Master Marketer

Ask me anything

David DeMaster — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:44:12 +0000

anything

Christmas Advertising Ideas

David DeMaster — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 02:00:50 +0000

Christmas has to one of the hardest and easiest things to advertise for. It is very easy to slap together an ad and give a certain % off an item or service and call it good. Despite what you pocket book feels like during the holidays, spending is decreasing for the majority of the shoppers out there. So to get these dollars is getting harder year after year. You need to make your product or service stand out and be more “needed” than the next ad. I’ll go into a few ideas next post on what we can do to make your ad or offer stand above the crowd.

The Master has spoken!

Everywhere you want to be

David DeMaster — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 01:48:32 +0000

The Visa Gift Card. This is one of my favorite rewards to give my employees. I currently employ 13 very talented people and 11 of them have received this reward.in the past 30 days.

They are excellent rewards for those hard working individuals that deserve a little extra love from the boss. They can use them just like cash, but they aren’t as quick to use them to pay bills with them. It is kind of a forced “spoil yourself with something” tool that is a big hit. You can find these at most stores. I think even Wal-Mart has them. Put one up for a bonus to the next employee that books the most appointments, sells the most items, or makes you the most money. This isn’t for those that are employee of the month and I’ll tell you why next time.

The Master has spoken!

Marriage survival

David DeMaster — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 01:30:06 +0000

This is a tough one. Starting and running a business is a very successful endeavor. But with this reward comes trials and heartache. I believe that if you are to succeed in your business life, you need a good support partner. If your partner isn’t behind you 100%, then it will be an uphill battle the whole time. You must also take a break from business and live your life. Make your significant other the most important thing in the world. Because hopefully, he or she is just that. Do a lot of small things for your spouse to make up for all the time you will be spending at your business. Get some fun stuff for the bedroom to spice that up as well from Tickled Pink. Go on a romantic trip to one of my favorite places Catalina Island for 3 or 4 days. Anything to show them they are the most important thing in your life.

The Master has spoken!

Did you remember insurance?

David DeMaster — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 18:17:45 +0000

Insurance is one of those things my clients always don’t figure into their fixed monthly costs. There are 2 types of insurance that you absolutely have to have for your business.

The first is liability insurance and it can save your butt. It’s pretty straight forward. If someone gets hurt on your property, you are liable. Shift that liability to your insurance company and be done with it. Most policies will run you around $50 a month depending on your size of business and what services you offer. Make sure you ask your agent if it covers your type of business. I know some construction type businesses or medical business insurance can run pretty high there.

The second type of insurance is for loss from fire, theft, or vandalism. This is good if your business is in a high risk area or has high dollar equipment. My wife’s tanning salon is open 24 hours, so her insurance is very important for those late night, up to no good type.

There are also other types like Error & Omission, Architects & Engineers, and Accountant insurance. Ask your agent about the type that you need. I’m just here to remind you.

The Master has spoken!

eBay your soul

David DeMaster — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 13:58:24 +0000

There have been some funny things sold on eBay and I think it’s hilarious. This eBay place is by far one of the most successful online ventures ever. I think it is an excellent place to supplement your business income. I don’t think it should be done once in a while when you need some extra cash. It should be a part of your business. There is little overhead on eBay and it is very easy to do. Think of it as an extra salesman on your work force. There are downfalls to online auctioning, and that is shipping. If you sell very large or heaving products or even services, it will be hard for you to make a success of eBay. One way to combat this is maybe having your vendor drop ship the item directly to your buyer with your business on the packing slip. Another is just to offer pickup only. This will limit the area your buyers come from. That will also help with services.

Another new thing that has been popping up is local auction houses like BSTnow.com (Buy Sell Trade). They are in the infancy stage, but they are going to be making a big move soon.

Take the online auctions and integrate them into your new or existing business and help supplement your revenue.

The Master has spoken!

Getting the first appointment

David DeMaster — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 15:18:44 +0000

The first appointment is the toughest to get for outside salesmen. How do you do it? Is there a right and wrong way to go about it? Let me tell you from 12 years of outside sales experience, there is no right way. What works in one town might not work in another. Let me tell you what I do. I make a list of contact names and numbers and start at the top of my 40 or so prospect list. I call and ask for the person I need to talk to by first name. When the gate keeper(secretary) asks who is calling, I tell them it is David. Simple as that. If they ask what it’s concerning, I say it’s personal. Simple as that.

