Debbie LaChusa

Tony Robbins said, "If you want to be successful, find someone who achieved the results you want and copy what they do, and you'll achieve the same results."

What if someone you trusted gave you advice along with step by step instructions you needed to take, in order to become wildly successful in YOUR business? What would that be worth to you?

I am very excited to announce that I have joined together with nine successful entrepreneurs who have pooled their expertise to help you go "From Employee to Entrepreneur." You can learn how I did it, along with these other nine successful entrepreneurs here.

I am so excited to be a part of this project and to be in the company of such an amazing group of entrepreneurs. Almost makes me want to pinch myself!

I encourage you to check this out today. We're even offering special Early Bird Pricing until November 18th. You can get all the details here.

Sunday, November 11th is my birthday and I'm celebrating my 46th birthday. So I thought I'd do something a little crazy.

I've decided to offer my complete 10stepmarketing System for only $46!

That's one dollar for each year I'm celebrating!

It's a savings of more than $50 and more than 50%! And absolutely the lowest price I will EVER offer my complete 10stepmarketing System for.

I told you it was CRAZY! :-)

This offer is only valid through Sunday, November 11, 2007. After that, it goes away, just like my birthday cake and party balloons!

You can get all the details about my award-winning 10stepmarketing System and get your special birthday blowout price on the Digital Ebook version here.

After all, now is the perfect time to start working on your marketing plan for 2008.

And thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday!

When you think of branding, you probably think of big businesses. Companies like Nike, Apple Computers and Target. These companies spend millions of dollars every year to create a perception of their company in the minds of their customers ... to create their brand. And because they do this successfully, their businesses flourish.

Or you may think of well-known celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Donald Trump and even Dr. Phil. Like them or not, it's an indisputable fact that they are KNOWN. When you hear their names you have an instantaneous impression of who they are and what they stand for.

THAT is branding. You may wonder … does this really apply to me in my solo-pro business?

The answer is absolutely YES!

After all, whether you're a coach, consultant, accountant, photographer or just about any other kind of service professional, without a DEFINITIVE brand identity, how do you expect people to remember you? How do you expect people to decide whether not they want to do business, or affiliate, with you?

And, here's the real kicker...

When you successfully create a strong brand, people will be more likely to hire you and pay more for your services because they perceive you as the top EXPERT in YOUR field.

If you’ve ever struggled with how to separate yourself from the pack, click here to learn how you can create a memorable brand and all the benefits that go along with it.

Since we are talking about branding this month, I wanted to share a great example of branding from a solo-professional. No, she didn't hire a big marketing agency to develop a brand positioning for her. No, she doesn't have a great big marketing budget. Yes, she is just like you ... a solo-professional marketing herself.

Meet Debi Silber, also known as The Mojo Coach. Debi is a fitness professional and health coach. She was smart enough from day one to pick a very specific target audience. Debi works exclusively with moms. Why? Because she is one and because she knows and understand this audience well. And she knew she could help them.

After many years of training and coaching moms, Debi realized that what she was really doing was helping moms "get their mojo back." And from that point on, Debi became "The Mojo Coach."

This is a brilliant brand positioning. It has personality (that matches Debi's by the way), it is memorable, it separates her from all the other fitness professionals and health coaches, and it resonates with HER target audience.

Bravo to Debi for creating a powerful Brand YOU!

I am sharing the full interview I recorded with Debi with my Step of the Month Club members this month because I think it is such a great example.

If you'd like to learn more about The Mojo Coach, you'll find her online at www.lifestylefitnessinc.com

Oh, and if you're a mom interested in her services, just tell her that Debbie from 10stepmarketing sent you and she'll give you a 10% discount. Another great example of marketing - offering a referral incentive!

The other day I went to my mailbox to pick up my mail. Inside my box was a bright orange slip letting me know I had a package. I handed the slip to the girl at the counter and she returned with a big purple and white box. I was immediately intrigued. After all, I wasn't expecting package.

The package was from Yahoo Search Marketing. Now I was even more intrigued ... what could they be sending me in such a big box? I couldn't wait to open it! It's important to note here that as a regular Google search advertiser, and a one-time Yahoo search advertiser, I regularly get direct marketing postcards from Yahoo, eager to get my business back. I didn't get very good results with my initial Yahoo search marketing campaign, despite the fact the Yahoo experts set it up for me, so these postcards usually go right into the trash can.

But you can bet I wasn't going to throw away this big purple box! When I opened it I found a small brochure and a purple Yahoo button. The button reminded me of the Staples "Easy" button - you've seen it if you've seen the Staples TV commercials. When I pushed the purple Yahoo button, it hollered "YAHOOOO!" It was hysterical!

Click Here to Listen to the Yahoo Button

Of course I've had lots of fun playing with the Yahoo button ... I shared it with my husband, my son and my dogs (they really don't know what to make of it!).

But my point with all of this is to illustrate the power of an unusual direct marketing piece. I haven't yet decided whether or not to give Yahoo Search Marketing another try, but you can bet that purple Yahoo button is still sitting on my desk, reminding me every day to consider it.

You may not be able to afford to send something so elaborate or expensive. But you could probably come up with something unexpected to send to your prospects or clients. Even if it costs you more than a traditional postcard, if it gets opened and does NOT get thrown away, it may just be worth it. Of course, you'll want to track and test to find out for sure.

Have you ever received an intriguing direct mail piece. If so, post a comment to tell us about it!

It's the end of the year and that means it's time to start evaluating how effective your marketing was this year, so you can apply that learning as you create next year's marketing plan. If during that evaluation you find you're not getting the results you want from your current marketing, there's a good chance it's because you're only doing tactical marketing. 

So what exactly does that mean? Isn't marketing, marketing?

The answer is, no. There are two kinds of marketing: strategic marketing and tactical marketing. And, there is a distinct difference between the two.

Tactical marketing is the actual activity you are doing to market your business. It includes things like networking, advertising, direct mail, publishing an ezine, article marketing. Yes, these are all valid ways to market your business. So, what's the problem?

Without a well-thought-out marketing strategy behind them, your chances of finding success with any or all of these marketing tactics is limited. That's where strategic marketing comes in.

Just like it sounds, strategic marketing means you have a strategy behind your marketing. A "game plan" if you will. It involves spending some time BEFORE you market to determine exactly what you want to accomplish and setting some marketing goals for your business. It means creating a marketing plan ... a foundation for your marketing tactics to stand on.

Now is a great time to evaluate whether you have a strategic marketing plan - a solid foundation for your marketing to stand on, or whether you are just out there doing tactical marketing (marketing without a plan).

Next week I will be introducing a brand new tool to help you create a marketing plan quicker and easier than ever. So be sure to check back!