Why Most Business Owners Struggle With Sales and Marketing
People start businesses for a variety of reasons. Often they go into business to pursue a passion such as the graphic arts, event production, flowers, food, photography - you name it.

Other times they spend months researching the franchise or opportunity that best meets their skills, resources and desires. Sometimes they just sort of fall into a business of their own through unexpected circumstances.

Whatever the case, unless they came from a background in sales or marketing, most small business owners that I have known are significantly Sales-Challenged.

For these harried entrepreneurs, marketing is a mystery and sales is a dirty word. They would put more focus on sales if they only knew what to do and how to avoid the dreaded and often ineffective experience of talking to strangers via cold-calling and networking.

They've tried direct mail campaigns, display ads in magazines and newspapers - even hiring a sales rep or two - but they never felt that they were getting their money's worth. And, even if they were, how would they know?

Salvation for the Sales Challenged
The answer is a Customer Factory, and the directions for building one of your own are found in this free mini-course. Your Customer Factory will allow you to generate an unending supply of clients that most closely match what you define as your perfect customer. And, once in place, it will work automatically, providing new business when you need it and stopping when you shut it down.

What's The Catch?
The catch is that you must be willing to invest the significant resources necessary to build your factory - and get it up and running smoothly. Further, you must be willing to commit yourself and your staff to working the system until it becomes as natural a part of your business as turning on the lights in the morning.

A Time-Tested Approach
This approach to marketing is not new. Many large companies ranging from Sports Illustrated to America Online and General Motors have been using it successfully for years.

But, until recently, it was very difficult for small and medium-sized business owners to systematically employ this same time-tested approach to their companies. Over the past several years digital technology and the Internet have changed all that, allowing entrepreneurs ranging from Realtors to bakers, retailers to financial planners, and fence builders to health clubs to create Customer Factories of their own.

In fact, this system will even generate sales for a home-based business or professional consultancy. After all, that’s what Spring Lake Studios is.

Why Doesn't Everyone Do This?
There are four main reasons more small- and medium-sized business owners don't employ this system:

1. They aren't aware of it
   
   
2. They don't think it would work for their business
   
   
3. They don't know how to create and manage a Customer Factory
   
   
4. They don't want to commit the required time, money and energy
   

Our answers to these objections are very straightforward:

1. If you've read this far you are now fully aware of this system
   
   
2. The Customer Factory approach won't work for every business - just most of them. By the time you're finished with this course you'll know whether it will work for yours
   
   
3. This course gives you everything you need to design and implement your own Customer Factory, and I'm here to help you if you need me
   
   
4. Successful business owners understand that money spent today building a productive marketing system which will generate profits for years is the best investment they can possibly make
   

Here's How It Works
In the next seven pages we will explain each step individually and illustrate how they all work together to:

1. Create a profile of you best clients so you can focus on finding more just like them;
   
   
2. Introduce your company to your target market;
   
   
3. Allow prospective buyers to sample your value with no risk or obligation;
   
   
4. Give you their contact information and buying preferences;
   
   
5. Let you follow-up consistently but not intrusively;
   
   
6. Convert a higher percentage of targeted prospects into customers;
   
   
7. Track how you are doing and improve your results over time.
   

If this sounds like a lot of work, you’re right, it is. But hard work is something that most entrepreneurs I know have no problem with, provided that they know their time and resources are being invested profitably.

Also, the whole idea behind The Customer Factory is automation: once you have it up and working it runs itself. All you have to do is keep filling it up with gas and keep your eye on ways to improve its effectiveness over time.

Our Approach
A Spring Lake Studios Customer Factory combines traditional communication channels (like direct mail, print ads, trade show exhibits, television and radio spots) with more leading-edge approaches (like audio and video on the Internet, HTML-emails, interactive disks and targeted search engine ads) to persuade targeted buyers to respond.

Because every industry and each company are unique, the exact mix of components are different for each Customer Factory we build.

Should You Read On?
This mini-course will require about 45 minutes of your time. Building your Customer Factory will take considerably longer. But your efforts will yield fruit for years to come.

The approach I am describing here has worked for companies around the world who have made the necessary commitment of resources and demonstrated the persistence to work the plan consistently over time.

If you are truly committed to growing your company’s sales and increasing the size of your personal bank account, please read on.

Next page, Step One: Prime Client Profiling