Hi, Richard Seppala, your ROI Guy here, hoping you’ve had a chance to take a look at my new article, “Tracking Your Marketing: How Much is Enough?” The article is about if using a unique phone number on your marketing to track the response rate is really enough to measure “The True ROI” of a campaign.

While it’s a good start to see how many leads are generated by your marketing, most business owners would agree that the more important and relevant number is how profitable that marketing was. If the leads you’re generating aren’t quality leads that are ready to buy, it doesn’t matter how many of them call…you’re not making any money! And actually, you’re losing money, because you’re out the cost of the marketing. A negative marketing ROI? Not good!

Because the dollars and cents are so important to know, I invested a lot into the research and development of “The ROI Matrix” with a top-notch tech team. The results were worth it: for the first time, my clients can easily and automatically track a lead generated by marketing campaign from initial contact through a purchase (if one is made). This information gets tabulated instantly on their customized web portal, available 24/7, where it can be analyzed in various charts and reports.

I’ve also put a lot of side benefits into The ROI Matrix – incoming sales calls are automatically recorded and transcribed, and contact information is automatically uploaded into my clients’ CRM.

There are also powerful “add-ons” to The ROI Matrix – such as “The Magic Pill,” an automated sequence of “done-for-you” marketing that will follow-up on generated leads who have dropped out of the buying process, as well as a powerful web-based referral system.

“The ROI Matrix” finally finishes the job I’ve always wanted to accomplish – to track generated leads all the way to the finish line when they “buy or die.” The launch of my biggest and best service yet is close at hand – keep checking www.yourROIguy for the latest on The Matrix (and we promise – no disappointing sequels)!

To Increase Your Marketing ROI, First You Have to Know What It Really Is!

Hi, Richard Seppala, the ROI Guy.  In scores of crime TV shows and movies where they’re trying to bust a crooked operation, an investigator always ends up saying, “Follow the money.”

Well, that’s not a bad expression to live by when it comes to your marketing.

In the past, most marketing tracking systems simply used a unique phone number on every campaign to track their success.  How many people called a certain number would indicate how many leads responded to the campaign that number was linked to.  Whichever campaign generated the most calls would be deemed the biggest success.

One major, major problem:  those marketing tracking systems didn’t follow the money. In other words, knowing the number of leads generated was only part of the story – but how many of them actually ended up as paying customers because of that marketing?

In the past, that was just too complex a question to be able to answer.  It would require technology that could follow a lead past the initial contact and through every point in the buying process.

The service I initially offered my clients was a simple call tracking system that would tell them automatically how many leads a campaign generated.  I knew it wasn’t enough, and we went a step further, developing “The ROI Bridge,” a system that captured contact information from incoming leads, recorded and transcribed their phone calls, and uploaded their info into our clients’ CRM software for easier follow-up marketing.

Although I didn’t think about it at the time, this was actually a step closer to “The Holy Grail of Marketing” – determining the True ROI of a campaign.  By enabling my clients to automatically put leads into their system, the foundation was built to continue to follow those leads to see how far into the buying process they traveled.

It all came together for me when one of my clients discussed the need for a tracking system to see how much money a marketing campaign generated as opposed to their costs.   He and I both knew that knowing the simple number of leads wasn’t enough – we needed to “follow the money.”  Because that’s what counted the most in any business.

Working with my tech team, we were able to put the pieces together to finalize “The ROI Matrix,” my new service that actually does determine the “True ROI” of a campaign down to the penny.  All that’s required on my clients’ side is a few keystrokes to tell the system what’s happening with a lead (they are prompted to do this with automated emails sent to their staff through our system).

Knowing how much money a campaign makes versus how many leads it generated can make all the difference in the world.  And it’s really the only way to determine the actual effectiveness of marketing and advertising – and how to improve their ROI.

Visit www.YourROIGuy.com for more information on “The ROI Matrix” and how to make the most of your marketing.   We’d love to help you “follow the money!”

