Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Testimonials!

** You can apply this to your fans with your music to sell more cd's or merch.**

Most of the clients we've worked with believe they have a good handle on how their customer's feel about their experience with the company and/or the product or service they've purchased. Yet when asked what type of measurement system they have in place to regularly track customer satisfaction…sadly we find it's measured by more of a "gut-feeling" than any true representation. Further, when we ask how many of their customers would refer their company/product to others, we find it more of a "guesstimate" (And we all know what can happen when we assume). Finally, when we look for customer testimonials to support their claims, we find few if any (most companies struggle with how to collect customer testimonials).

The Client/Customer Satisfaction Survey is the answer. The best way to find out your customer satisfaction and loyalty, while collecting strong testimonials you can use in other sales and marketing tools, is to ask. It's that simple.

Okay, maybe it's a little easier said than done! Here are a few tips to make it easier:

1. Timing. The best time to get relevant feedback is when the experience is freshest! For this reason, we recommend you conduct your survey as soon after you deliver your product/service as possible. For some companies, this frequency is operationally burdensome, so we recommend an annual survey at the minimum.
   
   
2. Format. You will want to consider your audience when choosing your survey format (web, phone, or fax). If you have a small group of customers, you could conduct the surveys by phone or in-person, however we do find you will receive more candid responses if done through a web survey.
   
   
3. Questions. Be sure to keep your survey to no more than 8 questions so that your respondents are not overwhelmed. Also, be sure to cover both satisfaction AND loyalty questions (see our template) about your company and/or your product.
   
   
4. Follow-Through. You must be willing to take action on the results, but more than that you must tell your customers what actions you plan to take! We recommend a "letter of action" be sent to all respondents outlining the results and your response to them. Or, at the very least thank them for their time with a gift (a Starbucks coffee card, company promotional item, a book on the industry from Amazon, or something similar ought to do the trick.)
   
   
5. Testimonial. Testimonials are one of the most powerful weapons you have in your sales and marketing toolbox. However, many companies struggle with how to obtain them. We've found the client satisfaction survey to be one of the most fertile grounds for these valuable nuggets. Using the comments provided in the comment box, you should be able to assemble some excellent testimonials. Your eighth and final question should be aimed at gaining permission to do so.

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Two Brainstorming Techniques—Improving a Classic Creative Process

brain·storm·ing (brnstôrmng) n. A method of shared problem solving in which all members of a group spontaneously contribute ideas. The brainstorming session. It's a classic for sales and marketing teams isn't it? And despite its popularity, most brainstorming sessions are a colossal waste of time. Why? Because they don't stick with the single purpose—to contribute ideas. Instead we gather our colleagues in a room, ask them to "brainstorm," and then criticize each "idea" as it is brought up. And this goes on for what seems like hours. Admit it, you've done it or have been a part of it. There is a better way. We are always looking for ways to improve the creative process. And over the years we've studied many different brainstorming systems. Our studies have yielded TWO good ways to generate a large amount of varied ideas in the shortest amount of time: 1) For general creative brainstorming: Use an "idea" worksheet. Create a worksheet with 12 boxes, making each box large enough to write in. Hand out the worksheet to each participant and ask them to write the group's "problem to be solved" at the top of the worksheet. Record ideas. Have each member begin recording ideas they have in each box (one per box) for 3-4 minutes. If they fill up the sheet before time is up, give them another and have them continue. When time's up, have each team member pass their worksheets to the person on their left. Ask them to scan their colleague's ideas as a stimulus, and for another 3-4 minutes continue writing ideas on the sheets they've just received. Again, if they fill up their sheets, give them another. Repeat the process. Repeat this last step one more time for 3-4 minutes. Collect and analyze your results. When the session is done, thank everyone and dismiss them. You'll want to now compile ALL of the ideas into a document that can be analyzed, critiqued, and ranked. This is something either you can do alone...or you can schedule another session that focuses on that task as a team. 2) For promotional mix brainstorming: Use Adpack—an advertising idea generator in a box! The concept is easy and our tests show you will generate ideas you never would have considered otherwise...now that's thinking outside the box! Here's how it works: Select and arrange your cards. Adpack is a system of strategy cards. There are three packs of 50 cards each. There's a Media pack, an Offer pack, and a Power Word pack. Just combine one of each kind in a three card sequence, and you've created a marketing idea. Create your ideas and consider the possibilities. You get a strategy board that gives you a nine card layout to see how the different combinations can generate amazing ideas. One grid of 3 x 3 x 3 gives you 27 posibilities. The 50 x 50 x 50 card combination gives you 125,000 ideas! Write everything down and repeat the process. Adpack comes with a scribble pad, so write down the best idea from each hand, then shuffle up and deal another nine cards. Select the best of the best. We found that many of the ideas, for various reasons, are throw aways. However, there are usually a few really good gems that come from each session. Select the best and make them your own. NOTE: Though a little pricey at $297, you will get a 30% discount as a Go-To-Market Strategies subscriber (Adpack promo code=GTMS). Regardless of wich of the two techniques above you use, be sure to: Gather your materials. First you need to be able to concisely articulate the problem you're trying to solve or the ideas you want generated in this session. So spend some quality time on defining the session's goal. Also, we recommend you provide worksheets where each member can write their ideas. Schedule your team. Choose as many participants as is appropriate for the task. The more you have on the brainstorming team, the more ideas you'll generate. Schedule the session for only 15-20 minutes. Be sure to start and end on time! If you need more time, schedule a second and third session. Any more than 20 minutes in any one session and the "spontaneous" part of the brainstorming process seriously degrades. Plan a creative environment. Creativity comes from our right side of the brain, so let's face it... your typical conference room with white boards, flip charts, and a more formal atmosphere just isn't going to cut it. Get creative with WHERE you hold the meeting. If you must conduct a brainstorming session in the office, make it less "board room." Play classical music. Have people sit on exercise balls. Structure only the collection of ideas—not the parameters for the ideas themselves. Yes it's true. The brainstorming session is here to stay. And with the above tips, it won't be as torturous as the "classic" we're all used to.

