Successful Business Plan - Your Business is More Like Your Car Than You May Think - ISSUE 46 - 10/9/12

Remember how exciting it was to go buy that brand new vehicle sitting in your driveway? It took you months to do all the research of all the latest makes and models. You compared ten of your favorite cars side-by-side. You compared safety ratings, features, styles, colors, gas mileage, and price. Your ultimate goal was to have a sporty car with decent gas mileage, leather interior, sunroof, and power windows. You knew the car you chose was a bit expensive, but you didn't care. You just had to have it!

Jump forward four years. You have amassed more than one-hundred thousand miles and your car has since lost its curb appeal. There are dings and scratches all over the exterior and stains and tears on the leather interior. Your once shiny, brand new car is now a clunker money pit.

The repair costs have gone through the roof, primarily because you couldn't afford all the regular scheduled maintenance the manufacturer recommends in addition to the wear and tear you put on the car. You had no idea the maintenance costs were going to be so high because you never factored that into your buying decision and during the whole four years of ownership, you never even opened the owner's manual to look at the maintenance schedule. You also didn't pay attention to the fact that the car's make and model is notorious for having issues after the factory warranty has expired.

Sure, you changed the oil a few times a year and even had the brakes changed, but that's it! Even worse, you took out a seven-year loan and you still owe $5,000 more than the car is worth. Since you're completely upside down in your car and you can't afford to pay for the cost of repairs, you're convinced the best option is to give up and walk away from the whole thing.

As weird as you may think this analogy is, the link between your car and your business holds more truth than you would expect. One of the best quotes out there about people in relation to their success is, "people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan." To add to that, people also focus too heavily on the wrong things such as the visual appeal rather than the nuts and bolts.

Going back to the car analogy. If you were to have planned correctly and asked the right questions, you would have saved yourself a lot of money and a lot of grief. Not to mention, if you would have been able to afford the service and repair costs of your vehicle, you would have enjoyed it so much more and it would have lasted you for years to come.

Instead, you were too focused on the emotion of buying a flashy, expensive car. You didn't realize the car was going to cost you an arm and a leg to keep it running smoothly and you didn't take care of it to ensure it would last.

Starting a home-based business can be one of the most rewarding ventures you ever embark upon but it's going to take a ton of hard work and dedication. The warm, fuzzy feeling will eventually wear off and if you don't do your hardcore planning by writing a successful business plan ahead of time as well as constantly nurturing and caring for your business, you will be just like the other 90% of small business owners, and doomed to fail before you even started.

There are many hidden costs associated with owning a business and if you don't produce the results you desire due to lack of planning and nurturing, you will lose the will to continue. Before you know it, you will have acquired a large amount of debt and will want to give up ending worse off than when you started.

If this article relates to you in any way, shape, or form, please let us know. We'd like to hear from you about how you could have done better in the beginning or what you did to overcome this obstacle.

Connections 101: Be World Class - ISSUE 45 - 9/26/12

As a business owner, connecting with other people is by far the single most important area for you to focus on if you want a successful business. The reason for this is because people are the driving force behind any business. People talk constantly and are always asking their friends or family for advice on how to solve the problems they face on a daily basis. If your business can be the one their friends and family recommend and talk very highly of, you will win the game. If you don't have the necessary skills to connect with other people, now is the time to begin to develop those skills.

Be World Class

First and foremost, ask yourself how you want to be remembered? Do you want to be known as the person who does things for other people and who makes other people feel good, or do you want to be known as the jerk no one wants to talk to because they think you don't care? The answer seems fairly obvious, but very few people are world class and most people don't understand the importance of focusing their energy outward. These people are perceived as self-centered, self-absorbed, self-inflicting, self-motivated, self-focused, self-righteous, and any other "self" word there is.

People will remember you for what you do for other people, not what you do for yourself. Committing small acts of kindness will not only increase your fulfillment as a person, they will also increase your network and your business substantially.

You don't have to do anything extravagant to make people feel good. Oftentimes, a small compliment such as, "I like your shirt" or "You look really nice today" will do the trick. Believe it or not, even a smile as you pass by will go a long way as you brighten someone else's day.

Commit Random Acts of Kindness

After you get the hang of making people feel good by committing subtleties, you can take the next step in your venture of being world class by really paying attention to what people tell you (verbally and non-verbally) and then committing small acts of kindness from there. In other words, people will tell you about themselves but it's up to you to shut up, listen, and act.

Let's say you are preparing for a presentation and you overhear one of your clients telling another client she was up all night because her child was sick with the flu. She's exhausted and can barely keep her eyes open. If you knew ahead of time her favorite coffee at Starbucks, you could make a quick run before the meeting to get her one. Not only will she be more alert for your presentation (allowing you to increase your chances of closing a big contract), you will look like a hero to her as well as anyone else observing what just occurred.

Obviously, you want to tread water lightly if you aren't prepared to buy coffee for everyone in the meeting. But, if you are, you will look like a hero to everyone.

The Secret

The secret is to be remembered. People are dealing with many people on a regular basis (most of them are very rude) and as mentioned previously, people will do business (and refer business) to those who they feel are worthy and who make them feel good. It doesn't take a lot of energy or effort to be world class but it will pay off tenfold.

The Questions You Forgot to Ask Yourself When You Hired Your First Employee - ISSUE 44 - 9/25/12

Hiring a new employee is always a fun and exciting process, regardless of whether you’re looking to hire your first employee or you’re a seasoned business owner hiring your twentieth. It shows to the rest of the world that you are a growing successful company, and it proves to you that you’re doing at least something right.

Now that you have decided to hire a new employee, some of the questions you may need answered are as follows:

• What are the prevailing wages for that type of job in your industry?
  
  A prevailing wage is defined as the hourly wage, usual benefits and overtime, paid to the majority of workers, laborers, and mechanics within a particular area.
  
  One of the first questions an employee candidate is going to ask you is how much the position you are hiring for is paying. Obviously, this is a legitimate question. You will want to do your homework on this to make sure you can not only afford to pay someone the going rate for the position, but also to make it attractive enough to hire the best candidates possible.
  
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Contact U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
  
  
• How difficult it is to find someone based on the labor market?
  
  Depending on the current state of the economy, it may be easy or difficult to find someone who has the experience and skills you need. If the economy is on an upswing, you may have to pay someone more for the position than if it were on a downswing. This is because there could be many companies hiring for similar positions and you would have to make your company stand out from the rest of the crowd. In the event the economy is on a downward trend, the roles would be reversed and you would be able to save money (allowing you to hire someone with more experience and more skills for less).
  
  
• How attractive your work environment/opportunity is?
  
  Believe it or not, many people look at their work environment as their first choice for deciding where they want to work. After all, they will be spending a large amount of their life at work and they will usually want to become friends with their coworkers.
  
  The best way to handle this is to create a positive work environment so that everyone at your company speak very highly of you and the culture of their fellow employees all the time. This is done in many ways, but you can ensure you are doing this right by focusing heavily on the health and well-being of all your employees. Making them happy will lead to your success... Guaranteed!
  
  
• How experienced the candidate is?
  
  Depending on the position you are hiring for, you may need to hire someone who has a lot of experience or you may be able to hire someone with little-to-no experience. Either way, before you post a Help Wanted ad, you will have to determine the amount necessary for the position you are hiring.
  
  Keep in mind that if you're hiring for a position filled with heavy computer use, you may want to hire someone with less experience because of two reasons -- one, someone with a lot of technological experience is going to come with a heavy price tag and two, many young people today are wizards on computers. Even if they don't know how to do the exact duties you need, they will be able to pick it up much faster than someone who has been around for a long time.
  
  
• How important that person or that position is to your company's success?
  
  If you are looking for someone to run your office, make sales calls, or do clerical work, you may be able to find someone to fill the position very easily. You can post ads in places such as Craigslist.org or Monster.com. You can even ask your current employees for referrals or even hire a temp agency such as Kelly Temporary Services.
  
  However, if you are looking for someone to be a key component of your company, such as a new CEO, you are going to have to dig deep into your book of connections. You are going to have to spend a lot of time researching and asking around to your network to determine whether anyone will be a good fit for you. You may even have to wine and dine the individual by taking him to dinner or a sporting event.
  
  
• How fast you need someone?
  
  If you have to hire someone immediately because one of your key employees had an emergency arise and was unable to continue their work or if you had to fire your only sales person because they stole from you, you may be in a very bad position and need to hire someone 'yesterday.' If this type of emergency happens, your only option may be to call a temp agency. Although they can have someone at your doorstep the very next day, you will have to pay a lot more out of pocket for their service.
  
  On the other hand, if you have all the time in the world to hire someone, you can be very picky about who you interview and therefore, hire. You can go through all the applications thoroughly. You can even call all the references and do hefty background checks if you'd like. This will allow you not only to pick an employee that meets all your requirements and standards, but also who fits within your budget.
  
  Keep in mind that in the long run, an agency may be the best place to find someone as well as your best investment. Agencies have a very thorough hiring process and also attract very talented individuals. They may be able to find someone who can exceed all your expectations and will definitely save you loads of time from having to look for a qualified applicant.
  
  
• What your cash flow and budget can realistically handle?
  
  Don't spend too much money on a star applicant just yet. There are many hidden costs to hiring someone and you must always pay your employees before anything else. If you don't budget yourself carefully, you may find you are out of business very quickly.
  
  Some of the costs associated with hiring an employee besides just their wage are Social Security and Unemployment Insurance, as well as optional costs such as Health Care, Dental Care, Eye Care, 401(k), Education Reimbursement, etc. etc.

Once you get more comfortable with hiring new employees, all of this will be like second nature to you. You will continue this process time and time again. You will no longer worry about the little things and you will continue your earned success.

If You Think You're Going to be Successful by Only Networking Online, Think Again - ISSUE 43 - 7/29/12

After pounding the keyboard for many years and reaching out to thousands of people, it finally became apparent that marketing your internet business is not exactly what you may think it is. For starters, there are too many individual people, as well as organizations with many employees, attempting to market online in the same fashion you are. They are utilizing the same techniques and strategies. Everyone knows to hit up the Social Media sites (where all the people are gathering these days), to create a value-rich website and to write an entertaining and informational blog. However, one very important aspect people fail to take into account is their online presence and credibility. Although you are probably doing everything correctly, you are getting smashed to the ground by larger companies because they have more money and more resources available to them than you do.

The answer is simple, people will not spend money with people they either do not like, do not know, do not trust, or a combination thereof. The larger your company, the easier it is to overcome each piece of the puzzle. For example, if your company is incorporated, people tend to equate that with success and trust is usually automatic (unless, of course, your company has a bad reputation for poor customer service, poor quality products, outrageous prices, or anything else negative). Unfortunately, most of you are small businesses with less than 10 employees. Chances are, most of you are a one-man (or woman) show. You have taken the leap of faith and are working diligently to improve the quality of your life and those you love most. However, you are probably experiencing challenges you did not foresee when you began your business venture. Don't worry. You are not alone.

You figured that since there are 900 million active users on Facebook (as of May, 2012) and 500 million active users on Twitter (as of 2012), your success would be easy and smooth sailing. I'm certain that if you have spent enough time on these two sites (as well as other social networking sites), you would agree that it's the furthest from the truth.

Since you are also a consumer and are being marketed to just as much as the next person, I want you to put yourself in those shoes for just a moment. What do you do when you're watching TV and a commercial comes on? Do you sit contently watching them with absolute focus or do you click the mute button, go to the kitchen to grab some food, or do you fast-forward your DVR? How about when you get a phone call from a telemarketer? Do you respectfully listen to what he has to say or do you immediately shut down and ignore him? What about Twitter or Facebook? Are you clicking on every link that reads "Buy Now" or "Spend Money With Me" or do you completely ignore them as if they don't exist? Lastly, what about all those marketing emails you get in your inbox? Are you reading every single one thoroughly or do you delete anything that resembles a sales email?

Chances are, you are doing everything in your power to avoid most, if not all, marketing and sales situations for multiple reasons - you don't have the money to spend, you enjoy buying but don't want to be sold to, you don't trust the companies, you don't know the companies, you feel like your personal space is being evaded, the companies aren't providing enough value, you are sick of it, etc. etc.

If I'm right (which I know I am), then why on Earth do you keep repeating the same things for which you are working so hard to avoid? If you are a small business owner, you have to take into consideration what makes you different from everyone else. The answer is simple, it's 'YOU'! There is only one of you in this world and if you don't get out into the real world and meet new people, you will never get to prove that you are one-of-a-kind to everyone else. It's extremely difficult to stand out in a digital world where you are "just like everyone else."

Life is not fair (especially in the business world) and the people who are the most successful have learned to harness the power of networking. Humans are always looking to others they know and trust for advise and whether they realize it or not, a large percentage of them will only do business with people they have been referred to mostly out of fear of being taken advantage of. Today the Internet is extremely vast and is only going to get bigger and new online marketing techniques may or may not be effective for you.

There are millions of people committing frivolous crimes and they're constantly finding new ways to steal from others. Because of this, you must work very hard to prove you are trustworthy, likable, and deserve someone's hard-earned money. You must step outside of your comfort zone and step up to the plate. Don't be afraid of rejection because the more you focus on value, and steer away from sales, the easier it will be for you to become successful and rejection will no longer be existent.

The point I'm trying to make is that although the Internet is a necessary tool in today's highly advanced digital world, it cannot be your primary focus. Your primary focus needs to be to get out and meet as many people as you can and to tell each one of these people who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. If you aren't comfortable doing so, there are many avenues for you to take. You just have to find the one that works best for you.

Be A Doer - Not A Dreamer - ISSUE 42 - 7/11/12

There are two types of people in this world – those who dream about all the things they want to achieve and those who make it happen “No Matter What!” Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which of the two you are. No one can force you nor give you the inner strength you need to get where you want to go. Even if you go to seminars and hire mentors, they can only show you the door; it's up to you to walk through it. If making money and building a successful business were easy everyone would be doing it.

Owning a business, and especially a successful business, is going to be one of the hardest endeavors you have ever embarked upon; it's going to take a lot of sacrifice and you’re going to have to push yourself further than ever before through all the times of low motivation, frustration, and failure if you want the results to be in your favor. However, if you work hard enough, and do the right things, you will begin to make leaps and bounds before you even know it.

For those of you looking to purchase a franchise, you will have a huge advantage over most business owners because you are “working for” (yes, I said, “working for”) a company that has created a successful system for you. In most cases you can begin to make money right away, but you will also have to come up with the initial franchisee fee as well as any overhead involved which can be quite expensive. You will also be working “for” the company and must abide by all “their” rules and produce the results “they” require. In essence, you are the “employee” of the franchise which is suitable for some, but not all.

Unfortunately for those of you pursuing Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), you will have your work cut out for you. MLM is probably the hardest to be successful with because most people reject being "recruited" and MLM also has a very bad reputation for being a pyramid scheme. If you have done MLM in the past, you know they preach for you to speak with every person who comes within three feet of you. The principle behind this is that if you speak to enough people, you will recruit the most people. While this may hold true, most people who pursue MLM speak to a few people (i.e., family members and friends) and once they hear ‘No’ from the people who are supposed to be the most supportive, they give up. However, the real underlying issue is they either haven't spoken to enough people and/or haven't spoken to the right people to produce the results they desire.

