tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93474152008-07-25T11:36:49.186-04:00Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comBlogger269125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-83525968891206589522008-07-22T09:56:00.000-04:002008-07-22T09:56:56.057-04:00

.... It's awfully quiet. .... Nothing? Really? Making money with your website by leaving your profits to chance is like buying a lottery ticket. You might win -- anything is possible -- but the odds are against you. If you're serious about making money online, make testing part of your web marketing strategy. Let's look at why testing matters and what to test and when. Why Testing Matters A

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-14593948140419728322008-07-15T13:46:00.001-04:002008-07-15T17:07:48.400-04:00

"My web site stinks! I've been spending thousands of dollars a week on pay-per-click ads but they're not paying for themselves. I'm only getting a few leads and sales from my site. What am doing wrong? How do I get my web site to sell?" Martha C., NY What's Missing From Your Web Site? Are you wondering why all the people who come to your web site don't contact you or buy from you? You know you've

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-46850376164537136002008-07-14T07:58:00.000-04:002008-07-14T11:13:52.216-04:00

What do most small business owners do when faced with a recession? What do they do when buyers are fewer and far between? Earlier this week I blogged about how to grow your business when times are tough and I know that your instincts may be to do the wrong thing. The natural tendency is to get scared and cut back on your marketing and hope that the downturn is short lived and you have cash

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-89478502864045178802008-07-09T08:24:00.000-04:002008-07-09T08:41:32.001-04:00

"Email marketing doesn't work!" People who say this have it wrong. They're confusing the medium with the message. You may get dozens if not hundreds of emails each day that are tossed into your bulk mail or spam folder before you even see them. Of those that you do open, sometimes by mistake, most want to sell you stuff that you don't want or need. It's true that a lot of email is pure junk,

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-22846077697388002632008-06-27T14:41:00.003-04:002008-06-27T14:48:05.669-04:00

Sometimes marketing your business can be fun. One company executive wandered into his testing lab and decided to bring in a film crew to document how his products were tested with a dash of humor. The result? A series of videos that are getting millions of views on youtube and have increased sales by 500%. Take a look at their most popular video > And then come up with one you can use to

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-1128044373349816492008-06-25T11:23:00.004-04:002008-06-25T12:58:27.138-04:00

"I just lost my biggest client because of a corporate cost cutting mandate. I was getting 60% of my business from them! What do I do?" - Bob, Minneapolis MN I hear more and more small business owners worrying about a business slowdown, if they aren't already feeling the effects of one. Have you ever lost a major client unexpectedly or seen your sales drop over a short period? It can take your

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-87998594142766261762008-06-19T14:03:00.000-04:002008-06-19T14:03:55.409-04:00

Yesterday, I mentioned the free audio CD of the '7 Steps to Get More Clients and Grow Your Business' that I'm giving away. Please carefully read this next line... This is NOT some brand new, unproven, bet your hopes you'll succeed program. I've put this simple wealth building strategy to the test as have my clients and it's helped bring in millions in revenue. If you've ever wanted to discover

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-88610934770379185102008-06-17T16:39:00.003-04:002008-06-18T20:24:30.687-04:00

Every day I get emails from people who've read the free report, '7 Steps to Get More Clients and Grow Your Business' and they tell me it is life-changing, people like you have said it's incredibly helpful and they're already using it to grow their business. But there's one catch, a hidden flaw, in this PDF version of this small business marketing report... Not everybody wants to take the time

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-17790143625133858232008-06-16T09:42:00.001-04:002008-06-24T13:07:40.941-04:00

What's the one web marketing disaster that happens every day? It happens to almost every website owner dozens, if not hundreds, of times a day. A visitor clicks to your site. They take a look at your home page and then they leave without so much as an email or phone call to you. If you have a top search engine position, this may happen hundreds of times a day. If you're using pay-per-click

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-65936304285164054892008-06-10T16:40:00.002-04:002008-06-10T18:22:59.830-04:00

"I get most of my new business from referrals." Every small business owner and marketer wants to be able to say these 9 words. When you can say this, it means you aren't struggling to increase leads or frustrated with trying to convince prospects to buy from you. When it's true, your clients and business associates are doing your marketing for you. When a prospect is referred to you, they're

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-31656683030461673142008-06-03T07:00:00.000-04:002008-06-04T07:54:05.328-04:00

What's the Once Thing 35 out of 40 Businesses Forget to Do That Kills The Sale? "I'm having trouble selling my hearing aids even though I discount them 30%. Should I sell it for even less?" -- George R., MI Why Prospects Don't Buy Ever wonder why your prospects aren't buying? You know the situation. You've got a qualified prospect on the phone or you're meeting with them in person and they've

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-8118156684051770202008-05-22T10:50:00.003-04:002008-05-22T11:13:08.463-04:00

The number one question I hear from web site owners is, "How can I attract more people to my website?" You want to know: - What works to put your site on the first page of Google? - How to play the search engine game without getting thrown out? - How to stop wasting time on your search engine positioning and finally start getting results so you can make money with your site? If you're

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-56334543048731355332008-05-20T11:07:00.005-04:002008-05-20T12:25:51.987-04:00

