Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/4-Steps-To-Hypnotize-Your-Business-Prospects.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/4-Steps-To-Hypnotize-Your-Business-Prospects.html As business owners, our fantasy is to be able to cause our prospective customers to do exactly what we tell them, when we tell them: buy our products, refer more business to us, increase the frequency of orders, blog about their experience with our company, etc. Many people are constantly searching for the magic system that will easily bring piles of riches to your door easily, regularly, and automatically. We love hearing about the latest get-rich-quick guru success stories and dream that maybe this guru has our missing piece of knowledge. We are ready, willing, and able to be hypnotized by their promises. Why not use this same skill to improve your own business? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/How-To-Branch-Your-Business.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/How-To-Branch-Your-Business.html If you’re thinking of growing your business (or increasing its revenue), focus on your business structure first. I’m not referring to your internal business organization (e.g., marketing, sales, administration, development, customer service, etc.) – I’m referring to your external business conversations. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Book-Review-Ogilvy-on-Advertising.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Book-Review-Ogilvy-on-Advertising.html David Ogilvy (the creative head of Ogilvy & Mather) describes in plain language in his classic book what it takes to create great advertising and lead an organization. He also includes lots of advertisements that work � with a description of why they were effective. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Remember-My-Company.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Remember-My-Company.html We�ve all been to a party where we remember someone�s face, but not their name. Or their name, but not their �story�. Or their �story� but not what they look like. We even have language for it (�good with faces�, etc.). http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Is-NewImproved-Better.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Is-NewImproved-Better.html You�ve probably been taught that the phrase �new and improved� are strong words to place in your marketing copy. People are supposedly always looking for an edge, so getting the newest thing will help them better. From the customer�s perspective however, does newer = better? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Book-Review-Influence-Science-and-Practice.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Book-Review-Influence-Science-and-Practice.html Robert Cialdini’s book is all about “click, whirr” – how we’re programmed as humans, how marketing can leverage the programming, and how as individuals we can overcome the programming. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Are-You-Selling-or-Consulting.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Are-You-Selling-or-Consulting.html You’ve studied your target market (in general) and know the typical problems your prospective customers are facing. You assume that each prospect that’s looking at your marketing message fits that profile (on average) and talk to them appropriately. It’s the keystone of a marketing strategy... http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/How-To-Drive-Your-Business.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/How-To-Drive-Your-Business.html When you first learned to drive a car (or bicycle), you probably looked at the road immediately in front of you. You were looking for potholes, the edges of the road, and other obstacles/hazards that you were heading for... http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/The-Anatomy-of-Buzz-Revisited.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/The-Anatomy-of-Buzz-Revisited.html Everyone is looking for buzz – people talking about their offering. We all know that word of mouth marketing is the strongest form of marketing: it’s free, it spreads, and it’s personal. But how can you get your message to be spread virall http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Hyperconnectivity-Stress.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/967/Hyperconnectivity-Stress.html Are you on Twitter? Facebook? MySpace? LinkedIn? Other social networks? Posting regularly? Checking your email every 15 minutes (and immediately responding)? Check your RSS reader daily? Is it helping your business? Cellphone on all the time? Is it helping your quality of life?