By Jeff Dostal

I've been traveling quite a bit lately visiting with small businesses across the country. There is a common theme shared by the majority. When I ask the question, "Why should I spend my money with your company versus the competition?" I receive an interesting reply...silence. It's a bit scary the number of businesses that don't have a solid reply to this simple question. Do you?

One of the reasons we created what we call the Value Story Discovery process is because, as a business owner, you are too close to your business to know and understand the real value(s) of doing business with you. To put it bluntly, you just don't know why customers spend their money with you.

When we conduct a Value Story Discovery for a company, they are amazed at how the things they didn't feel were important are often the main reasons folks choose to do business with them.

If you'd like to know how a Value Story Discovery could dramatically improve the way you market and advertise your business, give me a call or email me. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Jeff is President of Marketing Firepower and an experienced marketing professional. He has helped many business become successful through the effective use of advertising.

Return to Blog Page

Tags: advertising, marketing, money, budget, Value Story Discovery

A small business owner was sharing his frustration with advertising. He told me he had a hard time telling all that he did in one message. I told him that’s where he was making his mistake. In “City Slickers," Jack Palance tells Billy Crystal he needs to find his one thing. Jack had it right. It’s a lesson we can all learn about our marketing. Each message you share with your target audience needs to offer one clear idea. One thing. If you try to put multiple ideas into one message, the consumer won’t remember any of them. Here’s another example. Get a handful of tennis balls and toss them to someone. Read More...

Tags: marketing, advertising

By Jeff Dostal

Welcome to August! We’ve put together some great ideas to help you attract even more customers this month.

“Media vs. Non-Media” is our new Bonus Video for August. It’s always interesting to see what companies incorporate into their “advertising budget”. Many companies feel they have a very large advertising budget but when you examine what they have included in their budget as advertising, you discover why it’s so big. You’ll enjoy this short and to the point message.

To hear about a small business owner using advertising successfully, watch this month’s “Success Story." We’re excited to introduce you to Rick Holm of La Paz Mexican Restaurant. Rick has learned how to combine hard work with smart advertising to create a very successful restaurant.

Do you tweet, Facebook or blog? Social Marketing has become a hot topic for many small business owners. I don’t fully understand it myself but if you want good information, my friend Keith Monaghan has put together some resources we can all take a look at. It’s this month's eBook titled “Social Media Marketing in 30 Minutes a Day."

Attract a new customer today!

Jeff is President of Marketing Firepower and an experienced marketing professional. He has helped many business become successful through the effective use of advertising.

Return to Blog Page

By Jeff Dostal

July is here! Are you attracting all the customers you want? If not, read on!

A brand new Bonus Video is being introduced.

“Consistency is Everything" is our brand new Bonus Video for July. Thousands of dollars are wasted every year by companies that don’t understand the value and benefit of consistency in all areas of their advertising. Do you? You will after watching this short video.

Check out the latest Marketing Firepower Success Story!

We’re excited to introduce you to Roger Reynolds of Reynolds Design and Remodeling. Roger is our July Success Story. A business owner like yourself, he has discovered that effective marketing and advertising really does work.

We like to bring you a little something extra each month as well with our free E-Book offer.

If you are looking for a great book to read, take advantage of our free e-Book this month, Napoleon Hill’s Awesome Secret by Will Edwards. If you have read and enjoyed Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, you’ll enjoy how Will Edwards breaks down the secret to success Napoleon Hill wrote about.

Have a successful day!

Jeff is President of Marketing Firepower and an experienced marketing professional. He has helped many business become successful through the effective use of advertising.

Return to Blog Page

Welcome to June. We have some great new videos this month as well as a very special ebook we’re excited to share with you. Read More...

Tags: marketing, advertising, success, ebook

A consumer franchise is when a consumer patronizes your business to the exclusion of your competition. Do you have a consumer franchise with any of your clients? If you do, how did you achieve it? Advertising is simple when you think about it. Read More...

Tags: franchise, consumers, marketing, advertising

By Jeff Dostal

A brand new Bonus Video is being introduced.

Your message will make or break any kind of advertising or promotion you do. The message you share is the difference between a consumer becoming a customer or not. Join us as we look in on a Marketing Firepower seminar focused on the power of your message and how to make your message work for you.

The Featured Video is a must see for any small business.

There are fundamental mistakes that so many businesses make when it comes to trying to attract customers. By following simple concepts such as focusing on a specific audience and having them exposed to your message as often as possible you can save money and make your advertising more effective. Advertising Basics, this months featured video shows you how to do it right.

As always we bring you another Success Story.

The focus of this month’s Success Story is Fredd Haase, an attorney who made the long journey from relying almost 100% on yellow pages to learning how beneficial it can be to be more proactive with his advertising investment. His is a great story that you will be able to relate to.

We like to bring you something to read each month as well with our free E-Book offer.

This month we borrowed from a good friend who has put together some fast and fun ideas in an e-book he calls, “Marketing Tough Times”. It’s a quick and easy read. The author has taken some simple ideas and brought them to life for us. Give it a quick read. There might be a few ideas that you can use today!

Have a great day!

Jeff is President of Marketing Firepower and an experienced marketing professional. He has helped many business become successful through the effective use of advertising.

