I just signed up for a free e-course that Perry Marshall (The Google Adwords Guru) is offering on using free white papers (i.e. special reports) for lead generation vs. traditional cold calling. This is a recommendation I've been sharing with my clients for years because it's SO much easier than dialing for dollars.

Perry included a quote in his latest email to me that I thought summed up WHY giving leads a free gift is such a powerful marketing strategy, that I just had to share it. It's actually attributed to Steven Covey ... it's from his very popular book '7 Habits of Highly Effective People.'

In the book, Covey talks about the idea of an "emotional bank account" that everyone has.

=> When you do something good for someone, you make a deposit into their emotional bank account.

=> When you ask someone to do something for you, you make a withdrawal.

=> If the account balance is zero, they will ignore your request.

=> And here's the KICKER: Most advertisers and marketers try to make a WITHDRAWAL from a customer before they've made a DEPOSIT.

No wonder making sales is such an uphill battle!

Perry goes on to share that a white paper (aka a special report) is a way to make a deposit before you make a withdrawal -- with useful, problem solving information. People are much more responsive to this type of marketing than they are to traditional advertising.

WHY? Because it builds trust and credibility like no other kind of advertising can.

If you're not currently using this type of lead generation in your business, you need to strongly consider incorporating it into your marketing. Perry's free e-course on white papers is a great way to learn more. And YES, it is an example of exactly what he's talking about - it's a lead generator for his business. So you can see how he does it, while also learning something you can immediately put to work in your business. You can sign up for the free ecourse here.

I just created a new Special Report called "Great Brands" and you can download it for free at www.1HourBranding.com. It includes 31 different brands, including people, products and services, that can all be summed up in a word or phrase. I'll bet you know them all!

In fact, you'll get a chance to test your own knowledge of these brands with my Brand Quiz in this Special Report. You can get your free copy at www.1HourBranding.com.

Are you feeling the pinch of today's economy? Are you feeling more pressure than ever to do more with less? Let's face it ... times are tough right now and we all have to be mindful of how we spend our marketing (and other!) dollars.

If you could get the same or better results from your marketing while spending less, you'd want to do that, wouldn't you? At a time when most businesses are cutting back on marketing, and limiting their growth, there is a marketing secret that could potentially allow you to cut back and still get the same or even better results.

There is a way to maximize the effectiveness of all of your marketing. To get the greatest "bang for the buck!" An easy way to make sure you stand out from the crowd. A simple way to make you practically immune from competition.

This is a secret all the big guys know, but one that very few small business marketers take advantage of. The secret is in "branding" your business. And it's very likely one of the biggest challenges you face as a small business marketer or solo-professional.

But the bottom-line is, if you can create a strong brand, you will be remembered. And that's the first step to being CHOSEN.

I'd like to ask you three questions...

(1) Does your business stand for something clear and unmistakable?

(2) Do you stand out from your competitors

(3) Do you have a BRAND or just a business?

To market successfully, you NEED a brand. So make sure you take the time to determine what you want your business to stand for. What you want to be known for. Because that is your brand and it should be front and center in all of your marketing. Because it will allow you to attract exactly the right clients, and gain more trust and ultimately more business.

I just introduced a new program called the 1-Hour Branding System to help solo-professionals and small business owners create their own brand. And of course, it was designed in my signature, one hour, simple, step-by-step style ... after all, that's MY brand!

You can get all the details at www.1HourBranding.com

Here's a free little gift for you on Valentine's Day!

As you know I am a big fan of Article Marketing. Writing articles in your area of expertise and posting them on free article directories on the Internet is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field, drive traffic to your website, build your email list, and just plain build your business.

Christopher Knight, founder of EzineArticles.com, my favorite article marketing directory website just added a really cool new feature. It's a widget you can use to feature your most current articles on your own website or blog. It's very easy to use and you can even customize the widget to match your site.

I've already added widgets to my blog and two of my websites. You can see the widgets in action right here on my blog and on my 10stepmarketing website and on my 6FigureWorkAtHomeMom website.

If you're an EzineArticles author and you want to add a widget to your site, you can get all the details on the EzineArticles Blog.

And if you're not yet using Article Marketing, I encourage you to learn more about this powerful and FREE marketing tool. You can start with the following article from my free article library: How to Massively Multiply Your Web Exposure AND Position Yourself As An Expert

I just found out that WE Magazine is creating a Who's Who Directory of Women in eCommerce and you can submit your listing for free. This directory will be a resource that will list women who have an online presence either in the form of a website or blog and who promote a product or service via their site. The only requirement is your business must be at least one year old. So if this is you, go register for your free listing. I just did! The deadline is February 28th.

You can find out more and submit your listing here.

I just found out that Christopher Knight of EzineArticles, my favorite article directory, has launched a free 12-part email-based training to help you use EzineArticles and get the most out of your Article Marketing.

I just signed up myself and I wanted to let you know about it right away so you can, too.

To sign up, just go to http://www.ezinearticles.com/training/

You'll be required to confirm your subscription in order to receive the course. FYI, my confirmation email went into my spam folder. So if you don't receive it, you may want to check there for it!

Enjoy this free gift!