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Get off to your strongest start ever in 2009, with cost-effective, customer-reaching marketing and PR strategies that put your company FRONT and CENTER. Tackle the tough economy head on. This is not the time to be standing passively on the sidelines, waiting for a turnaround. Opportunity abounds ... for those who are creative, proactive and tenacious enough to go after it. Be that company. Be that community. Be that success story. We'll show you how. Read on ... |
| Make Your Best Pitch ... NOW! |
 Is your business 'pitch' in its best possible shape to take on the new year? Will you be well armed and ready the next time you meet someone with the potential to become your next big customer, your next most valuable employee or even an angel investor? When you have their attention, make sure that you capture their interest. Here's how:
Tell them, don't sell them. When people ask you what you do, they are not looking to be sold. Your pitch should be a brief statement about what your company does and why that makes it special. Focus on a single, compelling benefit that your listener can relate to. Identify a problem ... explain how your product or your service solves it ... and how that ability has helped your company to grow. Keep it short and sweet (100-150 words max) and deliver it with enthusaism and energy. Always leave the listener wanting more. Really.
Here's the most important (and effective) part: Ask the listener a question about his or her business. Listen to what they tell you and then ask another question. Your new contact will remember you as both interesting and interested, and they will be much more receptive when they meet you (or hear from you) again in the future.
Need help creating your perfect pitch? We've helped CEOs, salespeople and aspiring entrepreneurs craft memorable introductions that make a great first impression. Call us at (623) 537-0888 or email us direct at pplusonline@cox.net. |
| Taking It On The Road ... |
 Our presentation at WomenVenture was a huge success last month! Nearly 2,000 women attended the one-day event in Minneapolis, which featured an inspiring keynote by actress Jane Seymour. We presented Unleash the Entrepreneur Within!, which is an ideal topic for your SBDC, SBA Womens Center and Patriot Express-eligible Vet clients ... or for your college's entrepreneurship program. Our shared-revenue program limits your investment and maximizes your profit. Ask us about it ...
INTO THE NEW YEAR .....
Lori Martinek kicks off a busy new year by speaking on Optimizing Your Media Appearances at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Leadership Summit on January 25 in Tempe, AZ. She will join other experts in economic development marketing in a roundtable discussion. Read the speaker bios here.
Lori speaks to the Entrepreneurial Mothers Association on March 3 on Marketing Your Business: Creating a Winning Online Brand ... And in November, we are looking forward to returning to Minneapolis for a repeat engagement at WomenVenture.
Now in the planning stages: Plans are coming together for a one-day conference targeted at women, minority and Veteran-owned businesses. We toured the Chase Field conference facilities in early November and were very impressed with the possibilities! Visit the WomenVenture website to get a feel for the need ... and the mission .... and to visualize the potential. Then call us at (623) 537-0888 or drop us an email if you are interested in joining the conversation to create this powerful and worthwhile event. Help us make this happen for the aspiring business owners who need it most. We are focused on a late spring 2009 debut. |
| Make Your Business Shine! |
 Listen to Lori Martinek's recent appearance on Startup Nation's Business ToolKit radio show here... You'll learn how to make your business shine brighter in the new year. The interview was taped at the national ASBDC conference in Chicago, where Lori presented Get in the Big Game to an audience of SBDC directors and counselors from across the U.S. |
| Your Ideal Partner Awaits ... |
 Vet-Match is a new program from the eFactory that matches aspiring Veteran business owners with ready-to-launch (and often cash-strapped) civilian entrepreneurs. Here's how it works: Non-Vet entrepreneurs post their business ideas (or existing ventures) online, where potential Veteran partners can see what sparks their interest. The Vet-Match team
puts them in touch with the information and resources that they need to evaluate their options ... and to access nearly $8 billion in guaranteed government loans that are available to retired and active military and their families through the SBA's Patriot Express Loan Program. Veterans become active business owners, new companies are created and great business ideas get hard-to-find funding in a tough credit market. It's a win-win for everyone involved and a great business model that will also help put our returning military men and women to work. Learn more by visiting the eFactory website here. |
| What We're Excited About .... |
The all-new Harvard Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) website that we designed. The expanded site has a bright, new look ... more resources ... and an expanded online Land & Sites Database that features Harvard's best development opportunities. Check it out here. 
A logo that we're working on for the Illinois Community College Workforce Development Association ... and their network-wide electronic newsletter that will debut in February. We are coordinating the news and contributions of 49 ICCEDA member colleges ... and will produce each issue of the quarterly publication.
TWITTER! Micro-blogging is a great way to Be Visible and Get Found by a far-reaching network of like-minded people ... potential customers ... or partners. Visit www.twitter.com to learn the basics. You can also follow Lori Martinek at http://www.twitter.com/lorimartinek.
A logo that we are designing for Baby Paloma .... a new line of trendy infant clothing and accessories by designer Christina Ivanhoe that will be sold at North Scottsdale retailer Casa Paloma Home Interiors & Design.... and a series of free Living By Design workshops that we are promoting for Casa Paloma owner Diane Maier.
 The strategic plan that we developed for South Elgin Economic Development (SEED), which is being reviewed by the organization's Board of Directors. South Elgin (IL) made Money magazine's list of Top 100 Places to Live. Ensuring that the community maintains a high quality of life while building a vibrant industrial base is a key objective of our proposed plan.
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| What We're Reading .... |
 Be the Bulb!, by Lori Martinek. Nope, you can't buy it quite yet ... but I'm spending the holiday season putting the final edit on my first book and getting it off the to publisher. So no, I'm not busy reading Twilight ... or the latest Obama book ... or any of the new thrillers that always crowd the lists at this time of year. Honestly? I couldn't find a hot, new business book that I wanted to read this month, much less write about. If you're feeling the same way, hang in there. My book will be available very soon.
Preview the Topic: Listen to my radio interview on StartUp Nation and you'll get a pretty good idea of what the book is all about. The topic is Attraction Marketing, a concept that combines elements of target marketing, personal branding and a powerful way of putting energy into the marketplace to attract the people and opportunities that you, your company and your products need to be successful. Best of all? It works. | |
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Setting The Stage for Success ....
Here's a secret about success that on one ever tells you: It makes you fearless.
Once you have figured out what it takes to be successful, you are armed and ready. And once you have realized your first success ... no matter how large or how small it may be ... you learn something: You realize that you can be successful, that you can do it again and again, and that you can do it under just about any set of circumstances.
And that knowledge makes you FEARLESS.
Being Fearless makes you more open to opportunity and risk taking, and when you are open to opportunity and comfortable with risk, you are 100% more likely to succeed at whatever you do.
That's why so many successful entrepreneurs are serial entrepreneurs. They know what success looks like and feels like -- and they know how to make it happen. They have faced their fears, succeeded and won -- and they like the feeling.
What gives these business builders the energy that they need to leap out of bed each day and take on the world? Focus ... Discipline ... Courage ... Confidence .. and Passion. Passion keeps them moving forward when the going gets tough. Courage and Confidence make them more willing to take risks in the first place.
Fearless.
Be Fearless in 2009 ... despite the economy, and what all of the experts are saying. Start that business. Build that business. Take that risk. Grasp that opportunity. And put yourself in the path of the people who can help you succeed. Every day
Success is not accidental. You have to make it happen. Wishing and wanting won't get you there. You have to be willing to do the work. Start now.
We are business builders who provide strategic planning expertise that identifies key opportunities to target, communicate and sell. Call us at (623) 537-0888 today to find out how we can help you and your business shine during the coming year. We're confident that we can help you succeed.
--- Lori Martinek, Branding Expert, Author and Serial Entrepreneur |
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