Craig A. Valine, The

Marketing Lessons from Tu Tu Tango

© 2004 By Craig Valine Back when my son was small, I didn't get out much. He was a beautiful 5 month old little boy who kept me "honest" and out of trouble. But, when I did get out, I liked to go out to dinner at a nice restaurant. You know, to... Read >

Understanding the Basics of Advertising

© 2001-06 By Craig Valine I get the LA Times delivered to my door every day, but I don't read it for the articles. It is a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper, but the articles just don't interest me. Unlike most people, I read the paper for the adv... Read >

Positive Relationships Are The Key to Business Success

© 2001 By Craig Valine  In business it's easy to burn bridges with people. By "burning bridges" I mean, destroy relationships with your customers, clients, employees, vendors, etc. It's one of the biggest mistakes I see businesses make. And... Read >

Don't Cheat Your Customers Out of Giving You Referrals

© 2001 By Craig Valine Remember a time when you shared information with someone important to you, like a friend, family member, or loved one… * About a great deal you got… * An awesome experience you had… * a company, service, ... Read >

Fulfill the Needs and Desires of Your Prospects

© 2001 By Craig Valine The key to a great marketing campaign starts with understanding how the needs of your prospect relate to your product or service. It's basic, but most business owners never consider the thought. Until you know what they nee... Read >

Enough About Me. How About YOU?

© 2001 By Craig Valine One of the biggest marketing mistakes I see constantly, in the newspaper, on the web, within company brochures, is the missing word: YOU. I cringe as I notice how enthralled these companies are with themselves. For instance... Read >

Do One Thing, and Do It Well.

By Craig Valine © 2002 All Rights Reserved When it comes to marketing your services, do you ever get so overwhelmed that you don't know where to start? I get overwhelmed often, and I'm a marketing consultant! I mean, there are so many different... Read >

Marketing Insanity: Stop the Madness!

© 2001-06 By Craig Valine They say the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing continuously, and expecting a different result." In marketing, I say "marketing your business the same way everybody else does is insane!" One thing that se... Read >

Keep on Keepin On Until They Say STOP!

© 2001 By Craig Valine For the last eleven years I've been a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce (aka "Jaycees"). If you're not familiar with the organization, it's a member-service organization whose purpose is "leadership training through ... Read >

Marketing Morsels - Direct Marketing Tidbits Full of Wholesome Goodness

© 2001-06 By Craig Valine I used to publish a postcard newsletter called "Marketing Morsels: Direct Marketing Tidbits Full of Wholesome Goodness." It was a tiny tool I used to build and maintain relationships with my clients. The other day, I wa... Read >

Believe It or Not, It Must Be Believable

© 2001-06 By Craig Valine It is entirely natural for people to discount the credibility and sincerity of an advertising message. After all, copywriters are "professional enthusiasts", aren't we? We're cheerleaders for our cause. We have to believ... Read >

P.S. I Want to Restate My Offer To You

© 2001-06 By Craig Valine Every sales letter needs a P.S. - don't even think about completing your letter until you've created one. The P.S. can make or break your letter. According to DM legend Ted Nicholas, the 7 most used P.S. types in suc... Read >

Remove the Risk to Guarantee Marketing Success

Remove The Risk to Guarantee Marketing Success © 2001-06 By Craig Valine An unconditional money-back guarantee is almost essential in today's competitive world of direct marketing. People tend to be hesitant towards purchasing any product or ser... Read >

Education Builds Credibility With Your Prospects

Education Builds Credibility With Your Prospects © 2001 By Craig Valine If you're in a sales position of any sort, or you're a customer or client of someone "selling" you, you know that the most common response to an objection or concern from a sa... Read >