Al Lautenslager - Market Like You Mean It: Engage Customers, Create Brand Believers, and Gain Fans for Everything You Sell

IN PRAISE OF MARKET LIKE YOU MEAN IT

This book is full of marketing treasures. Points are illustrated through entertaining examples and case studies of little-known and well-known marketing and media phenomena. Turbo charge your marketing with what you learn from this book.

JOHN JANTSCH, AUTHOR OF DUCT TAPE MARKETING AND DUCT TAPE SELLING

Grab this one! By investing in this book, you will discover how to cut through the marketing clutter to get noticed, be remembered, and get people talking, sharing, liking, tweeting, and buying.

JOE VITALE, AUTHOR OF HYPNOTIC WRITING AND BUYING TRANCES

Al Lautenslager is all business. He shows you how you need to step up your game to market like the pros. Buy Market Like You Mean It before your competition does.

JEFFREY HAYZLETT, PRIMETIME TV SHOW HOST, BESTSELLING AUTHOR, AND SOMETIMES COWBOY

The beauty of Market Like You Mean It is the wealth of practical information from somebody who has been there and done that. Al Lautenslagers advice is priceless. I strongly recommend this book.

JOSEPH SUGARMAN, CHAIRMAN OF BLUBLOCKER CORPORATION

Market Like You Mean It is chock-full of marketing treasures. Al Lautenslager illustrates his insights through entertaining examples and case studies of marketing and media phenomena. Youll accelerate your marketing with the fuel youll find in this book.

C.J. HAYDEN, AUTHOR OF GET CLIENTS NOW!

Al Lautenslager presents an entertaining look at achieving total customer engagement and reveals how any-sized business can win long-term customers in todays overcrowded, highly distracted marketplace.

MARC OSTROFSKY, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GET RICH CLICK; AND WORD OF MOUSE

Entrepreneur Press, Publisher

Cover Design: Andrew Welyczko

Production and Composition: Eliot House Productions

2014 by Entrepreneur Media, Inc.

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ebook ISBN: 978-1-61308-273-7

Dedication

Someone once asked me, What was one of the best gifts you have received? My reply was that many times I get the opportunity to help entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals of all types with their marketing and general business performance. I get the opportunity to see these same people succeed, reach new levels, and become prosperous as a result of my work with them. To me, that is a gift I get to receive. I dedicate this book to those and future professionals who will succeed and prosper in much the same way, as a result of this book.

CONTENTS

T HIS IS THE PART OF THE BOOK WHERE I GET TO OPEN MY HEART and express my gratitude, thanks, and love to those that support me, help me, love me, and help me keep the creative fires burning, now or in the past.

First and foremost, as in any acknowledgment for all that I have been given and all that I give, I acknowledge my awesome daughter Allison. I am so very proud of her no matter what and love her with all my heart. She inspires me daily even though our communication is less than that. She has turned out to be quite the young lady and is on her way to great things.

Secondly, there is the love of my life, best friend, and wife, Julie Ann. She supports me, cheers me, pushes me, and most of all, loves me. Life is at a whole new level with her. I hope everyone can eventually join me on cloud nine, where I now reside with her and because of her. Thanks for your support, Julie Ann, and I love you.

As in previous editions of my writing, I want to acknowledge my parents. I still quote my mother often, whether it is some of her entrepreneurial teachings, her superstitions, or her visions of great things that inspired me then and inspire me to this day. My dad, who is with her in heaven, had the great ability to tell it like it is and to interject his great sense of humor and warmth. Whether it was coaching, cheering, or his admiration of family, he was always there and his spirit continues to be present exactly at the right times. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Family is always supportive and they help make it fun. In addition to those mentioned above, there are Bradley Gessler and Courtney Gessler-Brown; the rest of the ABCs of priorities for Julie Ann and I (Allison, Bradley, and Courtney). There is Max Simpson, a literary mentor, a scotch-drinking mentor, and the best father-in-law ever.

Acknowledgments wouldnt be complete without a thank-you of support for sisters, brothers, and in-laws (and cat Ivy). Thanks to my brother Steve Lautenslager and sisters Pam Gatliff and Karen Davenport and to in-laws Diane Prigmore and husband Marc and brother-in-law Steve Simpson. Whether you know when you are supporting or not, you are. For that, I thank all of you.

There are so many friends, professional acquaintances, and others that I would like to name but I am limited on pages here. To any and all who have touched me along my path, here is one big thank you.

There are more that will continue to join the circle. I am grateful for all of you and look forward to thanking you all again in future creations.

And then theres Lu.

C ONSIDER THESE FACTS: MORE INFORMATION HAS BEEN PRODUCED in the last 20 years than in the previous 2,000. More than one million new websites are created every day. Marketing messages and their contribution to marketing noise are everywhere: banner-pulling biplanes over festival crowds and stadiums, rented advertising space on pregnant womens bellies, on urinal drain screens, on the side of bases at major league baseball games, and even now on most YouTube video postings. You know what happens on a visit to Times Square in New York City, and now smaller cities have similar massive light shows. So how is a marketer supposed to stand out and communicate? How can you connect and be heard by your target market?

I owned a successful business in a suburb of Chicago for more than 15 years. I continue to operate my own entrepreneurial ventures. To be successful in business today, I have found you must possess two things: One is a compelling and relevant product or service and the other is the ability to let those that can buy from you know about you. You cant have one without the other and be successful. The best product or service in the world thats also the best-kept secret is a pathway to failure. Letting people know about a marginal product or an inferior service is like spreading bad news; no one goes looking for it, theyre not interested in it, and theyll soon seek out a better option.