Your Business Growth System
5 Steps to Total
Market Domination
How to Set Your Business Apart from All of Your Competitors and EXPLODE Your Revenue & Profit
Our CORE CONCEPTS Are Your Secret Weapon…
Cornerstone Marketing Inc.
Tabitha Vilardo (225) 773-5402
Notes from Tabitha Vilardo
The purpose of this guide is to help you rise to the top of your niche and dominate your competition in terms of brand position, goodwill, reputation, and most importantly – REVENUE and INCOME.
When you utilize the strategies we show you, you’ll become magnetic to your ideal clients – easily attracting them like moths to a bright light.
You’ll find yourself in greater demand and able to easily command more in fees and higher prices than your competitors.
If done properly, all of this will result in an easier and more efficient sales process.
Your ads will bring in more clients, your emails will be read more, you’ll get a higher response, your sales letters will generate more revenue, and your overall new client acquisition process will be EASIER.
And the best part of it all is that you’ll be delivering a great client experience and creating a mountain of goodwill, even BEFORE the sale occurs.
No more hype, exaggerated claims, or sales pressure of any sort.
You’re about to discover how to position yourself as “one of the good guys” and a thought leader in your marketplace.
Think about this…
Your competitors (in almost every marketplace) have a “disposable” mentality when it comes to prospects and clients.
All you have to do is be just a little bit better (and why not be A LOT better?) and you can DOMINATE YOUR MARKET.
In almost every industry there’s a top player (sometimes a couple of them) … You know who they are. And in most cases, their marketing is not that great.
Sure, it sells, because they’re throwing so much money at it… But it’s a short-term play because as soon as they stop throwing all that money at it, their sales will dry up.
Because they’re not building a mountain of goodwill – but YOU ARE.
So, let’s get started.
Talk soon,
Tabitha Vilardo
Business Growth System (BGS) Core Concepts
The difference between an average business and a HUGELY successful business is all of the things you don’t see on the surface.
Our CORE CONCEPTS are your secret weapon – how you will set your business apart from your competitors and EXPLODE your REVENUE and PROFIT.
This is the stuff you do BEFORE you do your advertising and marketing.
Core Concept # 1: Your “Ideal Client”
Core Concept # 2: Your “Positioning”
Core Concept # 3: Your “Story”
Core Concept # 4: Your “Value Ladder”
Core Concept # 5: Your “Sales Funnel”
Core Concept 1: Your Ideal Client
Business Name________________________________________ Date_____________
WHO is your IDEAL CLIENT – the person (customer, client, patient) you really want to work with?
List their demographics (statistical data on the group in the population)
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WHERE can you find them?
Online? Facebook? Instagram? Pinterest? ______________________________________________________________________
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Offline? Where do they go? What do they do?
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What do they read? ______________________________________________________________________
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Where do they live? Zip codes? ______________________________________________________________________
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What other interests do they have? Entertaining? Tailgating? Sports? Travel?
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WHAT BAIT will you use to attract them?
It could be information (like a book or a booklet), a product sample, anything your ideal client would pay attention to and want.
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WHAT RESULT do you want to give them?
A business is NOT about products and services. A business is about the RESULT you can get for your clients.
Once you (and they) understand that concept, then the price is no longer a barrier.)
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Core Concept #2: Your “Positioning”
Once you’ve decided who your Ideal Client is, it’s time to stake out your POSITION in the marketplace.
This could be called “How to Establish Authority, Credibility, and Premium Branding”.
In my opinion, nothing can contribute MORE to your SUCCESS and TOTAL MARKET DOMINATION than your POSITIONING in the marketplace.
Positioning is one of the most powerful elements of every marketing campaign, and most people never even think about it.
Your competitors are not thinking about it, which gives you a tremendous opportunity if you do it right.
Your Positioning is what people think of you before you actually offer to sell them anything.
If you have good positioning, they’re going to be more inclined to listen to you.
If you have bad positioning, they’re not going to listen to you at all.
Your Positioning should establish authority. “Why should I listen to you?”