Hello, Richard Seppala, your ROI Guy here. If you haven’t seen my new article, “What’s Driving Your New Business,” I hope you’ll give it a look. It’s all about the importance of knowing which of your marketing and advertising is bringing in the bulk of your new customers – because when you have that information, you know just where to focus your marketing resources.

But most don’t know how to get that critical data. As I discussed in that article, if you’re just relying on your receptionist asking someone new how they heard about you, it’s going to be tough to get accurate answers.

For most small businesses and entrepreneurs, their marketing budget is an expense they really feel. They know they need to do marketing – yet they often don’t feel the need to actually see if that marketing is working, which always confuses me. Do they also spend money on equipment that they don’t know works? Or on hiring employees that they’re not sure can do the job?

Probably not. But, for most people, marketing is like hitting a Vegas casino. They just have to gamble and hope they don’t lose.

But your marketing and advertising doesn’t have to be a gamble.

My marketing tracking systems are automatic, foolproof and give you instant answers on which ad placements are generating the most responses. And my forthcoming ROI Matrix system will even tell you, to the penny, how much revenue they generated as well.

If you could have a definite answer on what marketing created the most new sales for you, wouldn’t you want it? Well, I can provide it – in an affordable, easy-to-use, automated system that’s guaranteed to increase your marketing and advertising ROI as well as boost your bottom line.

Find out about all of my services that can help you power up your profits at www.yourroiguy.com. You see, I don’t believe in gambling. Unless, of course, I’m in Vegas…(and my wife isn’t around!)

Hello, Richard Seppala, your ROI Guy here. In my new article, “The Trick to Tracking Marketing,” I talk about the different technologies used to track and increase the ROI of the marketing and advertising used by small and medium-sized businesses.

And I also mention that a lot of my clients say the same thing to me – “Richard, show me the money!” (I also mention that they need to stop watching “Jerry Maguire.” I mean, Cuba Gooding Jr. got tired of people saying that to him too!).

Well, I’m getting set to show everyone the money – and a whole lot more.

My innovative hi-tech marketing tracking systems have always done a great job (modest, aren’t I?) of showing my clients the number of responses each advertising and marketing placement generated – and also helped in compiling the contact information of those prospects for future marketing.

But I still couldn’t answer the critical question, “How much money does an individual piece of marketing make? Is it worth the expense?”

Now, I will be able to. My ROI Matrix system, which I’ll be rolling out soon, will track to the penny how much your marketing makes for you. And it will do more than that. It will also tell you just the main category of responses that an advertising placement generates.

Are you just getting random questions from people who aren’t serious buyers? Are you just getting sales calls? Or are you getting quality leads who could become lifetime customers? Knowing who your marketing attracts helps you to adjust your message accordingly, as well as your placements.

The ROI Matrix will also enable my clients to automatically follow up with prospects with direct mail, emails, letters, and phone calls in a pre-programmed sequence that will make sure no potential prospect is lost. If there’s a chance of a sale, you’ll be virtually guaranteed of making it.

I’m really excited about the potential for this “ultimate” ROI system – and once you take a look at it, I’m sure you’ll be excited about it too. Keep checking in at my website at www.yourroiguy.com for the latest news.

And in the meantime, enjoy “Jerry Maguire!” I hope I had you at “Hello…”

Use the Right Tools to Increase Your Marketing ROI

Hi, Richard Seppala, the ROI Guy here to talk about my specialty, tracking marketing. I can’t tell you how many expert marketers run into the same problem as my clients – is what they’re spending on their marketing and advertising actually making them any money?

Small to medium-sized businesses and medical practices don’t have the incredible resources that corporations do. They don’t have the budget to run marketing awareness research or the resources to do the kind of micro-planning the big companies do.