One very important lesson I have learned over the years is to stay away from the people closest to you. Unbeknownst to you (or them), they are the worst people to talk to about business because most of them don’t have the same mindset as you and most of them will do everything in their power to tell you that you ‘can’t do it’ or ‘you won’t succeed.’ It’s not that they are doing this intentionally; it’s that they perceive the world through their own two eyes and the muscle between their own two ears. Most of them haven’t seen success and because they ‘love’ you, they don’t want to see you fail or feel pain as they have in the past.

The mindset you must have is that there are many people out there in the community looking for an opportunity and when you get a ‘No’ from someone, it's usually because they either don't have enough information or they don't have the right information. In other words, most of the time a ‘No’ really means, ‘Not yet.’ You must focus on mastering your craft, building relationships and creating a very impactful elevator pitch so that you can deliver the correct amount of information in less than thirty seconds to increase your results.

Obviously, I don't know how much time you have spent thus far, nor do I know how many people you have spoken to, but I do know that you have to give it time to work. You have to give yourself time to become more and more confident and comfortable doing what you are doing. You have to focus on the relationships and the rest will follow. If you consistently do what you have always done, then you will always get the same results. It may take you two years (give or take) to begin to see the results you want because you may not have a lot of time to commit to the business in the beginning and you obviously don’t have the reputation of being the go-to guy.

I want you to succeed. I don't want you to give up. You have to be strong and dig deep. You have to be willing to make your business venture work NO MATTER WHAT!!!! Do you really want to be stuck in your dead-end job for the rest of your life? I know the answer is ‘NO!’ Do you want to be able to do the things you want and have the things you desire? If the answer is ‘YES,’ then you must work very hard and make the necessary sacrifices. You must focus and be very diligent. You must constantly educate yourself and play games with your own head so that you won't want to give up. It's up to you to make it work; not your mom, dad, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, cousin, friend, spouse, etc.

Did you know that only 1% of the U.S. population makes over $100k a year? That's it! It's because most people give up before they even start; it's because too many people are too focused on instant gratification rather than long-term gratification; it's because people are weak-minded and aren't willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. Failure is a mindset. The people who are successful have failed more than most ever will in a lifetime because they made a commitment to themselves and the people they love most to never ever give up on themselves.

If you give up now, you probably won't get where you want to go because it's not the avenue that’s going to take you to the top, it's the vehicle... the vehicle is YOU!

Everything I am telling you has come from years of failure and frustration as well as years of education. I highly recommend you read "Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!" by Anthony Robbins. That book really helped me dig deep and become stronger mentally and emotionally. It taught me to view the world from a different standpoint. It taught me that failure was all in my head.

I hope you don't take anything I said in a negative manner. It's all meant to help you. I'm here to help you succeed. However, I'm very blunt, especially when it comes to the strength within. If you only knew how much I've failed, you definitely would think I'd have given up by now. I will never give up on my dreams nor will I ever let anyone stand in my way. Failure is part of success. You might fail 99 times before you succeed just once, but you must embrace it from all angles because the more you fail, the more you will succeed. I guarantee it!!!

Stay Away From The Tech Talk To Connect With Your Customer - ISSUE 41 - 6/22/12

SIMPLIFY YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS

A major concern with small business owners is that they focus too heavily on ‘Tech Jargon.’ Tech jargon comes in many forms since ‘Tech’ stems from the word ‘Technical’ and just about every industry uses computers/technology for their business as well as technical words to describe precision.

In other words, tech doesn’t specifically pertain to computers; it can also pertain to your industry which uses computers. Most people do not understand what the heck techies are talking about when they speak ‘Klingon’ (Star Trek) so why would you expect someone to understand you when you speak Venetian (a person from Venus)?

More and more people are becoming familiar with words such as ‘Megabyte,’ ‘Gigabyte,’ and ‘Terabyte,’ but you’d be amazed at how few people actually understand what they mean. For those of you whom I’m referring, ‘a Gigabyte is a form of measurement for storage capacity and/or is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage.’ (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigabyte).

There are one thousand bytes in a megabyte, one thousand megabytes in a gigabyte, and one thousand gigabytes in a terabyte. Or, in the easiest form to understand, there are approximately seven thousand web pages per gigabyte (if you have a monthly allowance for the Internet on your cell phone, this pertains to you).

THE SOLUTION

I have worked in the technology field for many years and since I was in sales the majority of the time, I have personally spoken and interacted with thousands of people face-to-face. Let me tell you, when people constantly look at you with a look like they’re a deer in the headlights, you quickly realize very few people actually know what the heck you are talking about when using big words, complex ideas, and especially, tech jargon. I have had countless frustrating experiences of information dumping and overload causing people to feel overwhelmed with my thoughts and ideas so I slowly, but surely, moved away from speaking complexly and began simplifying.

There are many languages and industries in the world today and contrary to popular belief, most people have a very narrow understanding of anything outside of their respective professions and/or areas of expertise. If you want to deliver your ideas and thoughts to someone outside of your industry, you must always imagine yourself speaking to a child, especially if your company is in any way technologically related. Children obviously do not have a vast understanding of the world, nor do they have an area of expertise (with the exception of a few), so the method to use to ensure you are doing this correctly is to simplify your thoughts and ideas and to explain what you are talking about in significant detail.

Doing this will take some time and practice and may be frustrating in the beginning, but people will greatly appreciate you and will always come back for more. Becoming known as the ‘expert’ is not about making people feel stupid or belittled; rather, it’s about connecting and relating. The more you practice, the more you will have the latter rather than the former.

Focus Your Energy Outward - Reap The Rewards - ISSUE 40 - 6/13/12

I’ve said this time and time again, “If you want to be successful, you must focus your energy outward.” Whether you have the best intention or not, if you aren’t perceived as outward focused to your customer, you aren’t outward focused. You must always put yourself in the mind of your customer. Failing to do this could lead to a failing company.

This morning I was drinking my coffee and perusing our company Twitter account (@SuitedMktgCo). I always look at the Mentions section first because I want to see what our followers are saying about us and what they are quoting to their followers. We provide a lot of value so we receive quite a few daily Mentions and ReTweets.

One particular ReTweet caught my eye because there are a very large amount of people on the Internet making the claim of being so-called “experts” in their field when they are the furthest from the truth. To clarify, I don’t know who this individual is, nor do I know his reputation as an “expert.” I’m simply stating that there are too many of these “experts” and not enough success nor credibility to truly consider them as such.

I could tell that the individual had the best of intentions, so I decided to take a look at his webpage to understand his qualifications a little better. His company is incorporated and directly on the front page he specifically claims to have over 20 years experience in the field of entrepreneurship. I thought to myself, “Ok. This guy seems to know what he’s doing.”

However, as mentioned previously, one very crucial aspect of an outward focused company is to ensure your current and future customers feel the same way you do. On the front page of his site, I noticed a pattern he may not even know exists. There was an overwhelming feeling that everything stated on the page was all about his company and not enough about me (the customer). Because of this, I decided to count how many times he used the words “us, our, we, [our company name], etc.” compared to “you, your, the customer, etc.” The outcome was 12-to-4, respectively.

Again, I'm confident he has the best of intentions, but this is definitely something that needs to be addressed. It’s not at all about him or his company. Rather, it’s all about the customer. One way to easily alleviate this issue would be to mention the customer early and primarily in all the claims being made.