It should also build trust. “Why should I trust you?”
Your Positioning should also support your BIG Idea and your Premise (More on your BIG Idea and Premise in the next section.)
If you do a good job with your BIG Idea and your Positioning, you’re going to have very little resistance when you go to close your sale.
It’s CRITICAL that your market does NOT see you as “Just another X” – “Just another lawyer”, “Just another construction company”, “Just another dentist”, “Just another gym” … “Just another anything!”
If you’re “Just another ANYTHING”, you will never have a prosperous business. You will continue to struggle and helplessly wonder why you don’t seem to be able to find the success you want for you and your family.
Our Positioning at Cornerstone Marketing Inc. (CMI):
What this conveys to our prospective clients is that Cornerstone Marketing Inc. is NOT just another marketing outfit – We Are DIFFERENT.
Your Positioning in the marketplace consists of a few components:
Your BIG Idea
Your BIG Idea is the thing that grabs your market’s attention, it presents your promise (the thing you say about your products/services) in a new and unusual way.
This is what makes you different and opens your prospect’s mind to doing business with you.
All of your potential clients have been promised the moon and the stars, and most have been disappointed and are jaded.
YOU have to be DIFFERENT and stand out from the crowd.
And when we say “different”, we do NOT mean “better”.
(What is “better” anyway? And do you even want to be “better” at something that’s not working? I think not.)
Your competitors are all shouting the same thing, promising the same old stuff…
And it’s not working.
What is it that your clients REALLY want?
What’s YOUR “promise”? The “promise” is what you say about your business, products and services. What are YOU telling your potential clients you can do for them?
The promise is basically when you say something like, “Hire us and you will be happy.” or “Look how great my product is.”
This is where 99% of your competitors are putting their focus. And it’s usually the first thing they say when communicating with a prospect.
And it’s great that your competitors are doing that, because it’s NOT the most effective way of doing it.
The bottom line is, you just can’t lead with promises anymore. That won’t set you apart. You’ve got to have a better way.
YOU will instantly have an “unfair” advantage over all of your competitors when YOU begin with something called the BIG IDEA.
YOUR Big Idea is how you’re going to deliver your promise in a way that is UNIQUE and DIFFERENT from what your market is used to hearing.
This is a way to open your prospect’s mind with one single combination of words.
This is really the thing that makes you DIFFERENT.
NOTE: Coming up with your BIG Idea can be difficult. It can take time to get it nailed down perfect. That’s OK. Don’t worry about it.
Just do the best you can in coming up with one, and you can fine-tune as you go. Whatever you come up with will put you miles ahead of your competitors.
And once you get it perfected, you will soar above all of your competitors.
Finding Your BIG Idea
One of the best ways to come up with your BIG Idea is to go through some questions:
What is your market’s greatest desire?
What unique way can you address that desire that will get their attention?
What is your promise?
How can you fulfill that promise in a way that’s different from what your market is used to hearing?
Here’s an example from Cornerstone Marketing Inc.
The desire of our market is a consistent and predictable way to get more clients/customers and make more income.
Our promise is, “We will transform your business into a client-getting money-making business machine.”
Are we the only people making that promise? No, of course not.
You’ve heard it before, and it’s never worked, and you don’t know who to believe.
“What is it about our business that is different? How are we delivering our promise in a way that makes it special?”
We don’t just sell you an advertisement. (In fact, we don’t sell ads to increase your revenue at all.) Ads are for Branding not client acquisition. No other agency would tell you that.
Clever ads and trendy marketing don’t make a real business that will stand the test of time.
What we do is build an evergreen (meaning it will always work) Business Growth System for you. (That’s our BIG Idea.)
Our premise is: “You’re wasting your money on advertising. You’re putting the horse before the cart.”
If you were selling your house, wouldn’t you fix it up first? Make it look good? Maybe paint it, clean up your landscaping, fix a leaking faucet, clean it up? Put your best foot forward? Stage it maybe?
