The first time my dad cautioned me about, “Stepping Over Dollars to Pick Up Dimes”…I was still a kid in the business. So, I asked him, “What does that mean?”

He smiled and in a soft but knowing voice replied, “The urge to save a few bucks can cause you to miss out on big dollars. It’s smart to spend wisely but there are times you have to invest in yourself and your business if you want to make real money. The trick is to work hard on the right things and trust that you will work hard to make it all work out.”

He continued, “There will be times that you’ve had a less than stellar season and money may be a little tight but your trucks don’t care. All they know is they must get fixed or replaced. And the few bucks you’d be tempted to save today will assuredly lead to much more costly expenses or missed opportunities because  a vehicle out of commission is bound to happen at the very worst possible time…when you’re busy!”

Okay, I get it. I know things may be slow and money may be tight. But here’s what I know, your company won’t get healthier if you cut too deeply or you cut the wrong things in a misguided attempt to save a few dimes.

My dad told me when it came to stepping up in tough times, “Things get easier if you act like you’re going to be in business for awhile.”

So if you want more calls, you have to spend money. The goal is to spend it in a way that gives you the biggest bang for the buck. The knee-jerk reaction is to cut things like marketing in times like these. This is an example of saving “dimes” at the peril of throwing away “dollars” because your phones are going to go dead or stay dead.

Working with clients, I show them that this is actually the best time to be doing intelligent marketing. It’s got to be testimonial-based marketing and you need to focus on three main marketing drivers to take your marketing from buck shot to rifle shot.

The ones I like best right now are:

1. Laser-focused Direct-Mail that leverages great testimonials.
2. E-marketing that also leverages great testimonials via things like the search engines, Web sites, blogs and emails.
3. Acquisition of companies that span the “Mild to Wild” spectrum. That means everything from obtaining old phone numbers to buying real companies.

These are proving to be winning strategies right now. Will they cost some money [think dimes]? Yes!

Will they generate dollars? Yes!

Take my advice from the blog on January 31st called “How to Get Great Testimonials and Make Them Count” and begin this process. You’ll be glad you did.

And if you want to jump start the process and really learn how to use these 3 market drivers that will get your phones ringing now, read the Special Announcement below and click on the link to learn more.

Special Announcement:

Biz Experts Al Levi and Ellen Rohr are kicking off a new Teleseminar Series:  Get More Calls Now (starting March 16, 2010)

Together, they’re showing their clients they work with one-to-one how to get their phones ringing right now. And now they plan to share these secrets with others in the Get More Calls Now program which has 3 simple, low-cost marketing “drivers” that will get your phones ringing (more leads, more SALES)…now. They could even double or triple the business you have. Though times are tough, some savvy business owners are going to dramatically GROW their sales. 

The Get More Calls Now program is designed to help business owners who…

• Need to get the phone ringing now? So that you can at lease keep the doors open!
  
• Want to really grow their company and skip the inch-by-inch slow growth process?
  
• Want to do more than just survive and create real opportunities for yourself and your team?

Learn more at www.GetMoreCallsNow.com.

Announcement:

The Step by Step Success program solves the “Contractor Overwhelm” issue by offering one simple, powerful business building Step at a time. Through interactive Teleseminars and one-to-one coaching in Office Hours, Al Levi and Ellen Rohr will help contractors implement ONE action each month that will help them make more money and start living a better life. 

One simple Step…one problem SOLVED every month. Topics include…

• Firefighting 101 teaches you how to handle ANY problem…Once and for All. 
  
• Establishing yourself as someone worth playing with, following…and fighting for. 
  
• Launching Laser-focused Direct Marketing to get Massive Results on a Shoestring Budget.

Learn more at www.StepByStepBusinessBuilding.com.