But they, like most businesses, realize that, in today’s crowded marketplace, marketing is essential to growing their profits. They just don’t know if what they’re doing is working – so they say to me, “Richard, show me the money!” Apparently most of them have recently watched Tom Cruise in “Jerry Maguire”…

That’s why, for smaller businesses, the best and most affordable option is tracking your marketing. By putting a different toll-free number on every advertising placement or campaign, you can instantly keep track of how many responses that placement or campaign is generating. My clients can access that information quickly and easily through their own online ROI Guy page, which automatically gathers that data.

Those toll-free numbers can also work online through the technology of Dynamic Tracking. That means that, whether a prospect clicks through on a Google Ad or a banner ad, the phone number will actually change on your home page to correspond to whatever internet ad placement you have out there.

Finally, with a system like my ROI Bridge, the generated calls are answered by an automated system that transcribes the calls and also automatically gathers the contact information of the caller. That information is uploaded into the marketing software of the business to be used for future marketing campaigns.

Now, you might say, “Well, Richard, you still haven’t shown me the money. I know how many people responded to the marketing in question – but I don’t know how many actually became a paying customer or how much money the ad actually generated.”

First of all, I’d like you all to please stop watching “Jerry Maguire.” You should know how it all comes out by now. Secondly, my forthcoming ROI Matrix system will address that very question. For the first time, we’ll be able to track exactly who is responding to which ads. Are they just people asking questions? Are they other businesses trying to sell you something? Or are they, in fact, warm leads that are easily converted into clients or customers?

Properly tracking your marketing can’t help but increase your marketing and advertising ROI. By knowing what works and what doesn’t, you focus on what makes your profits pop – and save money by eliminating all your spending on marketing that doesn’t do the job. And both things mean a boost to your bottom line.

Visit www.YourROIGuy.com for more information on how to make the most of your marketing!

The Inside Secrets to Increasing Your Marketing ROI

Hi, Richard Seppala, the ROI Guy here to tell you about an exciting new summer television premiere you won’t find on any of the usual networks – “ROI TV.”

My mission, as all of you who are familiar with me know, is to help every kind and size of business increase the ROI of their marketing and advertising. To accomplish that, I’m always on the lookout for ways to help business owners save more money – by eliminating wasteful spending on marketing that just doesn’t work – and also make more money – by focusing on the marketing that does work.

That’s why I’ve created so many automatic systems (like my new forthcoming “ROI Matrix”) that enable businesses to track their existing marketing, and find out which placements and campaigns actually are generating quality responses and cash sales.

My new “ROI TV” project, however, will go beyond helping business owners with their current marketing – by helping them explore new and innovative marketing ideas they may not have considered before.

To present these ideas, I’ve rounded up a formidable line-up of marketing experts who will put forward some exciting new 21^st century approaches that can take your marketing to a whole new level.

Each week on my website, you’ll be able to watch a new episode of “ROI TV,” where I’ll be interviewing an expert bringing you inside secrets that will help you maximize the ROI of your marketing and advertising. These experts run the gamut of modern marketing – direct mail, online marketing, branding, content marketing and much more. They’re incredibly successful, smart and respected people. I’ve learned a lot from them and I know everyone who watches “ROI TV” will too.

Many business owners get stuck in ruts when it comes to marketing – doing the same old, day in and day out, and getting the same results. That’s why I believe “ROI TV” will be so valuable to them – it’s an easy way to access all the new techniques and technology that are out there.

There is no question that marketing has changed dramatically in recent years, largely because of the internet. It’s mind-blowing to realize that YouTube only just celebrated its fifth birthday – it seems like it’s been there forever. The online shift has made marketing more complicated in ways – and much simpler in ways. But there’s no question it’s made it a lot more cost-effective (even, in many cases, free!).

My “ROI TV” experts will open your eyes to the huge amount of marketing choices you currently have – as well as how to make the most of these new opportunities to boost your profits to new levels.

Be sure and visit www.YourROIGuy.com for the forthcoming premiere of “ROI TV.” I hope you’ll tune in.

