*

The Sky Is Falling ...
The following article is written by Michael Traveler,
author of Super Size Your Sales through Word-of-Mouse

 That’s what the news is reporting, not to mention your neighbors and quite a few other well-meaning folk. It’s spreading like wildfire … through word of mouth ...

Back in the 1930s, many well-meaning individuals spoke those same words, screamed them, when the stock market crashed and the banks closed and unemployment rose and the soup kitchen lines grew. All the advertising in the world couldn’t stop it.

During uncertain times, unstable times, fear runs rampant through the streets and through the hearts and minds of almost everyone, all of us and almost certainly your customers. During these times, it’s quite common to want to play it safe, to protect what we have, to stay close to those we love and wait for the storm to pass.

*

* 

*

Money Changes Hands In Good Times or Bad
Question is:  Will consumers be spending it with you or your competitor?

*

But not everybody is waiting out the storm. Some shrewd business owners are recognizing the opportunity at hand and acting upon it. They realize that while their competitors are playing it safe, there is a massive opening in the market for them to gain control of their competitor’s neglected customers and increase their own profits through word of mouth.

*

*

Build Your Fortune Now!

*

 The reality is, whether the sky is falling or not, life still goes on. Bills still have to be paid. Children still have to be fed. Money still changes hands. The question is: will consumers be spending it with you or your competitor?

During the Great Depression, a lot of fortunes were built. We often have the mistaken impression that business came to a grinding halt, but that’s just not the case. My grandfather went from having 25 cents to his name and sleeping on a loading dock with his wife to owning a fleet of trucks. He took the last 25 cents he had in his pocket and turned it into $20 million during his lifetime. The principles that made that fortune are written about in my free e-Book, Michael Traveler's Supersize Your Sales through Word-of-Mouse.

The history books have countless reports of shrewd businessmen who cleverly reframed their customer’s perception of their business and made money during the worst of times, while their competitors were complaining about a sluggish economy and business being slow. This can be your story, too. It’s all a matter of reframing your customer’s perspective …

It’s all about changing how they see you and getting ‘em talking!

Research shows that during bad times, people want to surround themselves with things that comfort them. They want their children to feel safe and loved. They want their family close to them during times of uncertainty.

Sales of comfort items skyrocketed after 9/11.

People find reassurance in items that remind them of their childhood or better times or a place where they felt safe like their grandmother’s house. You’ll notice that publications like My Guide to the Backroads of America have a very comfy, homey look … designed to help make readers feel relaxed and warm and safe, designed to call up or produce good memories and warm feelings, to make a person feel welcome and at home ...

... designed to help spark word of mouth!

During bad times, it’s wise to align your business with warm and safe and comforting things, to do everything you can to make your potential customers feel secure. I call this evocative reframing.

By helping your customers remember that life does go on, that this too shall pass and that at least we have each other and that’s what is really most important, you are helping put their fears to rest and ignite the spirit of hope and determination, the American Spirit, the same spirit that carved a nation out of the wild frontier.

 *

*

* 

How Do Your Customers See You?

*

It really is all a matter of perspective, all about how you look at things, how you reframe your image in your customer's mind’s eye. Take the Cracker Barrel restaurants, for example. They serve basic home-cookin’, chicken and potatoes, meat loaf and green beans, pork chops and corn. Now, their food is good. But there’s a whole lot more to Cracker Barrel than just their food …

The Cracker Barrel experience begins as you walk onto a wooden porch with rocking chairs, an apple barrel and a checker board game. It continues as you walk inside to a general store, rich with nostalgic appeal from yesteryear.

You are greeted by folks dressed in clothing that fits the nostalgic atmosphere and led to wooden tables and seated in wooden chairs. The walls are adorned with more items from yesteryear and your drinks are brought to you in mason jars. Cracker Barrel is not just selling food. They’re selling a dining experience and evoking memories of yesteryear and all the good feelings that come with it, feelings of an old-time general store, grandma’s house, a taste of small town country livin’ and connecting all those feelings with the dining experience.

This is the secret to succeeding in a bad economy (or a good one), the formula for competing against larger chain stories outselling you on price. By adding value to what you sell, whether through superior customer service, atmosphere or simply by caring more …

… you win, your customers win, everybody wins.

*

*

*

You Are More Than What You Sell

* 

After all, you are more than just a bunch of products on a shelf. You are more than just an employee, punching the clock at some big chain store, being paid minimum wage. Your current customers buy from you, because of your vast knowledge and experience. They buy from you, because of the great service you give them. They buy from you, because they have grown to trust and depend on you as a valuable resource.

*

All of this is what you are actually selling.  Your knowledge.  Your service.  Trust.  This is what adds value to the experience.  This is what makes you a valuable resource and why they would entrust you with their hard-earned money. This is why your customers buy from you, rather than the big chain store. And it is this experience as a whole that you must find a way to show to potential new customers, if you want them to buy from you.

*

They don’t know about your vast knowledge and experience, unless you show them. They don’t know about your outstanding customer service, unless you show them. And they may never know about either of these things, if you wait til after the sale to show them.

To learn affordable and effective ways that you can tap into the power of Word-of-Mouth (and online, Word-of-Mouse) to show potential customers up-front (before they've even spent a penny with you) about your extraordinary customer service, vast knowledge, superior service and amazing product(s), download my free e-Book, Michael Traveler's Super Size Your Sales through Word-of-Mouse and discover how you too can .

&

&

* 

Reserve Your Free Copy Now!

Yes, I'd like to Reserve My Absolutely 100% Free Copy
of SuperSize Your Sales through Word-of-Mouse ...

*

 *

Note: by requesting a free copy of Super Size Your Sales through Word of Mouse, you are giving us permission to contact you, in order to provide you with the ebook.  However, this does not obligate you to buy anything and your personal information (such as, your email address) will not be shared with anyone nor will you be bombarded with unsolicited emails from us.  We respect your privacy and take every measure humanly possible to respect and protect it.

&

*

*

*

How Do I Get My Free Write-Up?

*

What is My Write-Up? 

Your write-up starts with an exclusive interview prepared by our editorial department where you answer questions that introduce you & your business to our readers (your potential customers) ...

*

Then ... your Interview is posted to your free Blog which is linked to and from your free go2 Page (Profile Page) which is featured in the free Group you join in the go2 Directory.  Traffic is then channeled to the go2 Directory from our Online Guide, which is promoted on high-traffic targeted sites on the backroads of the Internet ...

*

If you're already a member of our community, then start creating your write-up ...

*

*

*

&

If you're Not A Member, it all starts by joining our community ...

&

&

Step One: Join our community for FREE

&

Step Two:  Once on your Account Page, scroll down to Latest News and look for the following words ... New Member?  Start Here >

&

&

&

Join Community Now >

*

*

  *

*

If you have any Questions, Ask Us!

&

&

*

*

< Return to QuickStart Guide

*

*

Where Will My Write-Up Be Located? >

&

&

*

*

*

How Do I Increase Sales in a Bad Economy?

*

Realize:  Life Goes On!

*

During uncertain times, unstable times, fear runs rampant through the streets and through the hearts and minds of almost everyone, all of us and almost certainly your customers. During these times, it's quite common to want to play it safe, to protect what we have, to stay close to those we love and wait for the storm to pass.

But not everybody is waiting out the storm. Some shrewd business owners are recognizing the opportunity at hand and acting upon it. They realize that while their competitors are playing it safe, there is a massive opening in the market for them to gain control of their competitor's neglected customers and increase their own profits through word of mouth.

The reality is, whether the sky is falling or not, life still goes on. Bills still have to be paid. Children still have to be fed. Money still changes hands. The question is: will consumers be spending it with you or your competitor?

During the Great Depression, a lot of fortunes were built. We often have the mistaken impression that business came to a grinding halt, but that's just not the case. My grandfather went from having 25 cents to his name and sleeping on a loading dock with his wife to (through hard work and ingenuity) owning a fleet of trucks. He took the last 25 cents he had in his pocket and turned it into $20 million fortune during his lifetime.  The principles that made that fortune are taught in the workshop below ... 

*

Our team of "People-In-the-Know" have designed this workshop around time-tested, proven-in-the-trenches strategies that have been shared with us by merchants just like yourself, as well as marketing gurus who have discovered results-driven solutions tailored for the needs of the little guy ...

*

Join us in exploring the secrets of those who have carved their way through the small-business wilderness, uncovering the tried-and-true principles that work in good times and bad ...

*

*

*

How Do I Create Word of Mouth?  > 

*

*

*

Space is limited.  Reserve Your Spot Now!  >

*

Simply, log-in to your free Roadside Cafe Membership
(click here if not a member),
*

After logging-in as a "Member" of the Roadside Cafe,

*

Then go here to get your FREE PASS

to the V.I.P. TrafficBuilder Workshop
(to get your free pass & attend event, click Join Group)

*  

• Jumpstart your marketing efforts with 
    1 - 2 - 3 Go! QuickStart Workshops  >

*

• Avoid costly mistakes 
  by tapping into our 
     QuickTips  >

*

• Got a Question? 
     Ask Us  >

*

*

*

*

If you're Not A Member, it all starts by joining our community ...

*

* 

 &

&

First: Join our community for FREE

&

Then:  Once on your Account Page, scroll down to Latest News and look for the following words ... New Member?  Start Here >

&

&

&

&

Join Community Now >

*

* 

*

*

< How Do I Get More Traffic to My Site?

*

*

How Do I Make My Site Indispensible? >

&

&

< Return to QuickStart Guide Contents

&

&

*

*

How Do I Create Word of Mouth?

* 

Simple:  Give 'em something to talk about!

*

During bad times, it's wise to align your business with warm and safe and comforting things, to do everything you can to make your potential customers feel secure.  I call this evocative reframing.

*

By helping your customers remember that life does go on, that this too shall pass and that at least we have each other and that's what is really most important, you are helping put their fears to rest and ignite the spirit of hope and determination, the American Spirit, the same spirit that carved a nation out of the wild frontier.

*

It really is all a matter of perspective, all about how you look at things, how you reframe the picture in front of you in your mind's eye.  Take the Cracker Barrel restaurants, for example. They serve basic homecookin', chicken and potatoes, meat loaf and green beans, pork chops and corn. Now, their food is good. But there's a whole lot more to Cracker Barrel than just their food ...

*

The Cracker Barrel experience begins as you walk onto a wooden porch with rocking chairs, an apple barrel and a checker board game. It continues as you walk inside to a general store, rich with nostalgic appeal from yesteryear.

*

You are greeted by folks dressed in clothing that fits the nostalgic atmosphere and led to wooden tables and seated in wooden chairs.  The walls are adorned with more items from yesteryear and your drinks are brought to you in mason jars.

*

Cracker Barrel is not just selling food. They're selling a dining experience and evoking memories of yesteryear and all the good feelings that come with it, feelings of an old-time general store, grandma's house, a taste of small town country livin' and connecting all those feelings with the Cracker Barrel dining experience.

*

This is the secret to succeeding in a bad economy (or a good one), the formula for competing against larger chain stories outselling you on price.

*

By adding value to what you sell, whether through superior customer service, atmosphere or simply by caring more ...

*

... you win, your customers win, everybody wins.

*

After all, you are more than just a bunch of products on a shelf.  You are more than just an employee being paid minimum wage. Your current customers buy from you, because of your vast knowledge and experience. They buy from you, because of the great service you give them. They buy from you, because they have grown to trust and depend on you as a valuable resource.

*

All of this is what you are actually selling. This is why your customers buy from you, rather than the big chain store. And it is this experience as a whole that you must find a way to show to potential new customers, if you want them to buy from you.

*

But how do you do that?  Our team of "People-In-the-Know" have designed a workshop (see below) that shares the experiences of dozens of small merchants just like yourself, as well as the time-tested proven-in-the-trenches strategies of marketing gurus who have discovered results-driven solutions tailored for the needs of the little guy ...

* 

Join us in exploring the secrets that far too often are staring us right in the face, but we just can't see them ...

