‘Were You Committed Today? Should You Be?’ by Troy White

Clayton Makepeace has released the latest issue of ‘Total Package’. The featured article by Troy White is titled “Were You Committed Today? Should You Be?”. [‘Entrepreneurship’ Article]

Clayton Makepeace has released the latest issue of ‘Total Package’.

The featured article:

Fellow Business-Builders,

Now is not the time to sit back. Now is the time for you and I to step up, take charge, and get much more assertive about growing and protecting our businesses.

You know the sad state of affairs out there … no need to remind you.

But what is important to realize and celebrate is that there are many businesses who are doing exceptionally well right now.

And they are not the ones sitting back and resting on their laurels. They are kicking butt and taking prisoners.

Which is my mantra for the coming months.

… and I recommend yours too.

I don’t mean that we are getting pushier, slashing prices … or anything even like that.

What I do mean is that we need to make a well planned, full frontal attack on gaining market share and new customers in the coming 68 days.

Why 68 days?

Because that is how long you have until the end of 2010.

To meet all those goals you set.

To accomplish all those new initiatives you committed to at the beginning of the year.

To get at least three or four marketing campaigns done.

Or, think about it this way:

Your countdown to Christmas day is 62 days, or approximately 1,488 hours.

Your countdown to the end of 2010 is 68 days, or 1,632 hours.

Valentine’s Day: 113 days, or 2,712 hours.

To be halfway to your goals of 2011: you have exactly 249 days to make it all happen.

Which may sound like quite a few days … but really isn’t when you break it down.

Which we will today.

If you want to emerge from this slug-infested economy … here is what I recommend.

This is for small business owners and entrepreneurs who don’t have a large marketing budget, but need big impacts quickly.

Personalized thank you cards daily. People you meet and talk to – mail them a thank you card, in your hand writing. Send it out the same day you meet either them.

How often do you get a personalized, handwritten Thank You card? Not very often I would imagine. The Send Out Card business is a good alternative – but real impact is made when you personally write the card.

It just doesn’t happen anymore.

People think a quick e-mail is all that’s needed.

… it isn’t.

Your clients and prospects are as tired of taming the e-mail beast as you are … so do something different for a change.

Send a hand written, personal thank you card.

It costs you next to nothing – but the impact is immense.

Encourage others to refer you to their friends and associates.

Not by begging for referrals … but by giving more than you expect in return.

Make a conscious effort every single day to think about those around you. Your customers. Your partners. Affiliates. JV partners.

… anyone you meet with that is on business matters.

(now is not the time to hit up your friends and family to help you find business, it is an option, just not one I recommend … unless they are networkers, centers of influence, or somehow understand your business and the ideal clients you target)

Those you meet need help too. They love referrals, leads and thoughtful gestures as much as the next guy.

So send them related articles to their business.

Think about who you know that is the perfect fit for them as a client.

Then personally take the initiative to confirm they may be interested, looking, or at least hear them out.

Then make the introductions.

Do this daily.

Next … prolific value creation.

One of the most powerful ways to do this is to create information that helps them.

Information that helps them through the issues that they suffer with (related to what you do or offer, of course).

Information that helps them use your products or services more efficiently. Information that was traditionally saved for more advanced users or customers. (It kind of forces you to up your game if you start giving away your advanced information.)

Put a plan in place to create immense value in your customers and prospects lives over the next 3 months.

Show them that you are more than a cash register.

That you care about them and how you can help them.

Next … marketing systems.

Lots of them.

Your new acquisition funnels in place and conversion systems also there to get maximum value from your lead magnets you are using.

Again, going back to the plan of attack for the next six months, you don’t have a lot of days, yet you have a TON of things to get done in the meantime.

You have copy that needs writing.

You have blogs that needs posting to.

You have campaigns you need to schedule, manage and rollout … on schedule.

NOW is the time to get serious about this.

I hear every day from struggling entrepreneurs who don’t know where to turn or start.

Well – the place to start is with a commitment.

In writing.

On a calendar.

… And with an accountability partner or coach in place (if you can’t hire a coach, find a like minded entrepreneur who needs to do this as well – keep each other accountable over the next few months. It will become a much needed, highly profitable habit).

Commit to: Here is what I will do this week, next week, etc. Write down your deadlines – and count backwards so you know exactly how many days you have left.

Be realistic in your planning – and add 20% to your time lines (you know as well as I do that entrepreneurs love to under estimate the effort, time and commitment that needs to go into projects for completion).

Yes, this is a lot of work.

Which is why you had better get started now!

Think about the alternative for a moment.

If all this ‘hard work’ stresses you out … think about the repercussions if you don’t do what needs to be done.

If the economy doesn’t do some miraculous turnaround, how will you fair through the next six months without making some immediate changes to the way you are growing your business?

Most people I talk to know this is, unfortunately, the truth. They know they need to get a whole bunch of things done in a really short amount of time.

The question is … are you an implementer or a wait-and-see type?

You know the numbers – companies that market themselves aggressively in tougher times end up growing by many times faster and more profitably than their competitors who sit on the sidelines and wait it out.

I double-dog-dare-you to stand up and commit to this aggressive plan.

All of us are here for you at The Total Package.

We will feed you the ideas to fuel your growth in the coming months …

… but it is up to you to commit, implement, and deliver.

Are you up for the challenge?

I am – and I hope you are too.

To your success,

Troy White

Supplement to THE TOTAL PACKAGE

Troy White is a top marketing coach, consultant & direct response copywriter based in Calgary, Canada. He has a powerful approach to growing small businesses and entrepreneurial run ventures on a budget. His FREE Cash Flow Surges newsletter shares tons of great strategies.

He also publishes the incredibly powerful Cash Flow Calendar system that gives you daily, weekly and monthly marketing ideas to promote your business and stand out from the crowd. Click here to get your free tips for growing your business!

Attribution Statement: This article was first published in The Total Package. To sign-up to receive your own FREE subscription to The Total Package and claim four FREE money making e-books go to www.makepeacetotalpackage.com.

The Total Package

*IMNewsWatch would like to thank Clayton Makepeace for granting permission to reprint this article.