– Invite me to a party — I’d rather have a root canal

– Have me speak about something I’m passionate about in front of a group of people — I shine.

– Put me in a “casual” networking group — root canal please.

– Put me in a “structured” networking group where I can ask for what I need and help others at the same time — I’m in heaven.

We all have our levels of how we interact, the environments where we thrive and the environments where we are extremely uncomfortable. I have seen many people go into business for themselves, myself included, that would rather give up their dream than to market their business and themselves. I was almost one of those statistics. I almost QUIT my dream until I discovered the secret.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrases for successful marketing, Find Your Passion; Market from your Passion; Marketing from Within, etc. This is actually correct, but there are a few more steps. Too many times we focus on things we can’t do (weakness) versus the things we can do (strength). The most common phrase I’ve heard is “I don’t want to feel like I’m selling.” Then we have this belief we’re supposed to market from the standard marketing box; cold calls, networking groups, speaking, knocking on doors, etc. NO! You don’t need to jump directly into the marketing box first. Get out of the should(s) and the can’t(s). Step into what you do well and what you enjoy first, then, open the marketing door.

The Secret

Step 1. Give yourself permission to redefine marketing to fit your style.

Example #1:

A program participant was very good at her profession as a lawyer but was very uncomfortable with marketing. I have clients brainstorm and write down their strengths and passions. She expressed she had very few on her list. It doesn’t matter how many are on your list as long as you pay attention to what’s there. Some people have 30-40, others have 5-10. She chose her top 3.

Out of her 3 the main passion and strength on her list was one-on-one conversations. We then began thinking of who might be good strategic partnerships for her business. She was thrilled she could not only market from her favorite and most comfortable approach, but also choose her favorite environment, which happened to be in a cozy coffee shop. However, that wasn’t all that was holding her back. She had never given herself permission to call one-on-one conversations marketing. Once she redefined marketing to One-On-One Conversations, she left saying, “I feel like I’ve had a black cloud lifted off my head.”

Step 2. Give yourself permission to market from your comfort zone.

When she gave herself permission to market from her comfort zone she began taking more steps naturally. Two weeks later I turned around at my networking group and there she was. She was enjoying herself because she gave herself permission to redefine marketing to fit her passions and strengths AND she allowed herself to market from her comfort zone. I have seen this so many times. Once you give yourself permission to stand in your comfort zone, it’s amazing how you will naturally evolve towards expanding your marketing. It becomes FUN and Exciting!

Example #2:

Look at what you already have. All you need to market may be right in front of you with your most comfortable group of prospective clients.

A Life Coach I met had a horrible fear of marketing but really believed in his chosen profession and didn’t want to give it up. Through the process described above most of his fears disappeared. But he still found himself hesitating. He had identified his best client but that first step of where to begin seemed too big. In asking Bob about his past profession and contacts he realized not only would they be a perfect client but he knew a large number of people he could comfortably approach. Bob did several things.

1) Gave himself permission to redefine marketing to fit his style.

2) Gave himself permission to market from his comfort zone.

3) Identified a market he had come from and was comfortable.

4) He became so energized with his approach he is making cold calls speaking from the passion of his business.

Sometimes we are so close to things we can’t see them. Look right in front of you – your perfect client and ease of approach might be within reach. However you approach your marketing, you get to choose how you do it. If need be, ditch the word marketing and insert ____________ (the words that fit YOU).

Copyright 2006 Marketing On The Playground (TM)

We enjoy new purchases. Sure, we can convince ourselves that we really needed a new one, but if we’re totally honest we’ll have to admit that would could’ve got by without it. What does this mean to your advertising campaign?

Step 1. State The Benefits Of Your Product or Service

Capitalize on the ways a customer will improve his lifestyle by making the purchase. Will he increase his own business profits by 50 percent? Say so in the opening statement of your sales letter, or at the top of your Web page.

Don’t obsess with the features of the product itself or your credibility. Frankly, customers could care less. Let’s face it… they’re a bit selfish when it comes to dishing out their hard earned money. All they want to know is what’s in it for them.

Step 2. Paint Word Picture That Let Them Experience the Benefits

“Wake up tomorrow, with no boss! You can spend the day with your family or on the golf course… there’s nobody to tell you what to do.”

A Multi Level Marketer may want his audience to feel the freedom of having no one to answer to if they become successful in the business. He’ll dramatize that desire, and put the listener in the seat to inspire it to take hold until the listener is ready to sign up and get started.

