Business Coaching

Business Coaching From Paul Simister Your Profit Coach

Welcome to my Business Coaching Blog which you will find packed with tips and ideas to make a small business more profitable.

If you are a business owner with up to about 25 to 30 employees who wants more sales and profit through the a combination of direct marketing and Internet based marketing, then you are in the right place.

I have two particular interests:

From the strategic perspective, I help business owners to profit from differentiation by standing out by being distinctive in a crowded marketplace.

From the tactical side, I believe that just about all businesses have hidden profits which can be released quickly and easily because assets and opportunities are overlooked.

Gun To Your Head Marketing & Copywriting

"Gun To Your Head" copywriting and marketing is a phrase that I first heard from the late, great Gary Halbert and the idea has also been promoted by John Carlton.

The concept is simple.

What would you do in your marketing if your life depended on making that particular advertisement, letter or website page sell?

Copywriting & Manipulation Of Customers To Buy

The more I learn about marketing and copywriting and in particular the psychology of persuasion, the more I worry about the ideas being used to manipulate customers into buying things they don't want and need.

I was very interested when I read this email from Daniel Levis and asked for permission to re-publish it.

Daniel Levis is the author of Effortless Influence and one of the copywriters I pay most attention to. He also seems like a nice guy.

But can you square being nice and wanting to help people with being a master at persuading people to pull out their credit cards and hand over cash?

Recession Made Renegade Millionaire

There's a new training program launched by Dan Kennedy this week - Recession Made Renegade Millionaire or Renegade Recession Made Millionaire depending on which bit of the publicity you read.

I like Dan Kennedy's thinking.

It is a great shot in the arm for anyone who either:

• Wants confirmation that they are right - their future is in their own hands, no matter how bad the economy gets; or
• Is finding things tough and needs to reset their mindset and find hope where there is despair.

Recession Made Renegade Millionaire

Valuable Content Marketing

My friend Sonja Jefferson is writing a book on Valuable Content Marketing with her colleague, Sharon Tanton.

Sonja asked me

"What is your top tip for companies to consider when creating content for their customers?"

I checked whether she wanted content for customers or prospective customers and thought about it for a couple of days.

This is what I came up with...

"Valuable content to attract potential customers needs to be a triple punch that leaves the prospect wanting "more, more, more". It needs to be keyword driven to attract, curiosity based to encourage email opt-ins and relevant, practical and interesting to build the relationship."

I'm pretty pleased with that and wanted to create my own note so that I can refer back to it.

Hopefully it will appear in Sonja and Sharon's book on Valuable Content Marketing because it always feels good to have your ego stroked.

You can find out more about the book on Sonja's Valuable Content blog. 

Mentorsme Get Mentoring

The UK government has announced a further expansion in the MentorsMe Get Mentoring programme to provide practical advice to small businesses.

This is in effect the replacement for the BusinessLink service - loved by someone and disliked by many - which has been axed.

Effortless Influence Daniel Levis Review

I want to tell you about a training program that caught my eye recently, Effortless Influence from Daniel Levis.

Effortless Influence - affiliate link

What Is Effortless Influence?

Effortless Influence teaches you how to differentiate your business by using stories to persuade customers to buy.

You see we are pre-programmed to respond well to stories that capture our attention, stir up our emotions and make sense.

Stories entertain and inform us and keep us interested because of the natural build-up of suspense and tension.

Business Startup Show - Nuisance Marketing Telephone Calls

I receive repeated nuisance, unsolicited telephone calls from the Business Startup Show in London wanting me to exhibit.

I am not interested in the Business Startup Show - never have been, never will be.

Strategy Models

In recent weeks I've been writing a lot about strategy models on my specialist strategy blog, Differentiate Your Business.

The Purpose Of Strategy Models

Strategy models help you to organise your thoughts about business strategy and explain your thinking to other people.

Why Don't You Buy From Us?

It's important to ask your customers why they buy from you because they may have discovered some benefits that you don't appreciate or don't emphasise in your marketing.

Equally important, but done less is to ask the customers of your competitors or people who have expressed an interest but haven't followed through...

Why Don't You Buy From Us?

Entrepreneur Success Program - Seperating Winners From Losers

When times are tough and things look bleeak, the true entrepreneur senses a real opportunity is close.

Why?

Because change creates winners and losers.