Gas prices… high?… or hype?

I was out for my first round of golf for the year this Saturday. Why I play this game still puzzles me! Where we were golfing was a 45 minute drive from

Calgary

out in a beautiful area up on the edge of a river valley. 

It was a chilly morning and the wind was howling… not exactly prime conditions for being outside.

 

On the 12^th hole (after yet another triple bogey), I looked just up ahead and noticed the view of the campground just down the cliff, on the edge of the river.
 

What startled me was the fact that the campground was PACKED.
 

Now if this was a long weekend, or even just a nice warm weekend, I would understand.
 

No, this was a cold, miserable, windy weekend and everone and their dog had just hauled their 30 foot trailers out to the campground.
 

It’s no big surprise that oil prices are through the roof, and gas prices are now over $5.50 where I live (and the

province

of

Alberta

holds the Oil Sands which is only second in the amount of oil  it holds than

Saudi Arabia

!).

 

What was a surprise though was the sheer number of big arse trucks and trailer units I saw at the campground. Gas prices were not enough to deter them. The weather was not enough to deter them.
 

So what does this have to do with you?
 

It holds a very important lesson for anyone in sales or marketing, and anyone who runs their own business...
 

No matter what the gas or oil prices are… no matter how bad the economy is… no matter how disastrous the media is painting things out to be…
 

…people will find the money to spend on things they want.
 

If they want it bad enough… nothing, come hell or high water, will stand in their way from getting it.
 

Sure there are tough times out there for some people. But there are ample amounts of people that will spend their money on what they WANT to buy. Not what they need to buy – but what they want to buy… a very important difference.
 

Drill that difference into your marketing mind.
 

All those trailers out there did not have to be there. The owners did not need to spend all that money on gas to go away for a cold, windy weekend – they wanted to.
 

Sell to their inner most wants – and the price becomes much less important.
 

There is always a certain percentage of your target market that will pay a premium for getting a better experience. 

 

PS:  Join us this June for the gathering of the year... 

 

18 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs share their secrets for growing your business faster,

and more profitably http://www.WildWestWealth.com

The 39 Year Old TV Virgin

Look Ma, I'm on TV!

I’m a 39 year old virgin. TV virgin that is. I have gotten some coverage over the years but none of it has been sit down interview style… until today.

In 3 hours and 18 minutes I will be sitting down to be interviewed about Wild West.  No, it is not a national station – yet. But, it is a very effective station to be on for local coverage and exposure to the professional marketplace.  Shaw Channel 10 is a 24x7 news channel for local stories of interest.  Some of them are flakes (some guy was on last night talking some woowoo stuff that had even the very open minded interviewer shaking her head in a complete state of confusion and disbelief).
 

So I am a little nervous about it, but not more than anything else that I jump into for the first time.  Being nervous like this is actually a very good thing – it keeps me on edge and keeps my excitement level high.  Rather than a lackadaisical approach – I would rather have fun, be excited, have something fun to share with people.
 

I hired a PR firm this year to help me get on gigs like this one – so far so good. 
 

There are also 2 other big announcements that are soon to come from what the PR firm has helped me achieve… I can’t wait to tell you!  Just not yet.
 

With the promotions of a live event – it takes a lot of work and multiple different approaches.  I have had a few people come to me lately with events being planned out. 

THE common thread is their lack of knowledge about marketing an event.
 

“I have my first live event in 4 weeks – and I want 750 people there. I have no database either. Can you help me?”
 

I have dashed the dreams of a couple people with my response to this lately. But I refuse to get involved in anything remotely like this – destined for mediocre results at best.
 

Seminar marketing is a very intensive marketing program. It involves multiple steps (50-100 steps to fill many events).  It is costly (most of these people have zero marketing budget). And it takes time (6 months is a good timeline to work with).
 

For Wild West I have done:

- press releases

- ezine articles (many of them, as you know)

- storylines of the speakers

- print newsletters

    - faxes to own database

    - faxes to generic list (broadcast fax is legal in Canada)

- direct mail

- dimensional mail

- postcards

- free speeches

- paid speeches

- teleseminars

- podcasts

- cds

- dvds

- paid newsletters

- joint ventures

-  affiliates

-  Newspaper marketing

- Lead generation marketing

- Pay per click

- Social media

- Videos

- Audios

- Prayer

- Blood, sweat and tears

- Dressing my kids up in Wild West shirts and taking them out in public (yes, true, and yes they really do enjoy it!)

- Contests

 

There are probably many more that I have not listed here. 
 