Well, that’s what we do. When a prospective buyer (or client) comes to look at your house (you, your product, or your service), we make sure that what they find is exactly what they’re looking for.
Because even if your ads and marketing do get prospects to look at you, you’re wasting your time and money if they don’t love what they find and have a clear path of gaining value from your offers.
So, what we do is, we completely rewrite the STORY of your business.
We look at your business differently, and as a result, we transform your business from what it is, into what YOU want it to be.
And we redefine, refocus, and repackage your business and relaunch it as an extraordinary cash-generating ASSET that you and your family will be proud of and that will keep on paying you like the Golden Goose.
You’ll be well-known, respected in your community, and an inspiration to the next generation.
Finding Your Own BIG Idea
On the following worksheet, start writing the answers to these questions.
You look at your answers to these questions, and from there you extract your BIG Idea.
Maybe you’ll get it today. Maybe it’ll take you a month or more. Don’t worry about it.
Even if it’s not perfect, just have something.
Finding Your BIG Idea: Worksheet
Tabitha Vilardo <> Cornerstone Marketing Inc. <> (225) 773-5402
For (Your Product or Service)
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What Is Their Desire?
What’s Your Promise?
How Do You Fulfill It?
The BIG Idea:
The Premise:
Here’s How:
Your USP (Your Unique Selling Proposition)
Your USP is what separates YOU from ALL of your competitors.
Your USP is the answer to this question:
Why should a client buy your product or service, instead of buying it from anyone else that sells or offers the same things, or even not buy the product or service at all?
If you can’t answer that question, then you won’t get a USP (“big deal”, you may be thinking) …
But the reality is, you’ll have a much BIGGER PROBLEM.
Typically, it will mean that you’re only getting clients because of cheapest price, convenient location, your personal smile and charisma, or the good fortune of being the only person who sells what you sell…
And all of these things leave you in a very vulnerable position to compete. You need a USP.
Do you want to OWN your market?
Can you even imagine how awesome that would be?
Domino’s was an “ordinary” pizza joint...
Then they created their USP – “hot pizza, delivered in 30 minutes, or it’s free.”
While all the other pizza places were shouting, “We’ve got the best pizza” or “We’ve got the lowest priced pizza”, and going nowhere is a sea of competition…
Domino’s was totally dominating the pizza business because they had no competition!
To say Domino’s became extraordinary with their USP would be the understatement of the century.
Subway changed their positioning from just another fast food place out of thousands of choices, to a weight loss program for goodness sake.
If they can convince people that a foot-long loaf of bread with processed lunch meat and a few vegetables is a weight-loss food, YOU can surely reposition YOUR business.
“The point of a USP is to take an ordinary business and find a way to position it so it is extraordinary and of exceptional interest to some segment of the market.”
Don’t compete head to head with everyone else in your market. Become the “only one” in your market that promises something different.
When you present a new opportunity, a new product or service, you don’t have to compete on price, because you have no competition.
When you’re a market of ONE, like Domino’s, you make the rules (and the prices).
Knowing what your USP is for your business will allow you to FOCUS all of your advertising and marketing efforts effectively and efficiently.
STOP trying to make existing things that aren’t working, get better.
Change the rules. Focus on a fresh, exciting, NEW business idea that will inspire your customers to follow YOU and YOUR business and not the other soon to be has-beens.
Here’s a tip: Identify what advantage or result your clients/customers want the most.
You don’t have to change your product or service; you just have to position your product or service as having a unique benefit they’re not getting from your competitors.
At CMI, our Unique Selling Proposition is,
“We build Business Growth Systems, we don’t use marketing gimmicks or sell ads. We use Marketing and Advertising, strategically, to bring our client from the place they are in business to the destination they want to arrive to.”
Core Concept #3: Your “Story”
“Your STORY is as important as your expertise.”
Your STORY is your Brand – branding is simply storytelling.
What story is YOUR brand telling?
The value in creating a compelling STORY about you and your business is that it enables your audience to have a personal connection with you.
And where you have a connection, you have trust.
