendors are trying awfully hard to entice them with lower prices, longer warranties, better free bonuses, longer trial periods and better guarantee periods etc. Continue reading

Sample marketing plan for a new product or service can be extremely profitable.

 (Or Else Your Literally Throwing Your Hard Earned Money Away!)

As you previously discovered in part one of this series about effectively applying a sample marketing plan for a new product or service.

There are at least five incredibly deadly marketing mistakes for you to avoid. Or else you seriously run the risk of (simply) throwing your hard earned money down the drain.

And what serious (cash starved) savvy small business owner and or service provider can afford to do that? Just to quickly recap, as you recall, your first deadly marketing mistake to avoid, in order to make your overall marketing plan a success. Continue reading

Potential big money in company newsletter ideas.

As recall in part one of this series on strategically turning your company newsletter ideas into a whole lot of money.

There is an absolute ton of ways for you to create (both) short and long term profits (whether) the company newsletter you use to market in is written by you or someone else.

In fact, it doesn’t really matter, provided the newsletter truly adds value to the subscribers. Which brings up another very important point. A basic  one, but never the less, it needs to be stressed over and over again.

Your Company Newsletter Ideas Will Ultimately Belly Flop If It’s Just A Glorified Pitch Fest!

Ladies & Gentleman, nothing  will turn off your potential customers and clients more than any type of (so called) newsletter and or association, that is 85%-95% sales pitch and 5%-15%  helpful content.

In other words, make sure if you’re attempting to joint venture with any other vendor, that their newsletter contains at least 80% relevant,useful helpful content as opposed to simply a glorified sales tool that does nothing more proposition the subscribers.

Let’s talk about five more major benefits of newsletter publishing.(Whether it’s your company newsletter or not.)

Of course it  goes without saying, that if its your newsletter, you ultimately  have way more control.

1.) Major benefit # one: Here is your first major benefit of having a loyal subscriber to  (either) your own person in house company newsletter or your opt in email list.

You can always send them special VIP promotions and or time sensitive coupon offers etc.Plus, your top JV partners best offers as well, for a fraction of the traditional costs.

2.) Major benefit # two: You can send periodic updates or special  alerts to announce  special ‘closed to the general public’ workshops (or) if your a retailer, why not inexpensively test offering special subscriber only after hours sales.

If your normally closed on Saturdays after 6pm. Why not announce on every third Saturday of the month, a special after hours sale where subscribers only!

And their special three new non subscriber guest limit. And the hours are 6:01 to 9:00 pm. Give each new guest a special 20% off their total purchase, ( no minimum purchase required) good for the next six months.

And track to see how many of these temporary customers convert into long term repeat customers, that stick around for years and years to come.

Plus, you could serve food and other refreshments and offer anybody that posts a positive comment on their Facebook page (provided) their active on social media., an additional 10% off for a grand total of 30% off.

Again, no minimum purchase required. Video tape some of your happy after hour shoppers and add the footage to (both)  your blog and Facebook fan page. This  way, new potential customers that visit your blog, will see the video footage and want in on the fun!

Translated: they’ll want to know how they can participate in your after hour sales!

You Should Be Strategically Testing Various Offers In Your Outgoing Newsletter …. (To Discover Which Vendors Should Seriously Consider Buying Ads In Your Publication.)

3.) Major benefit  three: You can also use your newsletter to proactively (and inexpensively) test various offers to your list.

For ex; suppose that you currently have 100 offline newsletter subscribers, of course your actual number of subscribers is irrelevant here, you could inexpensively testing four separate offers from (if need be) four separate local offline JV partners (trying) to determine which if any offer, produces the most response.

Play it out, 25 of your subscribers will get a specific type of relevant offer that your JV partners offer. Take the top two offers and now you know which type of industries to solicit in the future (for both) paid advertising and potential JV arrangements!

4.) Major benefit  four: Piggybacking off strategy # three: If you inexpensively test an offer to your list and you get an above average response.

Now  you could approach that vendor with the following JV arrangement. You’ll periodically run their  best market tested offer in your paid ad section for free, in exchange for 25-50% of  their first sale profits!

Now they can market to your ever growing list with little or  no upfront cost. And you in turn will approach them with the following potential JV offer.

For every business (and or) service provider that they personally introduce you to, and you successfully negotiate some type of JV arrangement with, you’ll lower your JV commission percentage by an additional 10%.

Which means, if you start out at  a 50% JV profit share percentage. After their fifth successful referral, they get to start banking 100% of (both) the front and back end of their arrangement with you!

Think about it, your top JV partners can quickly get to 100% profits, simply by flapping their lips and introducing your business, product or service to their immediate inner circle of most influential business owner associates!

5.) Major benefit  five: You could also showcase one of your top JV partners businesses each month by  simply including their best mark tested fliers (and or) index cards inside your outgoing monthly offline newsletter.

You’ll include for free their best market tested flier inside your offline newsletter, in exchange for them approaching a local charity that they consistently do business with and negotiate an arrangement where the charity offers every donor that makes a second level donation.

Will receive your free three month trial subscription valued at X! The charity gets more B level donors, and they’ll mention it to their fellow charity  heads, plus you’ll get additional free exposure to potential to long term repeat customers and clients for a fraction of the traditional cost!

And the best part is, you’ll be doing this right under your major competitors noses!Furthermore, let’s be clear here.

None of this will happen overnight. Nor will it simply fall into place on your very first try. No way!

But without a doubt, you can strategically turn your company newsletter ideas into a lot of money, for a fraction of the traditional cost.No mater what your particular niche is.

As always, if you got any value out of this post, please Digg or tweet this. Thanks!

And be sure you grab your explosive free 22 step small business marketing idea kit series. Because it will help you master your effective communication in marketing skills.

It’s a $97 dollar value and it’s free!

you can really increase your profits by knowing the lifetime value of a customer!

Do you have a favorite offline local (family) restaurant and or ice cream parlor that you like to frequent?

Tons of local small businesses inadvertently benefit from the total lifetime value of a customer concept, without necessarily really understanding it.

Meaning- because their particular small business (and or) service has been in the family for several generations and over that time they’ve really gotten to know several of their patrons and their immediate family members (meaning) kids and grandkids etc.

They’ve been able to bond and continue to pay the bills.

And (hopefully) grow their enterprise as a direct result of the steady cash flow generated by all those additional generations of family patrons that continue to shop where (both) Mom & Dad and their grandparents before them did as well.

Sears is a great example of this concept in action.(Although sadly, as of late, Sears is a mere shell of what it once was.)

This post is going to offer five incredibly simple ways to extend,stimulate and capture up to 25% more of your ideal customers/clients disposable income by giving them more (and ) better incentives to spend more money,than your major competitors currently do. Continue reading

The barter business model will strategically explode your marketing reach!

Do you know anyone in business (especially) small business that consistently uses cashes in with barter strategies?

My friend the barter business is not only alive and well.

Somewhere near the tune of billions annually (thank you very much), but no matter what size your current operation is.

You can and should (seriously) consider adding some type of barter (and or) hybrid barter marketing strategy to your small business marketing arsenal.

Otherwise (you’re) potentially leaving a ton of un mined profits (short) and long term on the table.

(FYI) Be sure you consult your CPA and or tax specialist regarding any and all tax questions before you aggressively and or actively participate any type of legal barter arrangement. Continue reading