Here’s what Paula and Joe have to say about the recent Genius Network Mastermind meeting:
Other BIG business minds networking at the event:
If you are looking for an environment of big minds with bigger futures sharing their elegant ideas with one another for the betterment of their companies and communities, then see if this is the right fit for you: www.GeniusNetworkMastermind.com
Comments (1)
Feb 25 2010
Only two answers to that question…
… no and hell no.
I am continually dumbfounded by the ideas coming out of Washington to try to create jobs and stimulate the economy.
The business acumen of most of the politicians’ brains in Washington could pretty much fill a thimble.
Maybe that’s too harsh… let’s say a coffee mug.
What’s this have to do with marketing? Actually, a lot.
You see, the way D.C. tries to create economic growth is not unlike many with careers in the image advertising space. They have a canny combination of being Dumb and Complicated at the same time.
They present unproven, unsupported, and untrackable recommendations – and present it in such a long complicated, long-winded way, that you simply give up and say “well, they must know what they are doing.”
Here’s a hint for you… if someone cannot quickly explain key metrics that will show if a plan (or ad) IS working, or is not, then they don’t really have a smart plan for you.
The blind leading the blind…
I had an owner of a restoration company tell me that he has been paying TEN thousand a month in 4-color full-page ads with two local directories.
I asked him how many jobs he’s gotten from the ads – and he said none. In THREE years, none.
You do the math.
“But I need to be in the yellow pages… and the rep insists that when the flood happens they will choose my 2 page spread over the others.”
For that kind of money, the YP rep should be going through neighborhoods busting pipes for the guy.
And that rep will continue to insist that he needs to be in those books to give impressions to the marketplace so they will recognize him as a reliable brand.
Pure horse doo-doo.
And I can’t get mad at the YP rep. He doesn’t know any better. “Success” to him is landing another big ad – not that his clients’ ads actually work at bringing in money.
The business owner though… I can get mad at him. That is a lot of money to be blindly paying with NO accountability, NO tracking, and NO results.
I don’t care how crazy-busy his business and life are… it’s his responsibility as a business owner to run his business, and manage his money, responsibly. If he can’t do that, then he needs to close his doors and go work for someone else man (or woman) enough to run a business right.
Waiting for some of that STIMULUS money?
Yeah, me neither.
I am one of those crazy entrepreneurs who prefers to work in the real world, and take actions to create real money.
Handouts are for sissies.
So – how to create your own stimulus? That’s easy – you need to employ a direct response marketing mindset throughout your entire company.
What does this mean? It means every action, every expense, needs to be taken to create a specific and immediate result.
You need to be MILITANT about every dollar you put into your marketing, and know exactly what return on investment you generate from every one.
If you have no idea where to start, here are a few suggestions for you:
1) Go to download “Seven Steps To A Successful Ad” – and use this FREE article to evaluate EVERY ad and marketing piece coming from your company. Marketing done correctly is an investment, not an expense. Properly executed, it will generate a constant growing cash flow for you.
2) If you are not using our Healthy Home Client Newsletter – then it’s time to take action on getting this started. This is Piranha’s #1 repeat and referral business generator for our members. You are LOSING thousands of dollars in jobs every month you put off getting this done.
3) If you want an education on direct response marketing and the importance of being a metrics junkie then you are going to love Joe Polish’s Genius Network interview with Marketing Powerhouse MaryEllen Tribby.
4) Finally, if you are looking for turn-key templates, campaigns, and ready-to-roll strategies to grow your cleaning or restoration company – take that wasted money you are putting into the yellow pages and put it into something that is guaranteed to generate jobs. Piranha has a complete Marketing Kit for Cleaners to remove all of the guesswork out of what to use, and all of it field-tested for cash creation performance.
5) Just do SOMETHING. Sitting around thinking about what to do gives an illusion that something is being done, when nothing is getting done. That’s a DC move – hold a bunch of press conferences to talk about how hard everyone is working. That is fake work. You want to see REAL work – then go follow a Piranha Member out making money by taking action.