People don’t remember facts; they DO remember stories.
Your story is a critical element in getting people to know, like, and trust you.
And where you have a connection, you have trust. And when you have trust, you can influence your audience, and build your customer base.
What do you want to be well-known for?
How do you want to be perceived in your market?
(In many cases perception is stronger than reality.)
An effective and compelling STORY is not just a random collection of remanences…
A great story follows a very specific FORMULA.
We hear it all the time…
“Hey Tab, I’ve been running ads, going to networking meetings, I’m on social media… But my sales aren’t consistent, or worse, no one is buying my products or services at all.
What am I doing wrong?”
Sound familiar?
Don’t feel bad… You’re not alone by any means. We hear that from just about every business owner we talk to.
That’s why we educate owners and often say, “You’re wasting your money advertising – you’re putting the horse before the cart – you’re missing a KEY element.”
It’s NOT your fault.
You see, most advertising and marketing agencies are skilled at making sales and pretty graphics.
For the most part, that’s what they do because it’s what they learned how to do and business owners buy from them because they want growth, sales,and revenue. Ad sales bring in money for the agency, but when they don’t increase growth, sales, or revenue for the business owner, the agency’s customer (YOU) becomes a one time sale.
Bottom line? There’s a lot more to getting new clients than just buying an ad, signing with an agency, being on social media, and attending networking meetings.
The missing link is your STORY.
Without a STORY, you’re just another “same as all the rest” business.
(And you’ve already learned that being “just another” ANYTHING is NOT where you want to be.)
How to Create YOUR Story for YOUR Business
Just like in a movie, your Story begins with what we call an “Attractive Character.”
And no, we’re not talking about someone who is extraordinarily attractive, although they could be – that’s totally beside the point.
What we’re talking about here is a persona that attracts clients and customers.
Most people don’t even know about this strategy, so they never do it.
Yet it’s one of the most important steps you can take when it comes to getting clients and making sales.
Your business will change forever after you’ve created your “Attractive Character.”
Think about the movies you go see…
Do you go because the story sounds interesting, or did you go because one of your favorite actors or actresses was in it, so you know it must be good?
A movie can cost a hundred million dollars to produce, so they use “attractive characters” to bring in the customers.
That’s just one example of “Attractive Characters”. We all love them, and love their stories, and want to be like them, and BUY their merchandise.
This concept can mean the difference between a mediocre business and an insanely successful one.
I’m going to show you how to make your story compelling so that people will be attracted to you because they feel a personal connection.
Here’s How to Build YOUR Own Attractive Character Profile
There are three components to creating an Attractive Character:
Elements
There are four elements of your Attractive Character.
Your Backstory is essential if you want to get results.
You share your Backstory because you want people to see where you came from.
If they can relate to where you came from, they will want to follow you to where you are now.
When they see that you were once in a similar situation as them, they will IDENTIFY with you and want to follow you.
Your story has provided a hook. Now you can lay out a path and they will want to follow it to get your results.
Your story has to relate to what you’re selling somehow. If you’re selling fishing equipment, you want to talk about a fishing backstory. If you’re selling retirement advice, you want a financial backstory. Make sense?
You NEED the backstory.
Your parables are easy-to-remember little stories that illustrate a relevant point.
“Facts tell, but stories sell.”
A parable is something amusing or memorable that happened in your Attractive Character’s life – or someone else’s, it doesn’t matter.
Just know that when you’re teaching (or selling) with stories instead of facts, your messages will stick with your audience a LOT longer.
Share your character flaws.
Every character has flaws yet you still bond with them on an emotional level.
No one wants to hear about the perfect person (unless it’s Jesus :) – you can’t relate to them.
Most people are trying to put on a perfect façade for the outside world, alienating the very people they are trying to reach.
The power of polarity.
A challenge most people face when communicating with their audience is trying not to offend anyone.
So, instead of relating to your ideal audience, you end up being bland and only sharing “safe” things so everyone will be happy.
Sure, that sounds like the logical thing to do – please everyone. The problem with that is it makes you boring. And when you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.
