I’m sure Fabrice Penot had plenty of naysayers when he launched an upscale fragrance company in 2006.  In fact, experts told them it was ridiculous to launch an “unpronouncable” fragrance company selling bottles for $200.  That’s double the cost of most upscale brands.

Regarless, Le Labo was launched in 2006 and four years later is generating $4.5 million each year in sales.

“No one believed in the idea,” he said, and then he launched anyway. (Entrepreneur)

In the face of everyone telling you no, what do you need to say yes to?

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028 Coach Radio – Fiding the Best Clients, Content Creation, What is a Coach?

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Questions answered during today’s show:

Allan – How do you choose content to blog about in writing or radio shows.  How far in advance do you choose it?

You can use google trends to see what people are searching for, but do it sparingly.

Tony – What happens when you find a customer who is willing to pay, but is not a good fit for me as a coach?

Ideal client is someone who is:

1. The most profitable
2. The most fun to work with

Chapter covered from Become a Coach – What is a Coach?

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I’m reading The Referral Engine by John Jantsch right now before it’s released on May 13, 2010. (Disclaimer: John sent me a free copy to review).

John connects newer platforms like facebook, twitter, and linkedin with not only getting referrals but also in giving referrals. John says he was working with a large insurance carrier to help design a marketing system for their agents. Like many insurance carriers they were practicing outbound, interruption marketing. Much of what they did was cold calling and it wasn’t working. (Why do insurance agents continue to do this?)

John explained to his client why sales needed to go to the backburner (briefly) while a focus should be on sending referrals. That’s when they fired him.

Business is About Being Helpful

American Express went to the trouble and expense to create the OPEN Forum, an online community where entrepreneurs can connect with each other, ask questions and get insights from the pros. I’m sure many businesses will even become American Express cardholders after spending time on the website.

Don’t blindly do this without a plan, but be helpful. Connect people. Over time business will come back to you many times over.

And that client that fires you? If you can sleep well at night knowing you gave them good advice, then you’re doing it right.

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027 Coach Radio – Your Story: Andy Traub

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Andy Traub lives in Sioux Falls, SD and helps his clients with technology all over the world  His background in helping people through classroom education, finances and insurance. He wasn’t able to help people in the way he wanted so he left to pursue technology.

First step to get in business: looked inside himself and then gave himself permission to pursue something else.  Andy hired me a while back and then joined the Free Agent Academy.

Andy’s biggest challenges in starting and running his business include the challenge of trying to help everyone and figuring out what the market wants.  He’s had to figure out how to be selective and help in the right way.

Andy’s advice: go do something.

How he’s getting the word out: being helpful to others.

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It seems like many websites have moved completely to offering only contact forms on their websites and have removed all references to email addresses. With spam a rapidly growing problem, removing your email from your website seems like a good solution.

Contact Form or Email Address?

My friend Andy Traub uses a popular WordPress plugin simply called Contact Form 7. It helps you create a custom form for your WordPress website and gives you the ability to do pretty much what you like with it.

Some people create their own custom form and others use google docs to create a form for free. Still others list an email address on the bottom of every page of their website. Me? I use them all.

It depends on your goal. Forms give you a great way to keep spam to a minimum. You can create drop down lists and require people to chose why they’re contacting you. You can field speaking requests to your agent or speaker’s bureau. Product questions get sent directly to your support team. Consultation requests go directly to you.

What’s good for you might not be what’s best for your customers

I don’t work with too many companies who couldn’t use more business. I get a bit aggravated when I can’t easily click a button to contact a company and do business with them. Yes, listing your email on your website attracts spam. In my eyes however, it’s much easier to delete spam in my inbox than it is to find clients.

What do you use?

This is a screen shot of an advertisement I found on facebook.  A few weeks ago this same woman broke a news story on the shocking truth of the acai berry.  It seems like she’s breaking news stories at breakneck speed.

I’m not sure who puts these ads together, but for all the reasons I mentioned before, this add catches your eye and probably works well for the Penny Stock people.  It’s funny that she’s wearing the same outfit.  At least the look on her face is different than the last one.

Is your Marketing Different?

I’m certainly not saying you should use these tactics, but what have you done to make your marketing stand out? Or, now that you really look at it, is it the same as every other company’s marketing material?

I was out walking around my Friday office, taking time out of the office and thinking about an upcoming trip to Colorado. There are a lot of similarities between climbing a mountain and growing your business.

What are you sacrificing now to do something remarkable later?

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You’re missing the ball if you’re not listed in google maps. And it’s free!

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