Tag Archives: Carmel Valley

Knowing Your Worth, Part 2

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Recently, I wrote an article about knowing your worth and the value your company brings to the community. Today, I’m writing about the process of knowing your worth and having the confidence to raise your prices.

Disclaimer:  I’m not certain if today’s article is a “how-to”, or more like a “confessional”, so bear with me if I’m not coming off as an expert here. Sometimes, we just have to go through it to better comprehend it. (Kind of like parenthood or buying a house for the first time.)

Here I am, a sole proprietor, who wants to grow the business. My personal business goal for 2013 is to delegate more, grow my part-time team into a full-time team. I’m discovering that letting go and delegating is harder than I thought it would be. Why? Because finding the right team members isn’t as easy as I thought it would be, and because I love what I do so much, I feel like I’m giving up my favorite things to others…and that’s hard.

So, I’ve found a great group of people to form my team, and I want to keep them busy with fun, profitable, ample work. Yay! Finding the right people is getting easier.

Next, I need to make certain that my pricing can support a team, and I discovered that I needed to change my pricing model. For years, I’ve worked off the $1.00 per minute model. In the last article about knowing your worth, I thought I’d shift it to a $2.00 per minute model.  After doing some math and a long hard look at the viability of that option, I found out it wouldn’t work.

I took a long, deep breath, and I decided to buck up and put on my courage cap. I changed our pricing model to a flat monthly fee of $200.00 for our basic Social Media Optimization package, plus $2.00 per minute for special projects.

Here’s the confessional part…I notified all of my clients that it would take effect May 1st, and I’m waiting to hear the other shoe drop. I will be perfectly honest that I’m a little scared that some of my clients may cancel their plans to work with me, and I know that is a real possibility.

However, when you compare our pricing to other companies that do our type of work, we are still in the lower range of the industry’s pricing standards. Still, I know I will soon be defending our stance and let the cards fall where they will. Changing my pricing model is the only way our company is going to grow from a sole proprietorship to a reputable small business.

Ah, I feel better now. Thanks for reading my confession and understanding my current phase of growth as a business owner.  I still feel so green behind the ears sometimes, but I appreciate those of you who are cheering me on from the sidelines.

So, if you’d like to chat about your business marketing needs, contact me for a free consultation. Together, we’ll make marketing fun and attract more sales opportunities for your business. Contact Jennifer Filzen at 831-324-0816 or jenniferfilzen@gmail.com to schedule your appointment.

Knowing Your Worth

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  • Do you know your business’s worth?

  • How do you go about pricing your products and services?

  • What happens when you want to raise prices, but you’re not sure if your customers approve?

These are all questions we face as business owners, and knowing your worth takes some deep insight, customer surveys, and courage.

For example, for 3 and a half years, Rock Star Marketing has had the same pricing, which is $1.00 per minute. $60 per hour may sound like a lot for businesses with a small marketing budget, but when you consider that it only takes about 5 minutes to post something online, $5.00 is truly affordable.

Recently, I have had to raise my prices to $2.00 per minute, which is $120.00 per hour. So far, none of my clients have complained, and that is because I am offering discounts when they bring me new clients. Here’s my fee and discount structure.

New customer = $2.00 per minute

Customer that brings me 1 new client = $1.75 per minute

Customer that brings me 2 new clients = $1.50 per minute

Customer that brings me 3 new clients = $1.25 per minute

Customer that brings me 4 new clients = $1.00 per minute

Customer that brings me 5 or more new clients = FREE marketing work on all social media optimization projects — no charge!!!

Not bad, huh?  That’s what I like to call knowing your worth and leveraging your existing network of happy clients.

Do you know your worth? Does your brand stand strong on its own, command higher prices and strong customer loyalty? If not, what’s going on with your business and how can we help you know your worth?

If you need marketing help, contact Jennifer Filzen of Rock Star Marketing. The first consultation is FREE!  Call today at 831-324-0816.

Spring Cleaning for Your Marketing Campaign

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Heidi Cohen is a social media marketing guru that we often look to for advice. She came out with a column that illustrates the importance of doing some spring cleaning on your social media marketing. Since not all the business owners reading this column use social media as their main marketing outreach, we modified her advice to include spring cleaning tips for general marketing practices.

  1. Reassess your marketing goals. — Are your marketing goals the same, or have they changed?  Refocus and make sure your marketing outreach is in alignment with your business goals.

  1. Evaluate whether your marketing audience has changed. — Do you have the same customers? Have you always had the same customers? How have their needs changed? How do you get new audiences to want to do business with you?

