How can I tell if the advertising that I do is bringing me results? I am spending so much money on marketing and I do not know what if anything is working?                                                                   - Dave, plumbing business

Thanks for the question, Dave!
I have a few questions for you – how are you differentiating between your marketing strategies? How are you implementing them (including timing for each)? What have you put in place to test and measure their success?

Every marketing strategy MUST have a specific desired outcome and MUST be aimed at a specific market. The way you do that is through your Target, Offer and then Copy. Also Timing matters as well.  Depending on the media you are using, be specific: a promotional code, phone number, or QR code must play a part. This way you can see what is working, its effectiveness and most importantly the actual revenue produced as a result.

The revenue produced will give you your client acquisition cost per marketing method.  Also, you should know how quickly to expect a customer r as a result. You do this from understanding the prospects involvement. Low involvement (like “click here for a free report”) will be cheaper to run but need more time to run for results. High involvement (come to this seminar on this date at this location) will be more money, but for those who go they return should be quicker if not immediate. Does that make sense to you? 

Dave, marketing has to be a return on investment for it to be effective (no matter what a marketing company tells you). It’s either an investment of money or time. Ideally, having both type of strategies running will yield the most consistent results.  Just remember to launch new strategies sequentially and not all at once....

The only way to have different results is to do something differently.... what must you do differently today to have a better result tomorrow? Let me know how you are doing!

To your prosperity...

Coach Lee

PS:  Did you know that An independent survey of ActionCOACH Business Coaches around the world revealed that each coach was responsible for an average of 36 new jobs last year. This number is the latest in a series of metrics that shows the power of working with an ActionCOACH Business Coach. For every $1 invested with an ActionCOACH, the average coached business enjoys a return of $10.80 in net profit.

PPS: Marketing Mastery Academy (12 week on-line course) begins April 30th. With a 100% money back guarantee – why not check it out?

Welcome to the Official launch of the “Ask Coach Lee”  series.

I will be bringing you sort of a “Dear Abby” for business owners, which the will result in giving you real ideas, strategies, and tips to move you forward in your business.  You see, my mission is to help 5000 businesses in NY (city and Long Island) grow their organizations in some way by December 31, 2017 (5+ years).  It’s my passion. So- if that’s you, please participate! Send me your questions and your challenges and we shall see what we come up with! Your get results and I get to continually improve my skills – that’s a win-win! Also to keep things interesting, I will be integrating industry specific articles based on interviews and research of that particular group. If you would like to see your industry included- just let me know!

As the ActionCOACH Long Island theme for 2012 is  “Mindful Growth”- you be assured that the goal every entry will be to get you to think.  Launching this right after the completion of Q1 is important to me, because the first thing I want you to think about it your first quarter results. If you do not know your results, that in itself should be food for thought.  Why not?  Did you not have a plan - written or at least in your head? Did you begin this year like every other year – just seeing how it goes? Are you just so consumed of doing the business “of the business” you cannot even think about anything else?

So what is YOUR theme for 2012? Well, it’s never too late to come up with one. Why have a theme you may ask? Well, this helps you  get your mindset focused (and hopefully in a positive forward direction). It should reflect what you want to achieve this year and who you want to be at the end of it.  Sometimes, we continue a theme if it remains relevant.  It gives you focus. Here’s a great acronym:

Follow
One
Course
Until
Successful

So – there is no time like the present to come up with a theme – try one for the quarter... email it to me if you wish. If you do have a theme- GREAT!  Email that to me too.

The only way to have different results is to do something differently.... what must you do differently today to have a better result tomorrow?

To your prosperity...

Coach Lee

PS:  Did you know that An independent survey of ActionCOACH Business Coaches around the world revealed that each coach was responsible for an average of 36 new jobs last year.
This number is the latest in a series of metrics that shows the power of working with an ActionCOACH Business Coach. For every $1 invested with an ActionCOACH, the average coached business enjoys a return of $10.80 in net profit.

ON GOAL SETTING. . . NOVEMBER'S VALUE

This year, it started back on September 22nd, when I realized there were only 100 days left to the year. Wow – where did it go? Are you feeling the same way?  

Once I got past “where did it go”, my focus immediately turned  to - “so how am I doing this year?”  Well, honestly due to some extenuating circumstances, my annual plan was shot to hell – I came to terms with that one already.

However, since I had to change focus, I shifted my thoughts to “how was I doing with that?” Ok I’d say.  Interestingly, my clients 4th quarter planning day was on the 23rd – 99 days left to the year, and I would ask those same questions...

I posed that very question on the 23rd – How are you doing this year? More importantly, what do you need to do over the next less than 100 days to really make it great?  So, fast forward a bit, now we are in November – and there are less than 50 days until the end of the year. Does that thought make you panic? Are you beginning the celebration for a year well completed?

It’s November – the month when,  as a nation, gather and  give thanks. It is also a great opportunity to reflect. It is taking this time over the course of this month to do just that- reflect –  and that is where November’s value is seen. What happens once Thanksgiving hits? Holiday madness, right?  The shopping, the parties, the eating, the rushing, and maybe even the stress. All of this lead to those lovely new year’s resolutions, which as we all know and be difficult to attain.

So, what can we do now in this limited time that will propel us forward to a better 2012? Reflect and review.  In the business world we call it a “S.W.O.T.” analysis. The “S” and the “W” refer to the internal aspects – US. What were your strengths and what were your weaknesses? In other words, what did you do right and what did you do wrong? The “O” and the “T” refer to the external factors affecting this year. What were the opportunities, and what were the threats? In other words, what helped you, and what held you back from achieving as much as possible this year?  Dissecting your year in this way can really put it all into perspective.

In my own case, there were a lot of “threats” this year, so for me, I am pleased with what I have accomplished. So, how about you? What does your SWOT look like? What did you learn? Where did you grow? How can you utilize all this reflection to plan for 2012? Especially from the internal side- what do you need to do to improve yourself for a great 2012?

Enjoy the process and reap the benefits!

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It is Lee's passion to educate, help, and motivate clients and their teams to do their best, to be their best, and to ultimately have what they really want. Lee is a business coach with Action Coach Business Coaching Firm.  Contact: http://www.actioncoach.com/leemunch