Simple Overlooked Marketing Tip Can Give Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs a Competitive Advantage Says Marketing Thought Leader Terri Langhans

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Most small businesses, especially those who sell a service, fail to make sales because their marketing all sounds alike and doesn't focus on what clients want, says marketing consultant Terri Langhans, founder and former CEO of a $35 million national advertising and marketing agency that she grew from scratch.

"Building your marketing plan and messaging around that one word, want, can set a your business apart and attract more prospects simply because everyone else out there is being boastful, blatant or boring," explains Langhans, who shows entrepreneurs how to use this competitive advantage to get more clients and referrals in her Help Them Hire You 24-Hour Marketing Retreat, which is conducted through out the United States.

For information about the conference, please visit: http://www.HelpThemHireYou.com.

"Whether you're an architect or a freelance graphic artist, a health care consultant or a personal trainer, whether you're selling assisted living or air conditioning, we all sound alike when it comes to talking about our business. It's easy to go on about yourself, your credentials, process, technique and specialties, which is boring. Or, on the other end of spectrum, it's easy to slide into boastful and blatantly hard-sell messages when you explain why you're so great at the voodoo you do."

Langhans is fond of paraphrasing Dale Carnegie: "People don't care about you and your boring business. They care about themselves and what they get from the service or expertise you provide."

Hence her focus in the marketing retreat on creating simple marketing strategies and marketing tools that convert the typical who, what, when, where, why and how communication model into a compelling marketing and sales message model that is packed with "want" words, phrases and benefits -- especially in the awareness or attraction phase of the marketing and selling process, when a sales pitch can be repelling.

"You've got to connect to what people really care about and what they want before you try so hard to convince," Langhans explains. "For instance, no one really wants a marketing plan, marketing strategies or even a marketing consultant. They may need it all, but what they truly want are marketing ideas and tools that will help them get more leads, attract more prospects, win more clients and generate more referrals. They want to decide the right mix of marketing activities for their specific market and competitive environment. They want to talk about their business so that clients will listen, buy and refer them to others."

So those are the better words and phrases to use as building blocks in a sales and marketing message model, says Langhans, who is an author and Certified Speaking Professional. "Go beyond the labels and jargon, or else your message will just be 'blah blah blah.'"

Langhans is relentless when it comes to marketing and sales language that is less ordinary and more effective. She named her speaking business and marketing agency Blah Blah Blah. Having started as a freelance marketing consultant and entrepreneur herself, Langhans says she has a heart for people who essentially sell the invisible -- their time, talent, creativity or expertise -- which is why she created the Help Them Hire You 24-Hour Marketing Retreat.

"It's ideal for self-employed professionals, consultants, freelancers and professionals in small service firms or practices who want to get better results from their marketing -- even if they wear all the hats and think they don't have the time or talent for marketing and business development."

Held frequently around the United States, the marketing retreat is designed to get people outside their normal (frenzied) work environment, immerse them in business development for 24 hours and equip them with simple marketing strategies and tangible sales and marketing tools they can use right away to get visible, busy and booked -- and stay that way on a consistent basis.

"More focus, impact, clients and referrals -- who doesn't want more of that?" Langhans asks. "Give me 24 hours and we'll make this your best year. Together we'll create a path and a plan that brings you more of what you want, love and were called to do."

If you'd like to know more ways to generate "want" words, and string them together in marketing and sales conversations, download her free teleseminar, Help Them Hire You: How to Talk About Your Business So That People Listen, Buy and Recommend You to Others, http://www.blahblahblah.us/teleseminardownload.html

Explore the 24-Hour Marketing Retreat content, calendar and register at http://www.HelpThemHireYou.com. If you'd like Terri to handcraft a retreat for your business or association, call (800) 207-0015, or click for her email.

Contact:

Terri Langhans
800-207-0015
[email protected]

SOURCE Terri Langhans