I then talk to the decision maker and tell them I just need to make an appointment and that is all. Have a little pitch ready because they always want more info. Mine is…”I have a way to cut down your advertising costs. Would you like to do that, no strings attached?”

When I don’t get an appointment, I always make a note of it, then stop in on them on Wednesday and Thursdays. Just pop in and get right to the point. Tell the secretary that he should be expecting you(because you told him on the first call that you might swing by). Just don’t try to sell them on the first call or contact. Just make the appointment.

The Master has spoken!

I’m so excited, I might pee my pants!

David DeMaster — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 13:07:59 +0000

Ya, so that is a little over the top. But let me tell you what else is worth saying. When you talk to a prospect, customer, or client with some excitement in your voice, it will transfer to them. This will make the whole buying/selling process much more enjoyable and easy. Record your sales presentation or pitch with your normal tone, and then once with your excited tone, you will see and feel the difference. If you aren’t excited to be there doing your sales job, then you should find another career. Love what you do and show it!

The Master has spoken!

Insurance or no?

David DeMaster — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 23:59:46 +0000

The big question. Should you offer health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance to your employees? I have a couple different takes on this. I don’t believe you should have to pay for your employees insurance as a standard. I do think you should have a plan that employees can get a discount as a group, but you should have to pay for this. You might think this is wrong to do, but let me explain. Free insurance was offered as a way to keep employees healthy and able to work more. This is not the case anymore. Employees are more apt to work because they have to pay their bills. No longer do employees take an actual sick day. They usually work sick, and then call in when they want to play.(That’s the truth). So use insurance as a reward or a type of raise. I bet if you asked most employees if they would like a $1.00 raise or insurance, they would pick the raise. So in there end, I think offering a group insurance for the discount is good, but I wouldn’t pay for it.

The Master has spoken!

24% of them do it….do you?

David DeMaster — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 05:21:27 +0000

The newest research says that 24% of consumers hop online to research before they decide to make a purchase. Of those people, only 38% actually buy online and the rest make a decision who to go with locally based on their online research. Even if you are a brick and mortar store, you still need a huge online presence. While some of you may be businesses that service nationwide like I do, I safe to say most of my readers are local businesses looking to open up a business or increase their profits and revenue. Local business searches are up from the last 5 years 800+%. This is due to the fact that consumers are now wise that they can get usually get what they are locally and don’t have to go to places like overstock.com or amazon.com to shop. But you do need to be found online for these local shoppers. Make sure to consider when you are thinking where to spend your advertising dollars. You can go here for help with small business marketing help.

The Master has spoken!

I heart NY

David DeMaster — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 02:03:53 +0000

Ya, everyone knows it. Everyone has seen it. But did you know it started as a bumper sticker. It was a marketing tactic to get people to visit the city and increase tourism.

Now I’m sure they wish tourists would leave. LOL. But this is a very good marketing tactic for local businesses to make their mark in their city. This will of course only work if you have a recognizable logo (and people wouldn’t be embarrassed by it) and give the stickers away free. We have a dealer here in town that put their window tinting decal on all of their customers cars. It’s just standard and expected. He has positioned himself as the go to guy for window tinting cars. If your business can benefit from this, you might want to consider doing this. It isn’t for every type of business or city, but it is worth looking into.

The Master has spoken!

Hiring illegals and how this can kill your business

David DeMaster — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 09:03:15 +0000

How does 5 years in the pokey and a $10,000 fine for each illegal you hire sound? I really should even have to write any more than this to explain how stupid it is. I’m all for helping the less fortunate, but not at the risk of going to jail and losing my business. If you want to help a certain immigration cause, don’t do it with your business. Do it outside of work. There is just to much to risk. And for those that see this as a way to get cheap labor and make a little extra money, you shouldn’t even be in business. There are plenty of people that are down on their luck or just getting out of college that could use a break. Hire them, train them, invest some effort with these and you might find a long term employee that could take your business to a different level.

The Master has spoken!

Funding your startup

David DeMaster — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 22:50:30 +0000

If you are ready to start a new business venture but you don’t have any or all of the funds to do it. Maybe you should start a business then eh? Well, there are ways around this TINY little problem.

Here are 10 places to find some cash.

