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Posts Tagged ‘advertising’

The cheapest, most effective marketing ever revealed!

      Today’s the day! 

       Today I reveal to you the cheapest, easiest, most overlooked marketing strategy ever invented. 

       It’s not video! 

       I’ll give you a hint… this type of marketing has been around for over 100 years. 

       It’s your business card.

        Well, maybe not yours!

        Most business cards I’ve seen are well…to be blunt, downright awful. 

       Name, Rank Serial Number on the front and a Big Ole’ nothing on the back. 

       If you only knew the true power of this little 2 inch x 3 inch piece of card stock, you would have this at the forefront of your marketing arsenal. 

       For less than .04 each you could have a full color, glossy, front and back marketing tool driving people to call you every day. 

       I’m going to take an example out of my own playbook and show you how I drive people to call my cleaning business using just a business card. 

       Yep, I did say cleaning business. Long story short… I started a cleaning business in 1995 and after a few years of struggling realized I needed help. I methodically learned all about marketing and by 1998 I was not only making money, I was designing all my own ads.  

        Here’s my unconventional but highly effective business card that I use to drive customers into my marketing funnel. I tell them what to expect from me, what’s in it for them to call me and how they can try my service risk free without cost or obligation of any kind. But, it’s also a tool to eliminate those I didn’t want to do service for. 

         Take a gander… 

  
biz card      

          Notice the doodles? 

          These copy cosmetics actually help point the potential customer in the right direction and get them to take action. 

          The back side bottom has a referral spot which a customer can fill out and give to a friend. 

          Using a business card in this fashion increases referral business without the need to spend tons of money on wasteful advertising that doesn’t work. 

          With every cleaning a client gets 3 cards to hand out. They then get sent 3 more in a few days when I send them a “Thank You” card. They’ll also receive more cards with each service reminder we send out.  Over a years time, they might receive over 24 cards. That’s 2 a month on average!    

          Imagine something that costs so little has the potential to make you so much money. But like I said, most business cards are terrible and have no compelling features what so ever! 

           In my cleaning business the average profit generated from one $35 box of 1000 business cards is worth on average $45,000. That my friend is one of the most powerful return on investments you will achieve anywhere. For every 1 dollar I spent on business cards, I get in return $1,285! That’s not too shabby! 

           Redesign your business cards not to please you, but to compel people to call you! It can be the single, most cost effective marketing tool you’ll ever use to grow your business and generate an avalanche of referrals.                            

  Until Next Time,                        

  “Live with Passion!” 

   Rob Anspach    

  P.S.  If you’re serious like I am about reshaping your business, about making it a lean, mean, money making machine then you need to join my “Back to the Drawing Board” coaching program. This is unlike probably anything you’ve ever experienced before, yet, it will feel refreshingly honest and new. This program will help reestablish you with your business again and give you that feeling that you have purpose and meaning and help you move in the direction that will have the greatest impact in making money.  

 P.P.S. ”Back to the Drawing Board” coaching is individualized – it’s customized to your exact needs and not a cookie-cutter one size fits all, take it or leave program. If interested reply and I will share with you all the details.

Contact Information

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Email: rob@robanspach.com                                   Phone: (717)330-7947 

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Rob Anspach is a “brilliantly savvy” entrepreneur who helps frustrated business owners regain the passion they once had by showing them how to be more effective in the marketplace, how to dramatically improve their business so they enjoy coming to work again and how to win over customers regardless of price. Discover how easy it is to make money in your online or offline marketing, to attract and retain clientele and profit from your passions… visit http://www.robanspach.com  today!
Rob is also the creator & dynamic force behind Success Secrets TV, the new online show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs stay successful… check it out by going to… http://www.SuccessSecrets.TV

Are you waving it proudly?

Kind of a weird subject line isn’t it?

Are you waving it proudly?

You’re probably shaking your head, wondering where the heck I’m going with this aren’t you? Maybe, you’ve already decided I lost my marbles, but the curiosity is killing you, so you are still hear hanging on every word. Cool! (the hanging on every word part, not the losing of my marbles part)

Well, if you’re a citizen of the United States…this day should already be circled on your calendar.

Let me explain…it happened 234 years ago.

I’m sure you weren’t there!

But, trust me, it was kind of awesome.

