New marketing coaching program launched

After a long time of working with clients on a one-to-one basis I have finally released the Client Attraction Master Plan program (or CAMP, for short). Please - no 'camp' jokes.

This is an 8-week hands-on program where participants get to meet with me and work on their own business. Over the 8 weeks a marketing action plan is prepared. At the end I review the plan to make sure you are on track.

Only up to 12 people will be in each class, so you get to know the other participants.

If you have any questions about the program check the Q & A section on this page.

Do you have this website problem?

Lately I've spoken to a number of people about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for their web sites. In fact, this seems to be becoming a more common problem. Business owners who don't understand how their web site should be structured to get the best results.

I know websites are pretty new stuff. And not everyone is familiar with them.

But really, as a business person I know it is my responsibility to:

A - learn about what I need to do, or
B - find someone who can do what I need (and pay them to do it)

If your website doesn't get any enquiries, or you can't find it when you do your own web searches, you need to make sure it is set up properly.

As one person said to me just today - "In hindsight I can see that at the start I just created a website, and added to it over time. Now I see that ad-hoc approach has created real problems for me."

Need help with your web site? Contact me, or visit Solutions Found where you can get help on various web-related matters.

If you want to do the hands-on SEO work yourself, I suggest you educate yourself by signing up to receive the newsletter from Jill Whalen at HighRankings.com

If you want to achieve better results, don't just sit there... do something!

Price is sometimes most important

You rarely hear me say price is the most important thing. In fact, for most considered purchases - that is, not a commodity item - price does in fact rank well down the list. It is not the most important thing. But this recent research in the telecommunications field shows that in fact price is the most important when customers are considering Internet, TV and Phone packages.

It is a reminder that we need to understand what really drives our clients when they make decisions to purchase our services.

Tips for market research that works

I find that clients often need to get feedback from their customers so they know what their customers want; or how they feel about particular aspects of their service. Research is also a great tool to use before you start a new venture or offer a new service. The good thing is that reliable research can be done in a low key manner. It doesn't have to cost you a fortune, or take months to complete.

For a great explanation of why, when and how to carry out market research read this article by Jay Lipe.

The important thing is to listen to what people say. It is easy to put your own perspective on the comments made by people who respond to your research. We don't always like what we hear. But to ignore it is plain foolish.