Step 3. Inspire Immediate Action

Hey, let’s face it… the longer a customer lolly gags, the greater the chances he’ll never take the plunge. Don’t let him off the hook that easily!

Set a deadline. Put on the pressure to buy now, or miss out on the deal. Chances are pretty good that the procrastinator will get with it just to save a few bucks.

What about your sales materials? Have you taken a good look at the things you are advertising? Make sure you are focused on the benefits the consumer will experience from the purchase, and not on the features of the product or service.

Step 1 Get customers to try you out

Given the lack of income for many people, the only way to entice them to use your product or service is to give it to them. Arrange to prepare a sample for customers to use or try. Offer it common places that people are willing to consider, such as local grocery chains and busy shopping centers, like Wal-mart. If online, try www.all-free-samples.com and uniquesamples.com. By offering a sample unit of your product, consumers can determine if you are worth using.

Step 2 Make a package

When offering your product to consumers you may need to entice them to try you out with more than your own product sample. The fact is that people are reluctant to venture into unchartered territory given their limited funds. Offer your product with another common product that some customers would be interested in. For example, If your product is a unique way to cook french fries, offer consumers a free small bottle of ketchup. By doing so, they will feel they are really getting a bargain and will be hooked on your products. This will help you gain a following.

Step 3 Bundle it up

The fact that you are giving away your product does not immediately imply that people will run and take it. Think about what you are giving away and how you can profit from it if you give it away. If it is a food item, do you have complementary items that can be given at a discount if you give away one. Another example is if you sell software. You can give away your software if you can offer upgrades at a cost. By doing so, those consumers who use your software will then buy from you because they have to get upgrades. In like manner, if they get a single food item, they will want to purchase other items. Lastly, if you offer a cleaning product, then customers will buy your other cleaning products or start buying your freebie.

Step 4 Connect to traffic

Sites such as Digg or popular blogs can help boost your chances of getting consumers to try your product. Find places that let you make a post or connect to heir site. By doing so, you have a back link, which consumers can connect to your site and get free samples and also purchase other products. You will also gain a steady flow of traffic and steady consumers.

Step 5 Go viral

When you offer your product or service for free, ask your takers to put it on your site blog. You can then viral this to other content that is popular right now and out there. Check copyrights before your proceed though. Not all sites let you use their content to viral your product information. Use the power of social networks to share the positive comments of customers who try your freebies and viral this all over the web. More consumers are sure to follows as well as the money.

Remember you have to give sometimes to receive. Please visit stepsto.com for more great business advice.

Step 1 Google

Technologically savvy, this generation is the first to tweet on Twitter and the first to make updates on their Facebook pages. It is no wonder that the first place Gen Y goes when they want to learn about a new product is the top ranked search engine, Google.By participating in Google’s search engine marketing and pay per click opportunities you can reach this complex market more effectively than through television commercials or even radio announcements.

Step 2 Spread the word

Word of mouth is the next best way to get your product name out to the Generation Y target audience. Generation Y prefers to get the opinions of other Generation Y individuals. This group likes to get the first hand opinion of what others think and not rely on Oprah or other celebrities who are paid to push products. Nothing beats the real experience is the motto of Generation Y. What do others similar to them really think of any product? This is the first question that pops into their minds. When enough Gen Y individuals tell others about your good or service you will see your sales grow quickly. Once your product has the word of mouth seal of approval, then Gen Y is a loyal following. How do you reach this group through word of mouth? Try Tina Wells company called Buzz Marketing. Tina’s company hosts parties and even hires Gen Y to test products and them discuss the product with their friends. Her company was worked with the biggest names out there, including AT&T, Verizon, Wal-Mart, and QVC.

Step 3 Use humor

Funny captions and humorous ads attract the attention of this fickle generation. The Gen Y audience enjoys good comedy and tends to remember products that have either humorous names or hilarious commercials. Hire a comedian to help you with jingles at comedy.com or if you are on a low budget for under $500 learn to write with humor in an online class offered by New York University (nyu.edu).

