Member Spotlight
This week's spotlight is Sandro Menasci.  Please keep this member top of mind this week for referrals. 

Tell us what you think about marketing

• Erin LaGrasso - Market research or analysis is important for us, demographics
• Stacy Hyder - My clients testability to me, communication
• Herb Stokes - Paying attention to the marketing that works and doesn't works, you learn from some expensive mistakes
• Janice Jaicks - Making connections, one-on-one talks

Today's Program - Making All Business Excel (M.A.B.E.)
Panel Members: John Dennett, Nick Carr, Lin Schmelzer, Jeff Sutherlin

What is the most important thing in your business from a marketing standpoint?

John Dennett - When I started 25 years ago you focused on the 5 basic principles.  It has changed with the social internet.  You have to change or you become like Blockbuster and Barnes & Noble, solid companies that did not change and adapt.  Everyone that has a computer is now my competition.  We lose thousands of dollars from price shoppers.  You can't turn the internet into a relationship.

Nick Carr - We track our marketing.  We try to keep it more person-to-person.  We've tried the mass marketing with no success.  So we have gone back to the basics.  At the beginning of the month I determine what I want to achieve, how many lunches, greeting cards, visits, etc. 

How many of you track your marketing efforts?

Mass marketing can get expensive.  We (Bob Busch) do email marketing to our clients only and get a good return.

Lin Schmelzer - I am in this group with graphic design as my specialty.  The type of graphic design work I do right now is business-to-business.  So I come from an entirely different point of view on this subject.  There are 5 generations right now that all view advertising and marketing in a different way.  Their expectations differ.  If you find something that works for you that is fine. But you should include other elements that can stand alone and reach the different audiences.  I have been very fortunate all my life to have clients refer me.  My business has been built on word-of-mouth.  Who owns the business?  How do the present themselves?  I consider these things when working on a project for my clients...It starts at the top.  And I find out as much as I can about their business and decide on what I think is the best direction to take them in their marketing.  I don't do websites.  I do ads for them.  But I leave the actual design of a website.  It is not my area of expertise. 

The unique value proposition

Jeff Sutherlin - I started my company with the goal of being the very best, not necessarily the biggest.  Organizations rise and fall on leadership.  What I think makes a great marketing plan -

• Self leadership (read stuff that works for you, get ideas on growing your business)

• Surround myself by 5 people that are better than me - We share our businesses with each other

• Space out my energies (spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, business)

I believe you can become a millionaire by writing five notes a day. 

Erin LaGrassa - Our business is very image driven.  We count on our clients to comment on our Facebook pages, etc.  But it can be hard to track.

Barb Luther - When online, I look at comments a lot.  I think online is becoming more effective.  Especially for research. 

Online Necessities - Yelp is something we all should use.  Also LinkedIn.  You don't have to have a great website but at least have a presence. 

Carole Weishaar - It is important to get involved.  Get involved in the community and your industry associations.  You have to remember that YOU are your business.

Dave Lathrop - The thing I struggle with is time management, being proactive and planning out my time.  A meeting can take longer than I anticipate.  I get intimidated when I hear people talk about how they successfully plan things.

Jeff Sutherlin - It takes practice and commitment.  We have to own our day.  Have your noticed that an emergency somehow works itself out before you get around to calling back? 

Many members share the time management struggles.  Outside factors come into play and throw your schedule off. 

Jeff Sutherlin - I believe in this economy you have to work 6 days a week to get through it.

Ryan Bohlander - I spend way too much time on backend (collecting checks, ordering supplies, etc).  I hate doing it but I get stuck because it is all critical.  It is challenging getting past that.

There was discussion on hiring a CEO to manage you and your business.  Other suggestions were accountability groups.  It is imperative that everyone in hear have an accountability coach.  Or at least friends that act as accountability partners.

Ryan Bohlander - The Lifetime Value Concept...Looking at how much each of your clients is worth to you over the lifetime of their patronage to your business.   We as business people don't often relate to our customers at their lifetime value.  How do you think about the lifetime value or do you?  If I view a client with their lifetime value in mind, it actually encourages me to work harder for their business.

Tim Green - I don't look at each job as a transaction.  I look for a life-long business relationship. 

Lin Schmelzer - I treat each one of my clients as if they were the only client I have.  And I am kind.  I have clients that have been with me for over 28 years.  Everything boils down to attitude.

Dave Lathrop - If someone uses my service I take them out of the market for a possibly 7 years.  I dance the line between the value of the deal.  Can I discount it?  Will it lead to referrals (which I may not know about)?

John Dennett - I get a lot of discounts.  But I also have people that take advantage of it.  My knee jerk reaction to a lead is let me send you an email.  But I have a relative that is very successful without using a computer.  He has person-to-person relationships with his clients.

The 80-20 rule.  We get 80% of our revenue from 20% of our clients.  I will do whatever I can to keep that client. 

Thinking outside of the box will help us get through this economy.  Promote each other.  Share databases (carefully!)

If you were to give one bit of marketing advice, what would you give to a new entrepreneur?