For example, stay away from, “We provide expertise and integrity, analysis and insight, and high quality/high tech input into your company’s success.” This makes a potential customer feel that everything being said is all about the company.

A better way to prove to the customer you have their best intentions in mind would be to say, “We provide you, the customer, with all the expertise you need to ensure your company’s success such as 20 years in the field of entrepreneurism, integrity, analysis, and insight combined with high quality and high tech support.” If you didn't notice, the focus shifts significantly away from the company and onto the customer.

Just remember, it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. The mistake being made is that he emphasizes and focuses too heavily on himself and his company. Always put the customer’s best interest first. If you do this for everything, you will reap the rewards. I guarantee it!

Life Is What You Make of It - Life With a Purpose - ISSUE 39 - 6/1/12

As human beings, we are all creatures of habit. Just about everything we do on a daily basis is some form of repeated behavior. Most of the time we don't even realize the things we do are the result of years of repeating them over and over.

Take a moment and think about the way you talk, the way you chew, the way you dress yourself, the way you shower, the way you drive to work everyday, etc. I assure you, these are all behaviors you have most likely done for so many years that very little thought goes into how you do them. Some may say that it's "Second Nature."

Obviously, there are good habits and bad habits. You should be able to distinguish between the two fairly quickly. If you want to be successful in business and in life, you are going to have to throw away as many bad habits and adopt as many good habits as humanly possible.

PROCRASTINATION IS OPPORTUNITY'S ASSASSIN

Procrastination is one of the worst habits any business owner could have. The reason for this is because so much success comes from the simple act of doing. Nowadays too many people have the mindset of "I'll do it tomorrow" because there is more entertainment now than ever in the history of mankind and in my opinion, too many people are engulfed in a life full of too much entertainment. Don't let yourself fall into this category; it's a trap. You will never get anywhere in life and you will never accomplish the goals you want to if all you do is party and have fun all the time.

One of the other root causes of procrastination is drugs and alcohol. They both fall into the same category for this discussion because they both make you feel like crap, and when you feel like crap, you aren't going to be productive. It's that simple. They also impair your judgment and significantly affect your mental and physical health. Unfortunately, for those of you who like to do either or both, you are going to have to consume very little, if at all, if you want to get anywhere in life. You need to be on your "A-game" at all times, especially if you are like most people who have a full time job and are working to grow your business on your spare time.

WAKE UP EACH DAY AS IF IT WERE ON PURPOSE

I heard the best quote in the movie 'Hitch' -- "Like I always tell my clients - begin each day as if it were on purpose." You have to make a choice. No one else is going to make it for you. Do you want to live a life full of "Purpose" or do you want to live a life of "Sitting on your @$$, watching TV"?

The other day I was thinking about a seminar I went to recently hosted by one of my favorite authors, Jeffrey Gitomer. He mentioned that while people are at home watching TV, he's at home writing and making money. He lives every day of his life happier than anyone else I know because his purpose is to make a difference in other people's lives.

What finally dawned on me was that the people on TV are usually the ones living a life of purpose. They are the ones people watch accomplishing their goals and dreams. This is where you're going to have to make a choice - Do you want to always be the person sitting on the couch, watching other people become successful and accomplish their goals and dreams, or do you want to be someone other people watch on the TV?

The funniest part of this revelation was when I realized that most people who are successful tend to be loaners and the people who are entertainment junkies are the ones who have lots of friends. I've always been the loaner type for that very reason and never even realized it. I have a very hard time just "hanging out" anymore because I feel it's a waste of my time. I know I could be doing something more productive than just sitting around doing nothing.

STAY AWAY FROM THE NEGATIVE PEOPLE

Also, people are very judgmental. Whether you realize it or not, most people don't have the same mindset as you and there's nothing you can do to force people to see the world through your eyes. They see the world through their own eyes and their own mindset. No matter how hard you try, they are going to do whatever it takes to bring you down to their level. You must hold yourself to the highest of standards and not let anyone pull you away from what you have or want to do in life. You only have one life and it's YOURS not THEIRS.

I believe that the people in your life are either with you, or against you when it comes to success. If they don't support your goals and aspirations, they are against you. If they are truly the people they say and truly love you, they will support you in anything you decide. Whether they admit it or not, your friends and family can become very envious and jealous of your decision to live a life full of purpose because most people give up on their dreams early on in life. You must keep your thoughts and ideals to yourself (unless, of course, they take a big interest in what you are doing) because those people closest to you have more power over your destination than you could possibly imagine.

In most instances people will not listen to a word you have to say until you have proven yourself to be successful. The best way to get your friends and family on board with what you are doing is to let your actions speak rather than your words. Attract people to you rather than going around telling everyone what you are doing. Believe me when I say, "IT WORKS!"

The Rich Get Richer - The Smart Get Smarter - ISSUE 38 - 4/24/12

Just as the saying states, "the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer," the same holds true to, "the smart are getting smarter and the dumb are getting dumber." I know this is a very bold statement, but if you stop and think about it, completely true. We live in trying times and just as in any life or death situation, the strong will survive over the weak and faint-of-heart.

With the advent of the Information Super Highway, the inquisitive mind has a wealth of never-ending knowledge right at his fingertips. For those of you who have invested thousands of hours into yourselves, an infinite amount of knowledge is an aphrodisiac, to say the least. For those of you who haven't, the Internet is very intimidating even though it doesn't have to be. Finding something you're interested in is not difficult if you know where to look. The idea is not to use the Internet solely as a toy, but also a tool.

Reading, writing, communication, and the desire to be a life-long student are a must-have to succeed in the present and future. Information is changing on a daily basis and without this foundation, you will quickly lose your competitive edge.

No More Excuses

Each and every day, you make a choice whether or not you're going to be successful. You wake up in the morning with the thoughts that will set your pace for the day. Each day at work, you make a choice whether or not you're going to work hard or goof off. Each night when you get home from work, you make the choice whether or not to sit in front of the TV or read a book. One of the top freedoms in our country is the power to choose. With great power, comes great responsibility. You are responsible for your own actions and all-too-often, you're actions are justified in the form of an excuse.

Following is a list of thoughts I can almost hear some of you thinking to yourselves while you are reading this article:

• "I'm too busy to learn."
• "I'm too tired at the end of the day to read."
• "I'm on the computer all day. I don't want to be in front of it any more than I have to."
• "I'm constantly learning new skills but I don't have time to learn on my own."
• "I hate reading."
• "I hate learning."
• "Between my work, my family, and my kids, I just don't have time."

Live and Learn

Hearing these types of excuses makes me cringe. Mainly because they are all just that... EXCUSES! Excuses are made by people with weak minds. The previous excuses I listed are those from weak-minded people. They are always looking for a reason to justify their actions which have negative consequences. The people who are successful in life do not look for reasons why they shouldn't do something. Instead, they look for ways to get stuff done and for solutions to their problems so that nothing will stand in the way of their goals.

If you have the heart of a warrior, here's a list of ways you will overcome the same obstacles:

• "I'm so busy that it's hard to learn, but I'm going to invest 20 minutes a day into learning something new."
  (That's 10 hours per month)
• "I'm ridiculously tired at the end of the day that it's very challenging to read, but I have many opportunities to read a page at a time."
  (Let's say up to 10 pages a day which is 300 pages per month)
• "I'm on the computer all day at work but I can spend a few hours on Saturday and a few hours on Sunday."
  (That's about 16 hours per month)
• "I hate reading, but since I'm in the car for 2 hours a day, I can listen to education audio tapes instead of my normal talk radio."
  (That's about 40 hours a month of education)

As you can see, solutions to problems are what set apart the strong from the weak and a little time invested into yourself now can add up to a whole lot of time invested in the future. Whether you are a family-goer or not, there's probably someone counting on you or looking up to you to succeed. If you have a hard time motivating yourself, think about them, dig down deep, and do it for them. If you constantly strive to better yourself, you have an infinite amount of possibilities and potential to gain.

