From the desk of David Ledoux...
My Client Was So Angry His Hands Were Shaking!
With Clenched Teeth He Hissed, “You Mean To Tell Me That They Screwed Me Out Of $4275.00 Per Year For That?”
Unfortunately Most Small Business Owners Are Being Cheated Out Of Their Marketing Money And Don’t Even Know It!
What You’ll Discover Inside:
- a case study of a Canadian entrepreneur who put a protective shield surrounding his entire market when 3 competitors moved into his neighborhood (his methods can be used by any entrepreneur to control and dominate their niche!)
- the biggest lie about marketing that struggling small business owners tell themselves each year (self delusion is an expensive mental disorder common to entrepreneurs!)
- why being in the buggy whip business forces some marketing consultants to snowball clients (that rep is blowing smoke up your butt and you don’t even know it)
- how two twenty-something billionaires are changing the rules of the game and you don’t even know it (they’re a giant meteor heading for Earth and YOU’RE the lumbering brontosaurus)
By: David Ledoux
Tuesday 8:17 PM
Dear friend,
That giant sucking sound is the painful roar of marketing dollars from small business owners being vacuumed into a black abyss. Who’s doing the sucking? The answer might surprise you! The thieves are desperate sales reps who work for marketing channels that are either no longer relevant or are in danger of becoming extinct. In other words, dinosaurs are stealing your money!
The bad news gets even worse. Here’s what’s about to happen:
Small Business Is Under Attack By Giant Corporations With Huge Buckets Of Cash That Are Abandoning 20th Century Marketing Methods And Are Becoming Sophisticated In Obliterating Your Business! You have 2 Choices – Adapt Or Become Extinct.
Here’s why this is true and will affect you:
You’re no longer in the business you thought you were!
The local neighborhood florist now competes everyday with 1-800-Flowers.com. Who has a bigger television budget, the little guy or the giant corporation? Who has a bigger direct mail budget? Which one is open 24-7-365?
Ten years ago the small neighborhood florist could compete using their local Yellow Pages. But that medium is dying. Who uses Yellow Pages now? Nearly no one under the age of 40. What do they use?
HINT:
But surely, if someone uses Google to find a local florist then a small neighborhood shop can beat the giant conglomerate?
The Truth About Local Search Will Shock You! Google Is Changing All The Rules When It Comes To Finding Stuff.
Go and Google the name of your town/city/neighborhood and your key search phrase. Are you on the first page where it counts?
No?
Then your internet strategy is dead.
What about a local bookstore? Who do they compete with?
If you said, “Amazon” then you get 2 points.
What about a local hardware store? Who do they compete with?
Amazon. You knew Amazon sold Black and Decker tools, right?
What about a local gift basket store. Who do they compete with?
Try Harry & David. Multi-million dollar direct mail masters as well as on the web.
What about a local video store? Who do they compete with?
Netflix, Joost, Apple, and every video pirate on the web.
What about a local butcher? Surely no one sells meat nationally over the web, right?
Wrong! Omaha Steaks is online. And Amazon just launched an organic foods division!
Perhaps you’re a business owner in a medium sized town that has virtually no internet competition.
First off, congratulations! Your Yellow Page ad pulls well. You have a Val-Pak ad in the weekly direct mail. You have an advertisement every Saturday in the local town newspaper. You’re a member of the local Chamber of Commerce. Maybe you’re a second or third generation family that has run the company for a long time. Maybe times have been good and the money has flowed in.
What do you do when a recession hits? What do you do when 3 new competitors move into your town and set up shop? What do you do when the local factory/mill/plant closes its doors and moves to China, causing your town to hit double-digit unemployment rates?
You’re No Longer In The Business That You Thought You Were!
I repeat - you’re no longer in the business that you thought you were.
I know what you’re thinking. I don’t know you, yet. I don’t know your business. How can I say you’re in a new business?
Because you know it’s true. Whether you fully realize it or not yet, whether you accept it or not, you’re now in the 21st century New Media business.
The New Media business?
That’s right. Every owner of a florist, hair salon, gym, appliance shop, hardware store, plumber, real estate agent, driving school, karate dojo, book store and butcher is in the business of competing for the most precious resource on Planet Earth!
What is this most precious resource?