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DBA

Whether you're a corporation, LLC or sole proprietor, there may be advantages to filing a "Doing Business As" or "DBA" for your business.

What is a DBA?

DBA stands for "doing business as" and is an official and public registration of a business name. DBAs are also known as Fictitious Names, Fictitious Business Names, Assumed Names, and Trade Names. Essentially, a DBA is the name of a business other than the owner's name or, in the case of a corporation, a name that is different from the corporate name as on file with the Secretary of State.

What are the benefits to filing a DBA?

A DBA makes it easy to:

• Open a bank account and collect checks and payments under your business name
• Look more professional, by establishing a separate business identity
• Start marketing and advertising under a name other than your personal or corporate name

1. Complete the simple online DBA application.
   
2. We complete the correct forms for your county and state and FedEx them to you — all you have to do is sign and return them in the pre-supplied envelope.
   
3. We work with the state and county to file your DBA, check status and even publish it where required. You'll receive the approval and publication certificate for your records.

For more information go to www.corporatebee.com

7:52 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Top 5 marketing mistakes...

Top Five Marketing Mistakes Companies Make...And How To Recover! When marketing efforts are not successful, many companies wonder whyâ? They sent out direct mail, or refreshed their website, intiated Google Adwords, or attended a trade show, but are left disappointed and frustrated with languishing sales and underused resources. Why isnât the phone ringing? What went wrong? The high level answer to this question is that marketing efforts must be more than a disconnected series of tasks. Effective marketing is not a single activity, but a well choreographed effort that takes planning, consistency, and fortitude to accomplish. The deeper answer comes from analyzing the top five biggest marketing mistakes we've seen companies make. Are you making one or more of these? If so, consider our tips on how to recover: #1: MARKETING WITHOUT A STRATEGY IN PLACE Common Mistake: Believing your product does everything, your target market is anyone who has money to spend, and /or you donât have competition. Because companies are frustrated by a lack of revenue, they often equate limiting their target market with limiting opportunity. The fact is, for marketing efforts to succeed, you must define a target market segment where your product has the most relevance and the best competitive advantage! Most of us can simply not afford to market everything to anyone with the delusion we are the only option for our customers to consider. Recovery Plan: You need a strategyâand fast. Stop all marketing activities immediately and take the next three to six weeks to plan your new approach. Build a brief overview description of each product and service you offer, including features and benefitsâconcentrating on the differentiating features only. Research your competition and document their offer, pricing structure, strengths and weaknesses, along with your competitive advantage. Once you identify your key advantage over the competition, play it up consistently in every marketing vehicle you produce. Recognize you canât afford to market to everyone and define your target markets by grouping and categorizing the characteristics of your current customer base. Then choose marketing vehicles that only cater to that defined group of potential buyers. Finally, create a calendar of events and associated budget that will act as your roadmap to success! Watch your sales begin to climb! But donât congratulate yourself yet; effective marketing takes patience and persistence. Your journey is just beginning! #2: BEING INCONSISTENT WITH YOUR BRAND. Common Mistake: Changing your companyâs positioning depending on the audience, marketing vehicle used, or person delivering it. Although some companies have actually gone through the steps of clearly outlining their companyâs positioning language, we find that many individuals within that company still have their own version. And this âcustomizedâ statement can change depending on who is receiving the information. The result? A confused audienceâunsure of who you are and what your company doesâthat is unable to convey your offering to anyone else. Brand awareness is only built by CONSISTENTLY communicating your companyâs position and identity each and every time, so that eventually your âlistenersâ will repeat your positioning exactly as you intend them to repeat it. Recovery Plan: You need positioning language that clearly defines who you are and what you offer, strongly differientiates you from competition, and can be delivered consistently by every employee. Host a brainstorming session with key team-members and craft a statement that everyone agrees upon, understands, and supports. The positioning statement must include who you are, what you offer, for whom, for what result, and why someone should choose you over anyone else. Launch it internally, and define its use and how employees will support it. Then do a full audit of your materials and fix any inconsistencies. Gaining buy-off at the executive level will ensure success from the top down. Remember all employees must work together as ambassadors of the brand. Understanding this concept before you spend money on marketing activities is imperative to your success! #3: NOT INTEGRATING MARKETING WITH SALES EFFORTS. Common Mistake: Developing marketing programs or materials that fizzle out in the sales process and never get used by the sales team. Often marketing teams spend a considerable amount of time, effort, and perhaps most importantly money to create a collateral kit and sales presentation for a new program or product offering. The sales team rejects the materials because they donât address the most compelling selling points and produces their own one-off presentations and brochures that send mixed messages to prospects and customers. To further illustrate the point, many times a marketing team will launch a new direct mail program to âgenerate sales leadsâ for the sales team, only to find that sales doesnât follow up on them because they donât feel the leads are âqualified.â Not having a clear integration between sales and marketing can only result in failed marketing programs, costing you lost revenue opportunities and wasted expenses. Recovery Plan: Ask your sales team to participate in marketing planning. Implement a sales advisory committee that is run by marketing and includes both sales management and representatives to participate and provide feedback on proposed marketing programs and deliverables. Also, schedule quarterly customer visits for marketing and sales to call on a variety of current clients together. These visits provide more insight into the customerâs perspective and the sales personâs challenges than any other technique. Bring the lessons learned back to the advisory committee to shape more relevant marketing tools. Without uniting sales and marketing efforts, your strategies are only realizing one-half of the equation. Integrate now to gain the buy-in and support necessary to generate sales! #4: MARKETING SOMETHING YOU DON'T ACTUALLY DELIVER. Common Mistake: Aggressively marketing a skill set, technology, product, or service that has not been tested or validated, or is simply not available yetâ?the âwe could offer that syndrome.â Your marketing team has created eye-catching materials, compelling positioning, and an aggressive campaign for the launch of a new company product or service. The campaign is very successful, however operations cannot handle the demands. They are either under-staffed, or worseâthey do not have the skill sets or ability to deliver on the new program. Or maybe, the product itself is not available in time, or has production problems. This not only upsets your customers, it demoralizes your sales and marketing team. They stop selling and the pipeline dries up. Recovery Plan: Ask company leadership to immediately realign the efforts of marketing and operations. Perform a gap analysis and assess what needs to happen to fulfill the new business demands, from both marketing and operational perspectives. Then create a plan and detail the specific steps required for each team to support existing sales as well as successfully roll out the offering to new customers. Identify milestones for each group to report on and demonstrate progress. This not only builds confidence within each team, but also fosters a sense of pride across the organization. You must raise your game to meet the new demand. It is a good problem to have, but take care of it quickly as you wonât be given another opportunity to prove yourself. #5: NOT USING THE MARKETING MIX EFFECTIVELY. Common Mistake: Fixating on only one marketing vehicle to promote a company and/or its products. Many marketing plans we see only focus on one activity like direct mail, or advertising, or public relations, or cold calling, and do not use several or all of these vehicles together in concert. Putting your eggs in only one basket may generate some leads for your company, but this strategy will ultimately limit your ability to maximize sales opportunities within a target market. Your customers need to see and learn about your company through a few different vehicles before they will be finally prompted to respond to your offer. Recovery Plan: Your goal should be to touch your prospects from the many angles they conduct business. Choose the activities that cater specifically to your target market, and then create a program schedule that ensures the right level of coverage across the multiple channels, increasing activities around key product launches or to address seasonality issues. Then be patient and let them work. It takes time, but rest assured, the variety of vehicles, working in concert, will build awareness and generate leads at an exponentially higher rate than any one vehicle alone can accomplish. Good luck. And, Happy Marketing! The Sales and Marketing Toolkit BUNDLED via Download or on CD-ROM contains: Over 50 sales and marketing templates (DOC, XLS, PPT, and PDFs) Loads of "how-to" articles and examples 8 Training sessions (MP3 audio files) for your computer or iPod   Join marketshare! MarketSHARE is an online mentorship that provides members with what they need mostâthe sales and marketing tools and resources to sharpen skills, save time, and shape careers. Only $14.95/month, sign-up today! The Resource Tip Top 3 Prospecting Mistakes and How To Recover Prospecting. In the broad sense, prospecting refers to exploration. And, specifically, it means to explore or search for valuable minerals, such as gold. When we think of prospecting based on these definitions, we can see why it is used in business to describe the point in the sales process where you identify potential customers. Archives Sign up for Our FREE newsletterâThe Resource! First Name * Last Name * Email Address * Required *