*

*

*

How Do I Use Blogs to Build My Business?  > 

*

*

*

Space is limited.  Reserve Your Spot Now!  >

*

Simply, log-in to your free Roadside Cafe Membership
(click here if not a member),
*

After logging-in as a "Member" of the Roadside Cafe,

*

Then go here to get your FREE PASS

to the V.I.P. TrafficBuilder Workshop
(to get your free pass & attend event, click Join Group)

*  

• Jumpstart your marketing efforts with 
    1 - 2 - 3 Go! QuickStart Workshops  >

*

• Avoid costly mistakes 
  by tapping into our 
     QuickTips  >

*

• Got a Question? 
     Ask Us  >

*

*

*

*

If you're Not A Member, it all starts by joining our community ...

*

* 

 &

&

First: Join our community for FREE

&

Then:  Once on your Account Page, scroll down to Latest News and look for the following words ... New Member?  Start Here >

&

&

&

&

Join Community Now >

*

* 

*

*

< How Do I Increase Sales in a Bad Economy?

*

*

How Do I Use Blogs to Build My Business? >

&

&

< Return to QuickStart Guide Contents

&

&

*

*

How Do I Use Blogs to Build My Business?

*

Step One:  Get 'em involved!

*

One of the best examples I've ever seen of "getting people involved" is Benner's Farms (an actual old-fashioned family farm - private fifteen-acre homestead, first farmed in the 1700's).  This particular 15-acred family homestead is surrounded by larger farms with much more to offer in terms of animals and facilities in a time when small farms are dying out. 

*

So, why is their small farm succeeding when others aren't and what does one do when the competition is bigger and better financed?  Answer:  get the people involved.  And that's just what Jean and Bob Benner did.

*

Nestled among picturesque rolling hills with a tire-swing hanging from a big tree out back, the Farm magically transports one back in time from the moment you arrive.  The magic continues as Jean gathers everyone in a circle and starts a group sing-along (complete with her on guitar).  Piece by piece the atmosphere is created, layer upon layer, until the big city and all its noise and congestion fades away into some distant far-away memory.

*

Children are seated at long wooden picnic tables where they are invited to participate in old-fashioned crafts and activities (my 4-year-old son helped make potato salad and milk a goat).  The children get to go on tractor rides and play on the tire-swing out back and help pot plants and care for that baby animals.

*

The atmosphere is so warm and inviting that you feel like your visiting grandpa and grandma on the farm, which is what makes Benner's Farm so special (and is the magic ingredient that allows them to succeed in a competitive market against larger, better financed competitors).

*

*

Step Two:  Share Your Story

*

That's all well and great, but how does a Blog help me do that?  Well, the way the Benners did it is by painting a picture and sharing it with everyone ...

*

In combination, their printed newsletter, web site and blog describes ... 

*

Activities (both in words and with photos), such as: 

* 

• exploring the baby barnyard

• pumpkin carving time

• children starting their own gardens

• watching chicks hatch from eggs

• helping with the farm chores

• caring for the new little goats and lambs

• enjoying tractor rides (and trips to the big swing) 

*

Educational Benefits:

*

• Tells the history of the homestead

• Shares interesting slices of history about various aspects of farm life (such as, Bob writes about the history of the porch and the relaxing thoughts and memories that drift through one's mind while sitting on a porch and why people built porches in the first place)

• Teaches us about weeds and that some of them are actually edible and can have possible health benefits

*

 Community Spirit:

*

• Comings & Goings - trips the Benners took, workshops they attended, downsizing from a forty-foot bus to a twenty-three-foot camper, bunnies being born, their goat having triplets and the arrival of a couple of fuzzy yellow ducklings ...

• Events - humorous  Easter Egg mishap (such as, several packages of eggs flying off the roof and exploding all over the highway)

• Congratulations & Thanks - thanking people for helping on the farm, congratulating people on weddings, births, etc (in this area, they are very specific - thanking Vivian, congratulating Greg and Laura and so on) 

• Upcoming Activities - Fall classes, festivals, concerts - inviting people to help and/or attend

*

Step Three:  Simulate the Real World!

*

Whenever possible, try to simulate the real world online in your blog ...