  1. Examine what your competitors are doing with marketing. — Are they leveraging their marketing better, and if so, how?

  1. Determine where to focus your marketing efforts. — Do you get the most business from word of mouth referrals, the newspaper, or through Google search pages? Find out where most of your business comes from and invest your marketing dollars there.

  1. Plan your marketing strategy. — A true marketing campaign is not unplanned. A successful marketing campaign has a beginning, a middle, and an end. “Plan it” rather than “wing it”. Grab that calendar and plan out what’s happening and when it’s happening.

  1. Don’t forget to include an action item. — You can tell people all you want about your business, but you should have a call to action so they actually do something. Do you want them to call you for an appointment? Do you want to invite them to sample your products for free? Do you want them to sign up for your email list? Spell it out so they follow the path toward becoming a customer.

  1. Make sure your marketing message and image is the same across all marketing channels. — Do your logos match? Does your message sound cohesive everywhere? Even if you’re targeting different demographics with different messages that appeal to them, make sure the branding remains similar throughout the campaign.

  1. Measure your marketing results. — You cannot manage what you cannot measure. When customers call in, find out how they heard about you. That will determine what marketing efforts are working and what aren’t.

Planning your marketing strategy and sticking with that plan will attract more customers. Once your marketing has brought them through the door, it is up to you and your team to provide the customer experience needed to keep them coming back.

Remember, you can have the best marketing campaign in the world, but it won’t work if you don’t have an appealing product, complete with great customer service, and a well built business model.

Do you need help with your marketing campaign? Call 831-324-0816 to schedule a free consultation with Rock Star Marketing.

Fly Your Freak Flag

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Yes, it’s true. It’s okay to fly your freak flag in business. I give you wholehearted permission to fly your freak flag. Your freak flag shows who you really are, deep at the core, and it can be very good for business.

First, let me explain what a freak flag is. A freak flag is either a subtle or overt characteristic, mannerism, or appearance which implies unique, eccentric, creative, adventurous, or unconventional thinking.

For those of you who think “freak flag” is a new phrase, it isn’t. David Crosby refers to long hair as a freak flag in his 1970 song, “Almost Cut My Hair”, with the lyric “I feel like letting my freak flag fly.”

Quite often in business, especially in conservative industries, we don’t want to appear unconventional. For many business owners, there is concern that they if they let their freak flag show by doing things differently, they’ll lose business. However, marketing research and social media communities show the opposite is true.

When potential customers see your freak flag — which is ultimately unrestrained, unorthodox or unconventional thinking, behavior, manners, etc. — they may be more attracted to your business and your core values. Online marketers are finding incredible success with businesses and brands that espouse radical, nonconformist or dissenting views and opinions that are outside the mainstream.

Want some examples of some successful and recognizable brands that proudly fly their freak flags?

  • Ben & Jerry’s
  • Chick-fil-A
  • Mini Cooper
  • Monterey County Weekly
  • Whole Foods
  • Zappo’s
  • Zumba Fitness

So, if you’re wondering if it would be cool to tell the world what you value and believe in — even if it’s a little left of center — then go for it!

If you want to attract your true fans…the ones that gather around your brand as a community…then fly your freak flag for all the world to see. It’s okay, and it’s one of the best ways to attract and keep a devoted clientele.

How to Create a Book

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If you’ve always wanted to create a book, I’m here to tell you how to do it.

It’s simple really, so here we go…..Get started and don’t stop until it’s done.

Okay, I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but it’s how to create a book. Let me explain.

When I started writing the Rock Star Marketing column for the Marina Gazette, it all started with one little article. Thanks to reminders from the editors, I was on the hook to generate another article, and another, and another. Over a period of two years, I had enough to create my first e-book, How to be a Marketing Rockstar.

It’s really that simple.

What it really takes for you to create a book is to have the discipline to get started and follow it through until you have amassed enough content for a book. Books do not have to be 1000 page masterpieces. Books simply have to convey an idea well enough that people will want to pick it up and read it from beginning to end.

English poet, Alfred Tennyson, wrote a famous line that you may find familiar:
“Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all”

I’d like to invite you to consider this modified version of Tennyson’s classic line:
“Tis better to have started creating your book / Than never to have started at all”

If you have something important to share with the world, it is your duty to share it, or your message will go nowhere.

If you haven’t started creating your book, comic strip, painting, music tracks, wedding dance, retirement plans, tackling your big goals and living your dreams, what’s stopping you?

Get started and see what happens. You may be delightfully surprised at the journey you take along the way. When you’re all done creating your book, let me know, for I’d love to read it.  :-)

How To Be A Marketing Rockstar is now available in PDF format and you may request a free copy if you email jennifer@rock-star-mktg.com.

