The Online Marketing Newsletter
for Independent Professionals
from Action
Plan Marketing
and Robert Middleton
-
Your Flagship Product -
Want
a proven way to become memorable to your potential
clients?
Create a "flagship product."
In
a conversation with someone last week, the topic
of a "flagship product" came up and I realized
that I had never really talked about this before in
More Clients.
What's
a flagship product?
A
flagship product is a product or service that you
and your business becomes identified with. It's
something that communicates a concept or solution
that people automatically and favorably associate
with you.
What
a flagship product does is give you and your
business instant credibility. When people
purchase your flagship product, they are more
likely to buy other products and services from you.
A
flagship product should have the following
characteristics:
1.
It provides a unique solution or approach to a
problem and is seen as new and memorable.
2.
It is the starting point for all of your
other spinoff products or services.
3.
It is branded in a distinctive way with a name
and identity that is unlike other products or
services.
What
are some examples of flagship products by
InfoGurus? Here are a few that immediately
spring to mind:
Guerrilla
Marketing - This book, by Jay Conrad
Levinson, written in the 80's, has spawned a
whole series of Guerrilla Marketing books and
seminars. It's become a household name amongst
small business owners.
Make
Your Site Sell - An e-book launched in 2000
by Ken Evoy that established him as one of the
preeminent Internet Gurus and was the genesis of
several other e-books and online
products.
The
Millionaire Mind - Harv Eker's free
three-day workshop on changing your mindset
about money. Tens of thousands have attended and
it's been a launching pad for his other
programs.
The
Wizard of Ads - The brilliant compilation of
eZine articles was the first of three books in
the series by Roy Williams, and the foundation
for his 3-day Wizard Academy in Austin,
Texas.
The
InfoGuru Marketing Manual - The starting
point for most of the customers and clients of
Action Plan Marketing. Most people who take my
workshops or Marketing Action Groups get this
first.
Most
of these are marketing-oriented examples off the
top of my head, as that's the world I'm most
familiar with. But if you look at your particular
field, there are usually a few InfoGurus who are
well known for some kind of flagship product.
I
had been in business for 15 years before I launched
my manual. Others take longer, some shorter.
But however long it takes, it's a worthwhile goal
to aspire to. It will give you leverage you can get
no other way.
Your
flagship product may be a book, an e-book, a
workshop or training program. But it really has
to be at the heart of the work you do and must have
some passion behind it.
I
once worked with a woman who had spent a year
writing a book but who really didn't want to
work with clients in that area. In other words, her
flagship sank! There was nowhere she could sail it
to leverage her own business.
Coming
up with a new concept takes some time and
creativity, but it's certainly worth the
effort. Coining the word "InfoGuru" seemed like a
gamble at the time (one of those titles that came
to me in the shower) but I think it's better than
many books or e-books that are completely generic
and therefore unmemorable.
Not
only has the manual served my business well in
terms of being a foundation for all my products and
programs, it has earned me substantial income
over the past five years. A flagship product can
create real marketing momentum.
Oh,
here's another one:
Men
are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John
Gray. This wildly successful book on
relationships was the first of many other
Mars-Venus Books. In fact, every book John now
writes contains that flagship identity. I'm
waiting for "Marketing Secrets of Mars and
Venus." I'll get that one!
What's
your flagship product going to be?
*
The
More Clients Bottom Line:
The
time to start working on a flagship product or
service is NOW! It will make a huge long-term
impact on your business. Find a way of developing
something that stands out from everything else and
you're on your way.
*
The
More Clients Blog - Please comment on today's
More Clients
http://www.actionplan.blogs.com
*
The
InfoGuru Marketing Manual
Why
the InfoGuru Marketing Manual? Because it's
more than an ordinary book or manual. It's a
tutorial, it's a reference work and it's a
community. It's a complete solution for Independent
Professionals who want to attract more
clients.
Tutorial
- Over 12 hours of audio programs are included
with the manual. These take you step-by-step
through hands-on marketing ideas that will help
you attract more clients.
Reference
Work - You don't need to read the manual
from back to front - You can simply refer to it
when you want to learn more about a specific
marketing concept or activity.
Community
- Perhaps the biggest value you get with the
manual is the InfoGuru Support Forum where you
can ideas and feedback on any issue related to
attracting clients, from feedback on your web
site to giving a sales presentation.
Order
the InfoGuru Manual today. And of course, we
guarantee you'll be satisfied or will refund your
money in full.
http://www.actionplan.com/infoguru.html
Until
next week, all the best,
Robert
Middleton
ACTION
PLAN MARKETING
Helping Independent Professionals Attract More
Clients
www.actionplan.com
210
Riverside Drive
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-7790
Contact
by email
©
2006 Robert Middleton, All rights reserved. You
are free to use material from the More Clients
eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include
complete attribution, including live web site link.
Please also notify me where the material will
appear. The attribution should read:
"By
Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please
visit Robert's web site at http://www.actionplan.com
for additional marketing articles and resources on
marketing for professional service
businesses."
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