When you have little or no money, it means you have to outsmart the competition — not outspend them. How do you do that? By understanding the marketing process, and the psychology that is employed throughout that process. Once you do, then it’s a matter of applying the process and psychology to any product or service you wish to sell.

Yes, it is this marketing process that is your formula for success. It’s not hard. In fact it’s pretty easy. The only reason you may have struggled with marketing at all, is that no one has yet explained this simple psychological process. That’s what you’ll learn in this book.

You’ll find it fast, easy-to-read, and fun, and the whole thing is focused on the process, not the tools of marketing, as most books do. (If you want the blow-by-blow, how to, hands-on marketing stuff, read my first best-seller, Power Marketing for Small Business. With its 38 worksheets, and step-by-step directions on how to perform all the tasks necessary to develop and implement a marketing plan, it’s a perfect compliment to this book.)

The emphasis of Marketing Without Money, is on what will make you successful, not a blow-by-blow explanation of every marketing tool or concept. It will also help you eliminate some of the most common and costly errors most business people experience — some that trigger their eventual demise. Marketing Without Money gives you low-cost or no-cost action items throughout the book — things you can do now to get more sales — without more money. And it's packed with real-life stories that help you understand the various concepts and processes better.

But, you know, this whole line of thinking reminds me of a telephone call I received from a woman the other day. We were discussing a business opportunity she was investigating. "How much will I make" she asked. "Well," I responded, "that depends on how hard and how smart you’re willing to work."

There’s nothing I’ve found in life that just spews forth money. Hard work, education, and tenacity are all part of a winning equation for most successful people.

But what happens, is that the entrepreneur, loving the concept of what he or she does best, starts a business around that love and knowledge. Most don’t know where to start, nor do they realize the need for, a detailed marketing or business plan at this point.

So they start by what seems obvious. Advertising is one of the more visible parts of marketing. The unknowledgeable entrepreneur may grab some ads in an inexpensive publication thinking that they’ve got a grasp on this thing called "marketing". But the ads fail to produce results. And after a couple of tries, they’re abandoned for what might be more fruitful approaches.

Next, they might get out and knock on some doors. Great concept, but they really haven’t defined their product or service well, nor are they prepared for any serious takers!

And then there are those who get a bit lucky. They do some hustling. They close a few sales. Then they get busy producing the work or the product, and oops, there’s no time for marketing anymore — anyhow, we’re doing fine. Then the work gets done. The cash flow dries up. And low and behold, they’re forced to get out there and hustle again. The vicious cycle starts over again.

One entrepreneur asked a rather thought provoking question just yesterday. "Why", he said, "when marketing processes are so well tested, documented, and outlined for people, does anyone ever fail?"

The fact is, most people think getting into businesses is going to be simple. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As a seasoned entrepreneur of over 20 years, I’m always learning. New techniques, tools, and processes are always coming along that can make my business more profitable. And no matter how good I am, I can always learn from other people's examples, and especially their mistakes. I’m an active learner. I personally think that’s a key to the success of any entrepreneur.

I’m constantly amazed at how many business people acknowledge that they have problems in their business, but are unwilling to take the steps necessary to correct them — even if they’re free! Well, it certainly baffles me.

Just last week an associate who operates the adult education program for a large private university called. She told me about a wonderful program for business owners in California that her university was offering. It is a twelve part program of 2 hour sessions that help business owners develop a comprehensive business plan. It’s worth thousands of dollars if they were asking for payment, but this was offered free. The only qualifying criteria was that the business owner had to sign a contract to show up at all 12 sessions. Amazingly, they can’t get enough enrollment to run the programs. Incredible! And any of the business owners who don’t take advantage, and are out of business in the next year or two, deserves exactly that.

Operating a business takes a commitment to learn — day in and day out. There are dozens of free or low cost education programs in every market. Check with your local chambers of commerce, Small Business Development Centers, Community Colleges, and Trade and Professional organizations.

And don’t make excuses. If you’re reading a book called Marketing Without Money, this is the first, and one of the most important things you’ll ever do for yourself, and for your business. It is your first step toward business success.

Once you’ve gotten some good information and education on marketing, it’s time to make a plan.

Without a big bank roll, you can’t afford costly mistakes. Planning takes much of the guesswork out of marketing by eliminating some of the biggest, and most costly problems novice (and experienced marketers for that matter) run into.

If you read this book, chapter by chapter, you’ll learn the marketing "process". Understanding this process is a vital part of your success as well. Many marketing books talk to you about the tools you can use like networking, or public relations. But a tool is only as good as one’s ability to use it at the right time in the right way.

Understanding the process of marketing will allow you to make magic with few or no tools. It’ll allow you to understand the psychological drives of your prospects, so your personal communication and sales skills work 100 times better. It’ll allow you to get leads, make sales, and put money in the bank — without spending a dime in many cases.

But we’ll focus on both no cost, and low cost marketing in this book. Although I absolutely don’t believe in spending a dime you don’t have to, when you do have some cash flow and profits on a regular basis, you may find some wise investments in marketing that will accelerated your growth.

So get ready. Marketing is fun — but challenging. It’s complex — but so simple you’ll recognize that you already use it everyday. It’s powerful — but it doesn’t have to be pushy or abrasive. It’s dynamic — it’ll keep your mind alive with ideas. And last but not least, marketing is ... OK, you fill in the blank. By the time you’re done with this book, you’ll know how much I love it!

Table of Contents l Chapter 1