104 universal, immutable business growth strategies… – Discover the secrets most marketing consultants, advisors and strategists do not want you to know…

If we just met; we are sitting down, having a drink, I might be asking you:

How is business?
What business are you in?
What got you into business?

All the while wondering ‘how can we improve business?’

To be successful as an organization, you must have thoughtful, clear answers to these questions. Peter Drucker’s five most important questions:

(Personal in numbers, professional in letters)

What is your mission?
1. Who am I? What values do I consider most important? What do I stand for? What do I want to achieve in life? How should I treat those closest in my life? How do I want to be treated? What is the purpose of my life?
Which are the most important relationships you want to invest in?
1. Know who your customer is. Who do you want to interact with? Do they reflect your values and interests? Do they fuel your energy, your excitement for life?
What are the essential priorities and goals of those closest to you?
1. What does the customer value? What are their goals and priorities? And what do they treasure in their relationship with you?
What are your expectations of the people around you, and what do they expect of you?
1. What results do you expect? Are people around you clear about what your expectations are? Do you know what these same people expect from you? Have you ever asked them what they need?
What is your plan?
1. Short, medium and long-term. Without a plan you may go just about anywhere.

Here in the virtual, I can only imagine what brought here, what are you hoping to find, discover, do.

My curiosity has me wanting to know everything about you, your business, your impact potential. Soon enough, I will be asking you a variety of questions, such as:

What are your most pressing problems, obstacles, or negatives in life or business?
How do you want to be seen the in the market place?
If we were to reevaluate three years from today, what needs to happen both personally and professionally for you to feel happy with your progress?

I grew up in customer service. For me, serving people is what the entire business world boils down to. So, if my effort here does little to help you, if I am wasting my time, and this is all for naught, please let me know so that I may pivot in a more advantageous direction.

With a focus on client service, I am market driven. Your feedback will determine which direction we take, if any, by the conclusion of this read. These words, this idea, the next steps, this entire process will continuously evolve… as all business should.

For now, keep reading. Stick with me for a few days. I encourage reading a page a day. Eventually we will reach the questions/ collaboration page, at which point I encourage you participate.

Before we get too advanced, I want to disclose;

This website outlines basic formulas for growing your business. It contains information only, a little interaction, and will likely spin off towards another platform – not yet developed. I can think of a dozen directions I would love to see it go…. which is my conundrum. I tend to weigh options, discover new things, get sidetracked, then do little in the way of producing actionable result.

I do want to help, yet I fear this obstacle could hinder your progress as well. Am I providing too much information, too many ideas, options, and paths to follow?

For example; Are you familiar with the jelly test? (Barry Schwartz’s book Paradox of Choice)

Years ago there was a sales test. The product was jam/jelly/fruit preserves. The salesperson was offering samples hoping to solicit sales. Originally, this salesperson displayed 24 samples of flavors to choose from, hoping to entice prospects into making a purchase from an even larger selection. The idea was that with great variety (a flavor for every pallet), comes greater sales. However, after testing the only opinion that matters (that of the paying customer)… The next day, the salesperson set up in the same location, at the same time, with the same script. The only change was the number of samples. Instead of 24, they offered six, reducing the selection 75%. Sales skyrocketed. With less options, the client has less decision making, less overwhelm, less hesitation, less procrastination, less indecision.

So, if the information here is too great, just act on one idea at a time. Start by improving what you are already doing. Only after optimizing what is already working, only then you should feel free to try something new. To emphasize; It is critically important that you first improve what you are already doing, before doing something new. In this order:

Optimization. Finding the highest and best use. Taking what is working and making it work to the Nth degree, or replacing what is not working. Use the profits from optimization to fund;
Innovation. Engineering breakthroughs, taking controlled risks, looking outside your industry for new ideas, technologies, strategies. Instead of focusing on change, focus on changes.

We will continue this conversation. For now, allow me to introduce myself:

Hi, my name is Parker

I am an introverted sophophile (one who loves wisdom and learning) hooked on marketing. I have been struggling all my life working dead end jobs. This is why I study the hell out of marketing — what Peter Drucker considers “The one true purpose of every business.”

When I am at my best, I can provide purposeful direction, protective strategies, and a unique perspective. I am able to do this because I am a walking dichotomy, meaning I tend to think bi-modally, from two diametrically opposed perspectives, two perfectly opposite thought processes, two separate and distinct vantage points; one structurally and the other conceptually.

