You start your own business to find fulfillment, flexibility, and freedom - and to help others. You know you have a terrific product or service. You're talented, and passionate about what you're offering. But how are you going to get customers?

One word: Marketing.

Most businesses start with a drive and passion for what's being offered - the Field of Dreams "if you build it, they (customers) will come" approach. The excitement you feel about your products and services will just jump out at your prospects and have them knocking down your door, right? If only it were that easy.

It can be that easy - in fact, it's as easy as 2 + 2 = 4.

It's called the Marketing Formula. This simple formula has the power to bring customers pounding on your door.

The Marketing Formula: I + E + E + D = Profit$

I = Interrupt Get their attention, wake them up. "May I have your attention?" This is typically done through the headline.

E = Engage Excite their curiosity, build a case for your offer. "Now that I have your attention, here's why you should keep reading." This is done through the sub-headline.

E = Educate Give them the information to decide, including specific and measurable results they can expect from your product or service. "Give me the evidence as to why your product or service is any better, or any worse, than anyone else's." This is done through the body copy.

D = Decide Call them to action with an offer that gets the attention of anyone even thinking of buying what you're selling. "Tell the customer what you want them to do." This is done with your offer.

Marketing may seem like art, but it's really much more of a science.

You can have a gorgeous ad with terrific, eye-grabbing graphics, but if you don't interrupt and educate your customer and spur her to a decision once you've got her attention...well, you've got a nice piece of art for your office wall, but you haven't started the sales process.

First, you must get the customer's attention by tapping into their reticular activating system, the attention center of her brain, and switching her from an alpha state - just cruisin' along - to a beta state - focused like a laser.

Think of the last time you were in an elevator, and there was music on - you don't remember what was playing, do you? Now think of being at a coffee shop and a song that's part of the soundtrack of your life comes on. You start listening, remembering what was happening when that song touched your life. In the elevator, you were in alpha state. When your song started playing in the coffee shop, you switched to beta state. - focused, engaged, even eager.

You need to engage her attention, and then keep her there while you educate her and hit her hot button. You need to find your customer's hot button - something that, in life or business, gives him or her an emotional charge. It can be positive, you could be offering your customer a way to increase her company's business by using your products. It can be negative, you could be offering your customer a solution to staffing problems that have him overworked and stressed. In either case, once you get your prospect's attention, you need to hit their hot button with what you're offering, with what you can give them that will improve their lives, spurring them to decide that they can't make another move until they call you.

Imagine having a faucet - a profit faucet. Whenever you turn it on, money comes pouring out from grateful customers, giving your company and you the profits you need to keep going, to help turn even more customers into raving fans. That's the power of the Marketing Formula. Use it to grow your business.

Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Foley