Go-To-Market Strategies, Seattle WA + p: 206.547.2322 + f: 206.547.1085 + inforequest@gtms-inc.com 2001-2006 Go-To-Market Strategies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

11:57 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

emails..

For some reason I have 10 emails in my box, but none of them are showing up, so i can not read them...if you sent me an email and i have not responded, I am sorry...I do not know how to fix it....

Marketing Group

10:22 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

10 more reasons to own your own record label...part 5

1.   ?Get Back to Your Roots?

Sometimes when a coach is working with a troubled football team, he gets them together for a practice and takes them ?back to basics? or back to their roots.  In every career field, there are fundamental reasons that the career exists and that is certainly true in the music business.  Unfortunately, when people who know better, the ?music industry insiders? we have talked about forget their roots and concentrate on other matters, that is when the industry suffers and the ultimate ones who suffer are the fans.

As you have moved from garage band to touring band and into more and more success, the ?business? of the music business can easily take over and dominate your thoughts.  If you have meeting after meeting with record label people from the accountants to the lawyers to the managers to the tour coordinators, so many details can overwhelm the artist that sometimes they can become obsessed rather than their ?roots? which is the music. 

By starting your own record label, you can see to it that those support issues do not distract you or your artists from what they are dedicated to, making great music for the fans.  This is the true value of a small record label and the reason why your artists will come to you and stay with you.  Since you are small, you do not have the overhead of huge departments and complicated contracts and forms.  You can keep to the K.I.S.S. system ? Keep It Simple Stupid and make sure that the affairs of business do not hurt the creative process for you, your band and the bands that support your label.  Further, because you are a driving force of the label, not some distant board of directors, your passion for what you are doing is a constant force in the operation of your record label.  So your record label continues to be a corporate extension of you, fulfilling your dreams and staying true to your ideals and goals for the business.

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2.   You CAN Get Some ? Satisfaction

When The Rolling Stones sang about not getting ?no satisfaction?, they were talking about romance but being able to feel a deep sense of pride and satisfaction in your work is a big part of why starting your own record label is a good idea.  We all know the feeling of working so hard on your sound, your CD, your show and then when its time to put that terrific music concept out there, you get bogged down at the record label level and so much of the joy and satisfaction is replaced with frustration, delays and discouragement.

Nobody is kidding anybody, there is a lot of work to starting and running your record label.  But instead of turning over crucial details about that next big move for your music, career, you run those things yourself when you produce, market, distribute and tour your music through your own record label.  You will feel that deep sense of satisfaction and feel that sigh of relief when you finish up the last detail of your CD production or tour planning.  And you will see that satisfaction on the faces of your band members because they know the details of this important step in their career is in the hands of someone they trust and who has taken the time to be sure the job is done right.