I will brag about myself later… For now, I want to tell you why I created this website, what you can expect from it, then bring definition to the topic of strategic marketing and innovation.

As we proceed, the only thing I ask, is that you take time to reflect, slow your rush to judgement, consider where you have seen these ideas in action, how you can adopt, adapt and incorporate them into your organization. Rather than skim over this material, assess where you are today. If you want to take this a level deeper, consider all the cognitive biases.

WHAT IS THE CATCH, THE WARNING, OUR LIMITATION:

As we move forward I ask you keep an open mind.

Temporarily suspend your disbelief. Drop your guard and all your negative prejudices for a moment. Trust that you can find at least one paradigm shifting piece of information that will transcend your life.

No. Your life will not change by tomorrow or next week. How about three years from now? From the cumulative, compounding effect of a decision made, a philosophy learned, or an insight realized today? A famous person once said “People over estimate what they can do in a year, and profoundly underestimate what they can do in ten years.”

The reason I ask you to keep an open mind: While the grey matter between your ears is considered the most magnificent creation in all the universe, it does have certain and severe limitations. Your brain, your thoughts, the story you tell yourself… it is not always trustworthy. Too many studies support the idea that whether you are competent or incompetent, you are oblivious to it.

Google it for yourself: The Impostor Syndrome and the Dunning-Kruger effect:

The impostor syndrome is where the more you know about a subject or topic, the more you feel like you are not actually an expert, that you cannot possibly be an authority on it. You feel like a fraud. It follows the idea that the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a psychological finding that people who do not have the knowledge or expertise about something, tend to have a false confidence that they are in fact, very knowledgeable about it. The irony of this effect, according to (Cornell Professor) Dunning: “the knowledge and intelligence that are required to be good at a task are often the same qualities needed to recognize that one is not good at that task—and if one lacks such knowledge and intelligence, one remains ignorant that one is not good at that task.”

So as we get closer to reviewing these innovative marketing strategies, open your mind to the possibilities. Open your mind to your own potentiality. Open your mind to discovering something new, even if you are already familiar with what we are about to discuss.

A final note about your potential skepticism has to do with arrogance. Experts say many entrepreneurs are mediocre, superficial, self-consumed and focused on the wrong thing. How many times have you seen flashy credentials without any mention of the benefit the consumer is hoping to receive? Even when you are making money hand over fist, it is easy to have big ego in a bull market. Can you weather the storm when the economy collapses?

Most arrogance and ignorance is self-defeating, whether it is conjecture about what your market wants, or thinking you are the only one who can do the job. Conversely, if you are the most capable, competent and do-it-all-yourself, and not outsourcing or delegating to others, you are not doing what business is designed to do. In this case, your unconscious competence leaves you perpetually stuck, you are the limiter of your own success.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS WEBSITE:

I simply want to get in the marketing game and drafting this website is my first step. This is my platform, my spring board, a sample of my linguistics.

The reason this is my first step, is because I am a major introvert; totally verbally inept. Only through writing do I stand a chance to make a decent first impression. Trust me, if I were to present in person, we would both walk away scratching our heads wondering “What the hell was that?”

Besides, within a short conversation, it is nearly impossible to convey decades worth expert level knowledge and awareness that went into creating these strategies. The implications, correlations, nuances, the ways to harness best results; this here is just baseline awareness… Of what I believe are the most foundational, the most vital, impactful, fundamental, universal, immutable business truths that have withstood the test of time.

I want to provide you with so many fresh ideas that you beat my door down begging me to get you paid. I also want you to be confident that any ideas I suggest are not based on speculation, conjecture, or because (in funny voice:) “It sounds good to me.” Here I can reference, share, and support critically important concepts… Like the title to a book, I want to be able to share a simple phrase to expresses an entire body of knowledge.

Whatever path I choose in this industry, I tell myself the only way I can succeed, is by helping you succeed – even if you have no interest in working with me. As with most entrepreneurs, I know your heart is in the right place. Clinically and statistically speaking however, too many of us struggle needlessly in business (whether we realize it or not). Because of this, I am hoping to bring into focus some of the best known business strategies. After all, “Where attention goes, energy flows.”

So I am sharing a few strategies, because ultimately, before I die, I want to have positive impact. I want to add value, and drive forward our higher needs (growth and contribution). I want to make a difference. I want to set an example for my two boys. And right now, the only way I feel capable of doing any of this, is by helping you better leverage your greatest asset; your business.

