If you’ve read much of this blog, you know that 4 simple strategies sum up my approach to buildng an irresistible business.  In the next series of posts, I’m going to be taking a deeper look into each of the 4 strategies to give you a deeper understanding of the process.

In this series, we’ll look at…

• How to define your target audience and build a customer profile
• How to research their most painful problem and brainstorm solutions
• How to begin the process of tailoring services and creating products aimed at solving their problems
• Why education of your target audience is the main job as a marketer

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About a year ago I published Becoming Irresistible: How To Pack Your Copywriting Business With Five New Clients Every Month.

It retailed as a package containing the book, some download audios, and other eBook bonuses for $97. Many of you purchased the premium package and confirmed that what I’d been writing about for a few years made sense.

Here’s what two influential copywriters had this to say about the book: (more…)

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Why would someone visiting a strange city drive in circles for over an hour looking for his morning cup of Sumatra when a Starbucks was only a few blocks from his hotel?

(more…)

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Film star Kevin Costner may have been right following the advice. “If you build it, they will come,” but in order for your online business to succeed, you’ve got to first concentrate on your offline presence.

Offline? I know, we all want the online side of our business to be our own personal Field of Dreams. But strange as it may seem, your online business will come from offline activity. In this article, I’ll tell how to (more…)

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In Part I - you might want to click here to refresh your memory- I made the case for why your should never ask a client for referrals.

In that article I agreed with a few positions supported by most ‘referral gurus:’ (more…)

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“Barry, You’re dead wrong.” OK, so his disagreement wasn’t that blatant with my blog post, but nearly. You see, I ran the last post on my consulting blog and received a comment from a user that totally disagreed with my position. And of course that’s fine - he’s entitled to his opinion and his right to express it on my blog. (more…)

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Yes, every business book I’ve ever read has advocated asking your satisfied clients for referrals. Yes, every sales guru I’ve ever heard of will advocate closing a sale and asking this very same customer to recommend a few associates who might also have a need for your widget.

And yes, I take a completely opposite position…and for three good reasons: (more…)

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What does it take to get referrals flowing? Look no further than your high school physics book for the answer. Um, you remember taking physics in high school, right? Dust off those gray cells and let’s take a look and how predictable generating referrals can be. That’s right…one of the most basic laws of physics actually predicts why and when your clients will begin referring business your way.

(more…)

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Imagine walking through a lush, green garden just outside your kitchen.

Each morning, while sipping your freshly brewed coffee, you walk outside and note the changes and additional growth that occurred since your previous visit.

Some of the seedlings are sprouting little green shoots; others are developing thicker stems and leaf buds are beginning to open. As you walk further into your garden you note that some of your plants are beginning to bear fruit while others are heavy with ripened produce. Their branches are bending under the weight of another healthy crop.

The secret to a year-round bountiful harvest from any garden is regular, loving attention to the development of each plant as well as putting in the required work to produce a healthy harvest.

Now imagine that the fruit that greets you during your morning inspection are not apples, pears, or berries, but little articles each in different stages of development. (more…)

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Imagine visiting your doctor. After an eternity of waiting and reading three month old magazines in the waiting room, you’re finally escorted into an even smaller examination room. After waiting some more, the good doctor walks in and asks you why you’re there.

You say why. He examines you, smiles, and wishes you a good day. He exits and you’re left with a bill to pay.

What’s wrong here? (more…)

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