Take a stand for what you believe in, share your opinions, stick to your guns – no matter if some people disagree with you.
At Cornerstone Marketing Inc., we take a stand against selling ads to people without laying the foundation that allow the ads to pay off. As a result, we gain many “one time sales” from other agencies, and they become our long term clients.
Identity
The Identity types shape how you interact with your audience!
You may feel this way naturally.
Determine which of these identities is a good fit for you and build out your Attractive Character accordingly.
I am_______________________!
Storylines
There are six basic storylines that businesses use over and over again.
They use them because they work.
Loss and Redemption: “I had it all. I was on top of the world. Then __________ happened. I had to figure a way out of __________.
But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because I went through __________, I learned/received __________. Now I __________.”
These stories are powerful because they show the upside of hardship and meeting challenges head on.
If you don’t have your own Loss and Redemption story, you can borrow one from one of your followers or even the media.
Us vs Them: Nothing will bind your audience to you better than a common “enemy”. This is a great example of the power of polarity.
These types of stories will draw you fans even closer to you and give them a cause to rally around.
Before and After: “First I was __________. Now I’m __________.”
These are stories of transformation, and they work great in any market.
“First I was fat. Then I tried this stuff. Now I’m skinny.”
“First I was broke and homeless. Then I read Tabitha’s book. Now I have a thriving business and a home on the lake.”
These stories are powerful motivators and you should use them whenever you can.
Amazing Discovery: “Oh my gosh! Wait ‘til you hear about this amazing new thing I discovered! So on and so forth.
These stories help people believe that the answers they’ve been searching for are finally available to them.
Secrets: “I’ve got a secret… If you want to find out what it is, you’ve got to _________.”
The lure of secrets can drive the reader into your funnel and up your Value Ladder.
Third-Person Testimonials: Sharing other people’s successes with your products and services provides valuable social proof.
OK, it’s time for you to create your own Attractive Character and build your Story.
Note that when We say “create” that doesn’t mean to make it up. Focus in on a personality and story you or one of your clients has.
Most business owners never think of this vital communication tool. Creating your Attractive Character and Story can mean the difference between a very mediocre business and a highly successful one.
Core Concept #4: Your Value Ladder
Your VALUE LADDER is the FIRST thing you need to build out BEFORE you start working on your sales funnel (your sales process).
The Value Ladder is the KEY to building a successful SALES FUNNEL (or sales process) and essential to causing your business and profits to grow exponentially.
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples of Value Ladders and how they work.
Beginning with a real-life example, let’s look at my chiropractor’s business
Most people, me included, only go to a chiropractor when they’re in pain, right?
From time to time, my back “goes out” as I call it – a pinched nerve or something, I don’t know.
I just know it hurts and dramatically reduces my mobility and day to day functions.
So, I go to my chiropractor, he does an adjustment, and it costs about $80 bucks.
Sometimes I may have to come back a couple of times to get it completely well…
But that’s it – he’s not making any more money from me or any of the rest of his patients.
And I will not be back until my back “goes out” again, which may be a year or more.
So, he’s constantly on a treadmill needing new customers that are not going to come in until they’re in pain, and even then, there are hundreds of chiropractors in Baton Rouge to choose from…
Which means, he will be lucky to get a few new patients, if any, by waiting for people to get in pain.
So, what’s the solution? The Value Ladder.
Here’s how…
Just off the top of my head, without really taking a look at what all that’s available, here’s what he can do.
I’ve seen that he’s already got a massage therapist working there, a couple of physical therapists, some exercise equipment, and a wall full of nutritional supplements and stuff.
His current Value Ladder looks like this –
Step 1 – nothing
Step 2 – nothing
Step 3 – adjustment
Step 4 – nothing
Step 5 – nothing
Now let’s build out his Value Ladder –
Step 1 – free book or booklet (to get in front of people with some interest in wellness)
Step 2 – free massage (to get people in the door)
Step 3 – adjustment (Some or many will need an adjustment)
Step 4 – nutritional supplements and/or exercise stuff (most people need)
Step 5 – high-dollar total wellness program (a percentage of your audience will always want to pay you the premium to get more value)
Each step up the ladder is where you provide more value – and at a higher price.