I want to become your most trusted advisor for life. This platform is where I am doing my best to serve the hell out of you – without asking for anything in return. This is also where you can catch a glimpse of my thinking patterns, my psychology, my knowledge base… This is where you can gain an idea of whether we are a good fit. This is how I aim to trade my boring, low paying job for the rich reward of doing what I love.

As I write I gain clarity and direction (which, btw is the purpose for writing out a business plan – clarity and direction). More than likely, I will be striving to become a copywriter. In addition to writing the text of advertisements and publicity material, I want to provide my clients with strategy. This website illustrates some of my knowledge on the subject, allowing you to make a more informed decision as to whether or not to hire me.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THIS WEBSITE:

My intention is to pack every page full of useful and valuable information, insight and content. I recommend you set aside some time to digest the contents. If you gloss over everything here in under a week, you may be overlooking a vital lesson or two.

Some of my words and much of the reference material runs long. While I am doing everything in my power to keep it all short, quick and concise, I have to emphasize and make it abundantly clear that the best decisions you will make, can only be made if you are well informed. It is impossible to be well informed with a bunch of superficial soundbites that you do not really delve into. If you do not learn due diligence, if you do not learn depth of understanding, if you do not learn the massive spectrum of perspectives that impact any decision, action, activity, then you can do okay, but you will never be great.

Ideally this website will fall somewhere in the middle. It is loaded with short soundbites in an effort to draw your attention to areas you may have overlooked, and expose you to a few ideas that potentially reign outside your industry. If a topic is introduced that is new to you, I recommend you study the hell out of it because it could transform your business.

A bit of the content, especially in the Strategies page, refers to other bodies of work that will take hours to consume, even with the quick review. In the grand scheme of things, these hours are also concise summaries. Each topic could be explored for days.

Know this; with any recommended reading, make the attempt to appreciate how it represents a distillation of philosophies chronicling one person’s entire career. In the case of Claude Hopkins’, the author took 30, 40 years experiencing, experimenting, working 18 hour days, seven days a week. This is the equivalent of 70-80 years the way we work. Then he spent a year or two trying to condense this down into a written format, and another six months editing it. To think you can sit down in one cursory reading and comprehend anywhere close to the breadth of insight it has to offer, is a shameful and pretty audacious belief. That is why I am suggesting it would be a wise endeavor to read, re-read, take notes, and listen to these strategies five to six times for optimum results.

Another thing you can expect from me and these plagiarized words; not one of these ideas are mine. I am simply sharing a few ideas I learned while researching. Most of my education (on business growth) has been spent studying the philosophies, strategies, ideologies, mostly from Jay Abraham.

Why Jay? Because he has influenced 80% the market’s influencers. He helped defined the word ‘entrepreneur.’ I believe it accurate to say he is the most preeminent strategist in the world today.

Yes, I am a raving fan of Jay. If you are the type of person who wants lessons straight from the source, go to www.Abraham.com and tell him Parker sent you. There you will find an absolute wealth of information. His goal is to become the greatest benefactor to entrepreneurs like you, and to make the world a better place.

Be clear on this; reading over these strategies is not the commitment, but the beginning. Knowing these strategies, does not mean a thing. You must implement them, internalize them, share, adopt, develop and practice them.

For each strategy, you must be willing to spend the time to seriously read it, reflect on it, then take action.

MY GOAL FOR YOU:

Aside from an abundance of marvelous and unique experiences…

My goal is to help you gain focus and get you thinking differently. I will give you the recommendations that I think are in your best interest and refer you to the people who can best serve you. You can expect from me; an explanation why I think you should do certain things, along with a few insights, strategies and tactics.

I want to see you shine, make you smile, laugh, be positively entertained, outrageously grateful, leave you better off than you were a minute ago; with (at least) one idea that will improve your professional positioning in this world.

If you gain just one insight, one tactic, one strategy, one concept, one paradigm shift, or make one decision that improves just one aspect of your organization, I would be elated. This would be worth every minute spent writing, every hour studying, every day dreaming about a better “job.” I say this because one profound effect could ripple through potentially everyone within your sphere of influence (your customers, clients, employees, vendors, suppliers, your friends, your family, your waitress, the stranger you pass on the street, etc.).

In conjunction, my goal is to improve your focus – on your role as the entrepreneur. Many business owners have ADD (attention deficit disorder). They get easily side-tracked. Too many get caught up in daily operations, rather than strategy. It is so easy to get distracted and pulled in multiple directions.

