- "I'm a marketing coach." (It's about me, and who really cares?)

- "I help independent professionals attract more clients and make more money." (It's about what I do for others and should prompt question, "How do you do that?")

Your prospects' primary concern isn't you. They want to know what you can do for them and how you can help them profit, financially, physically or emotionally. They want to know if you can solve a problem for them.

To get attention with a short sentence about problems you solve, you might tell Barbara you "help reduce manufacturing operating costs and increase profits". Cost containment is a continual problem for any CEO and should pique her interest and prompt follow up. Stop shutting door to new business with your marketing message. When people ask you what you do, avoid using a label or a discussion of process. Instead, quickly clarify who you help and what type of problems you solve. One sentence should do job.

Talking about what you do in a new way takes a little getting used to. The first couple of times you stop yourself from saying, "I'm an executive coach or consultant" and replace it with a marketing message that describes how you actually help clients, it will feel awkward. Keep using and fine tuning your marketing message and soon it will not only give prospects a clear idea of what you do but you'll be comfortable using it.

Once you have a 15 second marketing message that works you can use it in elevator, in airport, on phone, and at parties and watch your business grow. - 2004 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.

Contacts

Everyone knows someone, right? The best and fastest way to get word out is to tell your friends and colleagues. Networking key to Internet success.

Write Articles

One of best ways to promote your website and to “get it out there” is to write articles just as one you are reading now. Doing so will develop credibility for yourself as an authority in industry on which you are writing. To maximize effectiveness, write ways your visitors can benefit from your information. Make it so compelling that they can’t wait to send it to all of their friends. If you are an affiliate your articles should not have sales copy in body of article. When it’s apparent that article is associated with an affiliate program reader may not take it as seriously because they know you are getting paid from it. Ensure that you have your resource or bio box attached to bottom of article and make it available for republishing.

Tell-A-Friend

You’ve seen them everywhere. The tell-a-friend form asking you to spread word of this great product, service, or resource you’ve found. The Internet consumer who is passionate about a product or service is more likely to forward an email to others making this viral marketing technique a huge success. The great thing about tell-a-friend technique is that there is practically no effort involved as it is very easy to set up. You just install some code to your site and sit back and do nothing. Do not make error of adding these referrals to your opt-in subscribers list as you will be spamming them. You need to make distinction between your opt-in list and referrals you get from your tell-a-friend form. Never send email to referrals you get unless they come to your site and subscribe through your subscription form.