April 2, 2004
In this issue:
IDEA: Discipline + Patience = Success
Calendar
Take the Challenge
IDEA: Discipline + Patience = Success
The success of most things depends upon knowing
how long it will take to succeed. —Baron de Montesquieu
In marketing, more so than in any other area of business
life, discipline and patience are critical to success.
In sales (marketing's kissing cousin), performance
is judged based on quarterly metrics. Good sales people
(and good sales managers) keep statistics on how many
calls they make, how many appointments they book, and
how many sales they close. Ask a top-performing sales
person the value of his average sale, or the total revenue
he generated for the company in the second quarter.
Bet he knows it.
The fact is, in sales, there are statistics for just
about everything — kind of like baseball. Marketing
is more like figure skating: the judges have to score
you somehow, but the scores don't really tell you much,
largely because it's tough to distill the artisitic
impression of a triple toe loop to a decimal.
Sample problem: You attend a monthly networking breakfast
for your local chamber of commerce at a cost of $30
per event. At each event, you meet an average of 14.2
new people and contact 4.6 people you already know.
At the end of the year, you determine that you have
done business with 2 companies you encountered at the
breakfasts, with revenue from these contacts totalling
$8,000. What is your ROI?
Sounds like an SAT problem, doesn't it?
Unfortunately, most of the time, marketing activities
like networking, print advertising programs, and web
development projects cannot be properly evaluated in
numerical terms, no matter how diligent you are about
collecting data. And most people aren't diligent about
it at all.
But over time, you will notice trends in your business
that you can only attribute to consisitent marketing
efforts grounded in time-tested marketing principles.
If you make a plan and stick to it, you will see results.
The trick is to remain disciplined and patient. So go
to it!
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My best,
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Calendar
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Wednesdays
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Silver Spring, Maryland
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NRG Silver Spring - Weekly
Meeting
Already tried leads groups? Not til you've tried
NRG. NRG is the fastest growing referral organization
in the area for a reason - their meetings really
are different. And I run the best group around.
Email me
for details and to check availability. Or visit
the NRG website at www.networkreferralgroup.com
for a group near you. |
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April 7, 2004
11:30 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Edgewater, Maryland
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Entrepreneur's Exchange
On the recommendation of my friend Dee Ann Donnelly
of Donnelly
Signs. "They are a great group - lots of
energy." Get details and register online at
www.entrepreneursexchange.org |
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April 14, 2004
7:15 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Silver Spring, Maryland |
Greater Silver Spring Chamber
of Commerce Networking Breakfast
My hometown breakfast. There's no better place
to drink coffee with new friends. Get details
and register online at www.gsscc.org.
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April 20, 2004
7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Laurel, Maryland
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Multi-Chamber Networking
Breakfast & 2004 Business to Business Multi-Chamber
Trade Show
Network with members of the Baltimore Washington
Corridor, Howard County, Greater Bowie, and West
Anne Arundel County Chambers! The networking breakfast
goes from 7:30 o 9:30, with the trade show to follow
from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Get details and register
online at www.baltwashchamber.org. |
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April 20, 2004
7:15 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Bethesda, Maryland |
Bethesda Chevy Chase Chamber
of Commerce Networking Breakfast
This monthly breakfast is a nice forum for meeting
new people and gathering business cards. Get details
and register online at www.bccchamber.org. |
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April 28, 2004
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Silver Spring, Maryland |
Greater Silver Spring Chamber
of Commerce Business After Hours
And you thought it was all about breakfast... This
one's a bargain - free for members, $10 for guests.
Get details and register online at www.gsscc.org. |
If you have an event you would like to add to the Calendar,
just email us.
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Take the Challenge
It's an idea bonanza! For a limited time, the Bevans
Group will evaluate any one of your marketing pieces
for free. (You pick it,
we rip into it). We'll let you know exactly what you're
doing right, and what you could do better.
Just visit www.bevansgroup.com
to learn how you can participate. If we suggest some
changes that make sense, you'll know where to find us.
It's that simple.
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