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3.   When Things Hit it Big, You Get the Credit!

There might be a few dropped balls along the way as you learn the ropes of running your own record label.  Hopefully the problems and lost opportunities will be few if you use quality guidance and resources.  But even so, view those errors as learning opportunities.  Just think, if something goes wrong, it will only happen once because you are the operator of the record label and mistakes are not policy like they are so often with the big labels, they are things to avoid next time.

But very soon after you set up shop, something is going to click and you will get a big win.  The CD will go through the roof, the tour will be the hot ticket of the summer or the airplay will be premium because you finally got the system going your way.  And when that happens, you deserve the credit, the glory and the ?thank you? from a grateful bunch of hard working musicians, you being one of them, that benefited because you set up this record label to help them and you and they have more success and more satisfaction in the growth of your music careers.

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4.   You Can Have Your Family in The Business, In Fact YOU SHOULD!

?Nepotism?.  The word sounds almost dirty doesn?t it?  Well, it is a word that means you are giving the good jobs in your business to your relatives.  In big business, it is frowned upon but when you think about it, that?s strange because, who more cares about what happens to your business than your family.  These are the people you trust the most, that you are closest too and who you know you can depend on to get the job done.

So when it?s YOUR record label, you don?t have to worry about some stiff from ?corporate? coming down and whining ?you can?t hire your cousin, its nepotism and that?s against corporate policy.?  You ARE corporate policy and you can have on board anyone you feel comfortable with.  In fact, your family will be in there with you working hard to make this thing fly so why not let them share in the success and the profits along with the hard work of building a really terrific record label.  And if it?s your wife or children bringing home the profit sharing plans, you are just keeping it all in the family, as the old saying goes.  Nothing wrong with that.

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5.   Independence Day

That word ?Indie? has become a hot concept in the new century both in film and in the music industry.  It?s a word that inspires something in us as entrepreneurs that is hard to describe.  To be an ?Independent Record Label? has an excitement to it.  The things you associate with being ?independent? are moving to the point of almost setting off your patriotic streak.  And in a miniature way, what you are getting ready to do is somewhat like when the founders of America declare their independence form England.  They said, ?We can do this better and even though it?s hard, we trust ourselves and so, we are now independent, deal with it.?  

Well, maybe they didn?t use those exact words but that is the feeling you are grabbing hold of when you begin the first steps of declaring your independence from the corporate machine and establish your ?Indie Record Label.?  And on that day, when you sign the papers, hang out the proud sign of your record label name, maybe you will want to establish a tradition with your friends, associates and family that the date your record label springs into existence is to you and your band, truly your musical Independence Day.

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6.   Its Fun!

We saved the best reason to start a record label for you for the very last.  But this one reason is what got us into this business in the first place.  You can use all the floury words and high-sounding ideas, and we have thrown a few around in this essay but when you get right down to it, the music industry is fun.

Well, that?s why our fans love us isn?t it?  They come to the shows to have a good time, forget their troubles or that they live in a troubled world and kick back and just have a good time.  It?s the fun that makes our music careers have fireworks in the shows, hot tracks on the CD and good times even in long rehearsals.  And when it stops being fun, its time to regroup and recapture that.  That?s why starting your own record label makes so much sense ? for you.  Because you know how to work hard,. you also know how to have a great time.  You are assuring that even at the production, distribution and marketing level, you are going to surround yourself with people you know you like and you know will put that smile on your face. 

So go ahead, start a record label, for the fun of it.

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7.   Procrastination is a Terrible Thing.

So maybe now you are giving the idea of kicking off your new record label some really serious thoughts.  We hope so.  We wrote this to show you why the reasons for doing it and doing it now are so numerous that if you let yourself get excited, you could get past your fears and worries and get out there and make it happen.

But now let?s talk about the last part of our goofy title, ?Time to get off your @ss and do it now!?  If the reasons are compelling, the rewards are bountiful that lie just on the other side of the divide between dreaming and reality.  All you have to do it pick up the phone, log on to a site, buy a book or talk it over with your family and band and the ball will be rolling.  If we have overcome the fears and concerns and replaced them with excitement and anticipation, well we have done our job in this essay. 

But that one enemy of all of our good intentions may still be trying to get you.  That is of course, procrastination. You may be saying, ?Ok, I?m convinced, I?ll start next week?.  Well that little devil of procrastination may just steal the whole thing away.  Tomorrow a new issue will come up, this weekend you will find other interests and before long, you are back to square one and your record label is just an idea.  So take the first step today and put some fire under yourself.  Set up some deadlines with penalties so if you don?t get moving, you will regret it.  The first step is telling someone.  Then when your spouse, your children and your friends get excited, the momentum will already underway and the snowball will be rolling down the hill.  Give it a shove and jump on for the ride.  It is going be a wild and fun ride.

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8.   The Music Industry is Ready for You!

We have talked several times today about the condition of the music industry.  The changes in the industry that have caused radio play, major labels and so many areas of music production to be absorbed and consolidated into a few huge companies has backfired for the major music corporations.  The real art and the real marketplace for music is now on the street, in the clubs and in the Indie record labels. 

So now is a perfect time to get in there and get your record label up and running.  If you wait, the industry might change again and you will miss out on what the music scene is all about these days.  So use that for motivation to do your homework and get your record label on the way to opening its doors.  The industry is in perfect condition for your label and the business is poised to come your way.  Just do your part and get your label started.

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9.   It Won?t Get Started Unless YOU Start It.