Happy Holidays from Rock Star Marketing!

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Rock Star Marketing wishes you the best and happiest of December holidays!

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy End of the Mayan Calendar!

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Looking back on 2012, it really has been an incredible year, and I have you to thank for it.

Yes….YOU!

See, if it weren’t for you, the person reading this, I would not be as successful as I am. Because I write a column for the Marina Gazette, I know that someone, somewhere out there, wants to know more about online marketing. Because of this, I am inspired to share what I’ve learned in hopes that it helps you in your business.

Regardless of what industry we’re in, when we share ideas with others, it helps us become smarter, better listeners, and better business people. My growth as a marketer has also helped me grow as a business owner, and that is a true blessing. Yes, 2012 has been a banner year, and I am honored to have learned a whole lot, served many new clients, built relationships with high-quality teammates, and reaped the fruits of growth and prosperity.

So, dear readers, thank you for helping me stay inspired, stay focused, and stay on top of my game. You, tuning in to what I have to say about my passion for marketing, is the biggest gift of all!

Happy Holidays!

How To Turn Off Your Voters / Customers

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Super Tuesday and the 2012 election season is over. Yay!!!!

There were some hard fought battles out there–both regionally and nationally–and the vitriolic froth being spewed forth from people on both sides got very nasty at times.  Now that the election is over, it’s my turn to use this case study of “us-against-them politics” and show you what I saw from a marketing perspective.

This article has a title with full tongue-in-cheek, but I state my case that you can easily see the mistakes that were made in the campaign ads and speeches. Please avoid them at all costs when you’re trying to retain your existing customer (voter) base and want to attract new customers (voters). After all, your customers are people who are choosing you and voting with their dollars when they buy from you and show their support.

How to turn off your voters / customers:

  • Tell them they’re wrong.
  • Make them feel stupid.
  • Make them feel marginalized.
  • Generalize them and fit them all into one category.
  • Tell them they don’t have a right to choose.
  • Tell them God will punish them.
  • Be a negative bore.
  • Tell them their ideas and solutions have no merit.

I mean this with complete respect, but if you’re running your business (or political party) like this, you deserve to go out of business. Would YOU go to your own place of business if YOU were treated like this?

As silly as this sounds, this was often the rhetoric coming out of many campaign ads. How terrible! In today’s global community, collaboration and reaching across the aisle to shake hands is the best way to get things done. If you want people to choose you, your party, your business, and your products, you would be smarter and far more successful if you exhibited the following behaviors below — regardless if they are a new or long-term customer.

How to attract new voters / customers and keep the ones you have:

  • Celebrate them.
  • Welcome them.
  • Tell them how much you appreciate them for joining you.
  • Get to know them and find out how you can best serve them.
  • Get them excited about you, your brand, your products, and the impact you’re making.
  • Get them so excited that they bring friends!
  • Pay attention to what they’re telling you and what they’re not telling you.
  • Exceed their expectations.
  • Invite them to become part of the team and the solution.
  • Create a fun and inviting environment.
  • Make them feel special and happy about their choices.

Folks, it’s not rocket science. These are the principles behind great customer service. These are also the best ways to attract people to your event, political party, house party, retail store, restaurant, spa, or board room. Personally, I’m going where I feel welcomed, and that is how I vote with both my dollars and my ballot.

What Scares You About Marketing?

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As we approach Halloween, it reminds me of my first marriage.  Halloween was when I met my future husband at a party, and seven years later, we married on Halloween.  Back then, we joked about how we waited so long and chose Halloween as our wedding date “because marriage is very scary!”  I should have known at that point the marriage would fail, but that’s another story.

But with Halloween being a time of both fun and fear, it made me wonder what scares business owners about marketing.  For me, of course, marketing is pure fun and frolic.  For others, that’s not always the case.  Here are some of the things that scare business owners about marketing, and if you have a few reasons of your own, I’d love to hear from you:

Scary Marketing Thought #1:

My money will be wasted if the advertising method I choose is not seen and I don’t get the new customers I expected.

Wasting marketing dollars is a big, scary thing.  It’s true!  That is why it is important to do your market research and find out from each new customer how they found out about your business.  If they’re finding you via Yelp, Google AdWords, your website, or Facebook, you know to invest more time and money there.  If they’re not finding you in the phone book or newspaper advertisement, it’s time to stop spending money where it does you no good.

Scary Marketing Thought #2:

I don’t like to talk much about what I do with strangers.  I feel like a salesperson and it makes me uncomfortable.