*

For example, create an online coloring book.  Let the kids color their own online barnyard or garden.  If you can't create an online coloring book, then do what you can!  Blogs are made up of words and pictures.  So, you know you have that capability available to you.  Why not create a treasure hunt game?  Tell a short story (something a paragraph or two long), then ask kids to hunt for the missing farm animal (a goat or pig or duck).  Of course, you'll have to weave the particular animal you want them to find into the story.  If you want them to find the missing pig for example, then repeat the other animals several times in the story and only mention the pig once.

*

This same concept can be done with pictures.  Hide the pig in a photo of a farm scene.  Place several other animals in the farm scene making it harder to find the pig.

*

To make the game educational, simply provide some interesting "Did you know ... " stuff about farms and animals either below the game or off to the side.

*

*

Our team of "People-In-the-Know" have designed a workshop on "How to Use Blogs to Build Your Business" that shares the experiences of dozens of small merchants just like yourself, as well as the time-tested proven-in-the-trenches strategies of marketing gurus who have discovered results-driven solutions tailored for the needs of the little guy ...

* 

Join us in discovering those hidden ingredients that will help transform your blog into a valuable familiar resource that keeps people coming back time and time again  ...

*

*

*

*

Space is limited.  Reserve Your Spot Now!  >

*

Simply, log-in to your free Roadside Cafe Membership
(click here if not a member),
*

After logging-in as a "Member" of the Roadside Cafe,

*

Then go here to get your FREE PASS

to the V.I.P. TrafficBuilder Workshop
(to get your free pass & attend event, click Join Group)

*  

• Jumpstart your marketing efforts with 
    1 - 2 - 3 Go! QuickStart Workshops  >

*

• Avoid costly mistakes 
  by tapping into our 
     QuickTips  >

*

• Got a Question? 
     Ask Us  >

*

*

*

*

If you're Not A Member, it all starts by joining our community ...

*

* 

 &

&

First: Join our community for FREE

&

Then:  Once on your Account Page, scroll down to Latest News and look for the following words ... New Member?  Start Here >

&

&

&

&

Join Community Now >

*

* 

*

*

< How Do I Create Word of Mouth?

*

*

< Return to QuickStart Guide Contents

&

&

*

How Do I Get My Free Writeup?

*

What is My Write-Up? 

Your write-up starts with an exclusive interview prepared by our editorial department where you answer questions that introduce you & your business to our readers (your potential customers) ...

*

Then ... your Interview is posted to your free Blog which is linked to and from your free go2 Page (Profile Page) which is featured in the free Group you join in the go2 Directory.  Traffic is then channeled to the go2 Directory from our Online Guide, which is promoted on high-traffic targeted sites on the backroads of the Internet ...

*

If you're already a member of our community, then start creating your write-up ...

*

*

*

&

If you're Not A Member, it all starts by joining our community ...

&

&

Step One: Join our community for FREE

&

Step Two:  Once on your Account Page, scroll down to Latest News and look for the following words ... New Member?  Start Here >

&

&

&

Join Community Now >

*

*

  *

*

If you have any Questions, Ask Us!

&

&

*

*

< Return to QuickStart Guide

*

*

Where Will My Write-Up Be Located? >

&

&

*

*

*

About Us

*

Why I Won't Sell Advertising Ever Again ...
by Michael Sieger, Publisher of the go2 Network

**

Whenever I launch a new publication, there's always a sense of excitement in the air - no matter how many publications have rolled off the presses over the years!   An electicity ... as if this one, this publication is the first ... that old feeling comes over you (the feeling you get as a child, waiting with eyes wide-open and ears straining to the breaking point listening for Santa's reindeer to land on the roof with a sleigh full of toys).

*

It never gets old!

*

It's different now though.  The Internet and the digital age has changed everything (although some things are still the same).  For over twenty-five years, I have printed publications.  I can still hear the presses (as big as buildings), their printing rollers speeding up like the sound of jet engines preparing for takeoff.  I can still smell the ink hanging in the air.  I still feel the excitement as the first printed publications roll off the press and are bundled for delivery.

*

There are no presses any longer.  Digital chips have replaced them.

