The First Key: Price

The problem of the hourly fee hits me from at least two directions – as an entrepreneur who charges for his services AND as the head of my organization who must pay people to help me.

Charge What You're Worth, But NOT By The Hour

If I can finish an assignment in 20 minutes but it takes an equally well-paid person an hour, why should I not be paid what I'm really worth for solving the problem?

What's the old story about the TV repair man who charge a full service fee for banging on the side of the TV in just the right place? "But I had to know WHERE to bang on it, and you're paying for my knowledge," he reported.

I take on marketing consulting assignments the same way. I'm a guy who sees the marketing for a client at about the 40,000 foot level – where should the client go, what strategies should be employed, where do they want to end up?

I'm not the technician who designs a website (though I can), sets up the Twitter account (though I know how), or creates the Facebook page (I've done it many times). I'm the one who says WHERE to go and HOW to get there, and I am paid for that knowledge.

In my photography business, I was NEVER paid by the hour. I was paid for accomplishing goals (wedding photography and albums, family portrait sessions and wall portraits for the family to enjoy for generations to come). You don't get me for $350 an hour to do your photography, you get me for $10,000 or $15,000 to complete the whole assignment.

And I don't take on small projects any longer. If I can't get thoroughly involved with a client, learn what is going on in his/her business, strategies about what what marketing steps should be taken, then I just don't get involved. There are enough others who can do the small jobs.

And here's one other point – those who make real money are paid up front; those who make very little money are paid AFTER they work. It's just how things are.

I get paid up front.

Pay For The Completed Service, But NOT By The Hour

Though many "professionals" charge by the hour (lawyers are a prime example), the client is almost NEVER comfortable with that.

Why do I want to build in an incentive for my attorney to spend more time on my case than is needed?

And I always had that same problem with part-time staff people: I expect certain results for the dollars I spend. I'm not interested in how many hours they spend on a task, I'm ONLY interested in the results in a timely fashion.

I remember a part-time staff member telling me one time that she needed a 20% raise. I had to ask why? Was she going to provide me 20% more results? What would I get for my additional payments?

I wasn't forcing her to work for me, but neither could I afford to reward mediocre results with higher pay.

It's tougher when you're the one signing the checks – you think about compensation in a whole new way, believe me.

So… from either side of the table, hourly rates don't work very well. Avoid them when you can!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

PS: You can find me here:

http://twitter.com/UltimateWAHDads

http://facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr

http://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesseymourjr

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

Keep this with this article, please:

Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and marketing-success coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and direct-response marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, and Facebook applications. Visit his blog at http://bit.ly/24eYTO to learn more about his successes.

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Fallacies of Marketing

037 The Invisible Touch – The Problem of the Hourly Fee

Your own website is at the center but Facebook is VERY important!

People ask me HOW I do WHAT I do when it comes to Social Media Marketing, Online Marketing, Direct Response Marketing, Video Marketing and Email Marketing, and how I advise my consulting clients.

Here is a short video to show what I call the Universe Model of Marketing:

My Main Website is at the center like the Sun is at the center of our Universe.

Surrounding the Sun are Planets that point into the Sun (like Facebook, Facebook Pages, Hubpages, YouTube, Forums, Other People's Websites.

And pointing to the Planets from even further away are the stars (and in this analogy, these are Twitter, Article Marketing, and Bookmarking Sites, to name a few)

Now YOU Can Learn How To Use Facebook MUCH Better!

Facebook is becoming more and more important. If you want to learn how I do what I do (and even more!), you should look at these free videos and pdf files presented by Robert Grant and Ian David Chapman. These two really Get It… and they're helping LOTS of people already (as their materials will show you).

If you want to tell other people about this (and make some money from your efforts), click here:

Let Me Learn About The Affiliate Program These Two Have So I Can Earn Some Money – I'll Click Here!

If you aren't interested in making money but you want to use Facebook better in your marketing, click here:

Charlie, Please Show Me How To Use Facebook Better Through Robert's and Ian's Materials – I'll Click Here To Learn:

Now's your chance – I can't guarantee this material will be available past the end of this week, so go take a look right now.

Learn how YOU can use Facebook to explode your marketing's growth!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

http://twitter.com/UltimateWAHDads

http://facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr

http://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesseymourjr

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog – I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting. Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog – Click HERE To See More!

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

Keep this with this article, please:

Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and marketing-success coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and direct-response marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, and Facebook applications. Visit his blog at Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog to learn more about his successes.

