From: www.chiromarketing.net The Promotion Trends Report by Promo Magazine, revealed that consumer promotional spending has increased signaling a strong trend of businesses adding promotional marketing to their overall marketing budget. What is Promotional Marketing? Promotional marketing is a business marketing strategy designed to stimulate a Patient to take action towards a buying decision. Promotional marketing is a technique that includes various incentives to buy such as: Contests: We all like to win something for free. Contests offer an attractive marketing vehicle for Chiropreneurs to acquire new Patients and create awareness. You don't need to run a billion dollar giveaway like Pepsi, just a valuable prize to your target market. Coupons: Over 76% of the population use coupons, according to the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) Coupon Council. Coupons still work and provide an affordable marketing strategy for Chiropreneurs. Coupons work great at screening or lecture events. Also, can be used with direct mail or in your patient newsletter. Sampling: Do free samples work? Giving your product away for free may seem profit limiting but consider the case of Seth Godin. Godin released a book called "The Idea Virus" in 2000. Unlike other authors, he did not charge for the book instead gave it away for free as an e- book. In less than 30 days over 400,000 copies were downloaded. This created a buzz about the book and even through free, people bought the hard cover; making the book #5 on the Amazon best seller list. We're not talking about professional services here. But, product or related services, like stress massage for example or a sample of pain relief ointment. Creating Powerful Promotional Marketing Before starting a promotional marketing campaign for your business take the time to carefully plan the incentives and objectives. Ask yourself the following questions: Are you planning to collect names as leads or discount an item as a loss leader to gain a larger Prospex mailing base? Determine the reason for the promotion. Who is the target of your promotional campaign? Is it your competitors Patients or existing Patients who have not made a purchase in the last 12 months? What incentive works best for your Patient demographics? Coupons, sweepstakes or sampling? What is your available budget? Choose an advertising vehicle like direct mail, email, or in-store that will not exceed your promotional budget. Will you run the promotion in-house or hire an outside promotional agency? Choose in-house if you have a limited budget and time to learn more about promotional marketing. How will your business decide if promotional marketing is a success? Select a clear goal and do not forget to measure the results. Is your promotion in compliance with State and Federal laws? Promotional marketing incentives must comply with the law. For instance, the Federal Trade Commission states "when a "free" offer is tied to the purchase of another product, the price of the purchased product should not be increased from its regular price." Any contests or sweepstakes offered by a company that require a purchase to enter are illegal in the United States. Check your country or state government agency to make sure you comply with regulations and laws. The continued spending by companies on promotional marketing is a clear indication that promos work. Apply promotional marketing to your business and experience a sales boost. Bob Sleeper Call me toll free at 877 WELNES1 or 877.935.6371 sleeper@wellnessone.net P.S. How you apply coupons, contests and samples to the three key strategies for building a business will have a profound impact on your business. Click the link below to get the special report: Three Key Strategies for Building Your Business. Just 7 bucks! Three KEY Strategies; Click Here ****************************************************** ********************* ARE YOU CONSCIOUS OR UNCONSCIOUS? ****************************************************** ********************* Discovering the four levels of performance consciousness is often a defining professional moment for Chiropreneurs. This consciousness isn't about being awake; it's about awareness. Whether you're aware of how and why you're successful or unsuccessful. Here are the four levels. 1. Unconscious Incompetent. This practitioner doesn't know - that he doesn't know, and is also called a DK2, which is short for "don't know, squared." A DK2 is not only incapable, but worse, is actually clueless about his inability. Before you say, "There, but for the grace of God, go I," it's important to note that everyone is a DK2 from time to time. The challenge is to not live our lives as one, because DK2 is a terminal professional condition. Right now you're probably saying, "Oh, Great One - please - stop me before I DK2 again." Don't fret; we'll get to that. 2. Unconscious Competent. When this practitioner lurches uncontrollably toward success, he doesn't know how or why it happened. Sometimes we call Unconscious Competents gifted, or lucky. Those of us who have to work hard for everything we get call them annoying. But don't be too quick to envy this person, because not knowing how you got where you are is one of the definitions of lost. And any resulting success is likely to be temporary. 