Whether you're the Chief Marketing Officer of a Fortune 500 mega-company or the sole proprietor of your own business that you run out of a corner in your kitchen, you'll find value in these free articles on many aspects of marketing.

Click on the links below to read the articles. And hey, go ahead and share them with your friends or reprint them in your own newsletter, just be sure to include my copyright information. Thanks!

Here's what's worth reading now:

NEW! How to maximize your lead generation efforts: Got a new free report? Here are 10 ways to get the word out, and boost your list building and lead gen reach.

HOT!  How to boost referrals: Here are five ways to encourage referrals from your clients. 

HOT!  The Pro & Con of Groupon, the hippest way to get a boatload of new customers, or financial booby trap? As a marketing coach, I just had to add my two cents to the national conversation.

HOT! Esther Pugsley's recession-proof marketing strategies! Who is Esther Pugsley, and what are her three powerful strategies for attracting, acquiring, and retaining customers in a down economy? All the details are right here.

HOT! A baker's dozen of free marketing tools to help the budget-conscious business owner attract, acquire, and retain clients. See my Zero Cost Marketing Tools here. Recommended.

My Generation to MySpace: The Secrets of Generational Marketing may surprise you...

To post pricing or not to post pricing, that is the question.  With all apologies to Shakespeare for that terrible rip off of Hamlet's big angst-ridden speech, here are some of the arguments for and against posting pricing on our websites.

Remember me? (Is there a scarier question at a networking event?) If you want to impress someone you've just met, remember her name. Yes, YOU can do this, and here's how: Name Game.

A real-life experience that left me cringing! And what I do now so that it never happens again. Details here.

Can you afford to lose clients? No? Most of us can't afford to lose clients (customers, patients, whatever) but we do. Here's my take on why that happens, and what we can do to keep them.

Do you like to "do it yourself"? I do, and it sure works for me. Hey, I'm talking about optimizing my website for search engines, specifically Google! Here are two short articles (SEO Part 1 and Part 2) that outline my easy (seriously, it took me about 20 minutes) strategies for getting to the TOP (#1 for "marketing coach") on Google. You CAN do this.

If you can't influence others, you haven't got a prayer of making it in business. So what IS influence, and how do you get it? Here are four quick and easy tips for creating, increasing, and deepening your influence now.

HOT: So you emailed, and never heard from me.  Now you get the whole, true story of exactly why I ignored your email message(s).  By the way, if you recognize yourself, bear in mind that other folks use the same criteria for choosing which messages to open, too.

Having a little trouble standing out from the crowd?  Sometimes getting noticed can be as easy as putting on a sweater.  Find out how in my new article: Marketing Brand YOU: How to Set Yourself Apart from the Crowd.

Yes, I am beating the same drum again, but that's because I'm not sure you're listening!  Read my special message to women entrepreneurs who are working hard but not making sales.

Whether or not you are in real estate, you'll find my lessons from realtors helpful in your business.  These are lessons I learned from my mother, an amazingly successful woman who retired at the ripe old age of 39.  I'm not in real estate (duh!) but they've sure been useful to me. 

Have you tried networking, but found that it just doesn't work for you?  Perhaps you should try again, only this time, spend 90 seconds to read these five things you really need to know about networking to make it work for you.  It will be time well spent, I promise!

You've got some very satisfied clients, and you wish that every prospect could hear how they heap praises on you, but how to ask for (and get) really useful testimonials can get sticky if you don't know exactly what to say and when to say it.  Here's how I get great testimonials - without writing them myself!

You did it!  You worked, you sweated, you wrote an article and actually got it published in a magazine or newspaper.  Good for you!  But is the party over when the next issue comes out and your article is yesterday's news?  Nope, not if you follow my advice about what to do with your published article.  You can live off that glory for ages!

Getting bored introducing yourself at networking events?  If your self-introduction puts you to sleep, just imagine what it is doing to your listeners.  Read how one networker got a lot of attention by starting his introduction with a classic one-liner.

You need a web site. Now, don't argue with me, just read this article to see why you need it, what it can do for you, and how you can get one without spending an arm and a leg to make it happen. This is especially important if you think that a web site is nothing more than an electronic brochure, or that you need lots of cash or specialized expertise to have a great web site (because you don't!). So. Read it.

What is the number one networking no-no? The absolute worst faux pas one can make at a networking event? I know what you're thinking, but it is something much worse (though probably less vulgar), and it actually happened to me! Read my sad cautionary tale, and know that every word is true (although the name is left out to protect the identity of the offending party). Luckily this was one time in which I wasn't the one making the mistake...

If you think selling is hard, try selling to someone who really doesn't want what you've got. Unfortunately, that's just what a lot of folks do -- try to force stuff down people's throats who don't want it, and then they come complaining to me that marketing is too hard. Wanna make it easier on yourself? The secret is to sell to someone who wants what you're selling, or what I call your ideal client. Learn how to identify your ideal client here. Voila! Easy as pie.

Are you (or your business) one of America's best-kept secrets? Sure, your mom thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread, and in the privacy of your office your clients call you the miracle worker, but if there isn't some buzz about you out there, then you need to figure out how to get people talking about your business. Why? Because people talking about you = more (many more!) qualified prospects seeking your products or services = lower marketing costs + MORE MONEY! Need I say more? To learn how to get that buzz going, click here.

Looking for some real visibility in your networking circles? Then you may just want to take advantage of the Spotlight Speech opportunity that most organizations offer to their members. To make the most of your few minutes of fame in the spotlight, you'll want to know how to give a killer spotlight speech (won't you?). I thought so. And guess what? It's MUCH easier that it sounds!

My friend Jack and I were discussing (not gossiping, really!) the "rights" of home-based businesses over coffee one day, and we realized that even the two of us (both long-time solopreneurs) sometimes felt a bit unsure about what was OK, and what wasn't in terms of running our own businesses. As our coffee grew cold, we started work on the Solopreneur's Bill of Rights, and at the end of the process, we were happy with our work, and quite sure that you needed to read it, so here it is.

The best advice I ever got from my Dad (a very successful entrepreneur) was that when I needed a helping hand, I should look at the end of my arm. Eventually, I realized that he was right, and I worked hard to build my own successful business. Now I'm often asked for advice (and shortcuts) to success, so it's my turn to share Five Business Truths to Learn by Heart. I promise they are even more valuable than the words my Dad shared with me (although it's still pretty solid advice).

What if you sent out a press release, and nobody cared? Unfortunately, that happens all too often, to both small businesses and huge companies, but sugar, it doesn't have to happen to you! Just review (and abide by) my Publicity & Public Relations Basics and you'll soon see your company mentioned in the media!

Some of the most important secrets regarding PR (that's "public relations" to those of us not in the biz) are revealed in a piece contributed by my friend and sometime writing partner Jack Rubinger. If the essentials of PR are new to you, you can get up to speed with Jack's Public Relations 101.

You know it's finally time to get your web site up, but you don't know where to start, so you take five minutes and read my new piece that gives you step-by-step guidance in putting up that web site yourself in just a week (and you don't need to know a thing about programming, I promise!).

If you've heard about the value of an "elevator speech" you've probably also heard conflicting reports about how long it should be, and where that silly name came from. If these questions have kept you up nights (or even if you're just a bit curious), you'll be glad to read The Scoop on Elevator Speeches. At least you'll be able to sleep tonight!

If you're not going to hit the sack early, perhaps that's because you have a networking meeting to attend. If you're wondering what to do with all those business cards you've gathered, or how to make the most of your networking meetings, my new article on how to Build Your Business With Networking is a must-read for you.

Want to build your professional reputation quickly, easily and painlessly? You need to harness the Power of Personal Notes. Yes, you read right: Personal Notes are one of the most powerful tools you can add to your marketing tactical plan. And believe me, it's one that's both fun and easy! Just click on the link on the title above, or on the link to your left to read the article.

You know that a web site is a great marketing tool, and you know that keeping people coming back for more information is what you want to do. But how to do that? Simple! Just produce a great electronic newsletter every month to let your clients, colleagues and friends know what you're doing. And the good news is that producing a great newsletter isn't as hard as you might imagine, especially if you read these tips.