Some people really love to talk

One of the best courses I had in college was an English class on the 18th Century Novel. My professor assigned one book per week and would ask one question per book for which we were allowed to answer on only one typewritten, double-spaced page. The problem was that the question asked could be answered more easily in 20 pages than in one. That was the beauty of the course. I learned to write succinctly.

The same techniques used for writing succinctly can be applied to speaking succinctly as well.

While most novice speakers would probably prefer a 10-minute presentation to one lasting 40 or 50 minutes, many speakers find the 10-minute presentation harder to make than a longer version. Some people really love to talk.

The answer to cutting down your lengthy presentation is to ask yourself this one question: what must I say to get my point across? By means of an outline, list what you need to cover. Once you have those bullet points, build on them with care.

Your Team and Your Competitors

In the third of this three-part article, we will discuss the last two resources that will make successful marketing possible for your business, no matter the size of your budget.

Resource 4. Your Team

In your company, who is responsible for marketing? If you think "the Marketing Department," I couldn't disagree more. The truth is: No matter how big or small your company, every single person that has the ability to impact your brand or business is in "marketing." Learning how to enlist that team of people can help grow your business exponentially, and it doesn't have to cost you much.

Do your employees know the full extent of your company's offerings and your desired positioning so that they can be your company's biggest cheerleaders? Each member of your team represents a walking/talking potential billboard for your company and even more so for women owned businesses. They are literally "free media" for you, providing on-demand marketing for women business owners every time they shake someone's hand and introduce themselves.

Existing Customers, Products and Services

In the second of a three-part article, we will discuss the next two resources that will make successful marketing possible for your business, whatever your budget may be. We have already discussed the #1 marketing resource that every business already has at its disposal - Positioning - that can build your brand or successfully at low cost or no cost at all. Now, let's cover two more.

Resource 2. Existing Customers

Many companies put their focus first and foremost on trying to market to new prospects, but I contend that the key to success is to market to existing customers and let them help you bring in new prospects. In fact, statistics indicate it costs 6-9 times more to attract a new client than to keep an existing client happy. You as women business owners can grow your businesses faster - and less expensively - by marketing to your existing clients.