*** Over 30 days, I’m giving you “big ideas” to solve real-life marketing challenges.  To submit your problem for consideration, follow the format today’s subscriber used, and then hit “reply” with your own specific details and challenges.  My assistant will filter through these replies and forward me the best ones to review.  MOST important – if you like what you are reading, show me some love, and forward this information around to a few of your friends and associates ***

Eric Barton out of Benton, Wisconsin, asks, “Hey Craig,  I run a marketing/seo firm in wisconsin that works with business owners and entrepreneurs who want an online presence fast, and sure fire marketing completed offline.

I work with clients 99% nationwide. Started some recent repackaging of services and some more credibility builders.

Would love to hear some feedback on ways to attract more clients that are ready to spend money on their business versus looking to cut corners and spend as little as possible.”

Alrighty, let’s roll on this.  You know, one of the things Eric’s finding out is there are loads of business owner out there who think cutting corners is going to make them money.  Which obviously isn’t true.

Cutting corners saves you money, but only good marketing (that attracts qualified leads)…  good sales processes… and good products and services makes you money.

And ironically, what you’re going to find is… the people who actually need you the most, want you the least.  That’s because if they had any inkling their business was in such disarray — and that there was a way of fixing things — then they’d already have someone working on this for them.

Most people don’t think like this.  They accept the status quo and foolishly believe, that’s the way things are.  Which is a damn shame because in today’s modern world, where there’s such easy access to information, the word “can’t” shouldn’t be in anyone’s vocabulary.

Anyway, I have three suggestions for Eric:

1.  First, I’d use offline marketing because if you contact someone via direct mail, let’s say, there’s a lot less less ‘noise’ you’re going to have to cut through, than if you’re contacting someone online.  Plus, you also aren’t going to have to try and outspend everyone else trying to get their same piece of the pie.

You want to use two-step lead generation here, targeting those companies you know you can help, rather easily.  Figure out their most pressing problems when it comes to marketing (99% of the time it’s going to be ‘finding more qualified leads’) and you offer them a free report.  Something like, “7 Most Critical And Costly Mistakes Contractors Make When It Comes To Getting Qualified Leads: Which one of them are you making right now?”

Since I know you have my book, use the advertorial on page 66 as a template for you to generate leads for your free report.

If you’d rather drive them to a teleseminar or a webinar instead of a free report, this is ok, too.  But make sure you follow up with a free report to all of them who don’t buy from your initial sales presentation.

2.  Second, don’t send this message to every single small business out there.

Instead, choose two or three niches to market to, for starters.  Pick niches you’ve worked in, or you want to work in, and then in your marketing material you address the specific problems of each particular niche.

Now don’t get me wrong — it’s all the same problem.  But if you’re working with plastic surgeons, you’re talking about avoiding patients who “want to look like Sofia Loren but are on a Wal-Mart budget.”

If you’re dealing with a retail store, you talk about getting customers “who are going to come by once a week, not once a year during the Christmas season.”  And so on.

When you’re working in a specific niche, this allows you to position yourself better, charge more money, and give the perception of having more value.

3.  Lastly, don’t try and sell them ten different services all at once!  This is a huge mistake people make in selling, in general.

Focus on one specific problem at a time.

Once you do the first thing well, if you’ve over-delivered, it’s only natural your clients are going to want to hire you for more services.

And make SURE you go through pages 289 through 307 in my book, and follow the advice about problem-solving.  It will make you a small fortune and you’ll avoid wasting tons of time and blowing loads of otherwise wasted opportunities.

Let me know how it goes and thanks for your question, Eric.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S.  the ONLY program that shows you how to create free reports/long-form sales letters, and incorporate them into a two-step lead generation funnel (comes with a one-year ‘make at least ten times your investment’ guarantee)

Get 2 FREE issues PLUS… 18 Bonuses! (Yes, Eighteen!) Get CDs, DVDs, Audio Interviews, and more — including two free copywriting and marketing critiques.  Discover why the Seductive Selling Newsletter is now read in 14 countries world-wide!  (watch the video and see all the bonuses you get)

Maximum Money FAQs

Maximum Money QAFs

NEW: Lead generation, copywriting products and consulting services

If you enjoyed this, forward it on to a few of your friends and business associates.  And if you have any comments, just leave them here on my blog: