Your No. 1 marketing ingredient is not the right advertisement, business card, or website.  Those things are simply a reflection of your No. 1 marketing ingredient.  Your No. 1 marketing tool is what you belief within yourself.  That’s your core marketing message.


Your core marketing message is what you think, feel, and say about your business, your clients, prosperity and money.   It is your thoughts, feelings and words energized by the belief in your heart.  Those three ingredients - thoughts, feelings, and words - combine to create the core message that either attracts clients to you or pushes them away.  You are in control.

Janie is a small business owner who owns a pet store.  Janie has a good location on the main street of a small town.  Her shop has a nice atmosphere.  Janie believes in the high-quality products she sells.  Her customer service is flawless.  She says she wants her business to be successful. 

Many people visit Janie’s shop.  They browse.  They chat.  They may even  buy a small item.  Yet, Janie barely earns enough to pay her overhead every month.  What’s Janie’s problem?

Janie attended a free workshop that I gave on website design and internet marketing.  Throughout the workshop, Janie’s theme was “I can’t afford that,”  “I’m don’t have the time,” “I’m too cheap,” or “my customers are too cheap . . . “ 

Can you see what Janie’s core marketing message is?  Even though Janie has great products and great customer service, she cannot attract new customers or paying customers.  Her words reflects what she believes in her heart.  It would be bad enough if she only silently thought those things but when she says them out loud her core marketing message powerfully repels good customers rather than calls them to her. 

What core marketing message are you sending out?  Are you attracting clients or pushing them away with your thoughts, feelings, and actions?

What do you do to be of service for fun & free?

Today I had the best day!

Today I was cruising a website that I had been on before.  I had filled out a profile and an application.  I already had an ID and password.  BUT I COULDN'T LOG IN.  I kept checking the ID and password and each time I was rejected.  Finally I broke down and called tech support.

A friendly young man answered the phone.  When I told him my problem, he said that was a common problem. 

"Each hospital and institution requires that you use an ID password, upload a resume, and fill out an online application, " he explained.  "We get calls about this all the time."

"Can I make a suggestion to make it better," I asked?

"Sure," he said.

"I suggest that on the login landing page that you put a large notice that tells job seekers using the site that they have to have an ID, password, and fill out a new application for each separate institution.  That answers the question before they ever make the call.  You're job will be easier and you can focus your time on more important things."

The  young man was so excited.  "I'm opening the instant messenger right now to suggest it to our marketing department.  Each hospital will have to give its approval but that shouldn't be a problem."

"Maybe they'll give you a raise.  You take all the credit.  You make the suggestions.  You get the raise.  Just email me and let me know what happens.  If they say it was user error, assure them that I am a technophile and if it was apparent (and even not so apparent), I would have figured it out."

By the end of the call, the tech support guy was happy.  We were both laughing. I hung up the phone and felt good about helping someone for fun and for free.

What have you done for someone else today?  Has all your contact been about selling yourself or have you helped someone, provided information, or started a discussion just because it felt good?