You see, on this day way back in 1777, our country had formally adopted by resolution our country’s red, white and blue iconic symbol.

The American Flag!

It’s a symbol of freedom, it’s a badge of honor and it’s beacon of hope!

But, Rob, I didn’t come here for a history lesson.

True!

Like everyday events that unfold before us, the past and present are reminders that can be used as powerful motivators to push us into the future.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again…everyday is a new day to promote your products or services.

Use it!

Your marketing is the flag that gets you noticed…wave it proudly!

A year ago, almost to the day…one of my client’s sent out his first ”Flag Day” promotion. A small postcard with a picture of him and his staff waiving American Flags. The headline read…”Proudly serving the fine folks of (his town)!”  On the address side, it had a brief statement of what Flag Day meant to him and how his clients could take advantage of a discount by mentioning his card.

A promotion tied to an event!

It was simple, yet effective!

Marketing doesn’t require lots of thinking or planning, although it does require action!

You must do something!

And, I don’t mean just do it once! I hear that garbage all the time…”I tried that once and it didn’t work”…waah!

Wave that flag all over the place…that’s the only way people will take notice.

After a while people will take notice of your marketing, and they will associate your marketing as your flag that waives proudly. They will see you as their beacon of hope, then they tell their friends about you!

Happy Flag Day!

       

Until Next Time, 

      “Live with Passion!” 

      Rob Anspach   

P.S. That same client who basically started his postcard marketing campaign with his Flag Day promo, now sends out a new postcard just about every week. Some are wacky, some serious! His average return on investment is 20 to 1. For every 1 spent on promotion, he receives 20 back. Click on the links below and discover additional days that could be used as marketing campaigns.

  National Holidays & Food Holiday List -

 http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/National_Symbols/American_Hollidays.html

  Unofficial National Days -  http://www.louderbacks.com/home/dict/days.html

 

No wonder you’re not catching anything!

     Over the weekend I had the opportunity to take my 6 year old son fishing with the Cub Scouts. 

      By the time we showed up, there were about 50 kids and their dads (and some moms) strategically positioned around this small lake ready to fish. 

      Fish they did! 

      It was like a “warrior” fish competition. 

      I wasn’t prepared for this level of madness! 

      I brought a small fishing rod for my son, a bucket and a small tackle box. 

      Five minutes into fishing, my son caught this massive clump of algea that sprang into the branches above when he gave it a tug. 

      The next 20 minutes were spent, untangling the fishing line from me, the branch above and shielding my eyes from the gaze the other parents were giving me. 

      “Dad, I don’t like fishing, can’t we just throw rocks at them instead”, to which I really wanted to say, “at the parents?”

      As I was getting my son’s rod and reel ready for round two of “algea into tree” fishing, a real live authentic tobacco chewing redneck approached me and said, “whaja usin fer bait?” 

      I suppose not fishing for many years I was out of the loop on the proper methodologies of bait using (or fishing for that matter). And, this gentleman (term used very loosely here) graciously shared with me “what fer” bait I should be using. 

      Funny thing was, most of the kids didn’t catch anthing. They just wanted to run around, throw rocks and be kids. It was the parents (mostly dads) that were treating this event as a competition.  

      It got me thinking. 

      Most entrepreneurs start out like the unprepared fisherman. 

      Instead of using rods and nets to fish, they use advertising, marketing and word or mouth techniques. 

      And like the “warrior” fisherman, the entrepreneur will get better at capturing clients (fish) as his/her experience grows. 

      The true fisherman is patient, understands the dynamics of his equipment, knows what bait to use to attract and (this is the big one) knows where the right fish are. 

      I meet so many entrepreneurs who act like the clueless fisherman. They have no idea how to advertise, where to find the best clients or what do when they get them. 

      Basically they are like the typical 6 year old who throws stones into the water in hopes of stunning a few fish along the way. 

      If you want the best clients, you have to learn to be a better entrepreneur. 

      Study marketing!  

      Study the habits of your potential clients! 

      Use the right tools to make capturing clients more effective.    

      Now go out and fish!       

     Until Next Time,   

       “Live with Passion!”

        Rob Anspach   

 P.S.  Knowing where to fish is just as important as knowing how to fish!

P.P.S. Discover how to be a better entrepreneur…reply for details or click on the icon below.

