A most unusual letter from Reg Gupton, you’re trusted and time tested coach/mentor

Of Course You Can Afford Professional Coaching for Your Business

….Just Think of All the Free Time and Sales you’ll be Generating by Reading my Letter

Hi Reg Gupton here,

Before I get started with telling you why I’ve chosen to send you this letter, I’d like to first ask you two questions.

1. How was your business last year compared to your best year ever?
2. How would you spend more free time if you had it?

Have you ever said to yourself…

“I wish I knew how to have a consistent stream of leads with ready willing and able buyers and sellers calling me.”

and…

“I wish I knew how to handle this increased work load without sacrificing my personal life.”

or..

“Would I get any benefit from professional help and advice.”

and…

” Is now the right time?”

Well, if this sounds familiar, then I have great news. As you can imagine, my business, like most other businesses, has been affected by the economy and for the first time in many….many years I’m faced with hours of staring at a blank board in my office instead of being backed up with coaching meetings.

YOU SAVE MONEY – I STAY BUSY

A Deal-Of-A-Lifetime

So, instead of being faced with staring at the blank white board on my office wall, I’d rather keep busy by offering you an opportunity-of-a-lifetime to save on your next Coaching Package… just give me a chance to prove it to you.

All you need to do is simply call for a FREE Planning Session where we can discuss how much business growth you’d like. I’ll give you my expert advice that I’ve learned in 40 years in business and 12 years as successful coach/mentor and then ‘wow’ you with an opportunity to get my advice for a fraction of the usual price. You will receive 9 months of coaching for the price of 6. A $4500 value for $3000. A savings $1500 when you pay in advance.

Payment in full by the 8^th of March

This Is a RARE Opportunity To Get Coaching Tips That:

GENERATE MORE SALES

FREE UP MORE TIME

GET AN EDGE ON COMPETITORS

LEVERAGE YOUR SUCCESSES

LEARN HOW TO PROFIT FROM LINKED IN

MAKE THIS THE BEST YEAR EVER

Or whatever goals you would like to achieve

BELOW NORMAL COACHING PRICES

Here’s what to do next:

Pick up the phone and call my office (303-544-0340 or 800-418-0401). If I’m not there, leave a message. When we talk, we’ll make plans on how to get you started on re-energizing your business.

You are under no obligation to buy anything. Once you see the potential for growth in my “No-More-Staring-at-the-Board” LOW Pricing (as long as there are still open time slots in my schedule), I assure you’ll be thrilled that you gave me a call.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Reg Gupton

PS#1: I can only offer the “No-More-Staring-at-the-Board” LOW Pricing as long as there are open times in my schedule or until March 8^th, whichever happens first. So please don’t delay and call my office (303-544-0340 or 800-418-0401).

PS#2: If you know a family member, friend, or co-worker who could use a trusted and time tested Coach/Mentor, then please tell them to call and mention your name and I’ll extend them this same “No-More-Staring-at-the-Board” LOW Pricing.

PS#3: If financing is an issue, payments can be split with the first payment of $1600 due on March 8^th and the second payment due on my birthday April 7^th.

Why Businesses Fail and what to do about it.

Reg Gupton here.

Why businesses fail - and how to make sure yours succeeds

1. A closed mind

I know. You have been thinking about your business/product for years and years. You (might) have talked to friends, looked at the world and decided that you have it all figured out. Your product/service is the best. Period.

Your product solves a major problem. Your graphics are tops (at least your graphics designer tells you so).

You have fallen in love with your idea and you are going to hold on to it until you die or go bankrupt.

You should consider an Advisory Board to broaden your perspective and gain the help and advice of others. These Boards can be free, meet with you monthly.
They can be a Mastermind Group as described in the best selling classic Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

2. Sloppy or ineffective marketing

Or no marketing. Restaurants and retailers remodel a space, invest in equipment and inventory, and create a great menu. Then the doors are opened. Maybe a few folks show up for a few days.

