FAQs

Q: Who Is Biz Marketing Guy?
Please click on the “About Us” tab to learn more about him and why this site was created.

Q: What is Duct Tape Marketing?
Duct Tape Marketing is a global marketing consulting organization headquartered out of Kansas City, MO, focused on helping small and mid-sized businesses grow. Duct Tape Marketing’s flagship product, the Ultimate Marketing System™, was chosen as a Forbes Favorite for small business and marketing and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur magazine & CNN Money. AT&T, Hewlett Packard, Dell Inc. and Intuit are just some of the companies that promote the Duct Tape Marketing methodology to their client base.

Some Facts and Figures on Duct Tape Marketing:

• The network of Duct Tape Marketing coaches has representatives in the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, and Hungary
• The Duct Tape Marketing book has sold over 50,000 copies in hardback, paperback and Kindle editions, and has been translated into Portuguese, Thai and Korean
• Over 3,000 Ultimate Marketing Systems™ have been sold and more than 10,000 small business owners have worked with the Duct Tape Marketing System at some level
• The Duct Tape Marketing website received over 10,000 unique visitors each day
• Duct Tape Marketing content is featured by Dell Inc., Hewlett Packard, Sage Software, SAP, Intuit, Microsoft and American Express
• Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing is the world’s leading marketing planning software with over 5,000 copies sold annually
• John Jantsch is frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Business Week and CNN Money, and is a columnist for Entrepreneur magazine
• Forbes magazine calls Duct Tape Marketing their featured favorite for both small business and marketing
• The Duct Tape Marketing Blog is ranked 5th overall for marketing by the Advertising Age Power 150 and has over 130,000 RSS subscribers
• The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast was named as a “must listen” by Fast Company magazine

Q: What is the Ultimate Marketing System™?
The Ultimate Marketing System™ is a complete small business marketing system consisting of 14 workbooks and 4 audio CDs – the product of over 20 years of working with some of America’s most successful small businesses and independent professionals. The system has helped thousands of small owners grow their businesses with a proven step-by-step system, guiding you along the marketing path for a fraction of the cost of what others have paid to get this same expert advice and coaching.

Q: How are you different from other marketing consultants or firms?
We show business owners how to implement a repeatable marketing system they can use for LIFE!  We are not an ad agency or a firm pushing the latest tactics (i.e. advertising, promotions, sales, etc.) your company should try for that period.  We guarantee business owners that once they go through the process of learning and implementing the Ultimate Marketing System™, they will (maybe for the first time) know and be able to effectively communicate how their business is different and unique.  Only then, will we move onto developing the right strategy and picking the appropriate tactics that best suit your business.  As a result of this process, you’ll no longer have to guess what to do next, but have the foundation and skills to effectively plan, grow, and measure your business.   

Please visit the PRODUCTS and SERVICES pages to learn more about other Duct Tape Marketing programs (e.g. Referal Flood, Harnessing the Internet, etc.) that may better suit your current business need.

Q: Are you a coach, consultant, coordinator, trainer, or what?
We’ve found that the ideal engagement is through collaboration and guidance in designing and implementing the marketing processes. We would prefer to have you actively engaged in the process through our coaching engagement. However, if the operations of the business just don’t allow you time to engage, then we will take the leadership and creative role in getting everything implemented through our consulting engagement. The bottom line answer is that we’re a hybrid coach/consultant with the flexibility of handling either role.

By the way, we also have group training programs and self-guided programs.

Q: What if I want to use the system but don’t wish to have the coaching/consulting along with it?
The reason we developed the different packages is because we’ve found that business owners can typically learn the system on their own, but either have difficulty making time to implement it or would prefer to have one of our coaches guide them through the process, hold them accountable for results, and provide them with regular feedback and advice.

That being said, we also offer self-guided programs consisting of audio CDs and workbooks.

Q: How much do you charge for the services?
Please click on the SERVICES tab for our standard services. If you need something more specialized for your business, contact us to discuss your unique situation.

Q: How long does a typical consulting relationship last?
The agreements are for six months at a time. However, after our clients attain the results that they’re looking for, we’ve found that they typically like for the relationship to continue as we perform the marketing activities they can’t get to… essentially an ongoing, low-cost marketing department. The decision to continue is yours though.

Q: How long will it take before I see results?
It typically takes a couple of months to lay out the marketing plans, foundation and ‘marketing kit’ (i.e. a series of foundational documents that we’ll use to market the business). At the same time, we go through a couple of training sessions with your organization. Once these things are completed, we begin on the advertising and lead generation phases of the system. You should see results in a couple of months at that point with higher and higher returns to follow.

We help install marketing systems into the business that will consistently and permanently bring prospects to your business. The time frame of the entire process largely depends upon where you are, how much you’ve marketed in the past, and how fast you want to grow. Keep in mind however that marketing is different from sales… the distinction being that sales results come faster but marketing results are much more abundant. The best formula is to engage both.

Q: Do I have to do anything after I hire you as a coach or consultant?
The process must be a collaborative one early on.  You’ll be asked to engage in the marketing planning and development process. After all, no one knows your business better than you do. Once the marketing plan is agreed upon and a calendar is developed, we move to the lead generation phases.

At that point, if we have been engaged to provide coaching help, then you’re responsible for the development of the majority of the materials as well as implementation of the marketing activities. Our role will be to guide and serve as a level of accountability to make sure everything is completed.

If however, we’ve been engaged as a consultant, then we will quarterback the planning and implementation processes. Our role in this scenario will be more active. Either way, we will get together twice a month to go over results and planned activities. There will always be collaboration but most of it will be in the first couple of months during the planning phase.

Q: How do I get started?
You’ll first need to determine which service you’re interested in: 1) Coaching or 2) Consulting. We’ll then schedule a planning/strategy meeting. At this meeting, we’ll discuss company goals, past marketing activities, etc, and create an active marketing plan. We’ll then set up an account for the business in an online project management tool called Basecamp. We’ll use this tool to track progress and results as we move forward in building your business.

If you have questions, let us know by calling us at  512-699-9959  or emailing to davidt@bizmarketingguy.com