"Live to Learn. Learn to Live." This is our motto and we've even compiled a fantastic list of books for you to read. Recommended Business Development Books | Suited Marketing Library

What Are People Afraid Of? - The Social Phobia Phenomenon - ISSUE 37 - 4/19/12

Did you know that most people would rather die than speak in front of a group of people? This fear is growing stronger and stronger among the youth of today. Why is it that the younger generations are having such a difficult time talking to other people? Is it because of technology or is there a deeper seeded issue at hand?

All you have to do is walk down the street in a busy public area and you can see the majority of the people around you playing with their cell phone, laptop, or even iPod. What you may notice is that they aren't actually talking, they're in their own little world typing away or pushing buttons oblivious of their surroundings. People just aren't socializing with one another like they used to. This is a major concern for business owners and employers because the majority of people are losing, or have lost, their social skills.

After years of deep thought and careful observation, I finally figured out why people are afraid to talk to other people. Of course, technology is one of the factors contributing to this phenomena, but digging even deeper, I found that people are afraid to bond with other people because of the lack of trust in society today. To be frank, this is completely ridiculous.

I've only lived in the U.S. so I can't speak from personal experience about other countries, but I know that modern times in the U.S. are by far the safest times ever in the history of mankind. We live in a very docile and civilized culture. People aren't running around killing each other like they did back in the Cowboy and Indian days. Men aren't ravaging woman in the streets. Last time I checked, there isn't a Civil War in my backyard. So, what in the heck is going on?! Why is it so hard to get people to have a conversation and to make new friends?!

The answer is simple. It's the media. My parents are part of the baby boom generation and for those of you who are also, you remember the very first person to own a television on your block. You may have even had social gatherings for all of you to watch one of three prime-time stations in black and white on a small-to-medium, blurry tubular screen. Unbeknownst to you at the time, this was the dawn of a whole new era. Instead of your parents and personal experiences shaping the majority of your beliefs and ideals, the media found a way to get it's foot in the door to take over the job.

I asked my parents a simple question, "did your parents tell you not to talk to strangers?" What do you think their answer was? The media has done their job of putting fear into the public so well that parents teach their kids not to talk to strangers for FEAR of their child being put in harms way.

DID YOU KNOW???

• The odds of being abducted by a stranger are 1 in 610,000
• The odds of being in a plane crash are 1 in 310,000
• The odds of being struck by lightning are 1 in 240,000
• Children are twice as likely to die of the flu than be kidnapped by a stranger
• Children are 4 times more likely to die of heart disease than be kidnapped by a stranger
• Children are 17 times more likely to commit suicide than be kidnapped by a stranger
• Children are 100 times more likely to die because of an accidental death than be kidnapped by a stranger

If you're a parent, you are actually putting your child at more risk by letting them walk in a lightening storm while carrying a metal umbrella or even taking them on family vacations to Disney World than the likelihood of them being kidnapped by a stranger.

Not only has "Do Not Talk To Strangers" caused an epidemic in the U.S., but if parents want to really protect their children, they're going to have to look from within the confines of their own social circle. Over 90% of all abduction cases are from one of the parents or a family friend. In fact, only about 115 out of 800,000 missing children incidences in 2011 were cases involving strangers.

Don't get me wrong, parents should protect their children from all dangers. However, when anything causes more damage than good, especially for your children and the future of this country, the issue needs to be addressed.

How the Baby Boomers Affect Your Business In The US and Abroad - ISSUE 36 - 4/17/12

Happy the war had ended, Military men ran home to their wives and families at the end of World War II to spawn a new era of people called 'The Baby Boom Generation.' The baby boomers were people born between the years 1946 and 1964. Although there were more people born at the turn of the 20th Century, the baby boomers account for the largest number of births per thousand people of all people still living today.

"By the sheer force of its numbers, the boomers were a demographic bulge that remodeled society as it passed through it." Wikipedia

Most people are unaware of the economic significance the baby boomers plays today and I'm here to tell you, it's catastrophic. In 2011, the first baby boomers began retiring and will be completely retired by about the year 2029. Since they are the largest segment of the population, there are more of them retiring from the workforce than there are people to replace them.

From a business standpoint, the economic future could mean economic failure. This is likely one of the main reasons for outsourcing labor to other countries. Outsourcing not only saves a company money, but it also allows for companies to hire more experienced workers than the pool they will have to choose from locally. India is by far the number one choice for technological outsourcing not only because they are in a huge economic boom, but their workforce outnumbers the United States' by four times.

"More people now live in India than in the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Bangladesh combined." BBC News South Asia

Another major concern with the baby boomers retirement is that as a whole, they make more money than any other segment of the population. The retiring boomers will not only be making less money, but they will also be spending less. Our economy's success is built on a foundation of money constantly cycling. If money no longer cycles, the economy could collapse.

As the baby boomers age, their demand for healthcare, public transportation, and other public programs will increase exponentially. This means that companies are going to have to invest a large sum of money to retrofit for the older segment of the population. As crazy as it may sound, they will also have to increase the size of fonts and displays on all forms of publications, media, advertisements and even such things as ATMs, remote controls, cars, etc.

If you want to survive as a business owner for the entirety of your career, you must begin planning for this mega-paradigm shift now. Obviously, it depends on the nature of your business, but even if you are able to minimally outsource your labor, at least it's a start in the right direction.

Socializing For Increased SEO - How Google+ Increases Your Search Engine Ranking - ISSUE 35 - 4/5/12

Search engine ranking is no longer just from content creation, keyword optimization, and meta tags on your website or blog. It has now evolved into social interaction, as well. There are still rules of the road that one must adhere to in order to benefit from this new Google product.

Google has finally created a social network with the business-professional in mind to connect with other like-minded individuals or organizations. No more wasting time socializing. Time is now invested socializing. All your sharing, commenting, supporting, liking, etc. is finally going to pay off. Google+ has many more features and benefits, but the main one is that new efforts are now going to help increase Search Engine Ranking.

In a previous blog, we mentioned there was no way for your social interactions to appear in the search engine results and increase your search engine ranking. While this still remains true, Google has creatively implemented a unique Google Pagerank system and connected the dots between the two so that value-oriented social interactions on Google Plus are, in fact, placed into their own category within the Search Results page. For example, if you were to do a Google Search on the phrase "social interaction" you would receive your search results, business as usual.

However, there is now a new link at the top of the screen underneath the search box which will have a few profile icons and the number of personal results. These profile icons and personal results are the search results for Google+ and anything pertaining to the phrase "social interaction" within the social network.

When you click on the "personal results" link, you will be taken to another page with the same exact look and feel as your traditional search results page. The only difference is the options on the left-hand side of the screen. They are almost identical with the exception of the unique ways you are able to narrow down your search results.

The new Personal Results screen not only shows social interactions between people, but it also shows shared content from other websites such as pictures, videos, comments, and even the person who +1'd it. If you're unfamiliar with Google+, Robert J. Banach wrote an excellent article you should take a look at called What Does Google’s +1 and +Name Really Mean? to learn more about it, what it is, and how it works.

The best recommendation we can give is to get on board with Google and to learn as much about Google as possible, especially Google+. Google has many products and services which are unique, intertwined and interconnected with the #1 Search Engine in the World. For example, Google's blog site is Blogger.com. After you have completed writing each blog article, Google has created a very easy way for you to share your blog with everyone in your circles and extended circles with a very nice pop-up window. Once you have shared your blog article on Google+, it will appear in the personal results and even include your blog header to make it stand out and for people to recognize it.