If you want to talk to one of our business growth consultants, the Piranha Team is always happy to help entrepreneurs who want to work to grow their companies. Give us a call at 800-275-2643.
In fact, if you call our office for more information and mention this DC BLOG, they will give you a special (and free) business growth gift.
When they identify your biggest business need right now, we will make the gift specific to that area so it’s not some random, no thought item (that would be soooo D.C. to give you something you can’t even use…).
Look, I know I got political here. If you think my view of D.C. is not on target, let me know in a comment below. And if the stimulus has actually helped YOU – I want to know that also. It’s almost like a sighting of Big Foot… I just don’t believe it until I see it.
And I would NEVER let D.C. run my business. Unless I wanted it run into the ground.
- Lisa
Comments (6)
Feb 10 2010
Today’s post is a friendly heads-up for Piranha Members and other Cleaners and Restorers using Social Media to grow their Cleaning and Restoration business.
Most Piranha Members are ethically and effectively monetizing their internet presence by dominating local search engine results pages (for free) as well as monetizing social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). In fact, Piranha Coaching Members have had advanced, but easy “how to” step-by-step coaching on this stuff.
Today however we wanted to share this some insights with every RichCleanerBlog Reader, Cleaner and Restorer.
Recently a software program launched charging from $23 per month up to $100 per month that is said to automatically find and connect potential Cleaning Clients on Twitter and then automatically solicit your Cleaning services to those prospects. However, automated software like this could actually get your Twitter account terminated… BUT, there are ways to generate and convert leads from Twitter that are FREE and won’t get your account terminated. That’s what this post is all about.
The following comes from one of Piranha’s “Expert Coaches” – Dan Hollings, Internet Strategies for “The Secret” hit movie and Twitter (www.TwitterTwenius.com). For several years, Dan has taught Piranha Members how to dominate local search engine results pages and monetize social media at our live events, in several of our Coaching Membership Calls and even on this blog…
Here’s the insider’s scoop from Dan Holling’s on How To Create a FREE Twitter Machine to Find and Connect With Potential Carpet Cleaning & Restoration Clients:
It’s easy to be lured into automated systems that promise to do all the work while you sit back and just cash big checks. Lately, there have been a string of robotic systems related to Social Media and Twitter, some of which claim to not only find and close customers for you… but from their sales page, you’d think they’d actually do the job and make coffee too.
BEWARE!
Read the Official Twitter RULES first:
www.budurl.com/therules
Note a few Twitter rules such as:
- If you send large numbers of unsolicited @replies in an attempt to spam a service or link
- If you send large numbers of duplicate @replies
- If you post duplicate content over multiple accounts or multiple duplicate updates on one account
If you violate even ONE of these rules, even ONE time. You might as well call it quits for Twitter, because your account may be terminated or delisted from search. Worse yet, you’ll get no customers and you’ll lose money.
Remember these 2 core LAWS of Social Media:
Success = Human Interaction
Failure = Robotic Nonsense
So, with that out of the way, let’s look at ONE way to potentially find prospects and customers on Twitter based on keyword searches. This strategy accomplishes what other systems charge hundreds of dollars for, without risking your account and for little, if any money.
STEP ONE
STEP TWO
STEP THREE
STEP FOUR
THAT’S IT
You have created a Twitter Machine (ie: strategy) that automates the “locating” of potential customers, yet does not insult these potential customers with an obvious automated message. Plus, you are not violating any of Twitters rules… and DRUM ROLL PLEASE…
It’s F R E E !!
BONUS TIP: Offering a free Consumer Awareness Guide might be a good idea. But only if a customer and interaction seem appropriate. However, do NOT offer it to every Twitter user you interact with.
You can follow Dan on Twitter at: Twitter.com/DHollings
You can follow Joe on Twitter at: Twitter.com/JPolish
You can follow Lisa on Twitter at: Twitter.com/LisaTheRugChick
Connect with Piranha Marketing on Facebook at: Piranha Marketing on Facebook
Comments (1)
Dec 17 2009