You have heard the old sayings.  ?Don?t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.? And ?The journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step.?  Corny but true.  You have the idea.  Maybe by now you already have the name for your new record label.  But this is your brainchild.  If you don?t get out there and start making it happen, let?s face it, it isn?t going to happen.  Yes, you can expect others to jump on the bandwagon and get excited and want to pitch in.  The community spirit your new record label will inspire will be one of the most fun things about it.  But, believe it or not, this moment is the most dangerous one for your next label. 

This moment as you sit quietly and ponder ?to be or not to be? so to speak in terms of whether you will make your new label ?be? or just let it stay an idea, is the most dangerous moment for your label because if you turn and go back to the status quo, the label will die in your mind.  Don?t let the baby go like that.  Give it some life.  Give it some of you in the form of your inspiration, your hard work and your creativity.  Nobody has the stuff like you do and nobody will make this record label as great as YOU will make it so get going.  You will never regret it.

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10.   It Can?t Be a Success Until It Has a Name.

Have you started thinking of the name for your new record label?  Sometimes the name is what comes first like it is looking for a record label to attach itself too.  The name can do so much to get your record label noticed.  It can be funny, catchy or be a phrase that emphasizes your philosophy or reason for creating the label. 

But if you have a record label name bouncing around in your head that you just can?t let go of, no doubt about it, you are ready to get that name attached to something real, something exciting and something yours, a record label that will make a difference in the music industry.  Don?t sell that name short.  Even if it?s a little silly, it could be the name on everybody?s mind in just a few months once you get going and put a record label up to attach your unique name to. http://www.salesautomator.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=198536

Well I know you?ve really enjoyed this installment of ?101 Reasons Why You Should Start Your Own Record Label?, be sure to be one of the first to pick up a copy of ?The Ultimate Record Label? and you?ll get a bonus copy of ?The Ultimate Record Label Business Plan?. Go here to get your copy now = >

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As always much success :)

Ty Cohen

8:41 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos

Promotional Package
Category: Podcast

Below is an outline of a promotional package to help get your band more exposure. For $30 you get the following:

1. 30 day rotation (16 shows) on  The Unclesyko Show

2. 30 day podcast

3. Banner made to go with podcast linked to the site

4. Continuous advertising to direct fans to the site where podcast is located

5. Submission of the podcast to other podcast directories

6. Submit a song to other webradio stations

7. Submit your band name to a webradio station for an interview

8. Featured artist on another webradio station for a week

Only bands that fit my format will be considered.

Thank you and I hope you take this opportunity to get more exposure for your band because you never know who might hear this.

8:37 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos

10 reasons to own your own record label, Part 4
Current mood: crazy

1.   Investing in the Future.

Probably one of the most satisfying things about owning your own record label is the fact, as we have spoken of earlier, that the funds are totally managed by you.  When you think of the waste and the misdirected funds that happen every time you do a deal with a major label, all of us react to that by thinking ?if those funds were directed properly, our success would come more quickly and more of the royalties would go to the people that deserve them, the artists?. 

When an artist works hard for his or her music, the outcome is the art that goes between the artist and the audience.  But when so many people get in on the process and the funds that come from the success of that music go to fund so many things you don't see the need of, you have that reaction that it seems wrong, those funds should either go to the artist or to advance their career. 

The difference between your small record label and the big corporate ones is because you are local, small and have a dynamic relationship with your artists, you have that sense of family so they know the money you get is part of the creative process and that you will protect their interests.  That trust of artist to record label is to be treasured and you will feel honored to be part of it and fulfilled that you contributed to making the process better by being a good steward of the funds that both go into making the recording or tour possible and that are a result of the success of your work.

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2.   Your Fortune is at the Door.

There is one aspect of the coming and going of businesses that we don't talk about openly but is a very common occurrence that can bring big money your way.  After you get your record label up and running, you will see some success as bands sign with you that like your approach, your concern for them and your ability to manage their careers   You will land bands that the major labels will want to get.  It seems like a pipe dream but that is the way things are going in the music industry today.

What often happens to a small business when success comes its way is there is an opportunity to sell the business for quite a profit.  Now that seems like betrayal and you may feel an ethical commitment not to do that.  But remember the moral of never say never??  There could be some real advantages to selling including

You could realize new investment capital for those next big steps you have wanted to make.

You could negotiate some continued control.  It is very common for the owner to sell to a larger holding company and continue on as the managing director so your artists and employees continue under your tender loving care but with greater funding.

And probably the best benefit of them all ? a huge windfall for you and a big salary as CEO and operating manager of your new, not so small record label.

So never say never.  Selling to a benevolent investor or larger firm has some real advantages.  You may face a similar crossroads if you are presented with the opportunity to go public and sell shares of your label on the stock market.  Look into it, get some sage advice and at the proper time these financial maneuvers could make your record label bigger and better and make you a very wealthy record label owner indeed.

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3.   Let Your Money do the Talking

There is a big word for what you will realize once your record label becomes established as a bona fide business entity and that word is ?legitimacy?.  Perhaps you had this experience when you put together your band, named it and began to represent yourself as that entity.  So when people saw you, they thought of you as the individual they always knew and loved but also as that band.  It's so common for the performer to become merged with his or her corporate identity that it's not uncommon for the performer to change their real name to match the band name such as Alice Cooper or Prince. 

In the same way, you will name your record label as you are putting it to together and for some time, it will be your brainchild, a product of your imagination and fantasy.  Then one day, as though that project of yours suddenly grew legs and began to walk, your business will spring to life and people will begin doing business with it directly, working through you as an agent of the business.  You become an extension of your label, not the other way around.  From that time forward, you can accept payments and negotiate legal and financial dealings in the name of the label.  This ?legitimacy? is not a direct money making concept but once you see it happen, your label will take off  And you will feel a deep sense of pride that the idea that at one time was a pipe dream is now a real business, another corporate member of the vast music industry and it is respected in that light.