 Be A Better Entrepreneur

I can’t believe you were involved!

       It’s disappointing to say the least!

       Maybe even comes as a complete shock!

       Yet, some would say that they expected it!

       And you were involved!   

       Okay, maybe you weren’t! But, you could be!

       Scandals seem to be popping up everywhere these days.

       Arnold confesses to affair! Weiner sends explicit photos via text!

       The list goes on!

      Is it still considered “shocking”? Sure it is!

       And you can capitilize on it!

       Yep, use it! Have fun with it!

       Why do you think “trash mags” stay in business?

       They recycle the torrid stories, spin them into a sensational, more believable, story. True or not, these magazines know how to hook you and keep you reading.

       You can use the same spunkiness in your marketing as well.

       Charlie McDermott (a marketing mentor and friend) loves to push the limit on entertainment while getting people hooked on his StandOut TV. In one of his early episodes, you’ll see how he used his affair as a marketing tool. Classic!

        http://www.standout.tv/episodes/time-for-your-affair/

       You can do this too! A headline, a story, a doctored photo, or a video!

       Be the scandal, if only in your marketing!

       You don’t need “Tiger Blood” to be a winner!

       Start thinking of ways to be different. To make a splash with your market! To stand out!    

   Until Next Time,   

    “Live with Passion!”

     Rob Anspach   

 P.S.  Charlie is an awesome resource of fresh, inspiring and yes even jaw-dropping marketing, follow his web show. If you haven’t listened to the interview I did with Charlie here’s the link (it was recorded in February 2010) but the information is still unbelievablely fresh and helpful. http://bit.ly/j0cZ2S

Generating leads just got easier!

  Back a few months ago I interviewed John Spangler for my Success Secrets TV show and what grew out of that was a fantastic friendship that incidentally is spawning a brand new service.

         You see, during one of our many brainstorming sessions, we started talking about lead generation. And, how businesses are being bamboozled with so much techno-jargon that they are swindled out of their hard earned dollars chasing after so-called leads.

         Not to pick on any names, but one does come to mind, and if you’ve used their system before, you just might figure the name out. Their whole premise, is charge by the lead! Which, in and by itself, could be a valuable thing. However, when you are being charged for a lead that 5 other companies could be getting too, then it’s value is grossly overstated.

          This was the major complaint we found with most lead generation systems. No exclusivity! You were being charged $13-$20 or more per lead regardless of the quality of the lead. Then, fighting as fast as humanly possible to call that lead, to secure the sale, before your competitor snatched them from you.     

           The lead generation company was making all the money! 

          The other complaint that most contractors had using their flawed system, well, they boiled down to quality of leads. If consumers were just browsing the system, window shopping so-to-speak and filled in the form…BLAM! The contractor just got clipped a fee. The consumer would end up getting hounded by various contractors all drooling over the prospect in hopes of making a sale…only to realize it was a bogus lead.

           So, John and I started coming up with ideas. And then more ideas. After many late night calls, gallons of high-octane java, volumes of note taking and many sleepless days…we did it!

           Well, almost! I’ll get to that!

           We developed “Local Leads R Us“!

           A lead generation service, designed to match consumers with professionals without all the hassles.

           It’s still in beta-testing. We’re still working all the bugs out of the website!

           But here’s the skinny! And, why I know you’ll love it!

           No individual lead fees! No fighting over leads! No competition what so ever!

           Nope, none of that!

           Just a straightforward way to capture clients without all the hassles.

           I can tell you want to know more, right?

           How to join? What it costs? All the nitty-gritty stuff!

           To join, simply fill out the form on the website, or reply to this email with your name, contact information and a brief description of what it is that you do.

           The initial cost… $299 to join and $299 a month. Which we’ve been told is an absolute steal for the generation of qualified, unlimited, exclusive leads.

           For a limited time(and yes, I know “limited time offers” are so over done, but what I’m about to say…and knowing full well, that this system can help you and that everyone will want it soon…we have to limit the amount of “newbies” joining up).

           It’s not that we don’t want a ton of new clients using this system, oh, we do, trust me! It’s that we are still working out all the kinks and cleaning up the site. It’s still a work in progress.

           So we need 27 anxious entrepreneurs to help us!

           In return, you’ll receive all the benefits of using the system for just $99 down and $99 a month.  