Hi, Richard Seppala, “The ROI Guy,” here.

At the Seppala household, it’s a little busy – maybe you heard, we have about 500 or so boys running around. So we order in some delivery food from time to time because Mom and Dad have to work a lot. Well, we found this great Italian place that delivered – their food was amazing. And when a guy named Seppala finds a great Italian place, he sticks with it!

But the third time, something happened. They lost the order…we called and we got the food about an hour late. Still delicious, though. So we gave them a pass on that screw-up.

A week or so later, same thing. No food at our door. We tried calling. No one was answered or we got voice mail. Finally, we got them on the phone, but the delivery didn’t make it to the house until 8:30. Not good when you’re hitting bath and bed time for the young’uns.

What was frustrating was that the food itself tasted the best it ever had. We just weren’t ever going to chance another delivery order from them.

You’re probably wondering what our dinner issues have to do with your business. Well, the point is that sometimes it doesn’t matter how good your product or service is – if your customer service isn’t up to snuff, you’re going to drive away potential revenue.

As I wrote in my new article, “Missed Calls = Missed Opportunities,” businesses need to make sure they handle incoming sales calls in the best possible way.

We all spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising what we have to offer – well, your prospects don’t care what you have to offer, if they can’t get you on the phone. Just like my family didn’t care about how awesome the food was from the restaurant – if it comes two hours late, it doesn’t do us a whole lot of good!

That’s why I worked hard on my latest all-in-one solution to handling incoming sales calls, “The ROI Matrix.” As with my previous system, the ROI Matrix automatically tracks which marketing generated the call, captures the lead contact information, and answers the call with an automated message and a “Call to Action.”

In addition, instead of just measuring the number of calls a marketing campaign gets, you also get a complete breakdown of the category of phone calls (wrong numbers, sales calls, repeat calls, and, of course, the calls you actually want – prospects who want to buy, buy, buy!), as well as the follow-through that determines how much new business your marketing actually generated.

If you want to know more about what the ROI Matrix can do for your business, please don’t hesitate to contact me at info@totalcensus.com.

And if you like to eat late, I’ll also give you the name of that Italian restaurant!

Richard Seppala, known as the ROI Guy, has recently signed a publishing deal with CelebrityPress, along with other leading entrepreneurs from across the nation, to release the business and marketing book, “The Next Big Thing: Top Trends From Today’s Leading Experts to Help You Dominate the New Economy.”

Orlando, Fla. – October 29, 2010 – Richard Seppala, advertising and marketing ROI expert, has recently signed a publishing deal with leading business and marketing book publisher, CelebrityPress™. Richard will be joining a select group of America’s leading entrepreneurs and businesspeople to collaborate and co-write the forthcoming business and marketing book titled, “The Next Big Thing: Top Trends From Today’s Leading Experts to Help You Dominate the New Economy.” Nick Nanton, Esq. along with business partner, JW Dicks, Esq., recently signed a publishing deal with each of these authors to contribute their expertise to the book, which will be released under their CelebrityPress™ label.

Richard’s latest book, ROI Marketing Secrets Revealed was released on September 30, 2010. On the day of release, the book was a #1 Best-Seller in the Direct Marketing category on Amazon.com. The book also reached the best-seller list in two other categories. ROI Marketing Secrets Revealed reveals million-dollar secrets that top marketers use in their specialty for maximum return on investment (ROI) and how to directly increase your profits today.

The forthcoming book, “The Next Big Thing: Top Trends From Today’s Leading Experts to Help You Dominate the New Economy” will feature forward thinking trends to help entrepreneurs and business people dominate the new economy.

To learn more about Richard and his revolutionary ROI Matrix, please visit http://www.YourRoiGuy.com

To learn more about CelebrityPress™, please visit http://www.CelebrityPressPublishing.com

About Richard Seppala:

Richard Seppala, also known as “The ROI Guy™,” is best-selling author and marketing expert that is regularly sought out by the media for his opinion on marketing campaigns that really work.  Richard has been seen on NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX affiliates as well as in The Wall St. Journal, USA Today and Newsweek.