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4.   Its Easier Now than it Ever Has Been Before.

As we have seen, there are dozens of outstanding reasons to start a record label.  From creative control to legitimacy to unashamed desire to make money, the reasons just keep on coming.  But let's not leave our subject before we discuss why starting your own record label is good for you, your feelings about work, your self esteem and that career you put so much into and care so much about.

The fact is, never before has it been so realistic that you can start your own record label.  No longer is the mechanics or the finances needed to get a record label up and running outside of the reach of all of us.  It seems that the idea of running a record label for so long brought up an image of a huge business campus or towering office building run by the super rich and financed by huge corporate giants like Disney or Microsoft.  But we live in a day of the small independent record label.  When you begin to ?test fly? the idea by friends and music industry thinkers you know, you will be amazed how open they are to the idea and how much help there is available  It isn't just a pipe dream any more.  Sure, maybe you don't know every detail of what to do first or how it will become a reality for you but those things will come.  There are abundant resources in courses, books and people who have gone down this trait before you and are enthusiastic to help you succeed.  So the only thing standing between you and your dream is to get up and get out there and get the ball rolling. 

So it's just like the famous answer a mountain climber gave when he was asked why he scaled the mighty peaks.  His answer was ?because it's there?.  So too a good reason to start a record label now and not later may be best simply stated - because you can.

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5.   Release that Inner Genius

All of us have a deep drive that comes with us as humans to strive for the best in ourselves and reach for the brass ring if our arms are long enough.  When you start out in the music industry, or in any job, just getting established is the task.  But then as you get your ?sea legs?, the thrill of conquest subsides and is replaced with the pleasure of knowing the ropes and being a veteran.  But somewhere inside you is that ambitious youth who cries out ?you can do better, you can accomplish more, and you can be bigger than this.? 

And you know it's true.  You know there are talents that are not fully tapped, intelligence to spare to apply to a bigger goal and that ?inner genius? who just needs a cause, an opportunity and a project to be released.  And once that genius is released, just think of the things it can do.  Your record label will be that vehicle to give you all the growth potential you will need to really put your talents out on the road and ?take it out and see what it will do.?

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6.   Getting that ?Insiders? View of the World.

When you read music industry magazines or fanzines, there is often a reference to ?music industry insiders?.  When you hear that phrase, you imagine those movers and shakers who are the ones who cause great tours or festivals to spring into being or the ones to birth a new band or even a movement.  You imagine they have maps to the labyrinth that is the music industry and know where the alligators are and what magic spells open the castle doors.

While that is a whimsical way of viewing the music industry, it is true that it takes some experience and exposure to know how to get things done as a ?music industry insider.?  You have already started gaining some of that knowledge up until now but when you go to meet with your future record label or your agent does, it's an uncomfortable feeling to sense that you are more a product than a partner to those who really make all the decisions. 

So ?for you?, getting your record label up and gaining the credibility and legitimacy that we talked about earlier is going to gain you access to the kinds of people who will show you the paths and magic words you need.  That not only is terrific for you as a musician, its good for you because you can walk tall among music industry insiders, not as a product but as a fully recognized partner in the process of getting new music out to a hungry public.  When you are the decision maker and you are the ?music industry insider?, your self-esteem will take quite a boost knowing how much your friends, your family and those who depend on your record label look up to you every day.

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7.   Fame, Fame. Fame, Fame

The one thing that makes a music industry person, particularly a performer tick is the need for applause.  When you put on a great show, and your audience responds so favorably, the recognition is instant, gratifying and highly addictive.  Whether on the local, regional, national or international level, the allure of fame is well known.  The love of fame isn't necessarily a bad thing.  It drives us to greater achievement and to better performances and the payback is being well known.  If you have had that thrill the first time someone wanted an autograph, you are hooked and it does a lot for your enjoyment of your work and your drive for greater things because of the fame it will bring you. 

Do people who produce, distribute or market records enjoy that kind of public adoration and recognition.  Well if the names Phil Spector, Brian Eno or Bill Graham are familiar to you then the answer is yes.  But even if you don't achieve fame at a public level, your name on the door of your record label will automatically cause you to become famous among those in the know, among those music industry movers and shakers who you need to be able to influence to get the kind of big things done you want done.  And fame, besides the fun and ego of it, is capital and influence that can be translated easily into accomplishments.

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8.   Follow the Leader

There is an old saying that goes ?lead, follow or get out of the way.?  That quality of leadership is something that is so needed in our world and even in this industry we love, the music industry.  When you demonstrate the qualities of a leader, people naturally follow you.  And that's where you feel your own potential being fully realized.  You are performing the function that you knew you had, to lead others and be a role model to those are following your leadership. 

Above all, because you have a vision for the future and the vision and courage to step out and start your won record label, others will be inspired to follow you, support you and do whatever they can to make your new record label a big success.  And if you saw abuses in the ?leadership? of your former record label, you are not handling them by just sitting and complaining, you are taking the lead to create an institution where those errors are not repeated.  Now that is truly being a good role model for your band, for your staff, for your family and even for the music industry as you set a standard for others to learn from in how to properly build and correctly run a good solid record label.

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9.   All of Your ?Heroes? Paved the Way for You, Now it's Your Turn.

Can you remember before you even got started in the music business?  You had some heroes that you wanted to emulate and you always felt, if you could just ?be like that performer?, then you would have reached your goals.  That's natural.  We all do that and even now, whether you know it or not, others are watching you and seeing you as a role model for their future in the music business.

Whether your heroes were in family, the local music scene or among the great names in music industry history, those pioneers faced a crossroads one day, similar to the one you are facing today.  They had to make that decision, to step out and do something new, something scary and something bold that will change how things get done.  They laid the foundation of how real leaders and music industry pioneers behave.  Now is the time to live up to their example, be inspired by their courage and strive to walk in their footsteps to fame and success as you too, cross over that threshold and step out and start that new record label you have been dreaming out.