           Yeah, it’s a whopping savings! But, it also helps us out. We need to hammer out all the glitchs, and yes, there are a few left. Hey, I have to be honest. 

           If it was 100% finished and ready to go…you’d better believe I would charging the full amount. By working with 27 brilliant entrepreneurs and getting them to give us feedback on what’s working and what’s not, we can make incremental changes that will make the system complete.

       Capturing clients can be a daunting task, but if you do it right, the return on investment can be huge!

  Until Next Time,   

   “Live with Passion!”

     Rob Anspach   

 P.S.   If you peruse the site you’ll notice a few mistakes and I believe somewhere it asks what type of lead you are looking for and when you click it and shows “roofing”, yeah, that gave me a chuckle too! Just disregard that, John was hopped-up on way too much coffee that night and just put something in that field. If you’re a roofer then it’s great, but if not just disregard it. It’ll be changed anyway.

 P.P.S.  If you are definately interested in trying the system out and want to be one of the first 27, shoot me an email (rob@robanspach.com )and say YES, SIGN ME UP! 

Focused!

April 19, 2011 Leave a comment
  Over the last month, I’ve contemplated what my business stands for, who my client base is and why I do what I do.

Maybe, you’ve played that game before too?

Being an entrepreneur is not an easy thing. It’s not like going to a job, performing certain duties, getting a weekly paycheck, maybe a pat on the back or an ”atta boy”… no way, it’s nothing like that.

Most entrepreneurs I’ve known, worked with or for, know how grueling life can be as the quintessential business owner. Long hours, sacrifice, waiting for money, advertising, employees, accountants, lawyers…doesn’t seem worth does it!

An entrepreneur becomes not just a master of his field, but needs to know how to market themselves, how to socialize, and where to look for opportunities that others might have overlooked.

So, back to my contemplations…

What do I stand for?

Well, for starters…Fairness! Freedom! Opportunity!

I love having the ability to work or not to work, to create my own opportunities and share them with others and to be fair to people I hire or work with.

Who is my client?

This is a question every entrepreneur needs to know. What defines a client? What makes them appealing to you?

Well, to be honest and somewhat forthright… my ideal client is someone that desperately wants my help and can afford my service. A client that understands the value of my service and is grateful for all that I do. One that follows my advice and gets excited when I present new ideas.

Why I do what I do?

It’s challenging! It’s fun! It’s a bit frustrating! It’s rewarding!

I help right the mistakes entrepreneurs make in their business. I help them cut through the crap of their everyday business struggles and guide them back to the path of prosperity.

So, that being said… I’m making changes in my own business structure.

Some prices are going up! Some services eliminated! Some projects are being explored and some are being tossed. In the end, I’m doing some much needed housecleaning and putting my business back on track.

Focused!

Until Next Time, 

   “Live with Passion!”

 

   Rob Anspach

    P.S. Are you focused? Do you know what defines your business? If you’re ready…I’m just an email or phone call away!

Contact Information

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Email: rob@robanspach.com                                   Phone: (717)330-7947

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rob Anspach is a “brilliantly savvy” entrepreneur who helps frustrated business owners regain the passion they once had by showing them how to be more effective in the marketplace, how to dramatically improve their business so they enjoy coming to work again and how to win over customers regardless of price. Discover how easy it is to make money in your online or offline marketing, to attract and retain clientele and profit from your passions… visit http://www.robanspach.com  today!
Rob is also the creator & dynamic force behind Success Secrets TV, the new online show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs stay successful… check it out by going to…


Business Card Marketing

April 18, 2011 Leave a comment
An often over-looked marketing tool is your business card!You know that little 2×3 piece of paper that is supposed to illicit a response when handed to your customer and compel them to call you.

I have stacks and stacks of business cards that I have collected over the last 16 years…and to tell you the truth only about a dozen of them grab my attention.

Name, rank, serial number is basically what most business cards amount to!

You know what I mean, right? Name of company, name of individual, address and phone number…boring!

And don’t get me started on the wasted space that most fail to fill up by not using the backside of the card to enhance their marketing message.

As I type this, I’m staring at 2 exact business cards with the same blue color with white font and various sized blocks, one is for a plumber and one for a cleaner… ironically, neither one displays a physical address nor a web address.