*

There is no ink.  Electronic bytes paint the screen instead.

*

But now, there are things we can do that were never possible before.  Animation.  Interactive blogs.  Discussion rooms.  The ability to interact, as if in person (face-to-face), with each and every reader.

*

*

The Painful Reality for Small Merchants
A Totally Uneven Playing Field ...
Yet, even with all this technology just a click away, I'm still hearing the same cries for help from merchants that I've heard for the past twenty-five years ... nothing has really changed when it comes to buying and selling merchandise or services ... decisions still have to be made, customer fears overcome, questions answered, trust earned ... before a single sale can be made ...

*

One of the things I learned early on in this industry is that the playing field is definitely not the same for the small mom-and-pop merchant versus the big chain stores.  The little guy doesn't have millions of dollars at their fingertips to do saturation marketing to bring in new customers.  Usually, the little guy is scrambling just to pay the store rent and their meager payroll.  Often, the store owner is the last to get paid (if at all).

*

I remember the first time this reality hit home for me.  It was about twenty years ago and I was working as an advertising salesman for a local newspaper and had just landed a new customer (a small pet grooming shop).  They couldn't advertise at first, because they didn't have enough money.  But eventually, they scraped together enough to buy an ad.  

*

The newspaper I was working for ran the ad.

*

A few days later the results were in on how the ad did.  And I was thrilled!  Because I learned that the ad had produced a one percent response.  One percent is an acceptable industry standard in the advertising world.  Has been for over 100 years.  I walked into my new client's store with a big smile on my face, because of this good news.

*

They were not even remotely as happy as me.

*

In fact, they were quite upset.  "How am I supposed to pay my bills, feed my family, stay in business?" they asked me.  "You're all thrilled because I got a one percent response???  Do you not realize that after I pay my rent, my electric bill, my payroll, and for my supplies that one percent leaves me nothing.  In fact, it's not even enough to cover my business expenses, let alone personal."

*

*

The Hard, Cold, Unvarnished Truth
Advertising Doesn't Work!!!
For the first time in my young career, it dawned on me that the figures we had been taught by the industry might work great for the big chain stores, but they didn't even come close to being realistic for the little guy.

* 

I began searching for a realistic alternative for my customers.  I tried all kinds of different possibilities.  Each one bringing me closer and closer to the final answer, which ironically was a painful truth:  advertising doesn't work!!!

*

Now, when you're an advertising professional in the publishing field and you have just discovered that your occupation cannot produce viable results for your customers, it's more than a little depressing.  For months, I moped around, not sure what to do.  I couldn't continue selling something I didn't believe in. 

*

Then, it hit me! 

*

For years, my customers had been telling me the solution to the problem, the real truth, without me realizing it:  "My best advertising is Word-of-Mouth ... "

*

I began investigating this new discovery further and realized that there was only one fundamental problem with using word-of-mouth as a way to market your business:  there was no way to control it!

*

Or was there?

*

*

Harnesing the Amazing Power of
Word-of-Mouth Marketing ...
I began looking for ways to harness The Amazing Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing.  After decades of trial and error, of trying one possible solution after another, we ended up making some very important discoveries ...

*

Did we finally succeed at finding a realistic marketing solution for small merchants?  Something that is both affordable and effective?  Something that has the capability of producing greater responses than a mere one percent?  Something that can actually pay the bills?  Something that is easy to do?

*

You're looking at the results of that research.  The go2 Network is designed to make it as easy as 1 - 2 - 3 for your new customers to tap into the power of our digital interactive word-of-mouth system (what we call Word-of-Mouse) and tell others far and wide about your business without your customers even realizing that they're helping you.  Our system is designed to make it easy for you to give potential new customers superior customer service before they've even spent a dime with you, so that you can show them your dedication to treating your customers right, so that they can try-before-they-buy and experience first-hand why they should get to know, like and trust you. 

*

The go2 Network and it's Suite of Interactive Communication and Customer Service Tools helps you do just that.  It's the result of almost three decades of research and development.   If you wonder whether our system works or not, just ask yourselves:  How did it work on you?

*

Afterall, this is the system we used to serve you.

*

*