On the sixth day of Christmas, Mesmerizzzed! gives to you - six customer solutions, FIVE MARKETING KEYS, four sales methods, three pricing strategies, two engineered products and a focused target market.

Customer Solution # 1 - WIIFM

What radio station do your customers listen to? Our research shows that every one of your customers is tuned into station WIIFM - what's in it for me!

It's human nature to think about ourselves first. As a business owner, you have to break that pattern and think about your customers first. It's one of the most selfish things you can do!

If your marketing mindset is focused on your customers, you will not only earn their business today but also their repeat business and endless referrals. It doesn't take much effort to stand out from the crowd of self-serving businesses by being just a little bit selfless and focusing on your customer first.

It may be the most selfish thing you can do!

Customer Solution # 2 - It's FREE!

Other than our own name, the favorite word in the English language is "FREE!" That word causes us to stop and take notice, to "ooh" and "aah".

What are you offering your prospects and customers for free? FREE samples, FREE consultations, FREE reports - they're everywhere! So, you have to go above and beyond and make your FREE stuff really special to stand out from the crowd.

A FREE offer will dramatically increase the traffic to your business. But it takes delivering value in the context of your FREE stuff to turn those visitors into customers.

Did you notice the 12 Days of Mesmerizzzed! Christmas are FREE? Why don't you share this FREE gift with your e-mail list now? It's FREE!

Customer Solution # 3 - I GUARANTEE IT!

Mr. George Zimmer of the Men's Warehouse clothing stores has built an empire with one phrase - "I guarantee it!"

The concept of the guarantee is used by many businesses, but they often bury their guarantee in the fine print at the bottom of their contracts. We often encourage our clients to lead with their guarantee - even placing it in the headline of direct mail offers.

Why is this so important - and so often overlooked? Let's face it, doing business with anyone today involves some risk. You can never really be sure they are going to deliver on their promises. So ... if you are confident you can deliver, why not demonstrate up front that your customer has no risk?

Reverse the risk (you take it on by guaranteeing results) and watch how many new customers you win, just by doing what you would have done anyhow!

Customer Solution # 4 - Special Offers

Most businesses spend a majority of their marketing dollars on attracting new customers. They spend far too little on keeping the customers they already have.

Guerrilla Marketing legend Jay Conrad Levinson suggests that small businesses commit 60 cents of every marketing dollar to their current customers.

Why? Because it is much more profitable to bring a current customer back to buy more and buy more often than it is to chase a brand new customer. You have already invested in acquiring that new customer - now you can leverage that relationship to increase your profits.

How do you bring your current customers back?

First of all, you communicate with them - constantly. Second, you provide them with "customer-only" special offers. Don't offer your best deals to someone you don't even know - reward your current customers with added benefits for being a customer.

Customer Solution # 5 - Thanks!

Joe Girard was the nation's leading car salesman for decades. In fact, he often sold five times more cars than all the other sales people combined in his dealership.

How did he do it? Quite simply, Joe did it by saying "Thanks!"

Every month, Joe send a personalized card to every one of his 13,000 plus friends that said "I like you!" and "Thanks" for being my friend. He would include a personal message as appropriate, such as Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary, but no matter what Joe reminded you that he appreciated knowing you.

When was the last time you said "thanks" to the people you know?

Customer Solution # 6 - Referrals

What does it take to get a referral?

Bob Burg, author of Endless Referrals, tells us that people need to know, like and trust us before we can ask for referrals. There is no doubt these are the minimum requirements for earning referrals.

With your customers, however, there needs to be even more. You need a system for getting referrals. You need to make it easy for them to share your business with people they know. A number of our clients provide financial incentives for referrals - simply pass on their referral cards, and they pay the referrer when the person becomes a customer.

It's not about the money - it's about making it simple and easy for your customers to refer you. The money just gives your customer a reason to invest a few minutes of their time telling their friends about you.

How's your "referral system" working?

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