Friends, if you like this post, please leave a comment, join our email list to get updates sent to you, and retweet it. And I've made it easy to retweet – just click on the icon below. Thanks!

Marketing Lessons By Charles Seymour Jr – The Universe Model

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Dan Kennedy's partner in Glazer-Kennedy Insiders Circle To Speak To Entrepreneurs

Delay and you will miss out on one of the most important nights you will ever experience (if you are an entrepreneur or have your own business).

Bill Glazer shares his message that there is enormous, exciting opportunity for the marketer who acts creatively and aggressively at a time when competitors cower in fear.

September 9, 2009, marketing guru and author Bill Glazer makes a very special visit to Philadelphia to speak at GKIC-Philly. We are a group of local entrepreneurs and business owners who get together once a month to discover ways to make our businesses even more profitable.

The principles I teach, blog about, and create podcasts about are all direct-response techniques as taught by Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer.

7-Steps To Survive and Thrive In The Recession… and Beyond

Bill will share his energetic ideas for a Recession Escape Plan…. How to Make the Recession Irrelevant.

As president of GKIC, Bill speaks around the world on laser-focused ideas to make your business successful, and I can assure you that having him at our meeting is a real treat for all of us.

During this timely talk, Bill reveals to you immediate ACTION IDEAS to implement in your business right away. He will guide you through all 7 steps, giving you real-world examples that you can apply to your own business right away.

Bill has also agreed to:

• conduct an E-X-T-E-N-D-E-D Question & Answer session to address your specific needs…
• bring along a limited number of Collectors Editions of his just released new book on OUTRAGEOUS Advertising That's OUTRAGEOUSLY Successful for a special book signing during the breaks.

Seats are filling fast and when they are gone – they are gone!

Join me at this special business-building opportunity by following these simple steps:

1. Go to the sign-in website to learn more and to sign up.
2. When you sign up, be sure to put my name, Charlie Seymour Jr, in the How Did You Hear About Us field – All those who sign up through me will be eligible for a drawing that night to win some Dan Kennedy materials.
3. Only those filling in the How Did You Hear About Us with my name, Charlie Seymour Jr, AND who attend the meeting where Bill Glazer speaks will be eligible for my personal special drawing. Be sure to see me AT the meeting – only those present will be eligible for the drawing that night.

I often describe our monthly GKIC-Philly meetings as "my oasis – a time for ME: to learn, to share, to gain new ideas from my fellow members."

THIS meeting I describe as AWESOME and NOT TO BE MISSED.

I know Bill personally; have heard him speak often; listen to his monthly CD of tips, tricks, and solutions; and always have a pad of paper handy to jot down his ideas so that I can use them in my business immediately.

He's the real deal. He'll have lots of ideas for you. You want to be there.

See you there!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: This will likely be the only time Bill will be speaking in Philadelphia and you really should attend. Register now before all the seats are gone.

PPS: The meeting will be on September 9, 2009 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the Penn Oaks Golf Club just south of West Chester, PA USA. Light refreshments will be served and there is a modest fee. Register now, read all the information, and be ready for a GREAT evening with Bill Glazer.

PPS: Learn More About Bill Glazer and this One-Time-Only Meeting, and Sign Up to Join Me – Click Here Now!

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Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

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Bill Glazer Coming To Philly

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Be involved with your community and then get away from work to see yourself better

Why was it so inviting?

* I'd be sleeping on a church floor for five days with nothing but the thin padding of my sleeping bag to comfort me.

* I had so much work to do for my marketing consulting and blogs to write for my UltimateWorkAtHomeDads.com website and wouldn't be near a computer to do it.

* I'd be surrounded with middle school kids, helping to guide them, lead them, drive them (and the more I drive the easier it is for me to fall asleep).

* I'd be away from my home, my wife, my bed, my air conditioning while cleaning driveways, feeding hungry people, walking around a rainy downtown area looking for "good" and stopping to pray.

Oh, sure… there were plenty of reasons to say NO, but still I was called to help, to lead, to grow, to be taught.

And so I went.

Now my 5-part video blog is ready. And it's on my website RaisingGreatFamilies.com and can be found here: See Charlie Seymour Jr's video blog about Mission Possible 4 in Nashville – Click Here!

My THREE photo Albums are already on Facebook and all the images are provided for use by anyone who went on the trip. The first Album starts here (viewable to all Facebook members who friend me): http://www.facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr#/album.php?aid=27033&id=1079948815

SO…

* What changed over the week?
* What impact on others did we have?
* How were everyone's eyes windows into their souls
* To where does our journey continue?