Return to Blog Page

Have you ever seen or heard advertisements that proudly proclaim they are the “best kept secret?" Not something that should be a source of pride. The same can be said for businesses who don’t want to “toot their own horn."

Is there a reason consumers should spend money with your business? Read More...

Tags: advertising, marketing, small business

Ever seen that one written on the chalkboard? (Chalkboard. Did I just give my age away?) In over 16 years of helping small business attract customers, I’ve yet to come across one that didn’t assume their customers knew more than they really did. I hope you are the exception to the rule, but I won’t assume you are.

Read More...

Tags: advertising, marketing, assumptions

If you knew how little others thought about you…you wouldn’t worry so much about what others think about you.

Related to our daily lives, the title is a good lesson in life. However, in relationship to your small business it should read…”If you knew how little others thought about you…you should worry.”
Read More...

Tags: perception, advertising, marketing, small business

I always wondered what it meant, “Ignorance is bliss." As I grew up, I came to realize exactly what it meant. There are many times our lives would be much simpler if we didn’t know some of the things we know. But, it’s also dangerous, that thing called ignorance.

Let’s talk about your small business... Read More...

A friend of mine passes along inspirational thoughts to me each day. What he sent today jumped right off of the page and has stayed with me all day. I want to share it with you... Read More...

Tags: football, recession, small business, marketing, advertising

By Jeff Dostal

Many advertisers have been asking us if they should spend less money on their advertising with the recession in full bloom. What do you think? Let me offer an analogy for you. Read More...

Tags: small business, marketing, advertising, investment

How many times do we say this when looking at a problem we believe has a complex solution and when a simple one is presented…”Well, that makes sense!” Your advertising is one of those problems that many feel needs to have a complex solution. You have the answers to effectively communicate your story. You just need to understand how simple the process is. Read More...

Tags: advertising, marketing, small business

Never rely on the memory of your customer for the success of your business. I could and probably should stop right there because that says it all. But I won’t. Let’s explore this thought. My experience with too many businesses is that once they make contact with a consumer or once they get that customer in the door or on the phone, they feel they can move on to the next one. STOP! You can’t leave them hanging there, blowing in the wind of the unknown. Read More...

Tags: customer, marketing, memory, small business

If you are reading this blog entry, there is a good chance you own a small business and you make decisions about how you will advertise your business. Chances are good you are bombarded on a daily basis with one or more media sales people wanting to “show you the way”.

Read More...

Tags: advertising, marketing, small business, trust

Sir Winston Churchill was quoted as saying, “It’s not good enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required.” That kind of throws that thought of “just do your best” out the window. This quote hangs on the wall in front of me in my humble office as a reminder... Read More...

Tags: economy, recession, advertising, consumers

The other day I went to a website of a company I was interested in doing business with to get some contact information. I “Googled” the name of the company and found their site. I was instantly disappointed. Read More...

Tags: website, small business

A universal chorus goes up from small business owners everywhere: “I hate spending money in the yellow pages, but I have to.” Do you? I don’t think so. The top three emotions used to sell space in the yellow pages are as follows: Read More...

Tags: Yellow Pages, advertising

As we head into the New Year I wanted to share a thought on an article I read. A gentleman named Keith Cameron Smith is writing something called The Top 10 Distinctions between Entrepreneurs and Employees. Read More...

Tags: time, small business, entrepreneur, time management

Do you have kids? Do you know someone who has kids? Watch them work. Especially the younger ones. These are the best sales people around. Read More...

Tags: sales, marketing, small business marketing, advertising, salespeople

Let’s face it. It can be lonely at the top. You have to make decisions daily that impact your employees, your company and ultimately you! At times you most likely feel the weight of the world and you aren’t sure where to turn next. Read More...

Tags: small business, board of directors, direction, guidance

A friend of mine was telling me about a new diet he started a few weeks back. He was pretty excited that he had lost a few pounds already and that he “didn’t have to do anything to lose the weight”. The magical pills worked overnight melting his extra pounds away. Read More...

Tags: advertising, recession, small business, marketing

Listening to the radio the other day on my way to work I hear Charles Osgood tell me he was about to share a recipe on how to worsen the economy and it came straight from the Grinch himself. I had to listen to that and here is what I heard... Read More...

Tags: recession, advertising, economy

Ask almost any small business owner what the best form of advertising is, and you’re likely to hear, “Word of mouth.” “It’s the cheapest form of advertising” they’ll say, “And the most effective.” And they’re right. Sort of. Read More...

Tags: word of mouth, advertising, small business, marketing

By Jeff Dostal, President of Marketing Firepower

Ask + Tell = Sell. Does that sound too simple? Small business owners around the world seem to want to make the process of turning consumers into customers much more difficult than it needs to be. This simple formula (Ask + Tell = Sell) is the direction you need to take to be effective in the world of advertising and marketing. Read More...

Tags: selling, interview customers, ask customers, questions

I’m blessed with four kids, ages 13 to 5. When they ask a question or complain about a request made of them, they get to participate in the “You always have a choice” conversation. The oldest knows it pretty well. The nine year old just rolls his eyes when he sees it coming. Read More...

Tags: recession, advertising, small business, marketing