If I could give you one thing, it is focus, because it can be very subtle shifts that make the difference between just scraping by and making a living, from simply covering your basic needs to having the business you always wanted. The way it was taught to me:

Focus gives clarity
Clarity gives power
Power gives understanding
Understanding gives certainty
Certainty gives trust
With trust, people take action
Through action, we grow and contribute

One way you can improve your focus is through music. Not just any music. You want the kind of music that will help get ‘in the zone,’ which you can quickly identify at www.FocusAtWill.com.

This “zone” by the way, is that optimal state of consciousness in which we perform and feel our best. Steven Kotler is the expert on this subject, and has shared a few ideas about the topic on YouTube and through his book Rise of Superman.

My ultimate goal for you: I know I will be successful when I have compelled and enabled you to achieve such newfound success that you write me a check, as a way of saying thank you.

If you have employees, I know I will be successful when you celebrate with your entire staff, taking them and their families on a two week vacation to Hawaii. After all; “Eureka” moments rarely occur in the office.

My short-term goal, by the end of the day, I want you to leave here with at least one new idea, that you delegate to your second in command to implement.

FOUR TYPES OF BUSINESS OWNERS:

This website is geared towards the person who is the business operator who is, or recently has, transitioned into a business owner. In this process, one thing to consider, are the four hats. There are four ways to engage in your business:

Artist: Artists are all about passion and love of their product. They are in love with their “baby.”
Operator: Operators are “doers.” If something must get done, by default, they are going to have to do it themselves. The problem is that they are good at their profession, but no one has taught them the skills and tools to become business owners.
Owner: Owners run the business but do not operate it. Owners will set priorities, figure out the obstacles in the way that are preventing the business from getting here to there. They make sure the team is full of A players. They get the right people, doing the right thing, at the right time. Owners think about this, operators do not. Owners are the thinkers, coaches, they are the people who manage the organization.
Investors: Investors are more concerned about risk and what could go wrong. They are all about protecting the asset.

Visualize these as hats, not roles. While you may predominately operate in one of the above, you must have flexibility to move back and forth between them all.

Over and above growth, owners want a “machine.” There are three key components of a machine:

Plan, Strategy, Procedure. Your number one job is to support your team in being successful.
A players. A players do not need to be motivated, whereas amateurs do. A players love to be measured (in order to improve). They have a high internal, emotional need to succeed. They have executional intelligence.
Structure. Part of this is culture (not perks like a nap room). Culture is how you treat and talk to one another. Culture is accountability – do what you say you are going to do.

If you are moved by this idea of transitioning from operator to owner, serious about learning all the skills and tools required, you would do well to begin your journey with Keith Cunningham’s four day MBA program. He is/was the “Rich Dad” mentor, advisor to Robert Kiyosaki. You can find details at www.KeysToTheVault.com.

FIRST CONSIDER THE TWO BASIC TYPES OF BUSINESS MODELS:

Before we really dive into anything too deep, how do you operate? What does your business model look like?

Your business model is your whole approach to doing business. It is the way you do business, the whole integrated master plan you are executing. At its most basic level, there are two types of models.

Consider this example from the entertainment industry:

On the one hand, the first business model, is focused on personal service.
- For example; Siegfried and Roy. When people went to their shows, they wanted to see Siegfried and Roy. Both Siegfried and Roy had to perform (themselves) in order to get paid. There was no substitution, no alternative, no delegation. They traded their time for money. They were business operators.
  - Operators are doers. They think in terms of time and effort, in terms of control. Their motto: ‘If it is going to get done, then I guess I am just going to have to do it.’ Nothing is ever good enough when it is done by someone else. This is usually because they did not know how to hire or delegate. Most operators abhor structure – it is one of the reasons they started their own business, they did not want to work for the man, have a job, and all that structure.
On the other hand, the second business model, is focused on leverage.
- For example; The Blue Man Group. When people go to their shows, they want to be entertained by blue people. Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton can hire virtually anyone to perform in their place, and still get paid. There is leverage in this scenario. They are business owners.
  - Owners have leverage. Leverage comes from things like having A players, from measurement and accountability. A players have no need for you to train or inspire them. They allow dashboards to control and alert people when there are hits, wins, losses and misses in their performance. Owners create a structure, a machine, processes and tools. They think in design, they plan.

As you reflect on your business, you are invariably looking at how, and how often, you are generating sales. You are looking at both front end and back end, respectively, the initial sale and all the subsequent sales and business generated from that client. The remainder of this website is a study of how to improve these results.

