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Florist > Are You Using a Chess or Checkers Small Business Marketing Strategy?

Are You Using a Chess or Checkers Small Business Marketing Strategy?

by: Jeremy Cohen

Until the day I learned to play chess I loved playing checkers.
Both games require a strategy that maximizes a player?s ability to capture her opponents pieces without first losing her own.
Checkers was fun. But the complexities of chess lead to more satisfying victories and defeats.

Chess is a more complicated game than checkers as there are more variables.
Therefore, much more thought and concentration is required to win a game of chess than is required to win a game of checkers.

Like chess, marketing your business is a complicated endeavor.
A successful chess player anticipates future moves and will position his pieces in such a way that each piece helps add strength to other pieces already in place.

A successful marketing strategy is no different than a winning chess strategy.
Every move you make must reinforce previous and future moves.
Instead of rooks, bishops and queens the moves made in the game of marketing are made with advertisements, web sites, marketing messages, brochures and so on.

As a small business owner you don?t risk losing pieces to your opponent you risk losing business to your competitors.

Great chess players have a strategy that helps them win with consistency.
Here?s a marketing strategy you can use to consistently win new business.

Focus Your Marketing

Target your market with a marketing message that speaks directly to the population you serve.
A marketing message is a phrase or sentence that clearly demonstrates who you help and the problems you solve.

Develop and use your marketing message as often as you can.
Doing so will help get your business get noticed by those most likely to buy from you.
Use your marketing message in your marketing materials, your website and any and everywhere your business comes in contact with potential clients.

Effective use of a marketing message can be a small business owner?s best friend.
A good one will work hard for you to generate new business and will never ask for anything in return.

Inspire Action

Once you?ve used your marketing message to grab hold of your prospects? attention, be it at your website, after reading one of your ads or an article you?ve written, be sure you clearly instruct them to take the action you want.
It doesn?t matter what the action is as long as it requires them to provide you their contact information so you may continue marketing to them.

Offer something useful and free in exchange for their information.
Give away free recipes if you?re a caterer or tips on designing bouquets if you?re a florist.
Just be certain to give clear directions about what should be done next to move your sales process along.

Build a Relationship

After you?ve successfully culled from your prospects? their contact information it is now time for you to develop a relationship with them.
The nature of the relationship you develop should be one that makes it clear that you know your prospect is out there, that you understand your prospects? problems and that you can help solve your prospects? problems.

Common methods for developing relationships with prospects are distributing articles, publishing an ezine and conducting surveys.
Be sure to include your marketing message with every article, ezine or survey.

Over time you will become the obvious solution to your clients? problems when they decide to take action to solve what concerns them.

Move Your Marketing forward

Using each of the above methods will help you position your business much like a champion chess player positions his pieces.
In the end victory and more sales will be yours.

About The Author

The author, Jeremy Cohen, helps small business owners and professional service providers attract more clients, grow their business and be more successful with his marketing strategy and web site enhancement service and his marketing guides. Get his free marketing strategy guide : Jumpstart Marketing: More Profits, Clients and Success at: http://www.bettermarketingresults.com/y.asp

jcohen@bettermarketingresults.com

An Easy Gift For Many Occasions

An Easy Gift For Many Occasions

by: Jennifer Shircel

It can be very hard to find that one perfect gift for someone.
How many times have you pondered over what to buy for a 36th birthday or an 18th anniversary?

Chances are that you?ve been thinking way too hard!

Go to any local retail store and start browsing.
What you?re looking for is some type of a cup, bowl or canister.
Something that is deep enough and round enough to have a plant potted inside.
Now start being creative?have you thought of anything yet?

This is such a neat way to make a simple gift into a very creative and meaningful one.
For example, for a birthday, you could find a mug that says ?happy birthday grandma? on it and plant grandma?s favorite flower inside.
Other ideas would be to find a cute canister of some sort or to find a small, rubber, child sized boot.
Look for any original object that...

An Easy Gift For Many Occasions

Florist > An Easy Gift For Many Occasions

Wedding Flowers - Warm Or Pastel Shades

Wedding Flowers - Warm Or Pastel Shades

by: Mary Jane Holmes

No matter what type of wedding you are planning, whether it is going to be a big fancy formal affair or a simple informal one, it will almost certainly involve flowers. When you combine the beauty and fragrance of flowers with natural light, candles and soft, tinted electric lighting, the effect can be breath taking. To set a romantic scene for the wedding match the ribbons, flowers and lights in warm or pastel shades to complement or match your color scheme.

If you are going to need a lot of flowers give your florist plenty of notice so that he can free up time to get your order ready .How do you decide the amount of flowers that you will need? Make yet another list. Who needs flowers? The Bride, Maid of Honor, Bridesmaid, Flower Girl, mothers of the bride and groom, boutonnieres for the Groom, ushers, Fathers of the bride and Groom, grandparents of both the bride and groom. That...

Wedding Flowers - Warm Or Pastel Shades

Florist > Wedding Flowers - Warm Or Pastel Shades

Buy Funeral Flowers Online: Advice On Choosing The Perfect Flowers

Buy Funeral Flowers Online: Advice On Choosing The Perfect Flowers

by: Clinton Porter

Choosing the right flowers can be difficult at the best of times but when selecting funeral flower arrangements it is made more difficult. Particularly if this is the first time you are buying funeral flowers or even if this is the first time you will order flowers online when you are still trying to come to terms with your loss. It can be both momentous and trivial at the same time when deciding how to best reflect your feelings towards your loved one. We hope this simple guide can help make choosing sympathy flowers an easier process.

Consider the Sentiment:

Sending the right message is perhaps the most important consideration when choosing a funeral arrangement. Funeral flowers honor the departed, comfort the bereaved, and express your personal feelings of loss. Think about the interests and hobbies of the person who has passed away and how you will...

Buy Funeral Flowers Online: Advice On Choosing The Perfect Flowers

Florist > Buy Funeral Flowers Online: Advice On Choosing The Perfect Flowers

Finding A Florist When You Need One

Finding A Florist When You Need One

by: Muzrak Maksidov

It's not always easy to find the right florist. Florist retail shopping

can be so time consuming and florist retail prices vary so much from

shop to shop, season to season, it's hard to know if you're getting the

best flower selection and the best price. Don't you wish there was an

easier way to buy flowers when you need them?

Well, there is an easier way; buying flowers online. Online florist

companies take the headaches out of flower selection, and a simple search

on the internet can provide hundreds of quick results. You can find a

florist who will take your order, take your credit card, and deliver

your flower arrangement or bouquet right to your loved one's door, often

on the very same day.

Need to send a flower arrangement to a sick friend's hospital room?

Your online florist will be happy to take care of that for you too. In

fact,...

Finding A Florist When You Need One

Florist > Finding A Florist When You Need One

Fast delivery flowers

Fast delivery flowers

by: Clinton Porter

Are you in a rush and looking to send flowers to celebrate a special occasion with a friend or family member? Or do you need to act quickly to respond to a bereavement overseas? Next and same dayflower delivery services offer the perfect solution for you - featured on selected online florist websites.

If you?re not sure what types of flowers to send, several ideas are listed below.

Flowers sent in sympathy and ordered online include:

? seasonal and cluster wreaths

? an open heart or Christian cross shape

? a single red rose with leaf surround

? simple posy arrangements and

? basket and potted plants.

Ideas for celebratory flowers include items such as:

? 6, 12 or 24 red roses

? cut orchids in a vase

? tulip bouquets and

? seasonal flowering plant pots.