Your Customer’s Attention
And pretty soon all businesses will be forced to compete using New Media like online video, blogs, multi-step multi-modal direct mail, dvds, webinars and online television!
Why? Because every local business is now competing head-to-head with huge companies with Madison-avenue advertising reps and giant budgets.
The good news is that the big companies have struggled with New Media even more than small businesses. They flushed billions of dollars down the toilet trying to figure out the internet. They flushed billions on ad spends during the Superbowl when everyone goes to the bathroom or to the kitchen for snacks. They pour money into TV networks that no one under the age of 30 watches anymore. Corporate executives are just as angry at their lousy returns on their TV commercials as you are on your pitiful returns on your Yellow Pages ads.
Many Business Owners Hate The Yellow Pages Ad Reps! And With Good Reason....
How do most entrepreneurs create YP ads? Over 70% of them let their YP agent design it for them. Just take a look. Every ad is 85% the same. A company name. A statement of service. A phone number. A graphic. Bland. Bland. Bland.
Which ad is worth calling in the graphic above?
Some small business owners hire graphic design companies for thousands of dollars to create ads for them. You get fancier fonts. Cool comic graphics. Maybe some fancy clipart. Sure the ad stands out. But does it pay for itself?
Did you know that over 74% of business owners that advertise in the yellow pages have no idea how much money they made last year (or last quarter) from their ad? Would it surprise you to know that they don’t track calls, revenue, or customer value from their ad?
How do you actually figure out what to put in your Yellow Pages ad without blowing 5 grand? You need a SYSTEM.
Now which ad would you call?
How do you properly test a yellow pages ad? It’s an antiquated medium, isn’t it? It uses outdated 20th century technology, dead tree cells compressed into thin rectangles with ink on them.
One way is to use the web. Get an Adwords account with Google. You can split test versions of the ad against each other to see what your target demographic clicks on. You can test your ad nationwide, or in a specific market like San Diego or Albuquerque.
Split testing is one of the secret powers of the internet. You can test in real time and discover things about your ad copy that would have been virtually impossible 10 years ago. The web gives you VELOCITY. And yet most business owners don’t know HOW to do it or how to find SOMEONE ELSE to do it for them.
How To Turn A Pizza Party Into A Powerful 21st Century New Media Marketing Machine!
A much more fun way to test your ad is with a Focus Group Event. You do have your own focus group, don’t you?
Book a Saturday afternoon on your business calendar. Invite 100 of your best clients to come to your business to participate in a focus group. Feed them pizza and pop (or caviar and champagne depending on your ideal client profile), and have some fun with it. Get them to review your ads in groups of 3-5 and vote on them. Make sure you have at least 10 versions of your ad. Each ad will get scored and commented on.
That fun little afternoon give you much more marketing intelligence that your yellow pages ad rep could never give you (duh!). But the hidden benefit is the profound effect it will have on your customers.
Some entrepreneurs will use focus group events like this as part of their 21st century new media strategy. Remember, you’re no longer in the business that you thought you were. You now own a media company that happens to sell widgets.
I show clients 7 ways to leverage a focus group that is reviewing Yellow Pages ads into automatically and easily creating new marketing tools for their business. You’re competing with giant companies now for the love and attention of your customers. Getting them involved is a very powerful way to win their hearts and minds. Making customers into celebrities is a secret that only very smart entrepreneurs know and leverage.
The Sad Fact Is Some Businesses Will Not Make It No Matter How They Adapt To Change!
Thirty years ago if you were a real estate agent in Anytown USA you had it made. The huge wave of baby boomers were buying their first homes. How does a first time home buyer find an agent? In the seventies they were referred by their parents, a family member, or their banker. Or they opened the newspaper on a Saturday. Or they saw an ad on a bus bench, or the side of a bus. Or a Yellow Pages ad. The agent made a nice piece of 10 or 12 percent commission, and everyone was happy.
Today, a first time home buyer goes on the web. They type their desired location and price into a search engine. They take a virtual tour of several homes, seeing every nook, cranny, and light fixture. They short-list a few homes that look good, and put in low ball offers. The agent is merely a human that fills out a few pieces of paper for a slice of a 3% commission.
It’s a bad time to be a real estate agent. They are going the way of telephone directory operators. And travel agents. And buggy-whip makers. And vinyl record salesmen.