I can answer SOME of that… but YOU have to answer the rest.

This was a meaningful week – I hope you can share some of it with us and I hope you get something out of it: I know I have.

Charlie

PS: The video blog gives my thoughts, feelings, emotions during the week in Nashville. View this now on my family-site, RaisingGreatFamilies.com here: See Charlie Seymour Jr's video blog about Mission Possible 4 in Nashville – Click Here!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

http://twitter.com/UltimateWAHDads

http://facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr

http://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesseymourjr

Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

Friends, if you like this post, please leave a comment, join our email list to get updates sent to you, and retweet it. And I've made it easy to retweet – just click on the icon below. Thanks!

Salesmanship – Sell Yourself FIRST To Win New Business

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When Preparing For A Consulting Meeting With An International Foundation, The Following Questions Were Asked

The following questions are modified for this post. But they are very similar to what I'm asking my consulting client.

Each of us needs to look at our business with fresh eyes (I guess that's why consultants like me get paid and why so many of us use Mastermind Groups to challenge our thinking and assumptions).

See how many of these can help YOUR business:

1. If someone is looking for you, what are they looking for? (Dig deep on this… if for photography, for instance, are they looking for pretty pictures OR are they looking to preserve memories. Are my marketing success clients looking for more leads OR are they looking to serve a specific market while producing 20% higher profits. See what I mean?)

2. How do you spread the word about what you do? What methods do you use to get the word out. Are you limiting yourself to ONE way of getting new business? Many of us feel that ONE is the worst number in business (one person inside your business knowing how to update your website, for example. Or one printer or one mail house – when they get busy or go out of business, THEN what do you do?)

3. How do you find “new” people? What do these “new” people primarily want from you? Are you attracting people to you OR are you hunting them down and trapping them like in the old wild wild west? You need information working for you 24/7 and if you don't have it, let's chat about how you can GET it.

4. What words do you use to describe what you do or what you are looking for? Are you narrowly focused with your "keywords" or are you attracting people who use "long-tail search terms"? (Examples: Marketing Consultant is a HUGE term with lots of results. But if you provide services to Work at Home Dads, that is more specific. OR are you looking for companies with sales under $100million? The more specific you can get with your terms, the more likely you will find people looking for YOU… not someone similar to you.

5. What are the top 3 questions you get asked by people you work with? If you have general questions asked of you a lot, it's time to create an eBook, an FAQ page on your website, or some other means to answer the general question. You don't need to spend all of your sales time informing people about what you do… they should know that BEFORE you chat. If they don't, you have a marketing problem (not a sales problem) and need to address it.

6. Has anyone indicated that they looked online for you? Has anyone you interact with been to your present website? Hey, as much time as I spend online, it's still clear that not EVERYONE searches online (though a great many people do!). So be sure you provide information where people are looking for you.

7. How comfortable are you with a computer, searching online? The more comfortable YOU are, the easier it will be to respond to people electronically. If you are NOT comfortable, you can purchase those services. But having someone else put up your website and then leaving it unattended will only lead to missed opportunities when it comes to your online marketing. You need to know enough to be able to direct others and to know that they are doing a great job for you.

8. What articles have you personally written to help attract more people to you? People venture online for INFORMATION. If you have blogs on your website, articles on Hubpages, articles for others to use on EzineArticles.com, you are making it easier for people to find YOU… instead of your continuing to hunt for THEM.

9. When you visit a face to face with a client or prospect, what do you talk about most often? Are you able to answer questions easily? Do you have information products or physical products that can answer the most-asked questions? If not, that's a great place to focus right now.
10. How often do you recontact them your present customers and clients? For what reason? What do you chat about? What additional services do they request? Once you can answer that and provide products (physical products or electronic ones) that can help MANY of your clients and customers… so always think about how you can multiply your efforts through others and use something you created to help additional people. (You DO notice that I prepared these questions for my consulting client and now I'm using them here to help you too, right?)

10.5. What do YOU feel could be MOST HELPFUL to you when considering getting MORE people to use your services? Focus on what you need to do to get MORE people to work with you. You'll be glad you did.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad, succeeding in this economy

Friends, if you like this post, please leave a comment, join our email list to get updates sent to you, and retweet it. And I've made it easy to retweet – just click on the icon below. Thanks!