While eating Thanksgiving leftovers with my dad this past weekend, I was reminded me of something.

We were talking about relationships and how some people never really make a true commitment.

For example, when it comes to a breakfast of ham and eggs, the chicken is involved – it participated in the process.

But in the pig’s case, he’s COMMITTED!

As you approach the end of 2011, reviewing and renewing your vision for yourself and your business for the New Year, think about commitment in two ways…

First, in different areas of your business (e.g., marketing, educating yourself and your team, innovating), are you committed or just involved?

Look honestly at where you are now as a result.

Do you need to make any decisions so that you can reach your goals and realize your vision?

Second, who are you spending time with?

Whether they’re prospects, vendors, employees…

Are you spending time with the people that are committed or just involved?

No matter how much money we accumulate, no matter how much Hollywood and the beauty industry try to convince you otherwise, TIME is something you’ll ever get back.

Invest it wisely in people that are committed.

Cheers to your success!

Philipp

A couple of weeks ago I sent out a survey asking folks what they wanted to learn most in my upcoming trainings.

The overwhelming majority of respondents wanted to learn two things: how to automate their marketing, and how to get found on Google.

So keep an eye out for upcoming training events from me on those two topics.

In the meantime, let me give you a quick lesson for getting found on Google.

Assuming you’re wanting to get found in order to generate more money for your business (and not “I’m #1″ bragging rights), there are two key points you must pay attention to when it comes to making this happen.

FIRST, you need to is stand out from your competitors.

While most people that hear this thinks it means “get my website to the top of the listings” that’s a pretty limited viewpoint.

While position CAN work in your favor, there are a variety of other ways to get noticed by your customers: star reviews, headline and description copy for your listing, maps location (if you have a physical location), and images.

SECOND, you need to make sure that whatever web page you’re sending those “clicking customers” to will convert them to take the next action in your marketing sequence (e.g., clicking on a link, calling a phone number, filling out a form).

One of my favorite (and most effective) ways of setting my clients apart from their competitors that can handle both of those at the same time is video.

When Google puts a video on the search results page, it adds a thumbnail image to the listing, making it stand out like a sore thumb.

Here’s an example:

Because video adds another level of complexity to online marketing, most businesses are NOT using it as a marketing tool.

In addition, tests have found that pages with video convert better than those without video by up to 30% with some reporting up to 400% increase in conversions.

So what does all this mean?

Time get a jump on your competition and start using video right now!

Cheers!

Philipp

P.S. I’ll have more trainings specifically on video marketing in the coming weeks. If you have questions about it, just COMMENT below and I’ll be sure to address them on the trainings.

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love throwing parties, especially around the holidays.

Like any good host, I not only want people to have a great time, I want them to STICK AROUND and keep the party going.

It’s one thing for people to show up.

Keeping them from slipping out the back door is just as important.

There’s nothing that bums me out more than a guest telling me they have to leave early because they’ve got another party to go to.

“Why??  Aren’t you having a good time here?”

Forget what they told the other guy, I want them to stay at MY party!

You need to think of your business as a neverending party.

You want your customers to stay for a long, long time.

To keep any of your customers leaving your party prematurely, you need only ask on simple question…

“What would Martha do?”

And by Martha I mean the one and only Queen Hostess herself, Martha Stewart.

She knows everything there is about throwing a party and keeping guests happier than pigs in mud.

Superb hors d’ oeuvres .  Check.  Creative decor.  Check. Stimulating conversation.  Check.  Introductions to other interesting guests.  Check.

Whatever it takes, keep your guests happy so that it never even enters their mind to leave your party for someone else’s.

And even if they already had plans and made their promises to the other guy, make your party so good that they’d completely blow them off.

Even better…

….Make your party so good that they call their friends and family to come over to hang out at your shindig.

What would Martha do to spice up your party?

Cheers!

Philipp

P.S. This is one of 3 strategies I shared at the book signing/seminar event I held event last week “How To Turn Your Business Around Overnight in 3 Simple Steps”. Actually, I ended up sharing 5 strategies

I’ve made the 45-minute recording available to anyone that supports the homeless by purchasing my book “Bodybuilders in Tutus”.  A portion of proceeds are going directly to Union Station Homeless Services.  To help your business, help the homeless, and get access to my seminar, just click the following link and get your copy now http://www.bodybuildersintutus.com/bizturn

When I was growing up, I had my fair share of cool toys: Transformers, GI Joes, Legos.