Here’s the reality…no one is going to sell your business as well as you can.  It doesn’t matter who you hire, but if you are a sole-proprietor, you are your own best salesperson.  If you want to make money in your chosen career, you’ll need to get out and network to as many people in your target market as possible.  Pick up the phone, go to a Chamber of Commerce meeting, and get onto Facebook.  It’s time to leave your shell, Hermit Crab.

Scary Marketing Thought #3:

I don’t know the first thing about computers, let alone Google, SEO, Facebook, Twitter, and all those other social media platforms.  It’s intimidating.

Another reality check…we’re twelve years into the 21st Century.  If you still have to work for at least 2 years before you retire, you need to get smart about technology.  Every business I know of uses computers to track their input and output.  The days of living by Post-it Notes are over.  Get rid of the 10 year old computer and upgrade.  Start taking computer classes at MPC or through your city’s Adult Education program.  Gentlemen, start taking typing classes.  The tech train has pulled out of the station and if you’re not on board, you’re going to be left behind with no ability to make good money.  Plus, as you learn new things and stretch your brain a bit, you’ll help keep dementia and Alzheimer’s at bay.  Remember, learning is fun!

Scary Marketing Thought #4:

I know what I need to do for marketing, but I don’t have the time.  I’m too busy running my business.

That’s not so scary, because you can call me and I’ll be happy to help you out.  Plain and simple.  You’ll get a free consultation if you call Rock Star Marketing at 831-324-0816.

So, now that you’ve addressed your fears, tell yourself this at least once a day:  “Face what you fear most, and you will find that it was nothing to fear at all.”

Best wishes to you as you move beyond your comfort zone and enter a new level of marketing for your business.  Even if you take baby steps forward, I’ll be very proud of you!

What Happens When You Misrepresent Your Business

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It happened to be my birthday.  In the morning, I decided to treat myself to a little birthday gift of a morning walk to my favorite bakery.  I was on cloud nine, enjoying my berry cheese danish, eager to get started on my work day.  Unfortunately when I got home, I discovered that I had locked myself out of my house!

At first, I didn’t panic because my neighbor has my spare key.  My smile faded when he couldn’t find it.  He dug around his apartment for an hour and felt terrible that he couldn’t help me.  So, I borrowed his phone to call a local locksmith.  I called 411 and got 3 numbers.  The first one I didn’t get a chance to write down.  The 2nd one was no longer in service.  The 3rd one, the one I wanted to use, took me to voice mail.

As my panic to make my 11:00 conference call approached, I searched the Internet from his phone for a locksmith.  I dialed the one on top of the list and I was delighted to hear the voice of a female dispatcher who told me I could get a locksmith within 20 minutes and that he’d call me on my neighbor’s cell phone.  Shortly thereafter, he called me with a 408 area code.  I asked the locksmith if he was local and he said yes.  He then told me that he was about 35 minutes away and it would cost me $95 for the service.  I agreed, hung up the phone, returning it to my neighbor, and went home to wait.

…and wait…and wait…and wait.

After an hour had passed, I walked over to my other neighbor’s house and asked him to call a locksmith on my behalf.  He called American Lock and Key and Rick, the manager, said they’d be over in about an hour.  At this point, I had no choice.  I’d already missed my conference call and my ability to do the day’s work was ticking away.  So I waited.

Then a green truck that had “American West” and 408 area code phone numbers blazoned on the back window drove up.  I thought, at first, that he was with American Lock & Key.  My neighbor, Andy, asked the driver if Rick sent him and he said “Yes”.  He also asked if the safe installation down on Cannery Row went okay, and he said “Yes”.  After Andy saw that the situation was handled, he left.

It turns out that the driver’s name is Ben.  Ben spent 5 – 7 minutes opening my front door lock, bottom lock only, using a few tools and some lubricant spray.  Once he opened my door, I handed him my Wells Fargo credit card.

It dawned on me that Ben was the first guy who called me with the 408 area code phone number and said he was only 35 minutes away.  I asked Ben to explain why 35 minutes became 2 hours, and he said “there was a little bit of traffic”. When I asked where they came from, he avoided stating a city and said “down the hill”.

He then presented me a bill for $515.00!  I asked him to explain it and he said the $95.00 was to show up at the door and the remaining $419.99 was to open the door.  I thought about refusing to sign it, but I did it anyway….flabbergasted at the total bill. I knew in my gut that I would fight it.

