Warning: Don't Spend Another Dollar on Marketing Until You Know What's Really Holding Your Business Back
Let's Look Under the Hood First, Before We start Spending Your money
Maybe you need advertising. Maybe your website needs work. Maybe you've got more opportunities sitting in your old customer list than you realize.
I don't know yet. And I won't pretend I do.
After more than 25 years in marketing, I've learned that the smartest place to start isn't with another service or package.
It's with a conversation about your business.
No predetermined solution. Just practical marketing judgment based on your business.
The Most Expensive Marketing Mistake You Can Make May Be
Trying to Fix the Wrong Problem.
Imagine going to the doctor, telling him what hurts, and getting a prescription before he even examines you. You'd probably find another doctor. Yet that's exactly what happens when someone recommends a marketing solution before understanding how your business actually works.
Here's the problem. You can spend good money getting more people to call, visit your website, or walk through your door. But what happens next? Are those people getting a compelling reason to buy from you? Are their questions being answered? Does somebody follow up when they don't buy right away?
Because if you're losing potential customers somewhere along the way, spending more money to attract them won't fix the problem. It just makes an expensive problem more expensive. And that's why I believe the first job isn't to sell you more marketing. It's to find out where the opportunities are being lost — and why.
You Don't Fix a Leaky Bucket by Pouring More Water Into It.
You find the holes. You patch them.
Then you decide whether you need more water.
Marketing works the same way.
If you're losing customers because of a weak offer, poor follow-up, or a confusing message,
spending more on advertising may simply send more prospects through the same leaky system.
Fix the leaks first. Then decide where additional marketing dollars will do the most good.
That's Why We Diagnose Before We Prescribe.
Before I recommend anything, I want to understand your business.
Who's buying from you? Why do they choose you?
Where are potential customers slipping away?
Once we know what's really happening, we can make better decisions about what to fix,
what to improve, and where to invest.
Because the secret isn't knowing how to sell someone more marketing.
It's knowing which marketing problems actually need solving.
That's the approach behind Mendocino Marketing, and the foundation of my book,
The 90-Day Local Marketing System.
The 90-Day Local Marketing System
After more than 25 years of helping businesses with their marketing, I decided to put what I'd learned into a book.
The 90-Day Local Marketing System brings together the practical, time-tested direct-response principles I've used throughout my career.
I wrote it for business owners who want to understand what makes marketing work, and how to put those principles to work in their own businesses.
It's the same practical approach I use when working with clients today.
A Practical System. Not Another Collection of Marketing Tricks.
The book walks you through finding the right customers, giving them a good reason to choose your business,
and reaching them with a message that gets a response.
It's about making smarter marketing decisions and knowing why you're making them.
The Right Market. The Right Message. The Right Media.
First, we identify the people most likely to want what your business offers.
Then we develop a message that gives them a compelling reason to choose you.
Only then do we decide how best to reach them.
1 - Market
Who are we trying to reach?
Not everybody is your customer. Let's figure out who is most likely to need what you offer.
2 - Message
Why should they choose you?
Give people a clear, compelling reason to do business with you instead of someone else.
3 - Media
How do we reach them?
Once we know who we're talking to and what we want to say, we can choose the marketing methods that make the most sense.
Get these three things in the right order, and your marketing has a much better chance of working.
Some of Your Best Customers May Already Know You.
Think about the customers who haven't been back in a while.
The estimates you gave that never turned into jobs.
Or the people who called, asked questions, and never bought.
There may be more business sitting in those old relationships and inquiries than you realize.
Sometimes the smartest next move isn't finding more prospects.
It's following up with the ones you've already got.
A Practical System. Not Another Collection of Marketing Tactics.
The 90-Day Local Marketing System brings together customer research, positioning, compelling offers,
direct-response messaging, follow-up, and measurement.
It's designed around identifying opportunities, implementing practical improvements,
and learning from what happens.
The book explains the principles. Mendocino Marketing helps business owners
put those principles to work in their own businesses.
And that's where the real work begins.
How to Find Out What Your Business Really Needs Before You Spend More on Marketing
"I don't believe you can understand a business by looking at its website for fifteen minutes."
I want to know what you do. Who your customers are. Why they choose you. What makes your business different.
I want to understand what happens when somebody calls, visits your shop, requests an estimate, or becomes a customer.
And whenever practical, I prefer to see the business for myself. Walk through the shop. Meet the people. Understand the operation.
Because the better I understand your business, the better equipped I am to identify marketing opportunities worth pursuing.
1. We Start With a Conversation
You tell me about your business, your challenges, and what you want to accomplish. We ask questions and determine whether working together makes sense.
3. We Write the Prescription
Once we understand the business, we develop a practical and strategic marketing plan that's focused on the problems and opportunities that matter.
2. We Diagnose the Problem
We examine your customers, competition, current marketing, and follow-up processes to identify what's working, what's not, and where opportunities may exist.
4. We Implement, Measure & Improve
We put the appropriate strategies to work, measure and evaluate what happens, and make adjustments based on the results.
More Than Advice. Real Help Putting Better Marketing to Work.
I don't want to hand you another marketing report and leave you wondering what to do next.
I want to help you put the right ideas to work.
That might mean improving your offer, writing more persuasive advertising,
reconnecting with past customers, or setting up better follow-up systems.
Sometimes it means rolling up my sleeves and handling the technical work myself.
The work depends on what your business needs.
You know your business. I know marketing.
Together, we develop a practical plan, put it to work, and see what happens.
I Tried to Retire. Apparently, That Didn't Stick.
After more than 25 years in marketing, working with businesses large and small, I figured it was time to hang it up.
So I retired.
That lasted about two years.
Then former clients started calling. Some needed help again. Others sent new business owners my way. Before I knew it, I was back doing what I'd spent much of my career doing.
But these days, I'm a little more particular about how I spend my time.
I've lived in Mendocino County since 1976 and in Willits since 1984.
I've started and operated four businesses myself, so I know what it's like to be on the other side of the desk.
Through Kids Corner, the Willits Rotary Club, and my involvement with the Chamber of Commerce, I've gotten to know a lot of hardworking local business owners.
And I've noticed something.
You can be exceptionally good at what you do and still struggle with the marketing side of your business.
That's where my experience can be useful.
These days, I'm not interested in building a big agency or taking on every project that comes along.
I'd rather work personally with a few good business owners, get to know their businesses,
and help them make something better.
That's the part of marketing I've always enjoyed most.
"Flying over Mendocino County with my grandson. I've been flying these skies since 1999.
Sometimes, if you look up, you just might see me."
Testimonials
A Little Experience Goes a Long Way.
Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work with some terrific people and businesses, from small local operations to much larger companies.
Every one has taught me something.
A Few of the Businesses I've Worked With...
I'm Looking for Business Owners Who Want to
Make Things Happen.
I've learned that the best marketing results come when the business owner is involved.
You know your customers, your people, and the day-to-day realities of running your business.
I bring the marketing experience and practical help.
But I need you in the game.
That means being willing to answer questions, share information,
try new ideas, and follow through on the things we agree to do.
I'll explain what we're doing and why. You'll have a say in the decisions.
And together, we'll see what works and what needs improving.
There Are No Silver Bullets. Just a Lot of Lead Bullets.
Good marketing usually isn't one brilliant idea that changes everything overnight.
It's a series of practical improvements, made consistently,
that give your business a better chance of attracting and keeping customers.
If you care about your business, are open to new ideas,
and are willing to put in the effort, we should probably talk.
Mendocino Marketing
I've called Willits home since 1984, and after more than 25 years in marketing, there's one thing I still enjoy most:
helping local business owners find better ways to attract and keep customers.
I believe good marketing starts with understanding the business, not selling another service.
That's the thinking behind my book, The 90-Day Local Marketing System, and the hands-on guidance I offer today.
Based in Willits, California. Proud to be part of the Mendocino County business community.
Are You Ready to Find Out
What's Really Holding Your Business Back?
If you've read this far and think we might work well together,
I'd like to hear about your business.
Tell me a little about what you do, the challenges you're facing,
and what you'd like to accomplish.
I'll personally review your answers.
If I think my experience might be useful, I'll get in touch.
We can talk about whether working together makes sense.
No pressure. No predetermined solutions. And no promises about what you need
before I've had a chance to understand your business.
Just a conversation to see whether we might be able to accomplish something worthwhile together.