I consider this magazine a “Must Read” because I’ve personally found it to be a resource rather than a bunch of fluff and redundant articles.

Millionaire Blueprints is a bi monthly magazine targeting entrepreneurs.

The way that it sets itself apart is that at the end of most of it’s articles that spotlight the success story of the person they interview, they post a detailed list of resources that were instrumental in the person’s success. That same list is designed as a blueprint that you can follow yourself, putting you on the road to the same opportunity for success-thus the name “Blueprints”.

The publisher is not ashamed to tell new readers that the magazine is not a quick read, and you can immediately tell once you start glancing through it.

But that’s where this magazine becomes a resource that you’ll take to work with you, travel with and especially in front of the computer with you as you look up the recommended sources that led to the success of those that they interview.

On several pages after each story, you’ll find a host of links, books, phone numbers, etc. that can get you a jump on your own path to entrepreneurial success.

The only place I know where to find copies are at your local Barnes and Noble, but subscribing is recommended because you won’t want miss an issue after you take a look.

If you’ve read it before, share your feedback by posting a comment.

If you have questions, do the same.

Many entrepreneurs go into to panic mode as soon as they hear the word “recession”. The first casualty of this panic is the key tool that brings the business in…Marketing.

Eliminating the Marketing budget during hard times is usually an example of never having a solid Marketing strategy to begin with.

As your customers are looking for ways to best spend their dollars, don’t kill the main tool that keeps you on their radar:

RESOURCES:

Get FREE one on one, in person business counseling on how your business can actually thrive during a recession by contacting your local Small Business Development Center. They are paid to help small businesses manage their pathway to success. There’s no limit to the amount of consulting you’ll get, and it’s FREE: SBDC Locator

Although there are so many marketing methods out there from billboards to the web, one of the most effective methods will always be Word of Mouth advertising.

Why? Because it’s your job to tell everyone why your product or service is so great. But it’s not your
customers’ job to do it. Because of this fact, prospects will listen more and take to heart things that
a satisfied customer of your business says. This is mostly true because your satisfied customer has
a similar need that your prospect has. When your satisfied customer shares their success with doing
business with you, the prospect trusts you more.

Second, using testimonials in your advertising allows you to get more “mileage” out of the Word of Mouth advertising. For example, Mr. Jones is a satisfied customer and he sends an e-mail of appreciation to you. This is a wonderful gesture, but you’re probably the only one that knows about how pleased a customer is.

What you need to do is to post a quote from Mr. Jones, on all of your ads or marketing peices. This allows
the testimonial to be heard by more people rather than a few.

Testimonials are a great marketing tool because:
They are believable.
The prospect can relate better to the person represented in the
testimonial.

Customers buy with their emotions, then validate the purchase with their intellect.

Play the video to hear this customer building tip!

Whether you are an emerging entrepreneur just launching out or you’ve been in business for several years, you may have been (or still could be) guilty of one of these mistakes that many entrepreneurs make:

1. Having no clear WRITTEN plan or strategy for your business .

No matter where you are in the growth of your business, you must have some sort of written plan or goals for where the business is going. Your written strategy is your roadmap of three things:

• Where you are now.
• Where you are going.
• How to get there.

A plan is written for intentional progress. It can be flexible, but it MUST be present.

2. Not having an EFFECTIVE web presence for your business.

For those of you that still don’t have a website yet, shame on you! It’s a shame that most of your customers or prospects use the internet but couldn’t connect with you there if they tried because you have yet to launch your website. For the rest of you, you do not need just any website, but one that does the follow

• Clearly identifies what you do or sell and what it means to your prospective customer.
• Displays how to call you, email you or find your physical location.
• Allows your customers to connect with you for an ongoing relationship (email gathering, registration forms, etc)

3. Not clearly identifying your audience.

Many business people make this mistake quite often. When you invest anything in order to advertise or market your business, you must be sure that you know “who is MOST LIKELY to do business with you. Never think that you will sell to everyone. What is the average age of those that are MOST LIKELY to do business with you? What is their average income? Where are they geographically? The answers to these and a few other questions allow you to target your marketing strategy to those most likely to respond.