And in all fairness, maybe you do not want to grow? Maybe you picture headaches and hassles? But what if you could produce a reoccurring stream of income without any extra effort? What could you do, what would you do, knowing your fixed expenses were covered? Would you take the family and children to Disney World, if all expenses were paid? Would you hire an assistant or new employee? Would you amp up your marketing efforts, thereby increasing your profitable income, your net worth, your saleable asset?

WHY IS MARKETING SO IMPORTANT:

Many people believe Peter Drucker was the greatest business thinker of the 20th century. He famously and accurately quotes the following; “Business, because its function is to create a customer and sustain it, has only two purposes: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation are the only two functions that build business that sustain paying revenue. Everything else is an expense.”

Dan Kennedy claims “Good marketing makes your time infinitely more valuable because it provides leverage and allows you to better monetize your time and all your other talents, and liberates you from all the drudgery and repetitive labor. Just the ability to sell one to many versus one to one is a life changer.” He also states “Getting results does not take time. It is not getting results that takes all your time.”

Marketing is one of the shortest, quickest, most efficient paths to reaching your goals in a business, to hitting a faster ROI, and getting customers raving about your product. It is a process of constant innovation. It is one of the main topics I encourage you to always strive to improve, to better understand, and analyze the whole dynamic.

Marketing is the difference between mediocrity and millions. It gives you power and options. Marketers directed in the right way are saviors. They identify needs, know who to communicate with, and open doors that cannot be opened any other way. Marketing is the ultimate financial leverage.

If you were to study the greatest companies today, and the greatest companies throughout the last 50 years, you would find they are historically the companies who engineered the maximum quantity of consistent, continuous, qualitative breakthroughs in the areas of marketing, innovation, management and strategy.

What you are selling is your business. This is your career. If you do not have people buying stuff from you, you do not have a company and you do not have money. Marketing your business is the most important thing to actually get your product/ service/ cause out in to the world. What other thing could you possibly be focusing on, other than more conversions, more enrollment, more engagement, more acquisition than marketing? You want to do everything you can to hone and improve your marketing. This is how you win the game.

“Marketing isn’t everything… it is the only thing.” Brian Kurtz

WHAT IS MARKETING:

Marketing is one thing the South Park gnomes seemed to have overlooked:

While there are an infinite number of definitions for marketing, my favorite is transcribed below. This was borrowed from the Tony Robbins PowerTalk interview of the legendary business growth expert Jay Abraham. If you have never heard this recording, stop right now and listen to The Ultimate Entrepreneur with Jay Abraham podcast episodes 23 and 24.

Jay Abraham defines marketing as:

The continual educating of a customer or prospect, for the life of that customer, on the advantages and benefits, and self-serving to them; results your company or your service brings them that no one else does, can or will do.
It is the Intelligently formulated process of increasing their demand or desire for your product or service, and finally;
The strategic process of bringing them to closure and completed action.

Marketing versus Selling:

Joe Polish and Dan Sullivan often say “Selling is what you do when you are on the phone or face to face with somebody. Marketing is what you do to get someone on the phone or face to face with you, properly positioned so by the time they talk to you, they are pre-interested, pre-motivated, pre-qualified, pre-disposed to give you money.”

“Selling is when you get someone intellectually engaged with a future result that is good for them, and getting them to emotionally commit to taking action to achieve that result.”

DIRECT MARKETING VERSUS GENERAL ADVERTISING:

Direct marketing is measurable marketing (in any medium). It is all about measurability and therefore accountability. This is what makes direct marketing so powerful. It is the only way to get a specific return on your investment.

Contrast this with general advertising, which is advertising that builds brand awareness, and maybe evokes an emotional response. However, it has no way for the potential customer to actually respond to the ad or for the marketer to track its response. With most general advertising, you cannot measure the ad’s effectiveness because there is no way to measure whether the customer takes an action as a result of the ad. Direct marketing on the other hand, is all about measurability and therefore accountability.

WHAT IS INNOVATION:

Innovation is significant positive change.

Innovation is an improvement in the way you do things. It is finding a better, more effective way to get your clients the results they want.

Better yet, let’s distinguish between optimization and innovation. Optimization is the improvement in things you are already doing, whereas, innovation introduces fresh, new ideas, tactics, etc. At their core, innovation and optimization rest on fundamentally different principles, but, integrating the two, brings your business to a whole new level…

Optimization is taking an existing process and making it work to its most optimal, where it generates the most income for the least amount of investment, whether you are investing time, risk or capital.