The Old Way Of Doing Business Is Being Threatened By Massive Disruption
Just for fun I made a quick list of small businesses that are undergoing massive disruption in the way they are being forced to attract customers:
- Chiropractors
- Auto Mechanics
- Attorneys
- Mattress Distributors
- Real Estate Brokers
- Pool Companies
- Glass Repair & Installation
- Telephone System Sales
- Facial Surgeons
- Office Supply Companies
- Insurance Companies
- Movers
- Tutoring/Education
- Debt Companies
- Construction Companies
- Florists
- TV Repair
- Hypnotists
- Satellite TV Providers
- Locksmiths
- Vacuum Vendors
- Plumbers
- Restaurants & Bakeries
- Dentists
- Carpet Cleaners
- Sign & Print Shops
- Heating/Cooling
- Pest Control
- Furniture Dealers
- Computer Networking
- Painters
- Dance Studios
- Web Designers
- Computer Repair
- Martial Arts Dojos
- Waste Management
- Home & Office Cleaning
- Home Remodeling
- Home Security
- Interior Designers
- Marketing ConsultantsWhat do I mean by disruption? Look at how difficult it’s becoming to market to your potential customers.
Fax blasting is now illegal, and can result in a fine of $500 per fax! Dead-beat lawyers are no longer chasing ambulances, they’re chasing fax blasters.
There are massive do-not-call lists for telephone solicitation. Violations can result in steep fines.
Everyone screens calls by caller id now anyhow.
People open their mail over a garbage can.
Newspapers are read by seniors.
There are 525 TV channels, none of them local.
Magazines? It’s chaos at the bookstore.
Email? Most people have 6 email accounts and spam filters out the wazoo.
Radio? It’s moving to outer space...AM radio is “dodobirding”.
When someone knocks on your door, you peek out and don’t open it.
Even The Billionaires Are Sweating And Are Trying To Figure This Stuff Out!
Some of the world’s richest men are freaking out. They went deep into debt in the nineties buying up old media companies for what they thought was a discount. Imagine poor old Conrad Black sitting in his jail cell thinking about the dozens of newspaper companies he bought. Every article in his papers are available for free in real time over the web. Advertising revenues in newspapers are way, way down. Why buy a dead tree for 50 cents for yesterdays news when you get it live, in real time, for free on your cell phone?
What about Blockbuster Video? Who in their right mind will get in their car, fight traffic and $4 per gallon gas, wander around a big store, rent a movie, drive home, watch it and then have to drive back to the store to return it? That model is being crushed by the “movies-by-mail” model, and both will be killed off shortly by the downloadable model.
The Good News Is That A Small Business Can Completely Control Its Market, Become The Dominant Player In Their Customers’ Minds And Convert Them Into Raving Evangelists That Bring In Massive Profits If The Owner Knows The Secret!
Listen. Let me tell you a quick story. I dropped out of medical school in 1986 to start my own business. I had a paintball field. Grown men (and women) would dress in camouflage and chase each other through the bush shooting each other with balls of paint. And they loved it. And they paid me $65 per day for the fun. I was 19 years old and making $5000 a weekend. I discovered secrets about marketing at an age when most kids were focused on getting wasted and getting laid.
By the time I was 35 I had made my millions and retired. Instead of an education in medicine my education was in entrepreneurship and marketing. I sold off a few of my companies, and settled down to play with a few of my websites, write a few more books, and compete in mixed martial arts.
That’s how I spend my days. I fight. I love Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing. I get to coach kids who want to be cage fighters. And I compete in submission grappling tournaments. It’s always a hoot to see the look on a 20 year olds face when a gray haired middle aged man woops his ass!
One day my friend Joey (the guy who owns the gym that I train at) came to me with a problem. The problem was success was breeding competition in his marketplace.
The sport of mixed martial arts was booming on television. And that gave way to 3 new gyms opening up in our suburb. One gym was owned by a large international conglomerate. The other two gyms were owned by pro MMA fighters with brand name recognition.
I’m a customer at our gym. But I’m fiercely loyal. I’m the type of customer that YOU want for your business. Joey had no idea about my marketing background. As I listened to his concerns about the marketplace, I felt I had to do something. I reluctantly mumbled something akin to “I think I can help you crush your competition”.