The only reason I even picked these cards out is that they were identical, but they are so blah, so generic that most people won’t even remember associating the business name with the card.

Think of your business card as one of the most powerful ways to grab attention, build trust and compel someone to call you – basically the most cost effective marketing tool ever designed.

Like I said, most are terrible!

Don’t be cheap! Those FREE cards…forgetaboutit!

When I see a card that has that VistaPrint logo on the back or has perforations around the edges from a do-it-yourself print job…I just have to wonder what were they thinking?

Do you hand out your business cards to everyone or do you have several cards with different messages? It’s always good to know who is receiving your cards and why.

Maybe use one card as a recruiting or referral business building tool and another to educate your prospective buyer.

I’ve seen cards with a “Call our 24 hour Consumer Hotline” used as a prequalifier. Potential customers need to call a special number and listen to a prerecorded message to learn how you can solve their problems. The ones who leave a message have been prequalified and now want to know more.

I’m a big believer in using your photo on your business card…it add’s credibility and familiarity… which leads to trust!

Business cards are really inexpensive as a means of attracting people into your marketing funnel, but why create a card that has no personality? That doesn’t evoke a sense of who you are? That doesn’t get the phone to ring? Or makes you look like a professional?

If you want to know how you give your business card more OOMPH! Scan your card into your computer, save it as a jpg and email it to me and I’ll critique it for FREE!

Until Next Time,

“Live with Passion!”

Rob Anspach

P.S. I’ll be teaching the social media, newsletter and QR marketing aspects of Jeff Cross’ Totally Booked University ‘Mini-Clinic’ on Thursday August 28th (6pm-9pm) in Langhorne PA. Although it’s designed around the carpet cleaning industry…any service business will benefit. This is real world advice that is guaranteed to get that phone to ring and put money in your pocket. Click the link to learn more.

http://cleaningprofessor.com/philadelphia-cleaning-marketing.html

Contact Information

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Email: rob@robanspach.com Phone: (717)330-7947

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rob Anspach is a “brilliantly savvy” entrepreneur who helps frustrated business owners regain the passion they once had by showing them how to be more effective in the marketplace, how to dramatically improve their business so they enjoy coming to work again and how to win over customers regardless of price. Discover how easy it is to make money in your online or offline marketing, to attract and retain clientele and profit from your passions… visit http://www.robanspach.com today!
Rob is also the creator & dynamic force behind Success Secrets TV, the new online show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs stay successful… check it out by going to…

Deal or No Deal?

April 13, 2011 Leave a comment
They seem to be everywhere! I’m sure you’ve seen them! 

Those pesky ads that say you can save 50-90%!

I know you know what I’m talking about, right!

The Groupons, the Living Socials and the menagerie of other ”deal of the day” coupon sites.

Signing up is usually easy! Give’em your name and email address and you’ll start receiving these so-called fantastic deals.

But, are they really deals?

Well, from a consumer’s point of view, yeah they are!

I’d jump on a deal to save 50% off hot, fresh pizza (Italian style, of course)!

BUT…

From a merchants stand point, they can be a horrible nightmare.

Here’s the real deal…

Say you desperatley wanted to try it out. You heard the hype and saw the flashy write ups, and thought it would be great to give it a go. Maybe you even received one of those deals and realized your business needs to join in.

Well, prepare for a shocker!

That deal that looked so promising, could cost you…I mean big time.

Say, you advertised a $100 deal for just $49…that’s a $51 savings right.

Guess what, you don’t see that $49…nope!

As a merchant participating in those special one day only coupon deals…the service gets half that $49 from each sale. Yep, half!

So, now your $49 is worth $24.50! Now add in the fees that most charge for credit card processing and your $24.50 is worth about $22.00

You just gave away a $100 service for just $22.00

Sounds crazy!

Well, if you’re trying to get people in your store or to try your service then maybe it’s not so crazy. That low price can be justified as “the cost of doing business”.

Let’s say for the sake of arguement, you agree to take the plunge and offer up your best deal. A deal unlike any other you’ve ever done. And, you run a 60% off special. (For easy calculations I’ll stick to the $100 value again)

That $100 face value coupon is selling for $40 and you figure you’d be happy selling 10-20 of them. But your coupon is such a success that it shoots past the 20 mark and now your excitement turns to worry as you wonder if you can handle the influx of work.