Innovation involves making obsolete that which you did before. It is finding a better, more effective way to get your clients the results they want. It is orchestrating greater benefit, enhancement or improvement in your clients’ life or situation that they appreciate and value.

At its most elemental; innovation means is bringing greater benefit, advantage, result to the marketplace that the marketplace respects, appreciates, and desires most specifically from you. It is about finding a better, more effective way to get your clients the results they want.

Innovation is bringing greater protection, enhancement, enrichment, entertainment to an audience that they recognize, acknowledge, and value above and beyond the alternatives, enough to take action, and only take action from you.

Remember to optimize first, then innovate.

WHAT IS STRATEGY:

At its core, strategy is a guide to behavior. Strategy comes to life through its ability to influence thousands of decisions, both big and small, made by employees throughout the organization. A good strategy drives actions that differentiate the company and produce financial success. A bad strategy drives actions that lead to less competitive, less differentiated position. A lot of strategies, though, are simply inert. Whether they are good or bad is impossible to determine, because they do not drive action. They may exist in pristine form in a PowerPoint document, or in a “strategic planning” binder, or in speeches made by top executives. But if they do not manifest themselves in action they are inert, irrelevant. They are academic.

Most people do not dig into strategy. What are you building towards? What does the completed, optimized picture of your business look like when you have gotten it where it needs to go? What does the finished product look like?

Strategy is how you advance, enhance, and integrate a big, long-term game plan. Strategy allows you to produce a result every single time you do something. It is a way of consistently getting a result. Strategy is a carefully defined and detailed plan to achieve a long-term goal. A strategy is the overall impact, the ultimate position you would like to achieve in the market.

Strategy is separate and distinct from tactics. While the two work in tandem, I bring this up because most entrepreneurs are more tactical than strategic. To think like a brilliant strategist, you will design and combine your tactics with the long-term strategy in mind.

Tactics are your day to day operations, the small, specific actions and steps you take to achieve your goals and objectives. Tactics are the means used to achieve your strategy. Tactics are the techniques, tools or methods you employ to achieve a measurable result. A tactic is a method or technique used to achieve an immediate or short-term gain.

Strategy however, is the overall, long-term goal that reflects the core value of your organization. It describes, generally, how you will allocate your resources. It is the bridge between your ultimate goal and how you plan to reach it. It has a single, well-defined focus. It is the path you follow.

Strategy is what you set out to achieve. Its focus is the end result; how you are going to compete, how you are going to grow. It is the general direction you intend to take, in regards to your product, operations, pricing, marketing, and financing. It is the top most action plan that will make your vision real.

Tactics cannot build a sustaining, ever-growing, rock-solid, meaningful, and enduring business. Tactics are a form of promotion. Tactics can produce significant, short-term profit. But, sooner or later those promotions saturate, dry up, and become marginalized because far too many other entrepreneurs start using them…

Define your strategy before you set your tactics. What are you trying to accomplish? Do you have a systematic master plan that is driving everything you do? You need a plan that out thinks, out markets and out appeals to the market better than your competitor and that requires deep integrated strategy. If you have deep integrated strategy everything you do everything you do either advances, enhances or dramatically improves the impact of the relationship with your client. Random things are a waste. They do not give you a clear cut positioning and that is what most people do so you have to change that. Strategy is the biggest advantage you will have competitively. Strategy incorporates or includes the ability to decide what your ultimate business game plan is.

To illustrate the difference between strategy and tactics, I want to share a story. In this example, Jay Abraham compares two people, competing in the same industry, selling the same product. While the tactical thinker earned $3,000, the strategist grossed well over $25 Million. This story was shared in Jay’s book The Sticking Point Solution.

“A few years ago, I had two friends who each discovered the same business opportunity but approached it in radically different ways—one tactical and shortsighted, the other strategic and focused on the long term.

The first, Tom, was a gifted copywriter who saw potential in the overlooked market of simulated diamonds, or cubic zirconium. For $30,000, he ran a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times announcing his new enterprise, the Beverly Hills Diamond Company, and its key product, a loose, one-karat stone that sold for $39. The wonderfully crafted ad pulled in about $42,000 worth of sales, which amounted to about $3,000 profit after all expenses. Tom, who was used to making massive, front-end profits, didn’t see enough profit in the concept, so he folded his tent and left.