But the point is – be it a seminar, a product launch, or just a need to increase your cash flow – make sure you allow ample time, ample marketing budget, and ample amounts of media you will be using to get the message across.   

I just had a signup from a guy that was at last years event. He has heard of this for the past 12 months. He could have gotten in for half the present price. Yet, it took 45 different mentions of it before he FINALLY decided to proceed (thanks Scott, I look forward to seeing you again).  That’s from someone who saw the immense value provided last year – imagine what it will take from someone who doesn’t even know you!!

Plan forward – and bust your butt!

I am off to the interview – it will be posted as soon as possible.

Troy

 

PS: If you are in the

Calgary

area – watch for me on Shaw today.  No matter where you are, you seriously need to be there http://www.wildwestwealth.com – not only do I guarantee it will put $50,000 worth of new business into your bank (assuming you implement what you learn) – but I will also HELP YOU IMPLEMENT...

For 3 months after the event you will be guided through an implementation program that covers one area we discussed at the summit, then shown exactly how to implement it into your own business immediately.   

For this price, you will NOT find a better value anywhere.

How Canadian Companies Can Profit From The US Recession

Real entrepreneurs see and capitalize on opportunities when they present themselves. Right now, Canadian businesses have an incredible opportunity to turn the

US

situation into a fabulous business building exercise.

Honestly, if you are not licking your chops right now at what is happening south of the border, you are missing out on what could be the greatest financial opportunity for Canadian based businesses.

Downtimes like this bring out 2 types of business owners;

(1) those who shelter up and prepare for the worst (the ones who barely survive if at all, through a time like this: and

(2) those who understand that in every negative event there is highly profitable opportunity for forward thinking entrepreneurs.

If you are the type who sees opportunity in times like this, what is happening south of the border is like Christmas to Canadians. If you do sell stateside, you will feel the pinch from US based businesses, but you also have the perfect opportunity to increase your sales using unusual techniques you may not have ever heard of.

Diverting your sales and marketing efforts towards new markets, towards your existing database, towards your past clients can easily give you a substantial boost to your revenues.

Take Alan Glasser of

Langley

,

BC

. Using a simple customer loyalty program, he has not only saved his pharmacy from being just like all the others, he has tripled his revenues and built rock-solid relationships with his clients. Hard to debate the numbers: for every $1 he invests in his customer loyalty program, he gets back $138 (on average) in revenues. That number has gone as high as $172 return for every $1 in – and the average purchase volume by his clients has more than double in the past year. All with a simple 1-2-3 automated marketing system he learned about and implemented. 

If you want to discover new strategies to weather the upcoming storm in the

US

economy, this coming June is the perfect opportunity for you.

Designed for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and marketing professionals, the Wild West Marketing and Wealth Summit is hosting 14 of the worlds greatest small business success stories in a 3 day immersion event. 

You will learn everything from dealing with overwhelm, outsourcing secrets, marketing and advertising methods for online and offline success, membership programs and continuity campaigns. Also to be covered: marketing to women (the fastest growing market in existence), using direct marketing in your email campaigns and on your websites, along with some incredible success stories from many Canadian entrepreneurs (including Ed McNally of Big Rock Beer, Paul Vickers of Penny Lane Entertainment and Cowboys, and Les Hewitt of The Power of Focus and Chicken Soup for The Soul). A stellar line up for serious entrepreneurs.

According to Troy White, the organizer of the Wild West Marketing and Wealth Summit, “What I am about to share with you has been burning inside me for 4 or 5 years now. Right now, it comes to fruition. “From the $38 Million Dollar Beer Baron – to the secretive trainers that taught most of the big name speakers and "gurus" out there today … this is your chance to see a once-in-a-lifetime line up of millionaire makers. I promise you this… the Wild West Wealth Summit will be an experience unlike anything you’ve had yet – and will give you the tools you need to take your business to the next level.”

“Not only that, I have compiled a line up of 14 different world class experts on small business growth... asked them to deliver the real goods and how-to information... and given them the mandate to each cover one different area of small business mastery.

Not an easy task - but they have all agreed to give it their all"

Entrepreneurs and professionals can see the entire lineup at www.WildWestWealth.com or by calling 403.259.4566 (toll free 877.259.4566). Also, take note that White is offering an “early-bird discount” for those that register early. Considering the quality of the speakers, the amount of time you get to spend with them and the quality networking opportunities available here, this is a real no-brainer for serious business leaders who want to build their business faster and more profitably in these turbulent times.