The important thing to remember is that this system will NOT work if you only have ONE thing to sell – like the adjustment in the above example.
A Value Ladder for a dental practice might look like this –
Step 1 – free teeth cleaning or whitening treatment
Step 2 – needed dental work or custom teeth cleaning trays
Step 3 – retainer or denture if needed
Step 4 – cosmetic surgery or implants if needed
Now build a Value Ladder for YOUR business…
First, insert YOUR core product (the main thing you sell) in one of the steps, in most cases it will be in Step 3.
Often it’s difficult for businesses to figure out how to add more offers to their Value Ladders. Don’t worry, we can help you with that.
Step 1 – Most often free information (like a report, booklet, or book), or a free sample of your product, or an outrageously low price on some basic service.
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Step 2 – Often a lower-priced introductory product to get the client used to buying from you. __________________________________________________________________
Step 3 – Probably your core product – the main thing you sell.
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Step 4 – A higher priced product or service you provide.
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Step 5 – An even higher priced product or service you provide.
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Step 6 – and beyond – An even higher priced product or service you provide.
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There’s NO LIMIT to the number of your value offerings – the sky’s the limit.
Remember, if you want to succeed and beat out your competition, you must have this Value Ladder in place.
Core Concept #5: Your Sales Funnel
Our Core Concept #1: “Your Ideal Client” is designed to help you figure out who you want to serve, and what you want to do for them.
Our Core Concept #2: “Your Positioning” is what people think of you before you actually offer to sell them something.
Our Core Concept #3: “Your Story” is a critical element in getting people to know, like, and trust you.
Our Core Concept #4: “Your Value Ladder” is designed to help you figure out what products and services you need to add so that your Ideal Clients move from your “bait” to your high-end products and services.
Our Core Concept #5: “Your Sales Funnel” is the PROCESS you take your client through to get them to ascend through the different levels of your Value Ladder.
It’s difficult to build a company just offering your high-end products or services. You need a full range of offers.
Instead of trying to get someone to buy your most expensive offering right away, we build a funnel that will help you do two things:
Your Sales Funnel moves people through the Sales Process.
They enter your funnel as a prospective client, and your process should convert as many as possible into repeat customers by selling them at the front-end, middle, and back-end of your funnel.
The process works like this:
Step One: All of your ads and marketing will feature your bait, not your business or product/service.
Step Two: Interested people will raise their hands and identify themselves as being interested in your stuff. They are now a legitimate PROSPECT.
Step Three: A percentage of those people will buy your front-end offer generating some cash flow for you, but more importantly, they will have identified themselves as a BUYER.
Step Four: A percentage of those people will buy the next product or service in your Value Ladder, investing even more money into your products or services, and identifying themselves as a higher-value BUYER.
Step Five: From there, you move your BUYERS deeper into your funnel and introduce the next product or service in your Value Ladder. Again, not everyone will buy, but a percentage will.
Leads from Ads – Marketing – Social Media
Step Six: Continue moving your buyers through all levels of your Value Ladder, and at the bottom of your funnel, a handful of people will appear who can afford – and may be willing to purchase – your high-end products and services.
These are your IDEAL CLIENTS.
We can’t stress enough the importance of building a deeper funnel (product line) with more offerings.
The deeper your funnel is, the more things you can offer your clients, and the more each client will be worth to you.
Value Ladder/Sales Funnel Worksheet
Business Name________________________________________ Date_____________
NOTE: You don’t necessarily need 11 products, just list what you have and we’ll help you determine if you should add new products to increase your client value.
Hope this helps…
If you have any questions or comments about our Core Concepts, please don’t hesitate to call us. We’d love to hear from you and help you if we can. It’s what we do!
Tabitha Vilardo
Cornerstone Marketing Inc.
(225) 773-5402