1. Bring in a full partner (not family)

2. Bring in a silent partner (no control, just funds for profit)

3. Government Grants (takes at least 6 months

4. Small Business Loans (better have good credit)

5. Ask your family for a loan (my advice is don’t do it)

6. Home equity line of credit (works like a credit card, secured by your house)

7. Second Mortgage (only if over $20,000 and you don’t mind losing your house)

8. Personal Savings (I think the best way)

9. Cash in your investments (you aren’t quitting your investments, you are finding a new vehicle for them)

10. Sell as many assets as you can and replace them with shiny new ones when you make it big.

The Master has spoken!

Selling on value

David DeMaster — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:28:06 +0000

We talked about selling on price, so now let’s talk about going the “value” route. Like I have said in the past about my wife’s beauty and tanning salon, she sells at a higher than normal price. She does this because of the value she brings to the customers. She markets to the women that see the value of being pampered and the experience, not just the end result. She starts with the décor and the mood of her salon. It is vintage 1940’s French style. The whole place is. And not like a grandma’s house. This is done in the way a real vintage boutique would have been done. The music is even period specific to set the mood. The girls make a fuss over each and every client with drinks, treats, and every client is introduced to the other clients.

The customers get a genuine unique experience. This is the value. For this she gets top dollar. Her overhead might be 15% higher than anyone else in town, but she can charge 50% more than anyone else.

The Master has spoken!

Selling on price

David DeMaster — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 14:58:50 +0000

Selling on price is the nation’s oldest way to get the sale. Undercut the other guy. This can be one of the worst things you can do for your business. This could also be the best thing for your business. I’ll just state the obvious. If you can’t afford to give Wal-Mart prices, then don’t advertise that you can. But if you can get in the position to be the “Low Price Leader”, then you might be wise to do it. You can do this a couple of different ways. First is to sell a cheaper product or find a better source of your product than your competition. (or cheaper labor). The second way is to have very, very low overhead to be able to afford to make a smaller margin on your product or service. But don’t kid yourself thinking you can just “make less” than you competitor just to make the sale. You will fail and inevitably have to close your business. It has been tried and tested this way. If you aren’t in the position to sell cheap, DON’T DO IT!

The Master has spoken!

The Week of Positive Thinking - Day 7

David DeMaster — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:33:26 +0000

Believe that you are the architect of your destiny. No one can take your passionate future from you except for you! Create your life authentically. As long as there’s still breath in your body, there is no end to how much you can accomplish in a lifetime. The concept of thinking big is all about enjoying your work, which would lead to celebrate a discovery that is born within your hands. Watch everything flow into place with perfect, passionate precision.

It’s interesting how people get wallowed up by something trivial as learning to use a computer, when nowadays that top computer companies are manufacturing software that even the kids can do it. I don’t mean to be condescending, but that’s the idea of not having any positive thinking in your life-you’ll just end up as a dim bulb in a dark corner. So instead of subjecting yourself to what you will be doomed for, make your path by taking the first step with a positive attitude.

The Master has spoken!

The Week of Positive Thinking - Day 6

David DeMaster — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 20:14:42 +0000

Keep humor at the forefront of thought, laughing at and with yourself when possible. You may find yourself quite entertaining when you loosen up! I am yet to see a comedian ever go hungry even though his jokes are as ‘old as great-grandma’. Life has so much to offer to allow you to mope around in self pity. Humor is very attractive, very passionate: life-giving.

The Master has spoken!

The Week of Positive Thinking - Day 5

David DeMaster — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 18:59:16 +0000

Use a Passion Formula of Recognize/Reevaluate/Restore in place of the Shoulda/Woulda/Coulda whirlwind. The former is based in increased knowledge and abundance while the latter focuses on scarcity and lack. As you face people or tasks that may seem harder than scaling the summit of the Himalayas, allow yourself to realize that the task is just as important as giving out orders to your subordinates. You would rather be richly passionate!

The Master has spoken!

The Week of Positive Thinking - Day 4

David DeMaster — Wed, 31 May 2006 16:11:31 +0000

Dwell completely in a place of gratitude. Learn to utilize what you have in your hands and make use of it in the most constructive way. Slipping into neediness will become less of a habit when you repeatedly shift towards gratitude, away from poverty consciousness.

The Master has spoken!

The Week of Positive Thinking - Day 3

David DeMaster — Tue, 23 May 2006 16:45:20 +0000

Recognize and embrace the thought that each moment is perfect regardless of its outcome. Every time you hit on something that may appear too extreme, why not give it a shot and see if it will work. You will be surprised to see of there are other ways to get the task done in time. If you are not pleased with the outcome, decide to use that moment to learn from and make the appropriate shift.

The Master has spoken!