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10.   It's ?Taking It to the Next Level? For Your Love of Music and the Music Business.

Sometimes in romance or relationships we talk about ?taking it to the next level?.  By that we mean, moving to the next step of commitment of sophistication and of complexity.  We do this in all areas of life all the time, even if we don't know we do it.  In sports, it might be running a mile and a half instead of a mile.  In school, each grade is that next level and most noticeably when we move from grade school into high school and then on to collage. 

In the same way, your progress in your music career can be marked by levels.  When you moved from part time performance to leaning on music as your career, that's the next level.  And each new venture whether it's touring, cutting a CD or performing at a festival or concert level rather than in clubs takes it up a notch to the next level of professionalism.  With each level, that initial step is always both exciting and frightening.  You want it very much but at the same time, you have that inner child who wants to stay where it's safe and easy. 

Starting your own record label then is a big step forward in your progress as an artist, as a professional in the music industry and as an influence over the music world in general.  But at the heart of your drive to higher and higher levels of sophistication and influence is that core value which is your love of music, performance and your desire to serve your fans.  This step, starting your own record label takes your commitment to music and to your fans to the next level so you can do an even better job of assuring a quality product is produced and distributed to those who support you and admire your work.

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It's great to see you learning more about starting your own record label.  ?101 Reasons Why You Should Start Your Own Record Label?, will give you the motivation to get started with your dreams.  However, ?The Ultimate Record Label? will help you realize that dream.  Go and see what I'm talking about at:

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As always much success :)

Ty Cohen

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10 reasons to own your own record label, Part 3

Here is your next issue of ?101 Reasons to Start a Record Label?.  When we ended last issue, I was telling you about how its good business.  I have more on that this issue, but I would like to get down to what I'm sure many people want to know.  It will make you money ?

1.   The Real America

There is a big word for what you are when you strike out on your own and start your own business in your own record label.  That word is ?entrepreneur? and that is what everybody is who has the guts and the vision to start something new, something theirs and something that could be truly great.  When you think about it, every big business started out as someone's dream, someone's small business somewhere in this country.  That is what is so great in what we are as a people.  When we see something wrong, we don't just sit around and whine about it, we roll up our sleeves and fix it.  And if we see a system that is wrong or a company or an industry, we might just decide to just do it ourselves. 

You, by starting your own business are following in the great footsteps of all great businessmen and women in our country.  So be proud, stick your chest out and yes, even though its corny, go ahead and feel patriotic and good about yourself because you are getting out there and doing what a lot of people are afraid to do and because you have the guts to try, the odds are you are going to be a big success with your new record label.

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2.   You're fired?

When Donald Trump says, ?You're fired? on TV, it's pretty amusing but in fact, it's a pretty upsetting thing to happen in real life.  Whether you are working in a non-music job, in a company related to the music industry or in a band, there is always some equivalent to being fired.  Even just being dropped by one of the big labels is the same as being fired and don't you get fed up with people dropping you or not understanding what you want to do and so you end up ?getting fired??

Well when you get your record label up and running, the days of anyone firing you is over.  You are the boss and the decision maker and if anything, you will do the firing.  This isn't just satisfying from an ego point of view.  This means that you finally get to set the standards for success, not live up to some corporate entity standards that are more about their board of directors and stockholders than they are about your band.  And when you set the standards, they will be about music, about the quality of your recordings, about the artists and about what you know deep inside is really important.  And nobody, but nobody, gets to fire that.

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3.   The Time Clock Works for Me!

You know, the thing that someone on the outside of the music business would think is the most crazy and out of control is often times the thing we love the most is the hours.  We are proud that we don't punch a time clock.  Because our ?work? is often produced late at night and into the morning hours, we work when the event occurs rather than around certain hours.  Well, even though your record label will be a bridge between the ?normal business world? and the sometimes late night world of musicians and concerts, it seems we always drift to the musician inside us and relate to our roots. 

How you organize the people that work for you can reflect your feelings about when work gets done.  You know you are going to get the best from people because a small record label is a mission, a quest, a shared vision.  So whether you are working at a club, in the studio, in your ?office? or at home in your bathtub, the time clock runs when the muse is striking you, not the other way around.

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4.   Let's Take a Meeting

We don't deal with button down business people who have our people call their people.  The residents of the world of music are musicians, club owners, agents and as we discussed above, people who march to the beat of a different drummer, maybe several different drummers.  And that is what we love about the music business.  So if we need to ?take a meeting? with a band, the time they are ready to talk might be 4. a.m. at CBGBs rather than 9 a.m. in the boardroom of some stuffy office. 

And because your record label is small, light on its feet and flexible, you can accommodate those people when they are ready to make a deal, not when the business world is ready for that deal.  By the time Mr. Big Label Business Man gets around to that fast breaking artist at 10 a.m. the next day, you have already signed him because you were there when he was ready to negotiate.  That's the fun, the excitement and the fast-paced world of an Indie record label and the high-energy life of it is what makes it so tempting to start your own record label.

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5.   Slump?  Schmump!!

Have you heard the news that the record industry is in a slump these days?  Sure, we all have.  It's all the water cooler talk about why they are like that.  Whether it is the consolidation of the industry, the rise of internet distribution and their inability to deal with it or the fact that the marketplace has changed and the big behemoth record labels just can't maneuver a music market that is streetwise and quickly changing.

