It’s a HOPE business, our CEO bellowed in my direction. You HOPE someone sees your ad, you HOPE they call you and then you HOPE they buy something.

Cocky New Jersey Italian that I was (or am, I should say), I was now REALLY afraid to give my presentation. I was about to wax eloquent on the virtues of why our company should start advertising. I was a 28 year old junior executive in a billion dollar conglomerate about to take on the CEO at changing one of his long-held principles: NO ADVERTISING!Well I lost that battle but I learned something more valuable. Traditional advertising rarely works. In fact I learned that the more NON-traditional the advertising or marketing the more dramatic the response.That’s why whenever I hear about some new type of buzz-marketing I get excited. Whether its Seth Godin’s Purple Cow, the future that Tom Peter’s is Re-Imagining, or Jay Abraham’s latest guru strategy, I get goose bumps thinking about ways to make customers come to us rather than chasing after them.But I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the article in this month’s Fast Company magazine. Now if you’re not a subscriber to Fast Company I recommend that you sign up for it ASAP because it is the coolest business publication on the planet. Check it out at www.fastcompany.com.The article was all about buzz marketing. But this was buzz marketing like I’d never seen. A while back I wrote an article on this very subject that was picked up by a magazine and in that article I talk about how to create viral marketing buzzI discuss how today’s customers are suffering from information overload. They see and hear so many advertising and marketing messages that it becomes difficult to filter out what is valuable and credible through all the clutter and noise. As a result, customers are turning to their friends and associates for purchasing advice more that ever.Well the article in Fast Company took buzz marketing to the limit. The author Linda Tischler talked about a consulting firm that companies actually HIRE to create buzz for their products or services – unbelievable!The company is called; BzzAgents and they literally sell Buzz. When a client signs on apparently BzzAgents searches its database for “agents” that match the demographic and psychological profile of their target customers. They then contract with these 300 plus agents to spread the gospel, as it were. Agents receive information about the client as well as free samples. They have very specific goals in terms of creating positive propaganda and get this: they are NOT paid a dime! They do it because they actually believe in the product or service they are representing.Now don’t think you’re going to rush out and hire BzzAgents. First off BzzAgents rejects 80% of the companies that try to hire them. Their founder says, “We can help a product that has value but we just can’t help a product that’s schlock” (his words folks, not mine). On top of that the average 12 week campaign typically deploys over 1000 agents and carries a hefty price tag close to $100,000. Recent clients include Anheuser Bush, Monster.com and Land’s End. (Look for BzzAgents founder, David Balter as an upcoming guest on the Small Business Hour in the near future.)Worry not. You don’t need to sell you firstborn to create buzz. You can do it on your own in just a few months with a well thought out buzz marketing campaign and a few well chosen buzz agents.How, you ask? It’s quite simple. First you have to have something good to say – a unique story. Then simply start with a handful of loyalists. Give them something special – something that is valuable, in demand and limited in supply. Finally work at educating and inspiring them. Turn them into evangelists. Not for the sake of your product but for their own edification. Then get out of the way.Bzzzzzzzz!What’s that sound? Shhhh listen.It’s somebody talking about your company, product or service.I hope that this “Business Update” has been helpful in assisting you to improve the performance of your organization. For more information on how the Small Business Advisory Network assists companies in improving their performance, please feel free to contact us at 310-320-8190 or email mark@markdeo.comMark Deo

Click here to view videoWhat influences customers and prospects? Is it what a company says about their product or service through advertising, marketing and direct sales?Or, is it what other people are saying about the company’s product or service?Surely the later. Then why do we spend so much time and money on traditional marketing, advertising and selling, and so very little on word of mouth marketing?From Your Mouth to Their Ears
Most marketing focuses on building a case for a better product or service. This is good and necessary but it ignores the fact that for many, purchasing is part of a social decision. People rely on invisible networks of friends, relatives and co-workers for recommendations. This is buzz. I have spoken before about establishing a unique identity, branding and differentiation. Buzz is the natural extension of a branding and identity campaign. And it is beginning to take a much more influential role in the purchasing decision.Why Buzz Works
Today customer are suffering from information overload. They see and hear so many advertising and marketing messages that it becomes difficult to filter out what is valuable and credible through all the clutter and noise. As a result customers are turning to their friends and associates for purchasing advice more that ever. Marketing experts believe that the new customer, Generation Y – those born between 1979 and 1994 – shop by word of mouth. In the coming years, buzz marketing may that much more important.Buzz works so well because talking is in our genes. As human beings, we need to talk. We talk to connect with people. Sharing information is essential to our make-up. We talk about the latest movie we saw, the car we test drove, the book we read and so on.I did a presentation on this very topic at the C-Suite briefing we held a few weeks ago at the Queen Mary. To see a quick overview of the event, click on the image above. We will soon have this entire event available to view for FREE online, and will have DVDs available for purchase. Send me an e-mail at: mark@markdeo.com to let me know if you want to be informed when this is ready.

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Walt Kelly, Creator of “Pogo”, 1970Many businesspeople use the terms “sales and marketing” as if they complement one another as agreeably as peanut butter and jelly, but that is rarely the case. In the same way many executives hold the title of “VP of Sales and Marketing,” yet we often find that they will lean strongly toward one or the other discipline.Everyone would agree that both of these functions are critical within every organization and at times must be managed on an individual basis. While many companies seem to achieve some kind of acceptable balance between sales and marketing it is often reminiscent of the way cats and dogs tolerate one another’s presence in the same household. Yet imagine how powerful these forces could be if they truly DID collaborate and attempt to complement one another.More often than not I have witnessed a struggle between each of these functions which often stunts the effectiveness of the both. For example, I have seen entire marketing strategies conceived, documented and implemented without even interfacing with the sales group. On the other hand, I have seen marketing plans that have been completely ignored by the entire sales force while that department pursued their own mission.An equally problematic facet of the marketing/sales dynamic lies in document preparation. An investigation performed by “Executive Decision” an on-line professional resource interviewed Mr. Dave Fowler, senior vice president of marketing and business for Pragmatech, a software company specializing in proposal automation software. He reported that, “90% of content generated by marketing is never used by sales.” Fowler attributes this statistic to a fundamental divergence in purpose. Marketing has little time for varied industries and varied levels. They are focused on broad-based documents and in a sense, ring the dinner bell for sales. Sales teams, in turn, must deal with a specific customer in a specific industry. Despite marketing’s best attempts at document preparation, Fowler estimates that, “sales professionals spend 25% to 30% of their time finding, customizing and assembling content for clients.” No doubt this represents a massive duplication in efforts!Improving the disconnect between marketing and sales doesn’t need to be complicated. Both teams are working towards increased market advantage. While it is a fact that 50% of sales reps currently do not fulfill their quota requirements; this statistic is being partly caused by a global marketplace with heavy competition for an already Internet-savvy consumer. The answer, then, as evidenced by the success of technology companies, may be found in the combination of old and new: by employing sound principles of viral marketing and communication supported by the benefits of new and ever an improving internal culture.If we allow the struggle to continue, we might find that our biggest obstacle to improved brand position, market dominance and key client penetration will be that department across the hall. We may find that the real enemy resides in our own home.Find out more about how to create harmony between your sales and marketing departments. Visit www.sbanetwork.orgHave a great week!

I often talk about the second rule of attraction, “the problem is more important than the solution.” This often strikes marketers as odd, since we have been taught to always speak in terms of the “solution” that we offer. In fact, this just drives people further away from us rather than attract them to us. I have noticed that more and more advertising is talking in terms of the problem rather than the solution.

Recently someone forwarded me a 30 second TV commercial that I think makes fabulous use of this rule. Take a look at it here:It goes like this:The scene opens with a man driving down the freeway traveling at 60 mph. His windshield gets some dirt on it and he flips on the windshield washers. Instead of washer fluid, black oil spurts out onto the glass therebycompletely blinding him. He loses control of his car and smashes into another car nearly killing himself and several other drivers. All this happens in a few seconds. The next scene is of a small boy, around 8 or 9 years old. It shows him on a little step-ladder leaning over the open hood of the car. He is pouring oil into the window washer fluid compartment. The announcer says, “a bored kid at home might be dangerous, keep them entertained this summer.” Then the graphics for the “Children Crafting Guide” flashes on the screen.This is a tremendous example of how powerful it is to tell our marketing message from the point of view of the client’s problem. If the commercial would have talked all about how the Crafting Guide had hundreds of things for you kids to do, or showed a testimonial from another parent, no one would pay attention. Only by aligning themselves with the parent’s potential “problems” can they get greater attention.Think about the “problems” that your clients are having. How can you align your marketing message to their problems? By doing so you will create greater attraction and become far more interesting to your clients and prospects.
I hope that this “Business Update” has been helpful in assisting you to improve the performance of your organization. For more information on how the Small Business Advisory Network assists companies in improving their performance, please feel free to contact us at 310-320-8190 or email mark@markdeo.com.

Have a great week!

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Jamie woke up with a scratchy throat, bloodshot eyes and a runny nose. While she knew she probably should take the day off, she had tons of things to get done before the holidays and a little cold wasn’t going to stop her. As the day wore on so did Jamie. By the next morning she realized she needed to see a doctor.  When she visited her physician he prescribed some medication and told her to drink more fluids and get to sleep earlier. Jamie listened to his advice, took the medication and did exactly as he told her. Why? Because he’s a doctor – a respected professional. He has received specialized training and has likely treated hundreds of people in the same way.  How about yourself? Are you not respected in your industry? Have you not received specialized education in your field of endeavor? Haven’t you helped hundreds of people in the same way this physician has?
	Everything human beings do, they do for one of two reasons: TO AVOID PAIN OR GAIN PLEASURE
What Builds Credibility Why do we unquestioningly head the advice of professionals like doctors, lawyers and CPA’s? First, we have to recognize that at the moment we seek assistance from these professionals we are more than likely experiencing some PAIN. At the very least we have some extreme degree of comfort. Our bodies are not at optimal performance or we are involved in a legal battle threatening our financial standing or perhaps the IRS is beating down our door. As we’ve discussed before, the problem is more important than the solution. Second, the institution of medicine, law and accounting has had hundreds of years to shape the opinions toward doctors, lawyers and accountants. They have created organizations, such as the AMA to create consistency and program physicians in how to speak to their patients in a professional detached manner. They have built a huge credibility for doctors and have thus created powerful “attraction” for customers. They have created the perception that “doctors” are not just a better solution, they are the ONLY solution. Think about it. Does such an organization exist in your industry? I would think not.
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Third, most professionals such as doctors begin their “interview” with a series of questions. In fact this is 99.9% if not 100% of the entire exchange between client and prospect (or patient and physician). In many cases the doctor may NEVER present a solution to the problem. The doctor’s sole part in the communication is to ask questions. The patient’s is to give answers. It would be rude and out of character for the patient to ask about the doctor’s credentials or experiences. The institution of medicine has very wisely done all they could to make this the reality of the doctor patient relationship. Telling is Selling Oddly enough it is not what we tell people about our company, product or service that builds credibility. In fact the more we tell them, the LESS credible we appear. Telling is selling and no one likes to be sold. You may be thinking; “that’s fine for a professional but I’m a simple service provider not an eminent physician or attorney.”
	Finally my “Attract More Business” learning program is available. It includes a 150 page color manual, 9 CDs, and my personal Tele-Coaching.Check it out here:www.attractmorebusiness.com
My answer to you is that I think this strategy can be applied to any type of business whether you are a professional, a nonprofessional, large or small organization. For example, my wife and I were recently vacationing in the Bahamas. We like to snorkel and dive when in these tropical areas. Typically we prefer to rent our own small boat since we abhor the traditional “dive or snorkel boat scenes.” However we also like to connect with someone who can give us the lay of the land – the good spots, what to avoid, dangers, where the fish are, etc. As you can imagine this is a very difficult thing to do. Most providers are trying to sell you their pre-packaged tours and almost none of these offer this type of service. When we disembarked our flight we saw dozens of flyers, posters and signs advertising typical snorkel trips, dive excursions and rental boats. They all looked the same. They all said the same thing. They all seemed to DO the same thing.
	Here’s Jean-Michel Cousteau himself. I got to meet him and chat for a bit.

There was one that stood out from the pack:

Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Out Islands Adventures – You build your own underwater adventure.

There were a few things that made this jump out at me. First, I knew that Jean-Michel Cousteau was the son of the legendary Jacques Cousteau. Second, I knew that the best snorkeling and diving was near the islands that were further off-shore from the main island. However most of the snorkel and dive boats did not go out that far. And third, the build your own underwater adventure was just too compelling to pass-up. 

So I called Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Out Islands Adventures expecting Jean himself to pick-up the phone. Well he didn’t however the person that did was cheerful, enthusiastic and very helpful. She gave me a brief 30 second description of how Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Out Islands Adventures was different from every other snorkel/dive service. Then she asked me a series of questions that helped her understand precisely what I desired. I spoke with her for nearly 40 minutes and all she did was ask me relevant and open-ended questions. I did almost ALL of the talking. When I had finished she told me that she could “customize” a package for us and what the cost would be. 

Now while the cost was significantly higher than I had planned, we were so excited about this 5 day underwater dream vacation that we went for it without a second thought. I don’t have to tell you that it was by far the best and most satisfying excursion we have ever had. They took us out for one entire day and gave us a personal tour of all the places that were important for us, a map of the areas we would be touring, a beautiful 20 foot Boston whaler stocked with food, water, gas, GPS, depth finder and even ship to shore radio. 

My point is we can all redefine our selves in the mind’s eye of the customer if we follow this simple rule of attraction and find ways to position ourselves not simply as a BETTER solution but rather as the ONLY solution. 

Admittedly this requires proper branding approach. That’s why I’d like to invite you to attend this Monday’s Tele-Clinic on “Developing Brands.”

Developing Brands – Monday, Nov. 29 at 1pm
While this article may just begin to address the subject of branding, I will be conducting a TeleClinic on Branding this Monday, November 29, 2004 at 1pm during which I will focus on the steps to creating a powerful branding strategy and how to put a branding campaign into action in a practical way. During this 30 minute TeleClinic I will be referring to numerous case studies and I will take questions as well. We will only be able to accommodate a limited number of participants for this telephone clinic so act now. TeleClinics are held over a standard telephone line during which I present detailed information on ways to improve your business performance. They are a great way to get your specific questions answered directly by me. The cost is only $29. To read more go to www.deoteleclinics.com, and to register, go tohttps://www.sbanetwork.org/learning/signup.asp.

Have a great week!
I hope that this “Business Update” has been helpful in assisting you to improve the performance of your organization. For more information on how the Small Business Advisory Network assists companies in improving their performance, please feel free to contact us at 310-320-8190 or email mark@markdeo.com 

Mark Deo

Today for small business operators as well as larger enterprises marketing continues to be a mystery. Often, the ad that generates record-breaking volume one month is repeated the following month and bombs. A campaign designed by the best ad agency may elicit a mediocre response. The same item sells like hotcakes after a 30-word classified ad, with abominable grammar, appearing on page 35 of an all-advertising shopper tossed on the front stoops of homes during a rainstorm! The mystery eludes solution but demands attention.

Your marketing results can be improved through a better understanding of your customers. Putting the customer first is probably the most popular phrase used by firms ranging from giant conglomerates to the corner barbershop, but the sloganeering is often just lip service. 

Marketing success, however, is more likely if you dedicate your activities exclusively to solving your customer’s problems. Any marketing program has a better chance of being productive if it is timed, designed and written to solve a problem for potential customers and is carried out in a way that the customer understands and trusts. The questions and answers that follow will reveal the mystery of marketing by looking at ways we can put the customer first. These are questions that we often receive in our practice and some of the answers we give. I hope it helps you in your marketing efforts. How can I set myself apart from the competition?
Client retention is key. The importance of “the relationship” with the customer never diminishes. For most small businesses, developing and exploiting the relationship is the one major advantage they have over the big players who don’t have the time and energy for it in the first place. This boils down to added value. Customers crave it but don’t get enough of it. When was the last time you gave serious thought to providing a value-added premium in customer transactions? Coupons, incentives, giveaways, special events – All of these are very effective when aimed at strengthening customer relationships.

How do I recession-proof my business?
Build a cash reserve. We have all heard the expression “save some for a rainy day.” But what happens when a rainy day turns into a rainy year, or two? Many entrepreneurs and small business owners will be facing this situation in the coming months. The best way to prepare is to set aside cash during more prosperous times. There’s a real benefit to having a long-term business plan that deals with the kind of cash requirements you’ll need in case of a business downturn. For some, building a cash reserve may come at the expense of swifter business expansion. But the alternatives such as borrowing cash, taking out a loan, dipping into personal net worth, or shutting the doors are far less palatable. But wait, you say, isn’t this finance rather than marketing. True but without cash reserves to launch marketing initiatives a marketing program has no chance in getting off the ground. Many people believe that the best time to launch a marketing initiative is when times start to get tough. This is a fallacy. The most advantageous time to launch such a campaign is when times are GOOD. In this way we can invest both our time and dollars at a time when people are more apt to move forward. This approach may be the very thing to keep the recession from knocking on your door. How can I get former clients back?
Recognize that all customers are at risk. Even satisfied customers can be persuaded to defect to the competition. Do not take any customer for granted. Consider that customer win-back strategies can be more effective than finding new customers. Many experts believe that win-back success rates are far higher than recruiting new prospects. Here’s a few that anyone can implement:

• Identify all of your products or services that could possibly be of value to your customers.
• Motivate your customers to use as many of your products or services as possible.
• Prove to your customers that your products and services offer value that they can not find anywhere else.
• Keep track of every sale and sort in a database
• Personally communicate with customers at regular intervals
• Establish some form of satisfaction rating system
• Sell peace of mind more than just product or service solutions
• Admit when you’re wrong and pick up the pieces quickly and effectively.

Make your organization defection-proof. While everybody is talking about customer loyalty today few are taking real action. Preventing customer defection is surely the prime motivation for building customer loyalty, but it also gives us the ability to proactively develop strategies to improve our value and service in general. This is what prevents price sensitivity.

We can literally avoid price sensitivity by how we treat the client. Remember when you’re telling, you’re selling. No one likes to be sold. That’s precisely when they start focusing on the cheapest price. By asking questions we accomplish several goals. We discover valuable information about the customer. We bond with the customer by letting them do most of the talking. And we show that we care by being interested in their wants, desires and motives. This is the most effective way to overcome the price objection and redirect their interest to the relationship. 

You don’t need a fancy ad agency or marketing firm to improve your marketing performance. In short my advice is to place the focus on the customer. It’s really about doing the simple things and doing them consistently. Focus on the relationship. Add value to every transaction. Build a significant cash reserve. Keep current customers loyal and win back the old ones. And most critically ask plenty of questions. Show that you really care. I hope you’re starting to see that there really is no mystery to marketing. It’s about putting one foot in front of the other every day and always putting the customer first. -Mark Deo

When groups of consumers move from one type of product to another on a long-term basis, new business opportunities can result. Market switches create demands for new products and services.