Joey blinked twice, then scowled. “What did you say David?”
I had opened my mouth. There was no turning back. “I can help you crush your competition!”
Remember when I said that leveraging New Media was essential? Joey was totally open to any marketing tactic that was available. We decided to treat the competition like we would in a cage fight...
Most of the gym clients are twenty-somethings. They don’t read newspapers. They don’t use the yellow pages. They rarely watch TV. They don’t read junk mail. Radio? What’s that?
I quickly came up with an simple 2-prong strategy. The first was to increase the word of mouth exposure from the existing gym membership. That was fun. It took 15 minutes to create the promotion. This was vital! I tell you why in a second.
The second prong was to choke out any chance of the competition had in local search using the internet. Our gym had a website, like most gyms. For a certain keyword phrase it ranked 34th in Google. I showed Joey a method to control Google for his target keyword phrases. With just 15 minutes of work Joey owned the first 12 LISTINGS for the phrase! ( I call it the "Google Crush Method")
Did you catch that? Every single result on the first page of Google for his specific local search phrase pointed to his gym. His #1 competitor was relegated to spot 13 instead of spot 1!
What impact do you think it would have on your competition if you controlled the first 20-30 listings in Google for a specific search phrase? What would it do to your business if you controlled dozens, or even hundreds of these phrases?
Most Small Business Owners Are Overworked And Under Paid!
I sat down with Joey a week after we did that search engine control tactic. He persuaded me to reconsider my retirement. Joey is a very successful entrepreneur. But like many he works far too hard. What caught his attention was how much could be accomplished in just 15 minutes. That’s one of my unique talents.
I believe that most marketing consultants are long-winded gas bags. If you’ve ever hired one, you know what I’m talking about. They want to impress you with everything they know. It’s like trying to take a drink from a fire hose.
Or worse, they’re internet marketing consultants. They want to sell you 15 dvds, a 400 page manual, 900 minutes of conference call audios and transcripts and they gleefully boast in their sales letter how you get 35 pounds of shit for only $900 bucks. Maybe you know these guys. Maybe you bought their giant box of stuff. Did you ever do anything with it?
I think that 15 minutes is plenty of time to test a marketing strategy. Maybe it’s not if you own a 450+ person company and have to bounce every idea off of 7 different committees and see if there’s resources in the budget.
But most entrepreneurs who own small businesses can move quickly like an antelope instead of slow and lumbering like a brontosaurus. You’re perfect for my system.
It’s A Small Business Marketing Mastermind And It’s Long Overdue!
I ask small business owners at my monthly mastermind meetings about the hours they work at their businesses. It’s nearly unanimous that they’d love to try new marketing ideas to bring in new business but they "just don’t have the time". Maybe you can relate to that.
I came up with the concept of the “BMFT System” a few years ago and ran it in my own businesses. Once a week I’d meet with my team for 15 minutes. The single focused purpose of that meeting was to review our marketing calendar and implement 1 new idea. At the end of a calendar year we’d have tested 52 ideas. Some were great. Some were duds. We’d review the duds for improvement, plus keep the winners for the next year.
I eventually created a system where every single week your business improved. In 15 minutes. That virtually any business owner could use.
The BMFT System Small Business Success System
But what if you’re a one-man or one-woman show? What if you don’t have staff?
Here’s what got Joey’s attention. The 2 strategies that I showed him did NOT INVOLVE HIM! The whole purpose of BMFT is to create more time and money for the business owner.
Today, thanks to technology, it’s very simple to create your own INSTANT MARKETING DEPARTMENT! Your “IMD” probably won’t be in your town or city. Freelance outsourcers are available at rock bottom prices around the globe. Did you know that you can get an MBA grad for $16 an hour? How about a freelance copywriter for $4 an hour? I can show you how to find them, the proper ads to place to hire them, how to track them, how to fire the bad ones, and how to leverage the good ones.
My “BMFT System” is simple. Each week I show you one new strategy to drive your business using the 21st Century New Media concept. It takes 15 minutes. And it comes in a format that you can assign to one of your staff, or even a virtual outsourcer. It’s designed to be dummy-proof. And trackable. And repeatable. And profitable. Yes, very profitable!