The second friend, Larry, didn’t possess Tom’s copywriting prowess, but he was a world-class strategist—and strategy will always trump copy. Larry soldiered into the very same marketplace, armed with a game plan for an identical product but a very different result. His ad wasn’t as well written, and so Van Pliss and Tissany (his take on Van Cleef & Arpel and Tiffany, which were hot brands at the time) pulled in only $28,000 from his $30,000 ad—meaning he’d lost $2,000 before he’d even counted overhead.

But instead of getting frustrated, Larry continued with the next phase of his strategy. Whereas Tom had mailed his product in a chintzy cardboard box, Larry delivered his in a high-end jeweler’s case, which in turn was placed in a velvet bag—packaging that cost a pretty penny beyond what he’d already spent on the ad. Along with that, Larry included a letter:

Thank you for purchasing your Van Pliss and Tissany one-karat gemstone. When you remove it from its beautiful jeweler’s case, you’ll immediately notice its fiery brilliance, which is even more beautiful than we promised.

You may also notice that the stone is smaller than you expected—but that’s the nature of the Van Pliss diamond. In order to achieve such extraordinary brilliance, our gem is denser, which makes it 25 percent smaller than most people expect. However, the brilliance of the diamond inspires many of our buyers to upgrade to larger five- and ten-karat stones, which they hope to then set. Be cause we’ve experienced this so often, we’ve set some of our most magnificent five- and ten-karat stones in fourteen- and eighteen-k rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, which you can find in the accompanying catalog. And, more important, because we do such volume, we have manufactured these jewelry pieces ourselves, thus slashing the price by 50 percent of what you would pay for the same product from a jewelry store.

We would like to offer you the chance to upgrade: Not only have we included a pre-paid return carton and UPS form, but we are also extending you double credit. In addition, any purchase you make with us will not be considered binding on your part until you’ve had the set jewelry item in your possession for thirty days. If your family and friends don’t remark on how beautiful your new gem is, or if you find that buying the same piece from a jeweler would have saved you money, you may return your gemstone and setting, no questions asked.

What was the end difference between Tom’s tactics and Larry’s strategy? Whereas Tom made $3,000 and promptly quit, Larry’s strategy lost $2,000 up front, then netted him $25 million in his first year of business alone.

That’s the difference.

If you come up with a killer strategy and a dynamite approach, you can make a killing, too.”

Not having a strategy is like building your dream house on a weak foundation – in a swamp land. It is like trying to build a house, without first deciding how many bathrooms it is going to have or knowing where to put the kitchen. If strategy is the Guide, tactics are the Actions. If strategy is the What, tactics are the Who and How.

What is the journey you want your clients to take? What is the experience you want them to have? Think this out. Engage people. How do you receive feedback?

HOW DO YOU CREATE YOUR FIRST STRATEGY:

Part of strategizing is looking ahead. What game are you playing long-term? What is your system? The hardest part is bringing clients in for the first time. When it comes to your selling situation, you control it or it controls you.

Your first question needs to be: What kind of people or businesses do I want to attract, and why?

Keep this definition of your ideal client where everyone in your organization can see it everyday. Being strategic involves very deep, integrated thinking. This deserves more your times, attention and respect than other other activity.

Next you want to do basic market research to define and understand your marketplace. Survey a cross section of your consumers in a focus group to get their opinions about your product and service. Conduct a phone or mail survey – these people may not respond, so get creative. Offer a bonus or coupon to complete the survey, or save the survey for the end of a successful sales call.

Gather enough information to determine:

Who are your best potential clients?
What do they need, want and expect?
Is there a demand for your product or service?
Who are your competitors, what are they doing, and how well are they doing?

Answer specifically and in detail:

How many products/services sold each year?
How much was spent in your area?
How well are the comparables (alternatives to your product/service) selling?
Examine the demographics of your target audience then position yourself as the best person to fulfill that need.
How many units are sold in the industry and how much is spent? This helps you gauge your performance success against the competition and enables you to set specific goals.
How have these numbers changed over the last few decades? Any major trends? Check trade journals for annual wrap up.

Although market research may appear to be a tedious time consuming process, it is necessary if you want to be successful. Think of it as simply a method of finding out what catches client’s attention by observing their actions and drawing conclusions form what you see.

After you have identified the people in your target market, it is time to take the next step in your strategy:

Define exactly what problem your product solves for those particular people. This is where you turn inward to look for commonalities in your existing client base that represents the most desirable and profitable buyers you have. Then replicate, perpetuate and multiply a constant flow of this market segment above and beyond other market categories you could attract.

