"Meet David Carleton, the Guy Behind this Site..."

I always knew that I'd own my own company. As I look back growing up, all part-time the jobs I had were preparing me for what was to come. Whether it was mowing lawns, washing windows, or in construction, marketing always played a big part.

My first marketing campaign was a hand-written flyer run off on a mimeograph machine (remember those?). I stuffed them into mailboxes in an upscale neighborhood. The headline was simple yet effective - "Professional job at Amateur Prices".

It worked so well I even brought in a partner into the business (my younger brother). I even started a "For Sale By Owner" real estate magazine back in the 1980's where I wrote the copy, took the pictures, did the layout and eventually distributed to local companies in the Danbury Connecticut area. - Ahhh, those were the days.

My professional career and formal education is also quite interesting. I have worked for several consumer goods companies ranging from a start-up venture with virtually no sales to multi-billion dollar, multi-national companies including Duracell Battery Company and Black & Decker. During that time I have held 20+ different positions in both sales and marketing.

I have designed sales, marketing and training programs for such retailers as Home Depot, CVS Drug Stores, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Office Depot, Oshman's Sporting Goods and Ace Hardware. I have had the good fortune of marketing products to over 20+ classes of trade and have even been a guest host on QVC (that was cool). My education includes a BS and MBA in marketing.

On the personal side I love to travel and have been all through Europe several times on both business and pleasure. This has given me a unique perspective in terms of the cultural differences that people and businesses have compared to the United States.

The world of marketing is quite fascinating and something I have always had a "knack" for. You can have the best product, a wonderful location and the lowest prices, but without great marketing, you are destined to work harder and longer with less than stellar results. It truly is "all about marketing".

Some people think of marketing as just advertising. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jay Conrad Levinson said "Marketing is not an event, but a process... It has a beginning, a middle, but never an en end, for it is a process. You improve it, perfect it, change it, even pause it. But you never stop it completely.

Basically, marketing is all about how to get the most people to do what you want them to do at the least cost.

Marketing answers questions such as:

How do you get people to pick up the phone and call you?
How do you get people to jump in their car right now and come down to your office or store?
How do you get people to tell other people about your products or services?
How do you get people to visit your website?
How do you get people to pull their hard earned money out of their pockets and willingly give it to you?

And lastly...

How do you get the absolute greatest number of people to do all the things above at the lowest cost and the highest return on your marketing dollars?

My area of expertise is "direct marketing" and increasing store traffic and I've been helping retailers of all sizes and dealers in niche markets do just that with amazing results.

I now publish a marketing newsletter where you get to actually SEE very specific examples of the marketing tactics that have been used with great success by store owners just like you.

On the personal side, I enjoy spending time with my family. They keep me young and on my toes. I even tried snowboarding for the first time last year. (I'd been a downhill skier since I was 12 years old.)

I also spend time with Denise, my best friend, my inspiration and the love in my life. We both love to travel and are planning our next trip to Greece.

I want to thank you for visiting my site. You'll find a lot of small business marketing ideas and information here. If you like what you see while you're here, would do me a favor and tell a friend about this site. They'll be glad you did - - and so will I.