But I also had equally good times improvising playtime with my sister’s – wait for it… hair clips!

Her spring-loaded plastic clip became a catapult that launched paper balls.  Her banana clip doubled as my futuristic x-ray vision visor (way before Star Trek thought of it).

It’s interesting how karma works out though….

With two daughters I’m now a hair clip expert – which includes hair brushing and ponytail tying.

While the older one is does a pretty good job of keeping her barrettes and scrunchies in her hair, the youngest isn’t quite there yet.

I put one on her, she takes it out.  I put it back on, she takes it out and throws it across the room.

She just doesn’t like having anything in her hair… or so I thought.

The other day I noticed a sly look in her eye that made me finally realize what was REALLY going on.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like having a hair clip on…

It was that she was playing a game!

“Let’s see how many times I can get this stooge to do this,” I imagine her laughing to herself.

What you think is happening isn’t always the case.

For example, when asked the question, “Why do your customers leave you?” most business owners would guess that their lost customers are going to competitors.

But according to data from the Rockefeller Corporation, only 14% leave due to competition.

68% leave because of “perceived indifference”.  They simply feel that the company or people they dealt with just didn’t care about them.

How well do your customers know that you value and care about them?

Are you sure?

Cheers to your success!

Philipp

P.S. I’ve just completed editing the video recording from last week’s book signing and marketing seminar where I share more lessons on “How to Turn Your Business Around Overnight in 3 Simple Steps”.

But at this time I’m only making it available to those that are helping me help the homeless by purchasing my book from the website.  (I’m donating portion of the book sales to Union Station Homeless Services.)  To get your copy of the book and the link to the video, just go to http://www.bodybuildersintutus.com/bizturn

I really don’t know how Jay, or any celebrity for that matter, can do all that “celebrity stuff” day in and day out: traveling from event to event, taking pictures with adoring fans, autographing books and pictures until their Sharpies run dry…

But for good or bad, I guess I’m about to find out! (I say as I put on my sunglasses even though I’m indoors)

I’m doing my first book signing next week in Los Angeles!

Thursday 7:00PM
October 6, 2011
READ Books Eagle Rock (LA Weekly’s Best Unknown Bookstore)
4972 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90041

It’s for my recently published book Bodybuilders in Tutus and 35 Other Obscure Business Boosting Observations.

The thing is (as I take off my sunglasses), I’m still not used to doing these types of PR events, and just doing a behind-the-table-meet-and-greet event seemed weird… it’s still all so new.

So while I will be bringing a box of Sharpies to sign books, I’m also going to do a Q&A and a presentation:

“How To Turn Your Business Around Overnight In 3 Simple Steps”

In it I’ll be sharing strategies I haven’t presented in this way before that will help businesses to:

• quickly generate sales
• stabilize the “revenue roller coaster”
• more easily acquire new customers

To catch the presentation live, just come on down, no purchase necessary.

If you can’t make it in person, I’ll be sending a link to the video recording to those that purchase the book from the special website we’ve set up http://www.bodybuildersintutus.com/bizturn

Also, a portion of book sales from the event and website will be donated to Union Station Homeless Services, an amazing local non-profit that assists the homeless and very low-income people.

So come on down! (Sunglasses back on, waiting for the makeup artist to powder my nose.)

Help your business, help the homeless, help me practice my autograph…

Looking forward to seeing you there or sending you the video!

Cheers!

Philipp

P.S. If you’ve ALREADY purchased my book and would still like to get a link to the recording, I’ll be automatically sending it to people that have accessed book’s “secret stash” (see the Preface).

So the other night I dropped by my local Home Depot to pick up a new spray gun for my backyard hose.

Now I normally go to Lowe’s, mainly since it’s closer, but more so because their store is much cleaner and better laid out.

But since I was in the area and in a hurry, I broke my routine.

I approached one of the orange-apron-wearing attendants and ask him for directions.

“Uh, yeah, it’s on the other side of the building.  Just go up this aisle, take a left.  You’ll pass milling and then you’ll want to take a right.  It’ll be on the back wall.”