Assuming you are writing a blog, you should be posting your blog on blogger and your site (bare minimum). If you have the time, energy, and resources, you should also be posting your blog in as many other places as possible. This will only help you and increase the number of locations you can be found by different people. Everyone has different search preferences and you never know how people are going to find you unless you're in all the places they would look.

Business Mistakes - Groupon - An Overnight Sensation, Now Struggling to Stay Afloat - Learn From Their Mistakes - ISSUE 34 - 4/3/12

I was watching the news this morning and low-and-behold, there was a short segment on Groupon and their business mistakes. The segment was not mind-boggling at all, but instead, was exhilarating and solidifying my initial prediction from when I first learned about them while I was living in Chicago and they had just started becoming a nationwide craze.

In the beginning, I bought a handful of Groupon deals myself, but I failed to use them in time and the money would go to waste, so I just stopped buying them. I'm not a big-time consumer like many people are. I was also flooded with similar deals every day in my email inbox and within a short period of time, I unsubscribed to their daily deals. There's no possible way most people would be able to afford and take advantage of more than a few per month. Even if people think they are, most people are not made of money.

Groupon's stock values have plummeted recently due to bad business decisions from about $26 per share to just under $15 per share since November 2011 and are struggling to stay afloat. They mismanaged their money and did not set aside enough money for customer refunds. This just proves that no matter how much money you have, you can lose your power-house momentum overnight with technology changing and evolving so rapidly. Every business owner must plan, plan, and plan some more for every possibility and every situation that may arise, because guess what, it's going to.

I have two very important business lessons to share about Groupon. First, if Google offers you $6 Billion, you take it! You cash out and move on to the next business venture. It's just pure foolishness not to take it simply because their business is way too easy to duplicate (LivingSocial) and over 90% of all businesses fail within the first five years anyway. Of those who actually survive the first 5 years, 90% of those end up failing also. It's just common sense! Look at companies like Blockbuster, Blackberry, etc. They were conglomerates and now they are minuscule little companies fighting for their survival.

Secondly, the companies who are partnering with Groupon are not benefiting from their service and not receiving a Return on Investment. Groupon takes half of the coupon sales proceeds and the businesses don't make any profit. The idea is that traffic will increase to a particular business after the initial experience and the business should begin to make profits on subsequent visits.

However, the ideal situation is not taking place. Patrons buy the Groupon deals and don't visit the same restaurant, bistro, massage therapist, etc more than once. Also, the businesses are not able to keep up with demand on their products or services which Groupon has created for them. The quality of the product and service is jeopardized and in most cases, sub-standard and businesses are closing up shop because of this.

What are some of your ideas of a better coupon system which creates a win-win-win situation for the coupon company, the business, and the customer?

Social Media Interaction for the Search Engines 101 - ISSUE 33 - 4/2/12

As everyone knows, the latest craze is in Social Media Interaction, regardless of personal or professional purposes. However, if want to know how to use social media for business, you want to invest your time rather than waste it. By this, I mean that if you are spending a lot of time socializing and providing a wealth of value to your prospects, then why not increase your Search Engine Ranking at the same time?

Unfortunately, there is not a direct way to have your social interactions show up on the search engines. If you do a Google search of your name or your business name, you will not see any of your conversations. The only information that the Google Pagerank system will populate will be the information necessary to find your profile. For example, when we did a search for "Suited Marketing," a link to our Twitter profile populated and read, "Sign up for Twitter to follow Suited Marketing (@SuitedMktgCo). Small Business Development Services - Learn Marketing and Advertising Strategy."

One of the main reasons Google does this is because most social interactions are not value-oriented. Instead, they are simply conversations between people. Google is a huge proponent of high-quality and high-value for their followers and search engine visitors.

If you use Twitter or any other forms of new social media regularly, regardless of whether you have a lot of followers or not, you probably ignore most of what other people are saying. It's human nature for us all to have this underlying urge to feel important. However, if you do have a lot of followers, you also know that you will get overwhelmed with what other people are saying within a few minutes. We currently have over 17,000 Twitter followers and about every 20-30 seconds, we have 20 new Tweets. It's impossible for any human being to keep up with.

On the flip side, Twitter is very similar to Google except that the information is all conversational and it's your burden to shuffle through the mess to find the value. You can type a word or phrase in the search box and instantly find an enormous amount of people talking about that specified topic. If people are interested in what you are looking for, they will be able to find you fairly quickly and may even choose to interact with you.

Now that I've given you a few alternative ideas, I'm going to talk about the indirect way to increase your Search Engine Ranking with the social networks. As we have already discussed in a previous article, blogging is the single-most important behavior for any business owner to be successful in the online world. People are looking for high-value content and information to enrich their lives. If you aren't blogging, then you aren't going to be successful. It's that simple.

Once you start blogging on a regular basis, and assuming you are a good writer, people are going to begin following you because your blog articles WILL show up in the search engines. The way you connect the link between the social networks and the search engines is simple -- you tell your followers about your blog post.

There are two ways to do this. You can either post your blog to each social network you belong to individually or you can link all your social networks together so that you only have to post it once and the systems will automatically do the rest for you. One word of caution about the second option. People absolutely do not respond well to automated posts. The trick behind automation is to make it look like it's not.

Pay It Forward - Always Do More For Others Than You Do For Yourself - ISSUE 32 - 3/22/12

We live in a very selfish society where most people want everything done for them but aren't willing to do the same for others. Don't get me wrong, there are still people out there doing more for others than they do for themselves, but they are a dying breed. It is my intention to spread the word and help people understand why this behavior is such a disease, not only for our country, but for the entire world.

I believe the core issue at hand is that people are far too consumed with money and material possesions. Too many people work their entire lives to survive because of the mountains of debt they have acquired to try to keep up with the Jones'.

First of all, it's impossible for everyone to be rich. Our financial system would crumble. Second of all, very few people will ever become financially rich. Why not spend your time focusing on helping other people, making a difference in their lives, and becoming rich with happiness?

I also believe that many people are miserable because they aren't getting off their couches and making an effort to do something nice for other people. In their minds, they aren't going to do something for anyone else unless someone else does something nice for them first. With this mindset, it's never going to happen. It's up to them and you to start the chain reaction.

I can honestly say that I was just as guilty of selfish behavior, just as much as the next person. I always wanted everything done for me and would never go out of my way to make people feel good. I didn't like the results. I never felt good about myself and I always felt like the victim.

After coming to the realization that I needed to look into the mirror and change my mindset and behavior, I began to look at the world through a different set of eyes. I began helping other people with little things and asking or demanding less of others and my feelings instantly began to change for the better. I started not only feeling better about myself, but my whole life was flipped right-side-up.

I learned a few years back through a movie called Pay It Forward that the more I do for others, the more people will look up to me and be willing to go out of their way to better my life and the lives of others. Being a better person can be quite infectious.

I believe that at the core of the human soul, people are inherently good. They are just not taught at a young age to give and share more than to take and to be selfish.

If you're wondering where you should start, it's simple. Pay it Forward Experience | Innovation of the Human Mindset. This is a website and a cause dedicated to changing other people's lives. The Pay It Forward mindset is to do something nice for a stranger for no apparent reason and instead of letting them pay you back, you tell them to do something nice for someone else.

If everyone spent just five minutes per day doing something nice for someone else, we would all live in a world full of happy people and very little distrust and crime. There would be no separation from the haves and have-nots because everyone would have enough. We would all be equals as human beings.