"There's no free lunch." Baloney! Whether you're just starting out or have a well-established business, the truth is that some of the most powerful ways to grow your business can be had for free! And these work whether you're netting $50,000 a year business or a $10,000,000 a year business. Here are two no-cost, high return ideas you can take to the bank: Use Free Publicity To Increase Sales

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-60783841537260579262008-05-13T09:55:00.002-04:002008-05-13T09:59:56.218-04:00

A month ago I was approached by someone who wanted to podcast my weekly small business marketing ideas and tips. No charge. He'd do it in return for permission to use them on this site. We've now got 4 small business marketing ideas podcast. Take a listen and let me know what you think. Listen to my small business marketing ideas >> - Charlie Small Business Marketing For Self-Made Millionaires

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-46638100437542445792008-05-13T08:38:00.003-04:002008-05-13T10:03:27.572-04:00

You can use this small business marketing tip to close more sales. You've got a live qualified prospect on the phone and you don't want to lose this one. What do you do when they hesitate to make a commitment and want to think about it? You know that if the prospect disconnects without placing an order, the chances are slim that they'll call back and you'll get the sale. What do you do? Last

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-6905521899128573172008-05-08T09:41:00.006-04:002008-05-15T13:59:23.815-04:00

Know of any good web designers? I'm constantly getting requests for qualified web design firms and coming up short on answers. I have a few I regularly funnel work to but they quickly get swamped with the number of requests I get. If you're a highly qualified web designer, living here in the U.S. or Canada or know of one you'd like to refer, please use the comment box below to let me know.

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-20569507422297315632008-04-28T21:35:00.006-04:002008-04-29T09:45:32.227-04:00

What, No Sales Team For Your Small Business? To listen to the podcast of this blog online, use this link >> Can you grow your business without a sales team? Do you need a team of aggressive sales people on the phone calling prospects, closing deals and taking orders? The short answer is NO. You don't need a sales team to be successful. And if you have one, you could be feeding them a lot

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-26912947451473765722008-04-24T14:37:00.000-04:002008-04-27T18:43:50.576-04:00

Where To Find The Most Clients... Are you pulling in new clients one by one when you could be bringing them in by the dozens or even hundreds? Most people make the mistake of marketing to bring in new leads individually when they could be bringing many at a time. If you fished for a living and had the choice of two places to drop your nets, where would you go fishing - in the spot where you'd

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-28931861166790924222008-04-24T10:43:00.000-04:002008-04-24T10:44:07.155-04:00

To listen to the podcast of this blog online, use this link >> You've got a qualified prospect on the phone and you know they could use your products or services. What do you do? What do you say to convince them to buy from you today? Should you start by telling them about the features of the products you sell or the high-tech machines you'll be using to get the work done or about the history

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-89066597490941904222008-04-16T08:05:00.001-04:002008-05-03T15:47:51.576-04:00

Ever have a client you really liked working with quit? You know how upsetting it can be. This week, one of my favorite clients, wrote me to let me know that he wanted to stop working with me after just two months. Did I blow it, tick him off or what? You be the judge. Kris Simmons, of FireEye Productions owns a web and video production company. In 2007 he'd seen a devastating slow down in

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-57150397181499699402008-04-15T10:36:00.006-04:002008-04-15T17:35:44.754-04:00

Listen to the podcast of this blog online with this link >> Were your sales stagnant last year? How was the first quarter of 2008? What's the problem? Is it the economy? With all the news about the mortgage meltdown, sinking real estate values, rising unemployment and warnings of a recession, it's easy to feel anxious and pessimistic. But don't assume that your slow sales can be blamed on a

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-77002532558554577952008-04-07T11:48:00.000-04:002008-04-07T11:48:18.424-04:00

How well does your small business marketing work? Use this marketing checklist marketing to help prospects become clients and customers today. - Charlie Proven Small Business Marketing

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-31104475997929107782008-04-05T10:22:00.002-04:002008-04-05T10:25:11.304-04:00

Most small business owners spend tens of thousands of dollars each year on advertising that doesn't work. They spend thousands of dollars on print and pay per click advertising that costs more than it brings in in sales. Sound familiar? The secret to using ads to generate more revenue is to stop using them to sell. I know what you're thinking. You're saying to yourself, "aren't ads supposed to

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-62448919560974496392008-04-03T10:25:00.000-04:002008-04-03T10:25:28.231-04:00

Running your business often means starting work early in the mornings, working evenings and the occasional Saturday and Sunday. Wouldn't you like to cut back this year, ease up a little, maybe take a few Friday afternoons off or get away on vacation this summer? How can you do this and at the same time build marketing momentum? You know that you could expand your business if your marketing was

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9347415.post-56177212493276569322008-03-18T18:09:00.003-04:002008-03-18T20:16:20.974-04:00

This Friday I'm flying out to Calgary, Canada with my son for our annual steep and deep ski trip. Each year we spend a week together skiing ourselves silly in out of the way places like Kicking Horse and Revelstoke in British Columbia that most people haven't heard of. And I got to thinking why shouldn't you get to go on a vacation too? I've been successful enough to own a home here in

Charlie Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410439051867305391noreply@blogger.com