“Cool, thanks!” I reply as he walks away, confident that I’ll be back in my car in 2 minutes.

But when I took that first left, there were no signs for milling.

There were large signs for lumber, plumbing, lighting, electrical – but nothing for milling.

With no more orange aprons to be seen, I stood alone, confused and a little annoyed.

Then after a minute, it hits me.  By “milling” he meant their lumber department, where they keep all the wood, where I happened to be standing.

It felt like some secret code that only Home Depot employees know about, since there were zero references to milling on the signs for customers.

I guess you need to have an orange apron before you get the secret decoder ring…

As you look at your own marketing materials and “secret shop” the people that answer your phones and greet your customers, do you find that they’re speaking in your customers’ language?

Or are you annoying and confusing them with meaningless insider code?

What other “sales speed bumps” could you get rid of to make your sales move more smoothly and your customers feel more satisfied?

Next time I’m gonna stick with Lowe’s where I don’t have to know any special language.

On top of that, they escort me to the section I’m looking for.

Cheers to your success!

Philipp

P.S. I’m scheduling my first book signing here in Los Angeles.  I wanted to make it even better, so prior I’ll also be doing a training (topic to be determined) along with Q&A.  I hope to see you there. Right now it’s looking like the first week of October. Keep an eye out for an email from me with the final details (no decoder ring necessary).

No, this isn’t the start of a new joke.

But for a moment, just imagine you see the following image splashed across the front page of your local paper…

In the middle of a chaotic meeting room, a frightened mass of people with fear and surprise in their eyes.

On the fringe of the crowd, near the outer wall is a burly man, forearms covered in tattoos, his face strained and red. He has just thrown one of the office chairs through a window, spraying glass across the lawn outside.

If you had to form an opinion of this man, what would it be – positive or negative?

Now imagine the same scene, but the image shows a wider perspective, this time revealing the entire room.

You still see the man throwing a chair through the window, but on the other side of the room there’s smoke and fire coming in through an open door.

Do you now feel differently about this man?

Same guy, same action, different context.

In NLP this is what we call “reframing”.

Reframing changes the specific context in which you perceive a given piece of information, which changes the resulting meaning of the information.

In this case, it determines whether this man is labeled as a “hostile bully” or a “decisive hero”.

This concept applies just as well to your marketing such as your pricing, offers, and product/service features.

To minimize resistance from your customers and prospects, use reframes your messaging to get more desirable results.

For example, don’t just say, “We only sell chicken wings, that’s it.”

Instead, frame it first with something like, “You can probably agree that being the best at anything comes ONLY from years of tireless dedication and study of a single subject.  That’s why we don’t serve burgers, fries, or turkey clubs.  If we did, we couldn’t serve the best chicken wings in the country… which we do.”

Leaving your customers alone to decide what something should mean is a very dangerous proposition.

Do them (and yourself) a favor by using reframing to make both of you look like heroes.

Cheers to your success!

Philipp

P.S. While I use NLP techniques daily, I’ve never never considered teaching them as a course in the past.  But if there’s enough of a demand I’ll put a special training together.  If you’d be interested in learning more about how to better apply reframing and other NLP skills like anchoring, presuppositions, pattern interrupts, and rapport to your marketing, COMMENT BELOW and let me know.

When it comes to the latest trends in entertainment, I’m running about 5 years behind.

My wife and I decided to get rid of our cable and TiVo subscriptions a few years ago since we didn’t watch much of it anyway.

But thanks to Netflix we’ve “rediscovered” some pretty great stuff.

For example, we’re just NOW getting into Lost.  I hear it was a pretty big thing for a few years.

It’s such a fascinating series on many levels, but one of my favorite recurring themes is the concept of “rebirth”.

Every episode focuses on one of the main characters, weaving their present life on the island with flashbacks of their backstory in the “real world”.

For example, there’s a guy on the island named John Locke.

He’s pretty quiet at first, but then he started to do things like hunting & tracking wild boar, mentoring a couple of the youger survivors, and even building a bamboo cradle for a newborn baby.

Those acts of contribution really elevated his status on the island as someone that you could trust and respect.

Now here’s the funny part…

After all that, when one of the other guys asked him what he did “back in the real world”, Locke told him the truth… that he was a collections manager for a box company.