Not more than 5 minutes after Ben and his 2 passengers left, Tom from American Lock & Key showed up at my door.  I was confused, thinking that maybe they were all part of the same group after all.  I told him that his partners came and I’ve already paid $515, so I hoped I didn’t have to pay him, too. Tom said no, and he called his manager, Rick, to alert him as to what just happened.  Rick said I was scammed by these out-of-the-area locksmiths and Tom encouraged me to call my bank to cancel the transaction.

Later that same day, I asked my first neighbor to give me a record of all the phone numbers that I called from his phone.  I discovered that the number I dialed and got the female dispatcher, 831-664-9880, is tied directly to Pick Squad Locksmith, based out of the San Jose area.  I then left two messages to speak with Sean, the owner.

The next day, I got ahold of Sean Sami, the owner of Pick Squad Locksmith. I told him that Ben lied to me that he was local, that his quote of $95 was inflated to $515, and that I will not pay the full amount charged.  Sean requested that I send a picture of my door lock and he will investigate the matter.  He understands that as a business owner, he needs to make certain his contractors are not misrepresenting his company.  Sean told me that he already paid $350 to this contractor for performing the service, but he will reply to me after I send him photos of my lock, and see if he can adjust the total bill.  Since that day, Sean will not return my emails and avoids my phone calls.

So, why am I writing this?  I am painting this picture to illustrate that when you misrepresent your business, you’re in for a whole lot of trouble.  If you lie about who you are, charge way more than you quoted, and operate your business without integrity, you might get away with it a few times… until you meet a gal like me who will persistently seek justice.

The first lesson I want you to take away from today’s article is this:  Make sure you have a spare key that you can access.

The second lesson is:  Avoid calling Pick Squad Locksmith at all costs. They have many complaints against them, and they reportedly do not operate with a license. I have notified the California District Attorney’s office, the Monterey County District Attorney’s office, the Better Business Bureau, Wells Fargo, the news team of KSBW, the California Department of Consumer Affairs, and my own attorney.

The final lesson is this:  Never allow your contractors, your support staff, or yourself to misrepresent your business. If you do, you will find that the gains you made from being dishonest will disappear when an unhappy client seeks retribution.

Building a Better Mousetrap

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I’m turning 42-years-old this week and I thought I’d give myself a birthday present that would resonate with me for a long time:  a weekend business mastery summit with local marketing business strategist, Jane Deuber.

Jane is a master marketer and business coach, and she took all of the summit attendees on an amazing journey of self-exploration over the course of one weekend. In short, she helped all of us look at our businesses with fresh perspectives, showing us how to build better mousetraps.

My head is now spilling over with new ideas on how I plan to grow my two businesses, dominate my world, and build a community that is so strong and inviting that clients can’t help but want to play and stay with us!  It was an investment in myself that surprised me, and now that I’m doing it, I can’t suppress the excitement welling up within me.

See, when I get my mojo working, I get to help you…and that makes me feel great!  We all have a purpose in life, and I feel that my life purpose is to help spread the joy of marketing, making it fun for you, your business, your clients, and your fans!

Though I don’t have enough space here to share EVERYTHING I learned at Jane Deuber’s seminar, here are a few golden nuggets I think will help you build a better mousetrap for your business.

There are 4 M’s that are keys to a successful business:

  • Mission
  • Market
  • Message
  • Money Model

Without these 4 M’s, your Mousetrap won’t be effective.  Here’s what I created for Rock Star Marketing, and let’s see if you can model your business on these 4 M’s as well:

Mission — To provide an outsourced / on-demand marketing department for small business, dedicated to saving them money by working on an as-needed, ongoing project basis.

Market — Rock Star Marketing is targeting small to medium businesses in California and the United States who need assistance with Copywriting, Search Engine Optimized content on their website, Blogging, Social Media Optimized content on all major social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.), Telemarketing, Marketing Consulting, Training and Coaching.

Message — We are the online marketing experts so you don’t have to be.  We save you time, boost your online exposure, and organically drive prospective clients and your community to your business.

Money Model — We are very affordably priced at $1.00 per minute.  Our goal is to keep our costs down so we can help our clients grow and make positive cash flow.  Because Rock Star Marketing provides quality content at affordable rates, we create happy and long-lasting relationships with our clients from all industries.

So, using these 4 M’s for your business, what makes your business special and unique?  I invite you to play in this space today and spend a few minutes reflecting on how your mission, your market, your message, and your money model will help you build a better mousetrap.

Happy Marketing!!

Rock Star Marketing is a fabulous online marketing firm that can easily be reached at www.rock-star-mktg.com or 831-324-0816.  Call today for a free consultation!

Online Marketing Is Our Specialty!