Official Twitter of Pay It Forward - President, Charley Johnson - @charleypif - #payitforward

Preparing to Approach a New Client And The Meeting Structure Cycle - ISSUE 31 - 3/19/12

All-too-often people think they can fly by the seat of their pants and succeed in life, but that is the furthest from the truth, especially in business. As a business owner, you are constantly being judged by everyone who knows about you and/or your business. They are looking from every direction to decide whether they like you and/or would like to do business with you. This can be quite a challenge for many people.

The number one most important (yet most ignored) aspect of gaining new business is being prepared. In some cases, preparation may only take 5 minutes of your time. In other cases, you may have to spend hours preparing for a client. There isn't a specific amount of time you must spend; it depends on the situation. However, the rule of thumb is to be enough prepared that you know all the concerns and objections your potential client may bring up and to be able to overcome them with ease.

For obvious reasons, the best place for you to start looking is the Internet. You can find a wealth of information about most businesses and business people on the Internet. You should not only get to know the company you are looking to gain business with, but you should also learn as much as possible about the individual you will pitch to. Start by doing a Google search for the company and then move onto a Google search of the individual.

After you have invested the necessary amount of time gaining information and an understanding of the dynamics of your potential client, you must organize all this information to be able to present. Overcoming your client's objections before they even arise will not only prove to your potential client that you are well prepared, but it will also improve your chances of closing the sale and to 'Wow' them enough that they may become your best client and biggest promoter of you and your company. Most people don't realize how far a little preparation can actually go.

Call/Meeting Structure Cycle

• Preparation
  • Who are their competitors?
  • What do they use their website for?
• Fact Find
  • What are the interests and hobbies of the individual you are pitching to?
  • Find opportunities for your client to benefit from
• Pitch
  • Preparing the pitch
  • Presenting this to your client
• Objection Handling
  • Negotiation phase to resolve objections
• Close the Sale
• Back to Preparation and Repeat Cycle

How To Maximize Your Online Advertising Efforts With Google on a Shoestring Budget - ISSUE 30 - 3/13/12

The world now belongs to the small business owner but most small business owners don't have much money to grow their business. Getting into debt to fund your business before you have a steady flow of income is not only a bad idea, it's down right foolish. Don't get yourself in the hole before you even have a chance for success. Spend your money wisely and on a tight budget that you can fully afford on your current level of income.

Although it's a dog-eat-dog world out there, you can still steadily grow your business on a shoestring budget utilizing Google AdWords. One of the main reasons Google has been so successful is because they have focused much of their efforts on the small business owner marketing on a budget. If you haven't spent much time with Google AdWords, you may not be familiar with some of its key features which will allow you to fully customize your advertising campaign.

LOCATIONS

Location targeting allows you to funnel your audience by physical location, including territories, regions, cities, and custom areas. For example, if you are a business owner doing business in San Antonio, Texas and you only want to target people in the Greater San Antonio Area, you will be able to do such.

You may want to reach as many people as possible, but i's highly recommended that you focus your efforts locally in the beginning stages of growing your business even if local means the country you reside in. Every country has different laws, regulations, and even cultural differences. You may waste a lot of money targeting other countries because most people prefer to do business with people they know, trust, and can relate to.

LANGUAGES

A language barrier may mean the difference between a sale and no-sale. Even though Google has the ability to translate websites on your behalf, you must still communicate with your clients whether in person, over the phone, or through email. If you don't specify the languages you are able to communicate in, you may waste a lot of money on people who don't understand the message you are trying to convey.

One nice thing about the language setting is that people are all over the world speaking similar languages and when combined with the Location setting, you can target people from just about any Continent.

NETWORKS AND DEVICES

People have many options to surf the web, gather information, and stay connected. Depending on the type of business you have, you may want to focus your efforts on desktop and laptop computers, or you may want to extend your reach to include mobile devices with full Internet browsers, or both.

Google has the ability to advertise on their search engine, all their free products (Gmail, Blogger, etc.), websites, video games, applications, YouTube, and more. It's up to you to determine which of these will provide the best Return on Investment or Branding exposure for your business.

BIDDING OPTION

You may not realize this, but every time someone does a Google search there is an auction for the keywords based off relevance and amount willing to pay. Obviously, there are phrases and keywords that have a very high popularity, and sometimes the less obvious are the best options. You have the ability to control automatic bidding or manual maximum Cost-Per-Click (CPC) bidding. Both of these options, your bid is the amount your willing to pay for a click on your ad. Your bidding option, along with your budget, is one of the ways you control the cost of your ad campaign.

BUDGET

This is the amount you want to spend on your AdWords account. You are able to specify a daily budget so that your AdWords campaign will never exceed this amount. You have the ability to have the system use up your daily budget as quickly as possible or spread it out evenly throughout the day. If you reach your daily budget too early in the day, it's like closing your doors for business early in the day so the latter choice is the best choice for people with smaller budgets.

AD SCHEDULING

With this setting you are able to tell the system which hours of the day and which days of the week you would like your ads to run. Oftentimes the best hours in the day are during the early afternoon Monday through Friday. Deciding which dates and times you run your ads mostly depends on the nature of your business and when people will be looking for you.

AD ROTATION

If you have multiple campaigns running, you don't want all the ads displaying at the same time so this setting lets you customize when the different ads will appear in relation to one another within the specified ad group. The system will automatically favor the ads that have a higher CTR and Quality Score.

FREQUENCY CAPPING

Lastly, within the Google Display Network only, you have the ability to limit the number of times your ads appear to a unique user. As time progresses, it will be very smart to show your message to an individual more than once because it builds your brand and trust between you and the consumer. However, when you are on a tight budget, you must maximize every situation.

What is The Google Display Network & Why Must You Be On It - ISSUE 29 - 3/5/12

The Google Display Network (GDN) is the largest network in the world with millions of ad impressions daily, reaching over 81% of global online users, with an average of 30 ad exposures per person. The GDN also targets a range of sites, across over 60 different individual categories. This means that no matter who you are, or what industry you are in, people are looking for what you have to sell. The number one challenge is putting yourself in front of those people when they are ready to buy what you are selling.

Major players are maximizing this form of advertising and integrating it into their marketing strategies. In fact, the Senior Director of Hilton Worldwide, Dustin Bomar says, "Google's Display Network allows us to reach multiple customer segments at scale and it will continue to be a foundational piece of our online marketing." (View Hilton's Ad)

When you advertise on the Google Network, you aren't just advertising on Google's Search Engine. You are actually advertising on over 1 million websites around the world. I'm sure you have noticed those pesky little ads on websites that say 'AdChoices' on the bottom. There are text, picture, and video ads. Those are all ads designed by Google and they are meant to help the user search for more relevant information pertaining to the website you are visiting at that time. It's mind boggling that most people avoid clicking on those links.

All the Google products are legitimate. They have worked very hard to make your web experience as easy and effortless as possible so don't be afraid to click on their ads on websites. They aren't going to hurt you. Instead, they will benefit you. However, once you become a Google Affiliate and begin to include these ads on your websites, you must never entice or coerce people to click on those ads because it's considered fraud by Google and you will be banned from the program for life. Google also works very hard to maintain the integrity of the program.