I call it stumble in the door marketing. You take good to great care of the customers who make it in your door.

Then what? What do you do to get them coming back? Do you capture their contact information? Build a list to market to. A friend with a restaurant in Metro Denver build his list from 650 to 3,500 in a couple of years and his gross revenue from $650,000 to $1,8000,000 over the same time with a massive growth in profit. Just because he build a list and communicated with it regularly.

3. Ignoring the competition

You have identified a slight weakness in the biggest business in your niche. They have been around for 10 or 20 or 30 years. Whenever anyone mentions the product/service, they are who gets mentioned.

You think that because you have indentified a weakness, you can exploit it and exploit it you might.

However this competitor did not get big and last for decades by being stupid. They are likely doing many things correctly.

Make sure that the niche or weakness you have identified is cared about by the people in your market area.

4. Ignoring customer needs

You must listen to your customers. You must do exit surveys, you must do entrance surveys. Why do people use you and why do they quit?

What hours of operation do they need, what sizes, what colors, what days of the week do you need to be open?

5. Inadequate/incomplete business plan

Most business begin operation without a thorough business plan or one that focuses on the product and/or the numbers without adequate thought about how the product/service will be marketed, to whom and at what price.

There is little thought about the Three Ms of Marketing: Who is the Market, what Media will be used to reach them, to deliver what Message?

6. Poor location

Small business owners often believe that if you open your doors they will come.

If the only way into your store is a left turn without a traffic light on a busy street, you are doomed. If there is no or limited parking, you are doomed. If your business is not a destination experience and you are at the edge of a market area, you are out of business.

7. Poor execution/lack of discipline

Owning, starting, and running a small business requires consistent action and implementation of strategies, plans and tactics. For example, your store has to be open promptly at the time you say you are going to be open.

You have to create and follow systems and processes which will deliver a consistent result for your customers.
8. No viable market for your product

In Boulder, CO, where I live, I see engineers and technology people create products with no thought of who will buy them. They are products looking for a problem to solve.

No one cares. No market research has been done. No one had done any market testing to see if anyone is interested. And what price they will pay.

9. Inadequate accounting system/no management of cash flow

Recently I spoke with a local commercial banker working with small businesses about the proportion of people he speaks with who have “workable” accounting systems in place.

His opinion based on his experience: three out of ten. And those who use them monthly: one out of ten. This is a major indicator of impending failure.

10. Hiring incompetent employees and not training them

Many small businesses have an inadequate or non-existent system for hiring new employees. They are not consistent in the process used to hire their employees. Hiring someone who can fog a mirror is suicidal.

Further, people come to you to you so you can deliver a specific result, whether it is a cup of coffee, a tax return, or a properly repaired pair of shoes. Turning your business (and your success) over to poorly hired and inadequately trained high school students will take you to the poor house or bankruptcy or both.

I hope you will learn from this and not make these typical mistakes.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton
www.businesssuccessvideos.com

This will help your business.

Reg Gupton here.

If you wish to learn new things and successfully grow your business, then you must subscribe to these free newsletters.

http://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters.html

These newsletters are full of ideas which will make you sweat and make you more money with proven ideas in the form of case studies from successful businesses of all types.

Yes, even one like yours.

To your continued success,

Reg Gupton

Are you a fool to use Groupon and LivingSocial

Hi, Reg Gupton here.

I have been giving a lot of thought to Groupon, Living Social as a business development strategy. It seems these sites are helping some businesses and hurting mightily others.

Please take a look at this story, especially the story from the business owner near the bottom of the post.

FURIOUS MERCHANT: 'Groupon And Living Social Are Doomed'

www.businessinsider.com1/3/12

One key question about the future of daily-deal giants Groupon (GRPN) and Living Social is whether the product the companies sell--daily deals--are excellent marketing for their customers... or a gigantic waste of money and ...

Note: Here is a follow on story from another frustrated business owner.

Read and learn to make smarter decisions.

