There's nothing like a good Top 10 list to boil down the key points on a subject into handy little bite-size pieces. That's why I like Top 10 lists; the information is delivered quickly in an easy-to-read (and use!) format. If you share my love of Top 10s, then you're gonna love these:
NEW: Once you've exhausted your circle of family and friends, where do you look for new clients? An age-old question, with a solid answer: See my 10+ ways to find new clients for your business.
HOT: What if there were 11 ways to make 2010 your best year yet? Would you do them? Check out the list here.
Is it possible to fall in love with a marketing tool? I'm head over heels for notepads as marketing tools! Read the details here.
Thinking about marketing your products or services at a summer festival? Check out my checklist for must-do marketing to make the most of your summer special events here!
How much business would you have if half of the folks in your professional network referred just one prospect to you? Probably more business than you can handle! So why not pump up your referral machine and get that business? Here are my top ten secrets of creating a blockbuster referral machine that builds your business.
Is your business card completely useless? You'd be surprised at how many business cards are useless, for one reason or another, but yours doesn't have to be. Use this checklist to evaluate your business card (or to upgrade your new card), and to see what makes a truly great business card.
After hearing a few cringe-inducing stories about Team 100 meetings gone horribly wrong, I decided it was time to share my Top 10 Secrets for Effective Team 100 meetings. I would have thought that these points were obvious, but then again, it took me dozens of meetings to finally get it right. I hope these save you some time (and some awkward moments).
Excuses, excuses, excuses! Some days it feels like everyone I talk to has an excuses why they can't market their businesses. I've heard them all, from "the dog ate my marketing plan" to "my product is so good that it should market itself" but the one thing I know about excuses is that they don't build businesses. People build businesses, and if you think you've got a good excuse why you can't market your business, my guess is that you're in error. Just look at my Top 10 Excuses Why Marketing Is Not For You to see if your excuse shows up (betcha it does!).
It takes a certain type of person to work at home, alone, with nothing but the TV and cookie jar for company, yet many people manage to do it successfully. If you're finding it hard to sleep at night because your home-based business isn't where you know it should be, you need to review this list of best practices to see if you're truly doing all you can to succeed. Once you've nailed the Top 10 Best Practices for Home-Based Businesses, your odds for success are infinitely greater.
Would you like to see your name in the paper? Who wouldn't? After all, publicity is one of the most effective marketing tools you can have in your toolbox. But if figuring out the topic of your next press release has got you stumped, take a look at my Top 20 Reasons to Write a Press Release, and then get typing!
Do you have a retail store? Is it ready for the holiday season? Sure, singing Santas might be important decorations at certain times of year, but even more important to retail success are the relationships you develop with your customers. Check out my Top 10 Retail Marketing Tactics for the keys to retail success!
Forget spiders, snakes, and being naked in public--the scariest thing for most of the small business owners I know is asking prospects for business! If popping the sales question is one of your greatest fears, take heart: You're about to learn the Top 10 (Easy) Ways to Ask for Business (and yes, it includes actual words to use!).
News flash: Your clients want to buy, but you're not listening. That's right. Your clients are telling you all the time that they are ready to sign on the dotted line, and you've haven't heard them. Learn how to recognize the Top 10 Buying Signals and start getting the business that you've been missing!
Worried that you haven't got the budget (or something else important) to make a spectacular success out of your business? While money, advanced degrees in marketing and a spot on Oprah can certainly help your business, none of them are really necessary for you to achieve spectacular success. Doubtful? Read my Top 10 Steps to Spectacular Success and see for yourself what it really takes to succeed big.
Who needs an elevator speech? After all, you've been making conversation all your life, so why can't you just wing it? I mean, how hard can it be to fascinate everyone you meet during the course of networking for your business? (Talk about famous last words...) If this sounds like you, you MUST read my Top 10 Reasons Why You Need A Killer Elevator Speech right this minute!
Wondering why that killer elevator speech you spent six weeks polishing isn't working like magic? Could be that you're making one of the Top 10 Elevator Speech Mistakes, and you don't even know it! Check out this new Top 10 list to make sure that you're not making a mistake that kills your elevator speech.
Networking is one marketing strategy that sounds easy enough to do, but it can be a monumental waste of time unless you're doing it correctly. Review my Top 10 (and a half) Rules for Fun and Profitable Networking, and see if your networking doesn't improve by leaps and bounds!
Want to add personal notes to your marketing repertoire, but can't think of why (or what) to write? Take a look at my Top 10 Reasons to Write Personal Notes (And What to Say) for some hints that will help get your pen going.
Or perhaps you've already written some personal notes, but didn't get the response you were expecting? Could it be that you've committed one of the top 10 deadly sins of personal note writing? For your sake, I certainly hope not, but if you're not 100% sure, you might want to take at look at my Top 10 Mistakes in Note Writing just to reassure yourself. (And you won't believe some of the mistakes that people make!)
You're in a meeting with a potential client, and you know you should be asking questions and listening, so why is your mouth moving? You're not crazy (or even alone), but you do need to learn when to zip it! Wondering why you talk too much in client meetings? Thanks to my dear friend Jim Lorentzen, creator of the Soft Selling sales training, I'm offering a super-sized Top 10 list that speaks to that issue. Take a look at Jim's top 29 reasons Why I Talk Too Much for a little clarity (awareness is the first step toward breaking that bad habit).
Having a hard time filling your practice? Or maybe it's more than hard; how about next to impossible!?!? Take a peek at my Top 10 Reasons Why You Don't Have Any Clients (And How to Change That) if you want some real help understanding what's holding you back, and what you can do to get your business moving forward.
OK, so you know you need a marketing plan, but business software and fill-in-the-blank templates just aren't your style. No problemo! Get a running start with my Top 10 Questions That Will Help You Create A Marketing Plan That Works For You (Even Though It Might Not Work For Anybody Else!).
But wait, there's even more...
Here are some ideas if you want to increase your revenues: Top 10 (& 1/2) Visibility Tactics for Raising Your Sales.
Here are some tactics (things to DO) that work well for small businesses: Top 10 Marketing Tactics For Small Businesses
Here's a list of the Top 10 Marketing Tools for Small Businesses (things you can USE!), and my Top 10 Marketing Tools for Coaches.
See a complete list of all Top 10 Lists below, or see all Articles or all Free Tools
