I have to just shake my head…

Another former business owner folded up shop, tossed in the towel, and reluctantly went to work for one of his competitors.

So sad and totally avoidable.

If only he had listened when I offered to help just a few short months ago he’d not only still be in business, he’d be prospering.

Every day I’m amazed at the number of business people whose pride prevents them from admitting they need help, that they don’t know everything there is to know about getting more business, about cultivating the relationships they’ve already established, and about making more money now.

How could they? It’s taken me 26 years of research, studying more than two thousand books, attending countless seminars and workshops, conversing with and advising hundreds of business owners around the world, and studying wheel barrows full of unnumbered audio and video recordings — and I still don’t know everything there is to know about marketing. No one does.

But I do know a heck of a lot more about sales and marketing than the average person. Even more than your competitors. It’s inevitable. Putting this much time energy and effort into any endeavor has got to lead to picking up at least one or two things that can help others.

In my case it isn’t one or two things…

It’s over 397 ways to…

- Increase Conversion Rates
- Attract More Business
- Encourage More Referrals
- Increase Profit Margins
- Increase The Frequency Of Purchases
- Increase The Number Of Years Customers Do Business With You
- Increase The Size Of Customer Transactions
- and so much more

But here’s the thing…I’m not afraid to admit I don’t know everything. Because I don’t. And I will never pretend to. Business is constantly changing. New technologies are being introduced everyday. The way people communicate is constantly changing. New fads and trends affect their choices. And the world is in a constant flux.

Marketing success is recognizing we don’t know everything and being willing to adapt to change.

I am convinced that at least 80% of business failures come from one thing…failure to admit they don’t know everything there is to know about marketing — and a failure to follow through to get help.

In a nutshell. Pride.

Not the good kind of pride that comes from winning a medal or some grand accomplishment. I’m talking about the kind of pride that blinds people. Keeps them from seeing reality. The kind that makes people say, ‘I know all there is to know about that’ when they don’t really know 1% about a subject.

Here’s what I mean.

I once was horrified after walking into a friend’s house and seeing that another friend who claimed to be a computer tech had taken apart the friend’s computer and completely ruined it. He was trying to show off to others in the house and went so far as to pretend he knew something about assembling and repairing computers — when he knew absolutely nothing!

Pride stopped him from admitting he didn’t really know what he was doing. So instead, while standing on static-charged carpet he touched and removed every component out of the case, set it aside (on plastic mind you), and then tried to put it back together only to realize he didn’t even know where the pieces fit.

But that wasn’t the bad part. The bad part is that static electricity fried every component he handled. All because of ignorance and pride. Then he turned to me and asked for help.

Too late.

So you say, you’re not about to try and take apart anyone’s computer?

Well guess what, the principle is the same. Anyone who claims to ‘know everything’ when they clearly don’t is risking more than the loss of a stupid computer, they are risking their very livelihood and the well-being of their business.

I’ve seen it again and again and again.

They blame the economy. They blame their clients. They blame their employees. They blame their ad agents (this one might be valid).

Then they find themselves going to work for others. “Scaling down” their businesses from an office or warehouses to their garages. Drinking or drugging themselves into a stuppor to hide from reality. Bankruptcy.

Too late.

Could you be making that same mistake? Is there more to marketing than you actually know but you are pretending otherwise just to save face?

If so, shame on you! You owe it to yourself, to your family, and to your community to generate the most successful and profitable company possible. This can never happen by just pretending.

Answer these questions to yourself to find out if you could benefit from outside help:

- What marketing method has been the most successful and has produced the highest return on your marketing investment?
- What steps have you taken to insure your existing clients continue buying from you?
- How frequently do you contact them?
_ How do you make sure they look forward to your messages instead of seeing them as ‘junk’ mail?
- When was the last time you contacted them? Recently? A long time ago? Never?
- What steps have you taken to insure your clients don’t drift away to your competition?
- What steps are in place to insure clients send you referrals?
- What makes you unique?
- How have you communicated that to prospects, clients, and your staff?
- Why should anyone choose you over your competition? And don’t dare say something like ‘best’ ‘better’ or anything else that is full of hype or that someone else can also claim.
- What are the top three ways to grow any business?
- What are the two marketing methods that almost no one is using that can produce significant and immediate results to your bottom line?

And if you advertise answer each of these questions:

- What are the four main components of a powerfully persuasive and compelling sales message?
- What was the response rate for each of your last five campaigns?
- What was your conversion rate?
- What was your return on each dollar invested?
- What was your most responsive offer?
- What steps did you take to convert the initial purchase into repeat sales?
- If your ads are not working very well what one thing can you ‘tweak’ in your ad that can give you as much as 2100% greater response than you are now seeing?

If you know all those answer then the only reason you should work with an outside consultant is to free up time so you can do more of the things you love doing, or prefer doing.

If you don’t know the answers to each of those questions, it’s flat out time to seek help. And I don’t mean ad agents either.

You need an unbiased third-party who doesn’t earn a single penny in commissions from recommending advertising, sales, or marketing solutions. And you need it now.

Go to my main marketing consulting page to see how to get a free marketing audio CD. Do it right now.

Goodness gracious. Six months from now could be too late. You just might find yourself shaking your head saying, “Andre told me so…”