Then the unthinkable happens…

Your ‘deal of the day” sells a total of 235 coupons! Now, you are in a panic. How the hell are you supposed to handle the stampede of new customers? And, since you are only making roughly $20 on each deal…you wonder if you just sold your soul.

The majority of coupon winners will want to take advantage of their special offer within the first 30 days. Will you be ready?

A merchant willing to go the route of those deep discount online deals needs to realize that the majority of consumers buying the deal aren’t their ideal customer, and may never come back once the coupon is used.

Here’s what I want you to think about…

Are the people who buy these types of coupons really the target market your going after? How loyal do you think these customers will be? What happens when they realize you aren’t going to run that special promotion again?

Now, if you’ve built your business to attract affluent clients, by doing one of these insanely lopsided deals…you could be diminishing your brand in the eyes of your existing clients. What happens when they scream foul and want that deal too!

I know some businesses love the idea of losing money to get people to try their service. But, there are better ways to get people to try your service.

If you really want to do a “deal of the day”…do it on your terms! Try it out on your website, or your Facebook or Twitter. Get people to sign up (opt-in) and send them different deals everyday. If they buy, then you keep all the money. No splitzees with anyone.

It’s your deal, it’s your service and it’s your name brand…do it the right way!

Until Next Time,

“Live with Passion!”

Rob Anspach

P.S. If your business isn’t moving in the direction you would like it to be, let’s talk! Just send me an email and tell me a little bit about yourself and your company. Tell me why you think your sales aren’t where they should be, tell me what you’ve tried and why you think it didn’t work. The more I know about your situation, the better equipped I can be to help you improve and make money.

P.P.S. I’ll be teaching the social media, newsletter and QR marketing aspects of Jeff Cross’ Totally Booked University ‘Mini-Clinic’ on Thursday August 28th (6pm-9pm) in Langhorne PA. Although it’s designed around the carpet cleaning industry…any service business will benefit. This is real world advice that is guaranteed to get that phone to ring and put money in your pocket. Click the link to learn more.

http://cleaningprofessor.com/philadelphia-cleaning-marketing.html

Contact Information 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Email: rob@robanspach.com Phone: (717)330-7947

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rob Anspach is a “brilliantly savvy” entrepreneur who helps frustrated business owners regain the passion they once had by showing them how to be more effective in the marketplace, how to dramatically improve their business so they enjoy coming to work again and how to win over customers regardless of price. Discover how easy it is to make money in your online or offline marketing, to attract and retain clientele and profit from your passions… visit http://www.robanspach.com today!
Rob is also the creator & dynamic force behind Success Secrets TV, the new online show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs stay successful… check it out by going to…

Is that really the angle you’re going with?

March 23, 2011 Leave a comment
Maybe I told this story to you before, if I did, forgive me! 

I believe it’s an important story that needs to be repeated as often as possible!

Back in 1995, when I started my service business, my pricing was, well, very low!

I figured I could win over mass amounts of accounts by being the “cheap” guy on the block. During my first year in business I must’ve gained 200 clients. I thought I was onto something.

I ended up joining one of those local networking chapters and one of the members aked me about my business and how I was able to grow as fast as I was. I told him, it was my honest to goodness affordable pricing.

So you’re using the cheap angle, huh?

I being a bit cocky and a some what know-it-all, I shrugged my shoulders and said yep, that’s my angle.

It wasn’t until I listened to an interview with Lawrence Steinmetz, Ph.D, did I realize I was all wrong.

Everything Larry said, hit me like a ton of bricks.

By being a “cheap” service I was actually putting my business in peril.

Whenever the need arose to capture an account and I was up against a competitor my angle was the price card, which I pulled out frequently. Then they would counter attack with a lower price and a price war would ensue.

I was being killed by my own ambitions of being cheap.

Something had to give! And Larry’s words were the answers I needed. In his book, “How to sell at prices higher than your competitors”, Lawrence Steinmetz reveals why price is virtually never the primary reason someone buys something.

“Price makes a statement; a credible statement. Just as people will believe you when you tell them you are cheaper (and they will believe that in every sense of the word — in your price, your quality and your value), they will also believe you when you say you are higher priced (again in every way — price, quality and value). Sales people who sell at high price know that you use a high price to make a credibility statement about your product being better – example, if it costs more, it probably is worth more. And they know that by acknowledging that your price is higher than your competitor’s prices, you trigger a “the hell you say” response in your customers which creates the most receptive, responsive atmosphere in which to sell your product.”