WHAT??

But you know what, the survivors still respected and followed Locke.

That’s how we need to be in our businesses.

Give so much value to prospects and customers RIGHT NOW so that any doubt is set aside.

Create your own little “island” in your city and/or industry where you deliver exactly what your other “survivors” need, positioning yourself as the go-to resource.

If this idea appeals to you and you want some help with it, give me a call at 909-297-1662 and we can set up a strategy session to make it happen.

Cheers to your success!

Philipp

If you’re looking to attract more local customers by using Google Places, you’ve probably noticed something different.

While most of the changes and trends I monitor in online marketing are ripples, this one caused a big enough wave that I thought you should know about it.

Last Thursday the Big G modified what customers see on your listing. Here are the most notable changes:

• Reviews from 3rd party sites like Yelp! and Citysearch have disappeared
• List of mentions/citations from around the Internet has disappeared
• Additional Details about your business have disappeared
• Business description has disappeared (apparently a bug that Google is working on fixing)

One thing to note is that Google says these modifications are primarily aesthetic.

Google reps have stated, “So just because we’re not showing it, doesn’t mean it’s not helpful for us to have — it helps our system ensure that your organic listing appears and ranks appropriately on Google and Google Maps when potential customers perform searches related to your service.”

If you’ve taken my Google Places Success Blueprint training, you remember that there’s nothing you could do to DIRECTLY affect your reviews or citations, although you can influence them.

However, you CAN directly affect the Additional Details area (a key strategy to increase your relevance in Google’s eyes), which you can still see today in your Google Places Dashboard.

IN OTHER WORDS, continue to populate all the available fields for your Places listing, including your photos and videos.

And, as always, continue encouraging your customers/clients and partners to post positive reviews about your business. If you need help creating a system to do that, give my office a call at 909-297-1662.

Cheers to your success!

Philipp

So there I was, standing in line on Friday 12:37am, taking part in history.

Of course I’m referring to the opening of the final Harry Potter movie.

Now, I’m not a cloak-wearing, wand waving, lightning-bolt-tattoo-on-the-forehead uber-fan or anything, but I have enjoyed the movies.

One character in particular that I’ve really liked is the Hogwarts Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore.  If you’re not familiar with the books or movies, Dumbledore is one of the main characters that mentors Harry Potter throughout the series.

One of Dumbledore’s famous lines to Harry is, “Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.”

This sage advice comes to aid Harry at many critical points in the series, usually when Harry is so concerned with protecting his friends and family that he tries in vain to carry the entire burden himself.

According to a recent survey, it seems that Harry Potter isn’t the only one that is heeding this advice… so are many small business owners.

• More than 40% report they need help for better local search rankings
• 37% say they need help using Facebook, Twitter and other social media
• Nearly 35% need help with email marketing promotions

Of course, when anyone asks me for advice I immediately ask, “Do you REALLY want to know, or are you just making conversation?”

The study also shows that many are at least somewhat serious about getting help, backing up their requests with the “ultimate” vote: their wallets.

A vast majority are going down the DIY path with 23% planning to spend between $1000-$5000. 14% plan to spend less than $1000.

On the other hand, 16% have allocated $5000 or more of their budgets to improving their online efforts, indicating a preference towards outsourcing the work to experts.

So what about you?

Are you willing to ask for help?

If you are, then here’s your chance…

Simply COMMENT BELOW and tell me exactly what you’d like help with.  I’ve asked other people to do the same.

It’s best if you phrase your request in the form of a specific question.  For example, “How do I turn my Facebook fans into real sales?” or “What’s the best way to grow my email list?”

Anyone that COMMENTS BELOW asking for some help (a question, clarification, or other request on anything regarding Internet marketing, marketing strategy, copywriting, and all the other things you’ve gotten to know me for) will get a report back from me that compiles ALL the questions asked of me, along with my answers.  (alternatively you can send an email to info [at] maramimarketing [dot] com)

Again, in order to get the compiled Q&A from me, you need to be one of those few that are asking for help.  So not only will you get an answer for your own question, you’ll get answers for things you probably would never have thought of asking.

Just a little something I learned from Dumbledore.

Or you can go it alone… it’s up to you.

Cheers to your success!

Philipp