There’s no giant boxes of crap to sift through. No mind numbing classroom stuff. No long-winded speeches, no long-winded consultant meetings. Just immediate action items that can be IMPLEMENTED!
I’ve decided to teach my system to just 190 small business owners. Click below to join the membership. You will be taken to a Clickbank site for order processing.
Try the "BMFT System" for two full weeks for just $4.95. If you like it, then you will be charged the Membership fee of $50 your first month, and just $50 per month thereafter. You may cancel at any time.
After you order you will be taken to a page to confirm your email. You will receive your first module immediately, and every 7 days to follow via email. It is an Adobe pdf download.
Wishing you all the best in your business endeavors!
David Ledoux
p.s. questions? need help? contact our support desk at bmftsupport@bigmoneyfreetime.com or page us at 1-416-352-5568
p.p.s what are people saying?
"I love the concept of a DVD as a business card. Obviously, you have to have someone who can make the DVDs for you at a reasonable cost. One of the biggest things I got out of this video was not only the Google Crush, which I’m excited about, but Carolyne explaining how she just went ahead and DID IT and you explaining that it’s OK to be nervous and less-than-perfect. This can work for ANY business!!!!!"
Brennan Kingsland
"Awesome Stuff. Way to Go Joey Thanks! keep up the good work guys you rule."
Thatcher Michelsen
"Thank you David and Joey, Great example of Martial Arts philosophy applied to Marketing; When facing larger stronger opponents seek ways to use their size and strength to your advantage. Stronger larger opponents often think in their size and strength, or the one deadly blow or hold. In this case, as David stated,”throwing money down a black hole that Joey contols.” And depending on their size they may not be able to move as swiftly as David and Joey."
Ken Dobucki
"Thanks for this video! The key points for me were: 1) coming across as an expert in your chosen domain and 2) making the pitch natural and easy to trust. Yes, come to think of it the best thing of all is that this video does not oversell and it gives practical realizable advice."
Barton
"I don’t know how I could ever thank you. The information I am learning from your websites and blogs has changed my life. Between your first book, which motivated me in ways I didn’t think possible. To the web 2.0 Strategies I’m learning. My life will never be the same. I have never been sold on this bullshit corporate life, making 50k a year and still living pretty much cheque to cheque not enjoying life the way I should be. I have been telling anybody and everybody I know, and they are probably thinking I’m crazy, and alot of them say, it’s probably some crazy internet scam. (SO they obviously didn’t hear anything I said) Whatever, they are all idiots, and I will use this information and the information I will continue to learn to better myself, my life, and my pocketbook. Anybody who isn’t doing this, or looking at doing this is an idiot! Thanks for the info!"
Marc Andre
"Hi David great info on the podcast with Howie Schwartz like usual. Slow down with all these cool freebies, I can’t take it anymore :-) I’m just joking, you can be sure I will take it all in. Right now I’m starting to get the word out, keep an eye on your google alerts. I just arrived at the scene. Better late then never, eh? You probably thought I was “M.I.A.” I just recovered from a week of information detox."
John Pratt
"Hello David;The podcast with Howie was great. I learned that consistency is key with wanting to be a marketer. I’m also getting better at doing instead of taking notes all the time. Thanks for the podcast it was very helpful."
Tac Cramatie
"David, David, David You just continue to surprise us & feed us. Your an unending supply of wit & wisdom. Great reverse interview with Howie!"
Glen Williams
"Hello David I just want to thank you for giving me the concept you learn better by doing. I want you know that I know dominate the first page for Hair Salon Marketing Tips. The advance intern 10 day challenge gave me the tools I needed on how to to this stuff. I owe it all to you and Yohan for giving me that chance to learn and earn from this process in the future. I know that I can do this with any business.p.s. I’m now going use local search terms for local business and see what happens. Do recommend I build a landing and collect information for list building??"
Theron Wilson
"This is totally awesome stuff, David! I have a new e-book coming out soon … and I would love to “Crush the G-monster” with it within 24 hrs of its release. This is absolutely powerful material that you’re giving out here, and everybody needs to get their hands on it fast!"
Greg Granger
"Wow, this is mind blowing material! This is a goldmine for those of us that capitalize on this. LOVE IT!"
Andrew Murphy