But that is the great thing about your new record label.  Even if the record industry at large is ?in a slump?, that doesn't have to affect you.  Because you are lean and mean and close to the action, you can make your moves, cut your losses and jump on a new trend as quickly as it hits the streets so your record label will always be in the growth mode.  Sure beats the heck out of sitting around moaning that you can't cope with change like the big labels do.  Instead, you change as the industry does which is not only very fun and exciting, it's plenty profitable for your little record label.

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6.   Building Your Empire

As you consider whether you are ready to start your own record label, it's probably too early for you to use the word ?empire? just yet.  But let's not forget to be dreamers and aim for the stars.  All world changing ideas start with an dream, just like yours.  At first, you may start your label just to give yourself a vehicle to publish and distribute your music.  Then it might grow to include your friends and local bands.  But don't be afraid to dream big and if big success comes your way, make sure you have given it plenty of room to move on in.

Because your record label's ?statement of purpose? is whatever YOU want it to be, you can be open to new ventures, new opportunities and other lines of related business.  As you become an ?institution? and get established as a business the profit making related lines will open up to you like the doors of a magic kingdom.  And why not explore the opportunities. 

Sure, you want to produce records, get into distribution and promotion activities.  But before long, you might find yourself cashing it big on doing videos, managing music publishing, publishing e-books, magazines, newsletters, the sky's the limit.  And each one of them brings you more success, more fame, more money and more fun.  So don't forget to let yourself feel that sense of adventure, excitement and potential of big big things happening to you once you get your own record label up and running

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7.   Stand and Deliver

There is something about doing business under the umbrella of an established business that gives you credibility and expands your abilities to make deals that are important to your new record label.  But even when you first start out when all there is to your business is you, your business name, a bank account and a dream, you immediately realize greater leverage with vendors, artists and suppliers that you would not have had working as an individual. 

As a business entity, you can enter into contracts with other businesses, lease equipment such as computers or studio technology.  You can even establish a commercial bank account, accept credit cards once you get the right kind of payment gateways in place and do business on a much more professional level than you could before. 

There is certain self-esteem with being able to represent yourself as a business leader and almost immediately, as the head of your label and the owner of a small business, door will open for you to mix in a different circle of people than you could ever be with before.  This will accelerate your learning curve and take a lot of obstacles out of your way to getting your band and the bands you wish to promote moving more quickly towards success.  And that is the reason you wanted your own record label in the first place, isn't it?

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8.   That One Big Break

When you daydream about what your new record label will be like and what you want it to achieve, what are the dreams you have for it?  It's good to encourage that kind of optimistic thinking because everything good starts with a dream.  Maybe it's just the idea of being able to extend your creativity on into the production and distribution side of the business as we have talked about earlier.  Maybe it's the excitement of doing something new, taking on new challenges or maybe it's the sense of fulfillment of doing something good for your career, your band and your friends in good local bands that need promotion.

It will be the day in day out fun of branching out that will make owning your own record label exciting.  But don't overlook that at any time, you might get a hold of the next big thing.  That's right, somebody was handling Buddy Holly before he became a legend and at one time The Beatles were just one of many bands struggling for recognition.  It will be a exciting as you go to work each day to run your new record label that at any moment, you might get a big chunk of the next big thing, that million dollar breakthrough artist or CD, festival or tour that will change the course of music history and make the artists and their record label very very wealthy.  It's good to dream because, especially in the music business, dreams come true all the time.

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9.   You Deserve This

Every now and then, it is necessary to go and spend time with your biggest fan and that is you.  So when you look in that mirror at that good-looking guy or knock out lady looking back, you know that you deserve to reach out for something exciting and new.  Perhaps you have been thinking about starting that new record label for quite some time.  But now, as you think about our 101 reasons, it might just feel right, now is the time to strike out, take the plunge, dive into your new life and experience the joys, the challenges, the fun, the hard work and the big rewards that will come from your new record label. 

You deserve the chance at bigger and better things.  You know you do because you have worked hard and above all, as you watch how record labels are run and see the problems and areas where mistakes are made so often, you often think, ?I could do that.?  And you can too so now is the time to get out there and prove it.  You were scared when you started your band, first performed but you did it because your talent deserves to be noticed  So in the same way, now the talent, the brains, the organizational and people skills you can use to build a great record label deserve to be out there and used and on display for all to admire.  And if wealth comes your way as a result of the talents you will use when your record label takes off, you deserve that wealth too.  If anyone does, you do.

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10.   The Money Trail

You always suspected that all the money you could be earning was not making it all the way to you didn't you?  And even if the people at the record label are dealing honestly with you, the overhead of the label takes its toll on your profits.  So when you put your record label in place so the money flows through you to your artists, you can account for every single penny both to your self and to the artists you represent.

Further, as we have discussed, a small business is generally run more efficiently than a big corporate behemoth.  Whether they mean to set it up that way or not, big business have a lot of ?cracks? that money can fall through.  From paying for that big corporate building with the glass walls or throwing big parties and media events, the money just floods out of a big record label.  That won't be the case for your record label because you are in charge and you can assure that every penny is spent on something beneficial to the label and to your artists so every dollar of profits comes to you and to those you represent.  In that way, even if you don't generate more money than the big business labels, the money to do generate will be a lot for you and most of it goes in your pocket, where it belongs.

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Well I know you've really enjoyed this installment of ?101 Reasons Why You Should Start Your Own Record Label?, be sure to be one of the first to pick up a copy of ?The Ultimate Record Label? and you'll get a bonus copy of ?The Ultimate Record Label Business Plan?. Go here to get your copy now = >

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As always much success :)

Ty Cohen

P.S.  No, I'm not done.  Yes I have more reasons why owning your own label will make you money.  But, maybe these were reason enough for you.  If so, what are you waiting for?  Get started now.  I have the perfect tool,   ?The Ultimate Record Label?.  If you haven't already gotten a copy, I suggest you do so.  Click the link below and get the details.

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