If you are still struggling to determine your strategic advantage, carefully answer the following:

What initially got you started in this business (specifically)?
When you started out in your business, how did you attract your first customers? (If your business is flailing, you did not replicate yourself.)
Why did your customers originally buy from you?
Why do new customers buy from you now?
What is your current, primary mode of marketing? What is your single most significant and substantial source of business? What is one new mode you can employ?
What ongoing sales effort do you personally perform today?
What is your specific operative customer profile? Where does your business come from (distinctions, demographics)? How do you know about them? How do you treat the 80%?
What is your single greatest competitive advantage (in the eyes of your customers – that they perceive). Are there any reconcilable problems because your customer does not appreciate/ understand/ recognize/ perceive?

Because strategy is such an important concept, here are 25 strategies you can use to outmarket your competitors:

Work your current and past customer lists. Fully utilize your customer list
Stop spending so much on ineffective advertising
Follow up with your prospects
Keep following up
Risk reversal
Bump and upsell. Use a handy phrase to upsell your customers
Sell, then sell again
Host-Beneficiary relationships, joint ventures, strategic partnerships
Use your competitor’s resources – and profit
Offer extended guarantees and incentives
Lock in sales in advance
License your successful concepts
Break even on the front-end
Test your prices
Reposition yourself as an expert in your industry
If you know of a company going out of business, buy their customers and the right to fulfill on orders
Decrease your overhead
Do not burn your bridges
Avoid the ostrich theory of marketing (“my customers”)
Write only direct-response ads or sales letters
Write headlines that pull
Analyze your results
Do not put all your eggs in one basket
Get your customers to give you referrals
Recognize and identify your hidden assets
- Telemarket your customer list
- Lock in sales in advance
- Test your sales pitches
- Understand what your customers are worth to you
Barter

I believe the full breakdown of these strategies are available in Jay Abraham’s book Stealth Marketing, which can be purchase through at www.Abraham.com. Simply search his website for ‘Stealth Marketing.’ This manuscript requires a thousand dollar investment. What kind of ROI could that produce? If you are in a recessionary economy, this investment should be worth every penny, and likely it is fully guaranteed by the author.

These 25 strategies are also covered in Jay’s book Getting Everything You Can Out Of Everything You’ve Got. This book is highlighted in the Strategies page on this website. When we get to that page, you will be able to access the manuscript gratis.

Thirdly (because communicating in triads has proven effective), you can explore these 25 strategies further in the following link. Please note, this URL is not secure. If you dare; go to Section one on page 30 through this link: http://infoweasels.com/seminar/private-downloads/stealth.pdf

LAST DEFINITIONS:

Capitalism: F. A. Hayek in The Road to Serfdom wrote The tragedy of Capitalism is that it was named by its enemies. Capitalism is not about capital, that is a by-product. Capitalism is an ever expanding system of increased cooperation among strangers.

Success: My favorite definition of success is from John Wooden, head coach for the UCLA Bruins: “Peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”

Technology: A better method of doing something you already do. Technology determines what a resource is.

The American Marketing Association’s definition of marketing is “The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

Copywriting (AWAI’s definition): Copywriting is the process of writing persuasive marketing and promotional materials that motivate people to take some form of action, such as make a purchase, click on a link, donate to a cause, or schedule a consultation. These materials can include written promotions that are published in print or online.

CONTINUE THIS INTRODUCTION:

This “Introduction” continues on, in the next page ‘About Me.’ Here I share my strengths and weakness. I also provide links to various psychological profiling systems and personality assessment tests. I share these links because, whatever business you believe you are in, ultimately you are in the business of leveraging people – and these links prove valuable in determine where and how to allocate, optimize, and leverage your resources (yourself and your people).

P.S.

In the Welcome Page I originally mentioned there are nine (9) major business growth areas. There are nine identifiable categories within your business that have tremendous impact potential within your organization. There are what Jay Abraham calls the “Nine Drivers of Upside Leverage and Exponential Business Growth.” To glimpse what they are, Click here or copy and paste this link: http://abraham-pop2.s3.amazonaws.com/NineDriversReport.pdf

P.P.S.

If you are not yet an entrepreneur, no worries. You can play along too. Click here for more information. Ultimately, you just work a deal where you take it over and give a slight royalty or profit to them because it is new-found money. You take functional control. How? This website is littered with ideas.

(Go to next page)

Introduction A long-winded one. From a bi-modal thinker: