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Too many coals on the fire.

I’ve heard this so many times since releasing my initial report but it still makes my day. Thank you Joseph.

(In case you’re wondering if I “staged” that little testimonial I can guarantee I didn’t.)

Quite frankly why would I bother to do that is such an obscure post.

I agree with you 100% on the long term profits Lawrence.

I basically suggest when you talk to clients initially you use words along the lines of “I have my own business helping small businesses market themselves effectively on the internet.”

That will make it whole lot easier for you to get your foot in the door.

But it is exceptionally dumb to only offer internet marketing services.

You should be looking at multiple ways to help a brick and mortar business with its marketing both online and offline.

The real money is in integrating different media into a powerful marketing mix.

Every media has its strengths and weaknesses.

It’s very easy to deliver copious quantities of information free online but it’s hard to convert prospects into buyers for big ticket products or services online.

On the other hand if you pre-educate your prospects online, use a call to action of phoning for a valuable consultation then see them in person your conversion rates are likely to be exceptionally high.

Every business will have a different marketing mix that will work well for that business and this whole marketing area of combining media effectively is almost untouched.

As Lawrence says you can make a fortune even having just a few regular brick and mortar businesses as clients.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

I agree, by changing the semantics a little bit, your approach, as “a business owner yourself,” is stronger. Gary, God Bless him, still has some very valuable and actionable advice about
making money by approaching business owners as "investors." (You can skip the first half where he tars and feathers Howard Ruff over MLM.)

I usually find there’s a disconnect between a business owner running a brick and mortar shop and someone running an online business or marketing consultancy.

Sure, the business processes may be more or less the same but the brick and mortar business owner often doesn’t perceive the online business as “a real business.”

If it came down to a Robert Allen type challenge…
send me to any city in the United States. Take away my wallet. Give me $300 for living expenses and in 72 hours, I’ll collect a marketing consulting check…your approach would win. And it’s a good one for consultants just starting out. But if you’re looking for a much bigger pot in the long term, the pull marketing approach can’t be beat.

I’m buying some remnant ad space and publishing my own “take away consultant’s ad.”

Will let you know what happens!

You hit some top key elements here: * Don’t sell your time, * Let them case you, * Give away your best stuff for free. I also agree that being a generalist is of advantage. Yours John

Excellent points.

@ Andrew, I have used your Offline Gold techniques to add a “consulting” approach to my business that has made me thousands of dollars in 2 months using it.

And I am with Andrew, talking to business owners one on one, as a “business owner” myself, is the BEST way to gain a paying client.

It’s harder to say “no” face to face, and once you build rapport with the Owner…you’re in like Flynn.

Joseph Ratliff
Author of The Profitable Business Edge 2

Sounds callous, even seven years later, but there was a lot of black humor in Lower Manhattan at that time.

It was just one of the ways of getting through the day.

The “hijack” comment came up when my client and I were discussing how to get people from Uptown to come to his restaurant. One of us mentioned those red double decker tour buses on 8th Avenue and the other suggested we could hijack one, in jest of course. There are far harsher examples that I recall.

Best,
Lawrence

Thanks for this inspiring post.

Reinforcing the pull marketing vs. push marketing is particularly helpful. Sometimes it’s amazing what taking the long view and giving before you expect to get can turn up.

Your emails rank up there with John Carlton’s for their ability to get me to click right through to your website — the amount of value you provide out-paces the rest of the market disproportionately.

Thank you.

Roy Furr