Step 4 Be emotional

Gen Y is a hard to reach market segment because they do not read traditional newspapers or magazines or follow standard media outlets. Although they use the Internet frequently, this generation may like your brand and visit your web site, but may not buy your product. To hook them use human emotion to reach to their minds and souls. Something more needs to compel to them to want to be able to relate to you. For examples of excellent slogan that contain good emotion raising phrases, please visit advertisingage.com

Step 5 Diversify

Gen Y is a nontraditional group that is culturally and socially diverse. To market to this group you also need to consider age and gender. Gen Y males think differently from Gen Y females. As a whole group Gen Y individuals change fashions and tastes overnight. Instead of focusing on the entire Gen Y audience, focus on a niche group according to age, geographic location, and gender. Specifically, a Gen Y male in California has vastly different tastes than a Gen Y female in New York. The good thing about Gen Y is that because they are diverse and more open minded they are willing to try new products rather than stick with trusted brand names. Visit your local community college and speak to a sociologist to get specific details about the spending patterns of Gen Y or visit http://www.startupnation.com/articles/9011/1/marketing-GenY.htm

Remember Gen Y is one of the best market segments to grow your business since this generation is the most experimental. Please visit stepsto.com for more great business advice.

Step 1 Think point of purchase (pop)

Although this practice is not new, many companies are using pop advertisement as a way of getting customers to try a product. For example, pop displays are those colorful and decorative boxes in the aisles of stores that contain an unusual trial sample or actual product that is not on the shelf. This method is effective roughly 54% of the time as customers buy the product after being drawn to the newness and the bright display. Try pop.us to schedule an appopintment to try pop advertising for your products. This method usually runs $800 per box.

Step 2 Put up a poster

This is the second most popular form of offline advertising for a reason. It works. For example, when you see a snapple poster in the window of 7-11 do you remember snapple as you go into 7-11? This is what 34% of customer do also. Using posters can help you gain clients that did not even have before. Try www.business.com/directory/advertising_and_marketing to find a list of companies that specialize in poster displays.

Step 3 Give a sample

When you go to your grocers, is there an increase in the number of salespeople that offer to try a sample of food? Many small businesses are using this practice to get customers to try something new and get them hooked on their good or service. Contract with your local store to find out if you can have a salesperson present samples to passing customers.

Step 4 Sponsor an event

Even local sports games can attract hundreds of potential customers that can learn about your company. Sponsoring an event may not be more than a few hundred dollars, but a school event has kids and their parents. If you get their attention, you have customers for life since kids will buy products tht their parents bought. Try www.bagwell.com/pop.html to find out how to get a deal on pen logo design and billboard development.

Step 5 Shock

Online customers do not expect to hear an ad about a website nor do they expect to hear of a company. The next time you put out an ad on the radio, mention your company name website. This will shock customers and drive them to your store.

Remember, be creative. Please visit stepsto.com for more great business advice.

Step 1 Use ezines

Ezine advertising is way to expose your products and services to future customers because it is inexpensive and offers you the option to match the ezine audience with offer products and advertisements. This is a great tool is you are in a niche market that has a wide audience. You can create your own ezine.

Step 2 Post in forums

Forums are a good way of advertising online. Always try to include an appropriate URL and description for your forum signature and with this attract the benefit of traffic and search engine attention. You can use Yahoo Forums, which are the largest on the Internet and are divided by categories and tastes.

Step 3 Develop banner ads

Banner ads are very useful for advertising online. This works when you place a banner of your product on different websites which contain a brief description of your advertisement. Banner ads charges differ for each website depends upon the usage of website.

Step 4 Pay per click

Pay per click (PPC) ads are the other successful way of advertising online, these are placed next to the search results in a search engine. PPC ads are very costly from owner point of view because you have to pay for even a single click. Charges are normally determined by bidding.

Step 5 Get a sponsored review

Sponsored reviews marketplaces give the opportunity to write sponsored posts on different types of topics and it can be a good source of advertising for your goods. A blog has a big audience that you could also offer sponsored reviews directly without the use of a third party reviewer. Examples of sponsored reviews and paid blogging networks are PayPerPost, Sponsored Reviews, ReviewMe, and Smorty.

The latest trend on the web is widgets that let you monetize your website. An extension of text link ads, the web widgets make it easier for the customer to plug and play the service on its website. Please visit stepsto.com for more great business advice.

Step 1 Use natural disasters to promote your business (in a positive way)

No other event leaves a scar mark on mother earth like natural calamities. Events like earthquakes, volcano eruptions, Tsunamis’ and outbreaks of epidemics are etched in the memories of people forever. Then there are accidents that cause damage and destruction besides loss of life: wild fires, floods, tornados leave behind a trail of destruction. Mother Nature teaches us a lesson every time we act against it. This is a lesson you can learn from. Soon after a natural disaster many companies begin promotion campaigns to collect monies to help the victims of such catastrophes. You can too. Not only will your firm appear to be socially conscious, but new clients will purchase your products.