Richard is known for constantly asking the question “What is the return on the investment you make for each of your marketing campaigns?” He founded what has now become “The ROI Guy™” in 2005, a company that provides advertising tracking for clients nationwide. The ROI Guy™ Tracking System monitors the success or failure of ad campaigns, tracks marketing response rates, determines return on investment (ROI) and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of your marketing and customer service programs throughout your business lifecycle.

Critically acclaimed as “The Holy Grail of Marketing,” The ROI Guy™ Tracking System is just that, because there is no easier system that puts the power and ease of real time results for lead generation on autopilot with all of your marketing campaigns.

To learn more about Richard Seppala, The ROI Guy™ and how you can receive the free Special Report “Your Income Explosion Guide:  7 Powerful Reasons Why Your Telephone is the Lifeblood of Your Business,” visit http://www.YourRoiGuy.com or call Toll-Free 1-800-647-1909.

About Celebrity Press™:

Celebrity Press™ is a business book publisher that publishes books from thought leaders around the world. Celebrity Press™ specializes in helping its authors grow their businesses through book publishing. Celebrity Press™ has published books alongside Brian Tracy, Ron Legrand, Mari Smith, Kelly O’Neil, Alexis Martin Neely and many other of the biggest experts across diverse fields.

If you’d like to learn more about Celebrity Press™ or to see if we’re a good fit for your book project, please visit http://www.celebritypresspublishing.com/contact-us

Improve your Marketing ROI by Answering Every Call and Capturing Every Lead!

Richard Seppala, “The ROI Guy,” here. How do you feel when you’ve decided to buy from a business – you give them a call to talk about your order – and the phone just rings and rings and rings? And RINGS!

So you call back a little later…and finally, the receptionist answers and takes down your name and number. But you never hear back. Because the receptionist wrote down your contact info on the back of her hand and then washed it off after she had lunch.

So…you call again. When the business is closed, so you can leave a message. THAT should work, right? Oh, wait. The voicemail box is filled up.

Granted, you’ve hit the ultimate trifecta of bad phone call experiences – but still, any one of the above scenarios just might make you second-guess your decision to buy from that business, right? Especially if you know of a competitor that’s more than ready and willing to sell you the same basic product or service at a comparable price.

Now let’s talk about your business. If you’re like most small or medium-sized companies, your marketing budget is tight – and you want to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck. Well, if you’re not making sure the leads you generate with that expensive marketing and advertising are actually able to quickly and efficiently make contact with you, you might as well throw that marketing money out into the street (that’s one way to get some customers at your door – of course, they’ll just end up paying you with your own money!).

Something many business owners fail to understand is that the actual marketing and advertising is only the first important step in the sales process. And it means nothing if you haven’t created an effective system for the leads you generate through that advertising – that’s the only way you increase your marketing ROI to the max.

Setting up an all-in-one call tracking system that automatically (1) identifies which marketing generated the call, (2) captures the lead contact information, (3) answers the call with an automated message and a “Call to Action” (some sort of free information or discount) to motivate the person to buy means the rest of your sales process is completely taken care of. And that’s an incredible advantage for any busy office where incoming sales calls can often be mishandled, ignored or not returned.

No matter what your math expertise might be, you can understand this equation – missed calls equal missed opportunities. When a customer wants to buy, you want to make it as easy for them as possible. Automating your incoming sales call system as much as possible leaves no room for human error and ensures you don’t lose a penny of potential revenue.

My new ROI Matrix system does everything an all-in-one call tracking system should do – and more! For the first time, you can not only see which marketing generates the most leads, but you can also see which marketing attracted the most paying customers. Find out more about it at my website, http://www.yourroiguy.com.