4. Not following up with people who’ve expressed interest in your product or service.

People that may not have bought from you yet but have expressed some form of interest in your product or service are one step closer to becoming a valued customer. Following up with an email or phone call with prospects keeps you top of mind as they are in their buying cycle for what you have to offer.

5. Not keeping in contact with former clients.

Who else to do business with you now than someone that has already bought from you?

Part of what I tell my clients to do when it comes to marketing themselves is the “P” of my “R.E.P” acronym:

• R: Reach the audience that’s MOST LIKELY to do business with you.
• E: Educate that audience on your product/service or industry.
• P: POSITION yourself as an EXPERT in your Industry (the “Go To” person!)

Be a GURU! A guru is defined as “A recognized leader in a field”.
What are you already an expert at? If your are an agent for pre-paid legal services, then you are an expert to some degree in the area of legal needs for Small Businesses. If your business is landscaping, then position yourself as the authority when it comes to curb appeal and lawncare.

WHY?
If you are seen as the expert, then you no longer have to sell, you recommend. A doctor doesn’t sell his services, he or she recommends solutions as the expert. People would rather buy from experts than from a salesperson or even an ad.

WHO’S ALREADY DOING THIS?
Home Depot has positioned themselves not as the home improvement store with the best prices, but as
the experts in home improvement. They conduct workshops and have “how to” tools on their websites and in their stores. They are at expo’s giving tips and pointers on how to do anything. So when I’m ready to buy home improvement products from paint to fence, where do I go? To the experts!

SO HOW CAN YOU BECOME A GURU?
First, recognize what you are ALREADY an expert in that area that is related to your business. Your experience in your field already qualifies you as an expert. You can always increase your expertise with additional training and education, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEN! (waiting is what hinders many of us now!)

Next, identify what needs are already out there among your target audience. The need for my client base is to get noticed, to market themselves and to effectively reach more prospects. Your clients may have a need to have have proper legal contracts as a small business, or create a professional identity on a small busines budget.

The next thing is to use vehicles and tools that communicate your expertise. Look for opportunities to be a speaker and talk NOT ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS, but about the topic that your are knowledgeable about and can relate to your business. This will keep you from doing an infomercial but can still get you clients. Join the Chamber of Commerce or other networking group and offer to be a speaker at an upcoming meeting. Identify community organizations that interact with your target audience and offer to speak at a meeting. Many progressive churches now have meetings or groups that may be a good fit. By partnering with any of these groups, they will usually handle the promotion and expenses of the event so you won’t have that as an
expense.

In addition to speaking, send out periodic newsletters to your existing customers by mail or by email. This will keep them coming back.

Other things you can do are to write articles on things related to your business. Even if they are only published by the smallest newspaper in town, (or the church bulletin, the fact that you can share with a prospect that you write articles on related subjects in your industry will set you apart from your competition!

If you are uncomfortable with writing yourself, get a “ghost writer” or someone to re-write what you’d wish to publish. You can even fax or email articles of interest with a brief commentary that you write to your current customers or prospects. The key words are “articles of interest”.

Tip: Use testimonials rather than a typical ad message!

Why? For 2 reasons:

First, because although there are so many marketing methods out there from billboards to the web, one of the most effective methods will always be Word of Mouth advertising.

Why? Because it’s your job to tell everyone why your product or service is so great. But it’s not your customers job to do it. Because of this fact, prospects will listen more and take to heart things that
a satisfied customer of your business says. This is mostly true because your satisfied customer has a similiar need that your prospect has. When your satisfied customer shares their success with doing business with you, the prospect trusts you more.

Second, using testimonials in your ad allows you to get more “mileage” out of the Word of Mouth advertising.
For example, Mr. Jones is a satisfied customer and he sends a letter of appreciation to you. This is a wonderful gesture, but you’re probably the only one that knows about how pleased a customer is.

What you need to do is to post a quote from Mr. Jones, on all of your ads or marketing peices. This allows the tesimonial to be heard by more people rather than a few.

Testimonials are a great marketing tool because:

• They are believable.
• The prospect can relate better to the person represented in the testimonial.