Some ExamplesThe switch from traditional styles of children’s bicycles to BMX bikes provided an opportunity for a bicycle shop to establish a BMX racing club and racing track. This racing involvement helped the shop to capture a large share of the BMX market.A business woman took advantage of the market switch from record albums to cassette tapes by packaging cassette recorder-head cleaning kit.To take advantage of the market switch from large to small cars, a company designed and manufactured bicycle and ski racks designed for small cars.An office machine repair service anticipated the market switch from typewriters to word processors and began to specialize in repairing word processing equipment.How To Do ItDiscover major changes in consumer buying habits by:

• Reading marketing research reports and trade association research forecasts
• Observing current fads that could potentially turn into long-term changes
• Observing new products that are growing in popularity
• Analyzing changes in your own buying habits, especially when you stop purchasing an item that has become obsolete and begin to buy replacement items with entirely different characteristics.

Find products which are associated with a market switch by:

• Analyzing the advantage of new products to find those which are greatly superior and will likely replace more traditional items
• Looking for new technologies or new products based on new concepts which are revolutionary for an industry.
• Look for a major product or service that is needed to meet changing consumer demand, but has not yet been provided, and find a way to provide it.

When the major product in the market switch already exists, look for related services or products that can be used in association with the major product.Ensure that there is a demand for the product/service you would like to provide.Key Questions

1. Can I think of any market switches that have recently taken place?
2. Can I think of any market switches that may be occurring now?
3. How can I take advantage of these changes in consumer buying habits?
4. Can I address a current market switch by providing the major product or service?
5. Can I provide secondary products or services related to a new major product?
6. Have potential customers indicated a need for the product/service that I have?

September 4, 1957- a fateful day in marketing history, as that was the day a brand new car debuted in showrooms across the country. Ads had predated the launch by months promising an exciting new car, one that would be different from all that had come before. This successful marketing campaign had generated so much buzz that people flocked to see the car of the future. What happened next came as a surprise to executives at Ford- no one was buying the new Edsel.

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There are numerous reasons why- it wasn’t a revolutionary new vehicle as promised; the launch date ensured that it was priced as a 1958 model, while competitors were slashing prices on their 1957 models so it was seen as overpriced; mostly, however, it wasn’t sold properly to the target audience. Ford had ignored all market research, and stubbornly stuck to their sales pitch despite the fact that it simply did not work.

How many of us today launch products and have this problem? Do we ignore what the market tells us because we know our products better than they do? Do we even test market our products in the first place?

Today we have a tremendous opportunity to test our ideas BEFORE we spend massive amounts of money turning those ideas into products. One of the most important, yet often overlooked, areas of testing is our sales pitch. 

How can we practically test out how we are going to sell a product before we have the product in our hands? Traditionally the answer would be to use focus groups. Focus groups, however, carry a number of inherent problems.

• They can be prohibitively expensive
• A small number of people are not necessarily representative of the market as a whole
• That small group can give feedback that drastically changes the vision of the product, causing you end up with a watered down version of your radical idea
• Focus groups rarely do a good job at testing whether people will buy an item based on a sales pitch

So what can we do if focus groups are not the solution?

Use the Internet.

We have a connection to millions of potential buyers, who often times are seeking out what it is we are thinking of creating.

So how do we connect with the people who are looking for the solution we may provide, and find out what works best to represent our potential products to them? Create a smaller version of your idea, offer that for sale on the web, and use Google AdWords to drive traffic to your site.

Let’s say you have an idea for a better mousetrap. You can create a document that describes all the problems with current mousetrap technology, and how your ideas will solve those problems. Make sure that it contains enough information to let them know what it is you are proposing to create. Put this document on a website, and ask for feedback from people who read it.

Now to get the document in front of those people out there interested in new mousetraps, you can use Google AdWords. To those unfamiliar with AdWords, they are the little ads that appear on the right side of the screen when you do a search on Google. You place these ads, and every time someone clicks on your ad to visit your website, you pay a small fee. The mechanics of setting up a successful AdWords campaign are beyond the scope of this article, but for more information,please e-mail me and I will refer you to some resources.