That statement was my wake up call!

The day I read that… I raised my prices 30%!

Sure, I lost a few customers, but the one’s who stuck with me, valued my service, not my price.

Was I upset that I lost a few customers? Well, to be honest, yes I was! But I soon realized those customers that didn’t stick with me, only accounted for about 20% of my revenue. And since I was raising my prices, it wasn’t going to negatively affect me.

In fact, those that left were the biggest time wasting, cheapest of the cheap, pains in the butt, non-loyal customers ever.

What happened next, astonished me!

The higher I priced my services, the busier I got!

People equated high prices to awesome work. And, I was the “go-to” guy!

When my prices were low, all I attracted was low paying clients. But now that my prices were high, I was a magnet to a higher caliber clientele.

I found my new angle and I was sticking with it!

Until Next Time,

“Live with Passion!”

Rob Anspach

P.S. If your business isn’t moving in the direction you would like it to be, let’s talk! Just send me an email and tell me a little bit about yourself and your company. Tell me why you think your sales aren’t where they should be, tell me what you’ve tried and why you think it didn’t work. The more I know about your situation, the better equipped I can be to help you improve and make money.

 

Contact Information 

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Email: rob@robanspach.com Phone: (717)330-7947

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Rob Anspach is a “brilliantly savvy” entrepreneur who helps frustrated business owners regain the passion they once had by showing them how to be more effective in the marketplace, how to dramatically improve their business so they enjoy coming to work again and how to win over customers regardless of price. Discover how easy it is to make money in your online or offline marketing, to attract and retain clientele and profit from your passions… visit http://www.robanspach.com today!
Rob is also the creator & dynamic force behind Success Secrets TV, the new online show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs stay successful… check it out by going to…

Play the game!

March 22, 2011 Leave a comment

Did you ever play a game not really knowing the rules but you played anyway?

In most cases you lost, because you didn’t know the rules.

Some games you can pick up clues, hints and yes, even cheats as you go along to help you play better.

The more you play the better you become…at least that’s the goal.

Most games are designed to teach strategy, to get you to think about your opponents next move, to teach patience and good will.

Yet, the game most entrepreneurs play… they somehow get all confused, act dumb and never reach that goal.

I’m talking about marketing!

Say I gave you $20,000 to spend on a marketing campaign for your business. I’m not going to, but let’s say I did!

What would spend it on?

Postcards, fliers, newspaper, radio, newsletters, social media?

Well, I asked this same question in front of a group of retired executives.

Their answer didn’t surprise me one bit!

Know what they said?

Yellow pages and radio!

In their day, they would have gotten the biggest ad they could afford in the yellow pages and then run a radio ad telling people to find them in the yellow pages.

What?

I said to one of them… why would you spend money on radio to tell people to find you in a book that also contained the ads of your competitors. He said that was how it was done! Everybody did it that way!

That’s insane!

Who made up that rule?

Well, let’s alter the rules a bit.

You can’t spend the money on yellow pages, radio or newspapers!

Now what do you do?

Well, let me tell you!

I would use online and offline marketing techniques to educate, entertain and engage past and potential clients. Keeping them informed on up-to-the-minute news, tips, tricks, secrets, specials and coupons that you are offering.

Online media would include; website, social media, video & photo hosting sites, blogs, article & press release submission sites and email.

Offline media would include; monthly newsletters, thank you cards, business cards, reminder cards and targeted fliers.

That $20k I mentioned above, well it breaks down to $1,666 a month (that’s the amount the average small business spends on marketing).

The online marketing keeps people coming into you funnel! The offline marketing keeps people from leaving your funnel! Yeah, it’s a game.

Play it right and you will win every time!

Until Next Time,

“Live with Passion!”

Rob Anspach

P.S. If your business isn’t moving in the direction you would like it to be, let’s talk! I have room in my schedule for a few more clients. Just send an email (to rob@robanspach.com) and tell me a little bit about yourself and your company. Tell me why you think your sales aren’t where they should be, tell me what you’ve tried and why you think it didn’t work. The more I know about your situation, the better equipped I can be to help you improve and make money.

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