ANGRY MERCHANT: Here's Why I Hate Groupon And LivingSocial ...

www.businessinsider.com1/4/12

But this merchant's reaction provides further evidence that Groupon and LivingSocial have a lot of work to do to make their service work better for their merchant customers. This work, we suspect, will lead to smaller discounts ...

Note: Here is someone who "feels" that daily discounts were successful. There is no description of what they did specifically to bring people back. While 50% are reported as being turned into repeat customers, I am skeptical.

Case Study - Delaware Coffee Shop Sees 50% Return for Daily Deal Customers - Street Fight

http://streetfightmag.com/3h ago

We have not done LivingSocial, but I had a conversation with a colleague of mine today and she told me about Google Offers, which is similar. Social Media for Hyperlocal.

Note: Here is an interview with Living Social on their take on the innovations they are creating. Clearly Living Social is driving traffic but are they driving merchant profits? That remains to be seen.

Studies Reveal Contradictory Info about Daily Deals

"Rice University recently came out with a study that brought up some concerns about the sustainability of daily deals' providers. It indicates that daily deals' providers would have to lower their profit shares in order to succeed and would still fac...

Watch for more on this topic. Your comments and opinions are always invited and respected.

Meet David Ogilvy. You have much to learn from this marketing master

Reg Gupton, here.

One of the masters of marketing. Most of his time was spent with major brands most of which translates to inform your marketing or it should.

Here is information on a recent book about him.

The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of ...

www.doceymedia.com12/27/11

Famous for his colorful personality and formidable intellect, David Ogilvy left an indelible mark on the advertising world, transforming it into a dynamic industry full of passionate, creative individuals. This first-ever biography ...

Note: This is a 54 minute video interview with David Ogilvy about how he got started in advertising and what he learned. This is great!! Get a cup of your favorite beverage, plug in your ear buds and learn.

A conversation about advertising, with David Ogilvy

David Ogilvy interviewed by John Crichton in 1977. Realized by the American Association of Advertising Agencies AAAA. David is seen as the "pope of advertising". This is the complete interview version. Entrevista realizada por la AAAA al "papa de la ...

Search for the World's Greatet Salesperson - David Ogilvy, Salesman: The Early Years

Note: Here is David Ogilvy on sales. This is great too.

www.youtube.com Our founder, David Ogilvy, started as a cook and then a sales person. Learn lessons he picked up a long the way and the Art of Persuasion. We're looking for the world's greatest sales person. Are you the one? Visit the winner Todd Her...

What is the difference between Marketing and Advertising and why you should care.

Reg Gupton here: Understanding the difference between Marketing and Advertising is a distinction which will help you grow your business.

This is an important distinction which most business owners don't have a clue about. Having a business with open doors and believing print media advertising is all the marketing you need will not bring you success and might lead you and your family to bankruptcy or worse.

Read this and learn what to do differently.

Marketing vs Advertising | Business on Goldenacts

business.goldenacts.com12/16/11

Understanding what is the difference between marketing and advertising is very important for people in the fields of marketing, advertising and administration.

Note: Here is a classic video from David Ogilvy about direct marketing which is not advertising. Watch and learn from a master.

David Ogilvy: We Sell or Else

Renowned Advertising guru David Ogilvy gives a brief speech on the importance of direct marketing.

Note: What is your opinion or research on this topic. Post a comment below so we can all learn together.

Get outside of your own box with Seth Godin's help

Reg Gupton, here.

I have been a follower of Seth Godin for years. The first book I read was The Purple Cow. I was astounded with the clarity of his thinking and his novel ideas.

I read his blog every day. Without fail. Others not so much. His every day.

What follows is a 3 minute video where he describes his latest book. I just read the first 10 pages and found many things of import. I will be doing a PPT presentation soon about the ground breaking ideas he describes.

Seth Godin on Poke The Box & The Domino Project

Seth Godin describes his new book Poke The Box and The Domino Project

If you wish to purchase the book like I did: you can get it here.