There is some surprising business wisdom for work at home business owners hidden in the songs of the musical legend known as Johnny Cash
, or the “Man in Black”.

1 – Target Marketing via “Understand Your Man”

Yep! Think of your target market as a lady in Johnny’s song “Understand Your Man”. Do you know what she needs, wants, and her driving ambitions? Is your website talking to your target audience? No? Maybe it’s time to revise your website and marketing materials before your audience is “as gone as a wild goose in winter” as well!

2 – “A Boy Named Sue”

Sue’s father said to him, “This world is rough, and if you’re gonna make it, you’ve gotta be tough”.

Just as life isn’t easy for a boy named Sue, life isn’t easy for a work at home business owner either. You will run into those dream stealing, confidence killing, fun suckers… however you choose to label them. There will be people trying to convince you that your goals are unachievable and that what you’re doing won’t work. Don’t listen and don’t let them bring you down.

What are some ways you can get tough in your business?

3 – Branding 101 as the Man In Black

Johnny Cash’s all black suit was his trademark, he wore it for a reason.

What about your brand, are you working on it? How will you stand out in a world that’s full of Elvis Presleys or Jerry Lee Lewises? Also, you and your target market don’t have to be the like each other. “Folsom Prison Blues” was created before Johnny Cash was ever put in prison and that song connected with inmates.

4 – “The Legend of Jonh Henry’s Hammer”

There is actually two pieces of business wisdom in the song:

a – You will succeed when you learn your business

John Henry’s father said, “Learn to a turn a jack, learn to lay a track, learn to pick and shovel too”.

Have you learned all you can about marketing on and off the internet to succeed in your business? Do you reinvest in education, mentoring, or coaching, and software like John Henry?

b – Technology is great, but people are still irreplaceable

Johnny showed that people are more valuable than technology when steam engines were threatening to replace people. Learn to use the technology that’s available to help your business, but remember your customers and prospects are people, so put some of yourself into your marketing.

5 – “One Piece at a Time”

“One Piece at a Time” is a ballad about a man’s decision to build a Cadillac from the parts he steals from the manufacturer’s assembly line where he worked. However, it didn’t exactly come together like he thought it might “and it didn’t cost him a dime”.

Does your marketing material and web site look as though they were pieced together? Are you happy with your web site being hosted for free with the clutter of advertisements, not willing to spend the money for a domain name and hosting?

6 – “In the Jailhouse Now”

By doing the following you are throwing you hard work out the window. It’s not worth it and you might find yourself in the jailhouse. It’s far better to “Walk the Line” and stay out of trouble.

• Copying content from other sites
• Clicking your own AdSense ads AdSense ads
• Failing to keep records and not paying your taxes
• Taking pictures and graphics from other sites
• Spamming

7 – “Ring of Fire”

June Carter Cash expresses her attraction to Johnny in this song. Both June and Johnny were in a relationship with other people. Clearly they were meant for each other and grew old together making music for 40 years!

Realize when you have made a poor choice and started a business that isn’t right for you. After you have worked hard at it and decided that it isn’t profitable, don’t be afraid to scrap it all and start over.

I hope you and your business make wonderful music together!!

A few business resourced you might like:

1. Target marketing
2. Branding
3. Working with Google AdSense

The Prize Is Always Right

Giving away a prize as an incentive to sell a product or solicit a donation is a time-tested marketing ploy that never fails. The only problem is that the market has become oblivious to sweepstakes.

Promoters are giving away the same old prizes time and time again. Without adding anything exciting to the sweepstakes, you might as well offer $10 million or your efforts (or your product or charitable cause) are likely to be ignored.

In this age of mega-million lotteries, the type or value of prizes offered speak the language of the market. If your product is just as good as that of your competition, or if your charity is just as worthy as any other that seeks donations, then you’d better spike your campaign with a sweepstakes that is unique as can be.

THE PRIZE

A few years ago, a church in Daly City, a bedroom community west of San Francisco was planning a fund raising campaign that involved selling “raffle” tickets to the congregation.

The plan was to sell the tickets for around $5 each, and for which one lucky ticket holder could win the grand prize of a brand new Toyota Tercel.

To say the least, the idea was worn out and unimaginative. A friend coordinating the project decided the raffle could be improved, and consulted me on what the fund raising committee can do to make the sweepstakes more attractive.

My suggestion was to give a different prize. Why not give away a business – a store!!!

VIDEO STORE PRIZE

We went to a new strip mall that was being constructed and leased a storefront for $1,100 a month.

Next we ordered signs and shelves and an initial inventory of 1,200 used video tapes for which we spent a total of $15,000.

For under $20,000, we were able to put together the basic framework of an operational video store. We hanged a banner outside that says “You can win this store. Call for info”.

$200 A TICKET

Because the church wanted to raise $25,000, we decided to sell 250 tickets at $200 each – for a total of $50.000.

Out of this amount, $20,000 will pay for the grand prize, $25,000 goes to the church and $5,000 for my friend for organizing the project which lasted for 6 weeks.

To achieve the same results, and using instead an $8,000 car as a prize, it would require the church to 8,000 tickets at $5 each, a much more difficult fund-raiser by comparison.

Zip Code Phonebook Yellow Pages

A California-based research company has been extensively doing studies on U.S. ZIP (Zone Improvement Program) Codes, they can now predict, with certain percentage of accuracy, what you ate for breakfast based on your zip code.

Zip Code is the smallest, most organized accumulation of information by which we can evaluate the demographic flavor of a given area.

From a marketing standpoint, most retail businesses use zip code along with the Pareto Principle that 80% of your customers reside within the zip codes that connect to your location. In theory, they live no more than 7 miles from where you are.

A CHANGING MARKETPLACE

The phonebook we have grown accustomed to was developed over 30 years ago. Only it has grown in terms of thickness, weight, and aesthetic design.

From a marketing perspective, except for its dominance and near monopoly, it has been rendered useless by a more mobile and more efficient market.

When the Yellow Pages was first introduced, the world “malls”, “strip malls”, “executive centers”, and “postal & mail box centers” were unknown to American consumers.

Today, it is easier for us to dial directory assistance or look online than it is to use the phonebook.

USE OLD PATTERNS

To make it easy for advertisers and consumers to swallow something new, make it look like it’s old. So, use simple patterns and designs borrowed from old phonebooks, including rates charged for your territory.

Establish your advertising rates based on the number of homes and businesses your Zip Code phonebook is going into.

You can cover as many Zip Codes as you want, just make sure you do not pile up a marketplace so large you are practically competing with the phone company. The best rule of thumb is to break the phone company’s general distribution area into 7 phonebooks.

GTE used to have what they called “The Neighborhood Phonebook”. I think the reason it died is that it broke down its neighborhood either very conceptually or too similar to the way all other phonebooks do. Advertisers want solid numbers. Zip Codes are solid. Just ask the postal service.