BENEFITS OF THE GOOGLE DISPLAY NETWORK

• Inventory Opportunities
  • Largest advertising network
  • Diverse typology and size of sites
• Formats flexibility
  • Wide range of targeting options
  • Pricing models flexibility
• Audience advertising and user behavior
  • Targeting demo/psychographics
  • Generate product awareness
  • Capture web users during Internet navigation
• Display
  • Strategic opportunities
  • Wide range of display formats and tools
  • Proven synergy between display and search
• ROI control
  • Smart pricing
  • Direct response effectiveness
  • Several features to control costs

Learn more about the Google Display Network

Why Has Online Advertising Become So Popular? ISSUE 28 - 2/27/12

Online advertising has taken the world by storm over the last decade. Technology is becoming more efficient, more affordable, and more interesting than in previous decades. I always like to put your thoughts in the mind of the consumer, so imagine this for just a moment:

You wake up in the morning, do a light stretch to get your blood flowing, and immediately look down at your phone to see if the little light is blinking, "You've Got a Message. You've Got a Message. You've Got a Message." You unlock your iPhone and click on Facebook to see who sent you the messages while you were sleeping. Then you notice there are other alerts waiting for you to look at - the daily news, your horoscope, your sports scores, the weather, etc. etc.

After your daily jog, you grab a cup of coffee and sit down at the kitchen table with your iPad in hand. You check your email and there's a funny YouTube video in your inbox from your son's baseball coach with footage from the game the night before. Your son hit his first home run. Too bad you weren't there but at least you didn't miss it entirely.

Now you're at work. You walk in the office door and after getting your second cup of coffee, you sit down in front of the computer to get caught up on your daily emails from corporate. Within about 10 minutes, you get bored and decide to catch up on the running for the election. What's a little CNN going to hurt, right? Before you realize it, it's lunch time. You've been surfing the web for three hours.

The day isn't even half way over and you've already been in front of some type of Internet device for almost 4 hours. Does this sound familiar? I have good news, you aren't alone. The bad news is, you're not alone. You may not even realize it, but you have just been exposed to about 200 advertisements and the day isn't even halfway over. In fact, the average American is exposed to about 5 gigabytes of information a day. If you're a consumer, you're on information overload. If you're a business owner, you have a lot of work in front of you.

ONLINE: NOT JUST ANOTHER MEDIA - A WHOLE 'PARALLEL UNIVERSE'

More and more people are spending more and more time in front of the computer. Since the economy has been on the fritz for quite some time now, people are staying in much more and going out much less. This leaves you with such a great opportunity to reach more eyeballs and spend less money than ever before. You just have to learn how to be creative if you want your messages to stand out from all the rest of the people just like you.

Offline media such as TV, Print, Radio, and anything Outdoors is extremely expensive and can only be maximized by those companies with the resources to invest in this medium. One of the main reasons is that these channels primarily focus on awareness and consideration and come with a hefty price tag. You aren't going to be effective in a world where consumers are able to dodge these messages because of technology. A perfect example for this is TIVO/DVR. You can record all your favorite shows and fast-forward through the commercials. In the world of business, this is a nightmare. In the world of being a consumer, it's a blessing.

Take a moment to study the following information. It's designed to help you understand what stages of the buying cycle your efforts are focused on in the eyes of the consumer:

Offline Media

• Awareness and Consideration
  • TV, Print, Radio, Outdoor
• Consideration and Trial
  • In-store
• Repurchase/Loyalty
  • Direct Mail



Online Media

• Awareness and Consideration
  • Image Ads
  • Video Ads
• Awareness, Consideration, Trial
  • Gadget Ads
• Consideration, Trial, Repurchase/Loyalty
  • Website
• Repurchase/Loyalty
  • Email
• Awareness, Consideration, Trial, Repurchase/Loyalty
  • Google Search

NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHY, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ATTACK?

Before you run and start advertising online, make sure to follow the guidelines we set forth for you. Wasting your money and time is probably the last thing you want to do so let's make sure you do everything right the first time. Think about and answer the following questions before you get started:

What is the Marketing Objective of your campaign?

• Brand Awareness?
• Direct Sales and Acquisition?
• Developing New Markets?

Consider

• The product costs involved
• The ability to effectively target and measure an audience
• The popularity with consumers
• Ability to target customers at home or abroad in an efficient manner

We have recently partnered up with Google to sell their products and services. For all new customers, we are currently able to offer you $100 of FREE Google Advertising dollars. If you would like to learn more, please email us at info@suitedmarketing.com.

"You focus on what you do best. We focus on your success!"
Stay tuned for more on how to get your website on Google and online advertising. In this series, we will be talking about why online advertising has become so popular; the different stages of the buying cycle, and how you can capitalize on each; why Google advertising is so important; how you can tap into Google's search network; and much, much more! We're really excited to share this information with you and hope you get a wealth of knowledge and value from our posts.

Levinson, Jay Conrad
Guerrilla Marketing, 4th edition: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your SmallBusiness - Kindle	Guerrilla Social Media Marketing: 100+ Weapons to Grow Your Online Influence, Attract Customers, and Drive Profits - Kindle	Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet: The Definitive Guide from the Father of Guerrilla Marketing - Kindle

Why Is Google Advertising So Important? ISSUE 27 - 2/23/12

Advertising on the web is by far the most cost effective and efficient method of advertising, especially for a small business owner.  No more is advertising based solely on the amount of dollars in your pocket, but instead, relevance to what people are looking for.  Small business owners usually have little extra money to waste and therefore, must target their potential customers in a very streamlined fashion.  Large companies are able to afford traditional forms of advertising where their messages are broadcast to the masses.

ONLINE IS MASS MARKET

Technology has created a very impersonal world, which is why today, the small business owner rules.  Building relationships and connecting with people on a personal level has become more important in the business world than ever before.

Put yourself in the shoes of a consumer for a moment.  How many times have you been frustrated when you have called a company only to get the automated system?  You have probably hung up as soon as you heard the system and either moved on to the next or just said, "Forget it" and hung up the phone altogether.  Do you want your customers reacting in a similar fashion or do you want your customers to rant and rave about you to everyone they know?  I'm going to assume you are going to choose the latter.

Since 77% of North American households are on the Internet and 228 million people are online in North America alone, it's time to begin focusing your efforts on the methods that not only will give you the best Return on Investment, but will also make your efforts much more efficient.

IMPORTANCE OF GOOGLE ADVERTISING

Consider how people are using the Internet -- people go online to learn and discover new things, people go online to connect with other people, people go online to research the latest products and promotions, people go online to buy things, people go online to solve problems, etc. etc.

Having said that, searching drives results and captures interest.  When a person does a Google search and receives results, they are taken to another website on the Google Display Network (GDP).  In other words, Google only shows the results of pages that are connected to them.  After the person goes to a page on the GDP, they will almost always return to Google to further refine their search.

Each and every time this person goes back and forth, they are seeing paid ads posted by advertisers.  Advertising on the Google network means your ads will appear on Google properties with a wide and relevant reach.

Google is comprised of all types of companies in every industry with a few major players listed below.

Google Search Partners who also use Google Search technology

• Tesco, AOL, Virgin, Ask, BT, NTLWorld

Google Content Partners

• TimesOnline, NTL:, Daily Mail, Virgin

As previously mentioned, you don't have to be a big company to advertise on Google.  First and foremost, you must educate yourself and secondly, you must get started.  The more time that goes by, the more opportunities that are passing you by.  

We have recently partnered up with Google to sell their products and services.  For all new customers, we are currently running a promotion for $100 of FREE Google Advertising dollars.  If you would like to learn more, please email us at info@suitedmarketing.com.  As our motto goes, "You focus on what you do best. We focus on your success!"

Stay tuned for more on how to get your website on Google and online advertising.  In the coming blog posts, we will be talking about why online advertising has become so popular; the different stages of the buying cycle, and how you can capitalize on each; why Google advertising is so important; how you can tap into Google's search network; and much, much more!  We're really excited to share this information with you and hope you get a wealth of knowledge and value from our posts.