Step 2 Cash in on sports

Of the many events that take place on a regular basis, Olympics and academic sporting events are keenly awaited and widely participated in by all the countries of the world. Athletes winning medals bring glory to their respective nations and are welcomed back as heroes. Companies, such as General Mills, use the sudden celebrity of athletes to leverage their product in the eyes of the public. Sponsor a local sporting event or even host one. When the public hears of your company and links you to their sporting event, you will attract more customers.

Step 3 Use culture to build your reputation

Fashion events, movie premieres, and kids’ contests are cultural events that attract the attention of the public. By getting involved with a local cultural event, such as hosting or sponsoring a concert, you will be able to put your company and its mission in the minds of consumers.

Remember, getting involved keeps you in the minds of the public.

Step 1 Learn how to use media for your business

Everyone uses the media to be in the news. One such example are the publicity stunts done by stars when their movie is going to released in order to be in the news. Although there are also some serious issues which stay in the news, such as the ongoing wars and the economy, programming mainly consists of the events that occur in everyday life. Such issues attract the attention of people, which increases curiosity. The news is a good way to attract the attention of the people. In like manner, by using local news stations, you can showcase your business or even use some attention grabbing promotion to attract attention to your business. For example, have a pet perform an unusual act, which you can show on local stations. Your story could reach CNN, which has millions of viewers.

Step 2 See what sells

The basic fact of life is that what you see often is what sells. The same applies to the stars and the celebrities who wish to keep up their ratings by remaining in news. Nowadays it has become commonplace to perform gimmicks that attract people and by this way stars or businesses remain in news. Reality shows are another example of how to remain in news. Even the politicians know the importance of the media to remain in the good books of the public. Their media managers keep the media in good humor so as to prop up the image of their leader. Similarly, by viewing popular shows and news programs you can learn what people are buying and the needs of your customers. This will help you cater to those demands.

Remember, you need to be in the news (can be by using social media on the Internet) to sell.

Sing Your Own Praises

If you’re in marketing or advertising, this rule has undoubtedly already been tattooed onto your brain. For everyone else: you need to give people credible and compelling reasons to buy what you’re selling. And that means you have to think in terms of what’s in it for them.

WHAT IT MEANS: Every ad, brochure, e-mail, or direct mail is an opportunity to win customers and drive sales—but people don’t buy things to keep you in business, they buy what they think they need. Your challenge is to discover those needs and address them. To the extent that you can identify problems and position your products or services as solutions, your marketing messages will be more effective. Many business owners are so enamored with their offerings that they focus—to their disadvantage—on features.

For example, having an ergonomically designed shovel handle is a feature that provides the benefits of being able to work more comfortably and for a longer period without hand fatigue. Having the shovel zinc-plated means that it will never rust, which could mean that it’s the last shovel that you’ll ever have to buy. Let your benefits drive your ads, and your ads will drive more customers through your doors.

ACTION PLAN: Review all your ads and marketing materials. Are the benefits clearly stated? Could they be stated with more zing? Also, keep in mind that not all benefits have equal weight. Focus on the two or three main benefits for clarity and impact. You can include the others, but giving your readers too much information (at least when trying to spark initial interest) can dampen interest. You might very well have nine or ten great reasons to buy your product—but your prospects’ eyes are likely to glaze over before they get that far. Also, read a book on copywriting to gain a better sense of how the pros do it.

EVEN BETTER: Look for hidden product benefits—those that might never occur to you—by surveying or talking with customers. You can incorporate these newly found benefits into future ads, and you may even come away with some valuable and quotable customer testimonials!

(Excerpted from: 10 Clowns Don’t Make a Circus. . . and 249 Other Critical Management Success Strategies by Steven Schragis and Rick Frishman)

Step 1 Get the word out about your business

Advertising has come out to be very important for companies in order to launch, promote and persuade people to know and buy their products. The most common methods of advertising are through Medias like newspapers, radio, television and above all internet. Newspaper is the most primary method for promotion and advertisement of items since most of the people read papers than watching TV or listening to radio. These two options can also prove to be a good way of advertising as the younger generation can easily relate to these mediums. So, the product line to be advertised in television or radio should be according to audience.

Step 2 Be cost effective

The easiest, fast and low cost way of introducing your product is through placing ads on websites, since almost every one has access to internet.

Step 3 Get professional help

While thinking about marketing products, one can also take help from an advertising agency in order to create an ad which can attract more customers to your small business, but make sure that you never exceed your budget.

It’s that simple. Remember, customers need to find you to buy from you.