Episode #20 - A young lad appeared at my door the other day trying to offer me a free alarm system.  Problem was I know this ploy very well.  When I showed him that I knew the scheme he was lost for words.  As it happens, it’s not a bad offer.  You DO get a free alarm system, but the cost is spread over the course of a few years with monthly maintenance fees, kinda’ like cellphone deals.  If he had just been honest and upfront, he’d make a lot more sales.  These days customers value someone they can trust more than ever before.  If they get the feeling that someone’s trying to dupe them, mislead them or play tricks, they tend to put a large barrier of resistance up.

The viewer question comes from Mimi Whittaker of KingofCrown in California.  She faces a common issue of the economic downturn.  I provide 3 ways anyone (even you) can promote their business for free.  Marketing doesn’t need to cost a lot of money, especially when you get creative!

The nifty click is a little known website that gives you instant recommendations on what to read, based on a book you’ve just read.  In other words, if you liked ‘x’ then you’ll love ‘y’.  The recommendations are based on the experiences of readers with similar tastes as yours.  It’s like Pandora for bookworms!

This episode’s BIG marketing lesson is from In n Out burger, the fast food restaurant chain.  Did you know they have a ’secret’ menu?  Yep, it’s true.  This encourages word of mouth viral marketing.  Everyone wants to be in on a secret, so what can you do with your business?  I give some suggestions.

Resources and websites mentioned in this episode:

PRWeb (Online press release submission service)

WhatShouldIReadNext (helpful book recommendations based on what you’ve just read)

Regards,

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