*** TWO DAYS LEFT!  Over the last 28 days, I’ve been giving you “big ideas” to solve REAL-life marketing challenges sent in by subscribers.  If you like what you’re reading, show me some love by forwarding this information around to a few of your friends and associates ***

This question is from Lisa Graves, who lives somewhere in Maine.  That’s the big state in the upper right-hand corner of America.  Lisa has a lot to say:

“Hello Craig,  thanks in advance for the daily tips!

We manufacture and wholesale customized autograph pillows for groups.  The autograph pillows are customized with either a group’s logo or with a gorgeous photo of the group.  The end consumer is of course primarily a group of girls for example cheerleader teams, gymnastics teams, summer camps.

However the customer base is as diverse as a 5th grade graduating class to the Indianapolis Colts.  This diversity of customer making the purchase for the group is one of my marketing challenges.

Do you have a good idea for what I can offer/give in exchange for one putting in their email address?  I want to offer/give something of genuine value. Whatever it is needs to be of interest/valuable to a range of people like a booster club mom, a gym owner, a cheerleader coach, a marketing person for a kids club at a pro sports level.

The common denominator is kids/teens. So maybe something along that line.  Currently I offer the wholesale price sheet in exchange for their email since prices are not posted on the site. I will continue to offer that but I know just that is pretty lame!  Thanks for any advice you can give!”

OK, this one’s good.  And I’m very familiar with stuff like this because after 20 years of parenting two boys and a girl, I’ve seen these kinds of program many times.

Lisa wants to know what she should be giving away in exchange for prospect e-mail addresses.  And she knows what she’s doing now (giving away a price list) is lame.

So for starters, definitely STOP doing this.  Not only is it lame, but what are you telling your prospects about who you are?  This means, all your competition has to do is give away something like a recipe for cupcakes, and they look like superstars compared to you!

So yes, stop doing this right now.

But more importantly, stop looking at things in sections.  Step back a minute and see the whole forest, not just the trees.  Because if you’re having trouble right here, at the very front end of your website, what comes next isn’t going to be ANY easier.

What you should be thinking about isn’t what you should or shouldn’t be giving away!  What you should be thinking about is what’s a good sales strategy for you to use, that attracts prospects… converts them to buyers… and separates you from your competition.

This is a FAR more important series of questions to answer than “what do you give away in exchange for an e-mail.”  Because frankly, if you haven’t gotten these questions worked out, you could be giving away gold bars in exchange for e-mail addresses and you’re not going to make any sales.

So listen, and listen good.

Stop thinking along the lines of sharing information about teenagers.  Most of these people — whether they’re coaching cheerleaders or track and field or girl scouts — either have access to, or already know more information about teenagers than they will ever need.

And chances are good, if they want more information like this, they’re going to get it from their local schools and medical professionals, not the pillow lady.  (sorry bout that)

Right?

Of course.

But what they are REALLY in dire need of, is information that’s going to tell them how to grow their groups and make more money.  So you, in effect, can become the Craig Garber of cheerleading, and of girl’s sports teams.

These prospects want to know how to get more girls involved in their sports, how to grow their teams, how to raise more money, and how to charge more for their services.  So you can offer a check-list, a free report about how to grow membership, a reference guide, a rolodex, and so on.

And then, you should be putting on teleseminars or webinars periodically, to teach these things in depth, and of course at the end of the call, you can sell your program and help them implement these techniques.

That’s a business model that makes sense because it can expand both horizontally, as far as the number of different products and services you can offer… and, who you want to offer them to.

And it can also expand vertically, because the more you get involved with your clients, the more they are going to want from you.

Let me know how this works – and order my book, because in Chapter 3 there’s a strategy you should DEFINITELY be using, that will grow your business dramatically, and it has virtually ZERO down side, at all, regardless of what you’re doing or where you’re doing it.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S.  True story: Former NYC cab driver rakes in over $48,305 per month?

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