Prosper Newsletter: July 2006 > Marketing

You understand that the following information is educational in nature and is not intended to be legal, accounting, or tax advice. You are responsible for your own financial decisions and should consult your own legal, accounting, and tax advisors before making your financial decisions.

Consistent Marketing Plan Helps Inspection Company TRIPLE Their Business!!!

When we initially began our mentoring program with Prosper Learning, we had done virtually no consistent marketing. One of the main services that our company provides is presale sewer inspections for real estate transactions. It is a relatively new process to real estate and gaining market acceptance has been an uphill battle. Our biggest challenge was creating a marketing program that was inexpensive and created a call to action.

Because we have no training in marketing it was difficult to consistently prioritize it and very little discretionary time with running a company, we were experiencing great fluctuations with our revenue causing the company to struggle financially.

We responded to an e mail about Jay Abraham's program for small businesses because I was familiar with the outstanding reputations of both Jay and The Learning Annex. The initial investment took my breath away at first but I knew that we would gain relevant and applicable knowledge and I was comfortable with their guarantee.

Since we have started the program, our business has almost tripled. What is more important to me than the current income is the fact that we have become a marketing driven company. I know now that we will never be the kind of company again that only markets when we are slow. We are consistently busier than we have ever been but, no matter what, I do something regarding marketing every single day. My biggest challenge is not over marketing so we bring in more than we can handle.

In working with my mentor, I have gotten a deeper understanding of the value that we bring to the market place. We have also learned techniques of giving to get and the change in perspective has increased my creativity incredibly. We now have made our clients part of our business and the input that we have received from them has brought our product and our sales tools to a new level.

But most importantly, I have developed a confidence in what we do and how we do it so that I can sell our process easily and, when I am rejected, I could care less. I know that when I have been rejected by someone, they just don't understand what we are doing.

Of the approximately 12,000 agents in our area, we need about 100 to consistently produce per month. With a desired market share that small, we can afford to deal with only the best agents which will make the quality of our business soar!

We have become an easier company to do business with and we have created tools to help agents explain our process to their clients. After all, I now know that they are our sales force and, like any sales force, need great tools in order to make them more effective.

I can sincerely say that our mentoring relationship with Prosper Learning has changed our business for the better forever.

-Pamela V.
Livermore, CA

Tip of the Month

Find new ways to brand yourself and your company. There are so many ways to develop your positioning within the marketplace. The key is to keep i consistent. Here are a few easy places to keep your brand and positioning congruent with all of your marketing efforts:

  • Business Cards
  • Brochures
  • Flyers
  • Email Signatures
  • Email Address
  • Website
  • Presentations
  • On-hold music
  • letterhead
  • Sample product
  • Sales MAterial
  • Fax Cover Sheet
  • Internal Document

Remember that marketing and positioning your company is a job that has multiple fronts: Internal and External. Keep in mind that you should be marketing to all of the stakeholders that influence your company's success.

Entrepreneurship Coaching (4 Phases)

Entrepreneurship coaching can assist you in understanding market and business dynamics to leverage your skill sets and resources toward entrepreneurial success. The Entrepreneurship division is anchored with decades of combined experience in starting and managing businesses spanning a huge variety of entrepreneurial pursuits. Our business coach core is dedicated to providing practical curriculum delivery in entrepreneurship through a multi-focus program. Our aggressive team combines advanced degree professionals tempered by the refining fire of real world experience.

All coaches have started and currently maintain outside business ventures. The breadth and depth of the business coaching knowledge base ensures a stable of down-to-earth, approachable, mentors willing to provide actionable steps to guide the next generation of future entrepreneurs and business owners. Coaches have also written and published books and articles, maintain professional memberships, as well as attend industry conferences. Coaches also bring added consulting value from corporate experiences.

Topics of study include:

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