One Simple Guiding Principle to Explode Your Business in Any Economy

“All you need is love”.  -- John Lennon

What I’m about to share with you is one of the most simple yet profound ways to really make a difference with your business. And yes we all do have that innate desire to make a difference in the world… don’t we? The question is… are we really willing to do what it takes to accomplish that?

So what am I talking about here? I’m talking about instilling love as a guiding principle for your business. Let love permeate every aspect of your being! Love is highly magnetic… it attracts like no other. Love can be a very strategic weapon… should you choose to wield it!

Love yourself… love your team… love your work… and most of all… and this is what I’d like to chat about here… love your prospects and clients!

So why write an article on loving your prospects and clients? Well from my perspective, there are countless reasons however here’s a handful to whet your whistle:

• REASON: People prefer to do business with people they like.
• REASON: When your clients feel the love, they tend to stick around longer.
• REASON: The longer they stick around, the more likely they are to do further business with you.
• REASON: To simply enjoy what you do and who you do it with!

Now that we got that out of the way, how exactly can you go about showing your prospects and clients the love?  Well here are three simple yet very effective techniques: 

1. Really Listen!
I’m not talking about the passive-type of listening many of us have succumbed to in this over-stimulating world we live in. Yes our attention is being pulled in 50 different directions but that’s no excuse. Learn to quiet the noise and focus. Practice giving your undivided attention to that prospect or client. Show them the respect they deserve… show them the love!

Take this a step further by creating channels of communication that make it easier to interact and listen. Some examples might be to network with them regularly, invite them to comment on your blog, survey them, or leverage the power of social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to stay in conversation with them. 

2. Consistency is Key
I see it all the time. Businesses spend countless resources wooing their prospects.  Making them think that maybe, just maybe, this could be a match made in heaven.

When all of a sudden… the honeymoon is over. The client gets thrown on top of the heap with all the other one-time conquests. Destined to suffer an existence of marginal attention at best… That is of course until the next prince charming comes along to woo them away from you.

Don’t stand for this behavior, period! As a matter of fact, woo your clients even more than you did when they were just prospects. Doesn’t this make sense? They’re the ones who pay your bills and allow you to create a better life. Keep them happy and most likely they will keep you happy as well. 

3. Do the Unexpected!
I can best explain this one with an example.

Recently I had the fortunate pleasure of witnessing the owner of the Wellness Center I frequent showing the love (that’s Dr. Gregg Baron of D.R.E.A.M. Wellness for those of you who are curious). Right before a client of the practice was about to leave, Dr. Baron came up from behind her and presented her with birthday balloons, a warm hug, and a heartfelt Happy Birthday wish. This act literally brought her to tears of joy. Now that’s remarkable! He literally made her day, her week, and based on the sincerity of the tears, he may have even made her year! Now do you think that client will be back… without a doubt, YES!

So in closing, what am I saying is be remarkable amongst an unremarkable world. Be willing to and constantly look for ways to show your prospects and clients the love. It really doesn’t take that much effort… too many businesses just miss the mark. They don’t seem to put a priority on relationships... I’m talking about relationships that flourish, not conquests. Too bad for them! However major opportunity for you! Trust me. Just a little focus in the area of loving your prospects and clients can be the major differentiator you need to not only stand out from the competition, but thrive in this volatile economy! So how can you show your prospects and clients the love?

© 2009 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' (www.MotivationalMarketer.com). Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute' (www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com/marketingminute), -- a multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, love your prospects, love your clients, Dr. Gregg Baron, DREAM Wellness

Top 3 Business and Marketing Lessons Learned in 2008

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.” -- Vince Lombardi

Well yes another year has seemingly breezed by but 2008 was a very different kind of year for so many reasons. The biggest one that comes to mind was all the doom and gloom surrounding conversations about a failing economy. It seemed like so many people were using the supposed failing economy as an excuse to crawl under a rock and die. “Oh no one is spending money right now so they won’t buy my services… it’s that damn economy.  Oh no one is giving me leads anymore… it’s that damn economy. This damn economy is killing me!”

I’m saddened to say that I’ve heard it all this past year!

That venomous message seemed to permeate every orifice of our being – as scary as that sounds!

So as usual as each year passes by there are so many lessons we can learn and grow from each year. And for me there were 3 core ones that I’ll share with you here: 

#1 – Don’t Buy Into the Bull
Yes while it’s true that the economy had been in quite a state of flux in 2008, that didn’t mean that I had to sit idly by and suffer. That was completely against all I stand for as I firmly believe that we create our own reality. So my mantra quickly became “if it is to be, then it’s up to me!” It’s up to me to as Ghandi once said “to be the change I wanted to see in the world”. I knew it was time to step up my game in a big way… and I did!

Let someone else do the worrying… Let someone else do the blaming… Let someone else become the ‘victim’… not me… I refused. My credo for 2008 quickly became “When the going gets tough, the tough get marketing”. I decided to live or die by what I do best… marketing! Hey guess what? I’m still here so I guess it worked. 

#2 – Focus on My Fastest Path to Cash
No matter what, money does make the world go around; therefore it was critical that I earn my share.

Now you must have heard the saying that ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’. Well my experiences over the past year confirmed for me that this doesn’t have to be the case! The grass can be plenty green right here! I just had to learn how to nurture it better. So this past year I focused diligently on nurturing and growing my most promising and lucrative profit centers. The few that I did choose to do were to be done great. My focus became razor-sharp at marketing, selling and delivering those specific services and those only. Everything else went into what I call the ‘parking lot’ -- a repository for items worth consideration at some time in the future -- just not now. 

#3 – Greater Health Leads to Greater Wealth
I honestly can say that taking the time out of my already hectic schedule to focus on my physical health was the single-most smartest move I made all year!

As my physical health improved so did so many other critical areas of my life. My brain felt sharper… I became more focused… I had more energy… my self esteem climbed through the roof… heck even the air smelled fresher, need I go on?

What did I do differently? Well 3 main things: weekly chiropractic care, regular massage therapy, and I became much more conscious of what I was eating. Hey I lost 23 pounds in 2008… that’s no small feat! However with the right regimen, the right coaching, and a strong desire… it really did happen easily. Big thanks to both my wife Andrea and the team over at DREAM Wellness for all their guidance, support, and care.

So in closing, I’ll tell you that sitting around blaming stuff outside your control will not get you the things you want in life. Tough times will certainly test your will! How bad do you want it? Because I’ll tell you this challenging economy will weed out the weak – that’s for sure! And you know what; maybe that’s not such a bad thing. That’ll just leave more for those who are willing to play a bigger and better game. I intend to continue to raise my game… how about you?

© 2009 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' (www.MotivationalMarketer.com). Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute' (www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com/marketingminute), -- a multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, success articles, lessons learned, failing economy, health, wealth, DREAM Wellness