3. Conscious Incompetent. This practitioner is incapable and he knows it. If you're looking for an employee to train, this is the one. No ego about what he thinks he knows, and no resistance to your methods and practices. A Conscious Incompetent is an amorphous block of disciple clay waiting for you, the master sculptor. But be careful. Sometimes the Conscious Incompetent wallows in his condition as an excuse for non-performance. Conscious Incompetence should be a temporary condition on the way to the next level of consciousness. 4. Conscious Competent. This person gets the job done and knows why. This Chiropreneur can identify what happened when successful, but more importantly is fully aware - and takes ownership - of what happened when they fail. How do you become a Conscious Competent? Through a practice called self-analysis. Self-analysis allows us to see what we do well and capitalize on it, as well as recognize - and constructively evaluate - what we don't do well and improve, or minimize it. Self-analysis is not easy; sometimes it even stings because it requires that we control our ego. Ego obstructs self-analysis by telling us that any success we have is because we're so smart, while assuring us that any failures we experience couldn't be our fault. Successful self-analysis is part of a conscious plan for professional improvement. Practicing self-analysis, Conscious Competents discover the enduring benefits of being honest with themselves about their own performance. If professional excellence were a mountain, Conscious Competence would be its peak. Rozlynne Rush, D.C. Call me toll free at 877 WELNES1 or 877.935.6371 rush@wellnessone.net P.S. Conscious Competence is also about making the right decisions after you have asked the right questions. Want to get the answers to the most pressing questions asked us by Chiropreneurs? Yes or Yes? If your answer was YES, then just click the link below: Answers to your questions: Click Here ****************************************************** ********************* Sail Your Chiropractic Ship ****************************************************** ********************* A friend with a good job once observed to me that, "It must be frightening being a entrepreneur. You know, not having a guaranteed paycheck, benefits, and all." I told him, "You're right. It scares the hell out of me." And then, remembering another friend who was downsized twice in 18 months, I hit him with this: "It's almost as frightening as being an employee." In that spirit, here's a jewel I came across a while back. I don't know who said it first, but I like it and want to pass it along. "A ship in the harbor is safe . . . but that's not what ships were made for." Were you made for the "safe" harbor of employment? If so, God bless you! Because the world must have lots of loyal, productive employees. Send me your resume. Or were you made to sail the entrepreneurial open seas? If so, God be with you! Because you're not part of a large fleet, you navigate by the stars of the marketplace and the storms, reefs and pirates of the marketplace take no prisoners. If you were made to sail and not to lie at anchor, you will not only know storms, reefs, and pirates, but you will also know what your ship is made of, perspectives not possible at anchor and voyages of which others can only dream. All of life is a risk. Raising anchor and setting sail merely introduces you to different kinds of risks from those found in that safe harbor. Good sailing, mate. Lawton W. Howell, Sr. Call me toll free at 877 WELNES1 or 877.935.6371 ceo@wellnessone.net P.S. You can reduce the risk of a voyage when you sail a strong ship. Find out about the WellnessOne National Ship that you an sail in your marketplace. Just click the link below: Be the captain of your very own WellnessOne ship: Click Here ****************************************************** ********************* Thank you for subscribing to the CEObrief eLetter. If you no longer wish to receive the CEObrief, just click the link below to automatically be removed from this list. If you want to share the CEObrief with a colleague or student, just use the link below. And, if you want to share a story about building a business....let us hear from you! Your CEObiref T.E.A.M. Call us toll free at 877 WELNES1 or 877.935.6371 ceobrief@wellnessone.net P.S. Be sure to visit www.chiromarketing.net for business building resources that you can download 24/7!