With our mousetrap example, you may want to get AdWords for the search term “better mousetrap”. This will allow you to drive a steady stream of traffic to your website of people who are interested in better mousetraps. Next comes the most important part- measure the results of what people do when they visit your website! Measure how many people view the main page, how many download your document, how many give you feedback, and make sure you gain their permission to contact them later with new developments. Now change the pitch you have on your site for this document about mousetrap technology. Change the text in your Ad on Google. Measure how those changes affect your traffic and your conversion rate. Continue to tweak the ads and sales pitch for maximum conversion rates. You may even get to a point where you can start to charge for your document!

Once you have optimized your site for maximum sales conversion, only then should you consider whether you should actually create the mousetrap! If you have been unsuccessful after 6 months at getting anyone excited enough to download your document, or your conversion rate is incredibly low no matter what you try, your idea may not fly with the market, and you should reconsider spending lots of time and money on your research and development. If you have a successful site, however, make your better mousetrap- you have an audience that is craving the item you want to produce, and you have honed your sales pitch well in advance. Now when you offer your product for sale, you know what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to motivating site visitors to become buyers. You also now have a large e-mail list of people who have had their appetite whetted for your new product. Let them know when it arrives, and you can thus help avoid being known as the manufacturer of the Edsel of mousetraps.

This article was written by sales technology specialist Matt Walker. For more information about what has been discussed, please e-mail him at mwalker@sbanetwork.org or call him at 714-269-4123.

It seems you can’t turn on your TV lately without new bombshells being dropped in the BALCO scandal. Now Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi have admitted to using steroids in recent MVP winning seasons. Debate is raging about what this means for Major League Baseball, and they certainly have received a black eye in the public relations department. Many people are asking how they could have avoided this problem, but the more pertinent question should be, “What should they do now?” It seems time for organized baseball to follow rule 13 from the 14 rules of attraction: Learn the Discipline of Testing The Olympics have long tested for anabolic steroids, and have used this testing to create a culture in which cheaters are ostracized by their peers and the sports community at large. It seems time for baseball to finally implement a steroids testing program to root out this problem if they are to maintain legitimacy in the minds of their consumers, the fans. Because baseball didn’t test for steroid use, and it wasn’t against the rules of the sport, they likely can’t take any action against admitted performance enhancing drug users. While baseball has it’s unique problems, many small businesses run into problems themselves. They run marketing campaigns that fail, and are stuck wondering why. In most cases, it’s also due to a lack of proper testing! The Importance of TestingBefore running a full marketing blitz, it is important that we test our messages.If you ever send direct mail or run ads, testing is critical. How can you test these messages? One way is to use the Internet- I wrote an article on just that subject.Click here to read it. These same testing principles work for traditional ads and direct mail campaigns as well. Once you have designed your marketing piece and identified your target market, create a small mailing list that is a subset of your overall market. Now create a new variation on your marketing piece that includes an offer code that is different than what is contained on the original. Next divide your small mailing list into two. It is important that each half of this small list represent the same types of prospects as the target market as a whole. Send the original piece to the first half, and the new variant to the second. Use the same follow-up methods for both, and test your results! Based on the results you get for each offer code, you can tell which marketing piece is most effective. Now take the more effective marketing piece, generate a new variant on it, and test again. By repeating this process, you can find the most effective marketing message. At this point, you may wish to try variations in your follow-up to test the most effective means of taking the attention you have gained and turning it into completed sales. Now that you have tested to find the best marketing effort for your target market, go out and market yourself to your full target market. Testing is just one of the ways you can increase your chances of success in the market. Click here to read the rest of the 14 Rules of Attraction. To learn more about how to properly target a market with which to use this testing methodology, click here and sign up for the free 5 day self study course in Attracting More Business. Have a great week! I hope that this “Business Update” has been helpful in assisting you to improve the performance of your organization. For more information on how the Small Business Advisory Network assists companies in improving their performance, please feel free to contact us at 310-320-8190 or email mark@markdeo.com  Mark Deo Print this article.