They haunt the late-night viewer until 6:00 or 7:00 AM. Then, if that wasn't enough, the 24-hour-a-day shopping networks will try to part you from your money.

Even though you can pick up a lot of great marketing tips from this type of television programming, this is NOT the only way to market your product or service. Let's look at another excellent example . . .

Some of you may remember the television show, Dallas. If not, then consider one of the soap operas such as As The World Turns, or Guiding Light. Every single one of these shows have something in common: They all leave every show with a cliff-hanger that is designed to make you want to tune in the next day to see what happens.

This is a perfect example of subtle marketing. Subtle marketing doesn't ask you to part with your money. Instead, subtle marketing asks you to part with your time which is essentially the same thing. Because when someone parts with their time because you emotionally control them (so-to-speak), you have that potential customer in the palm of your hand. Now, all you do is transfer that energy into selling your product or service and you will have a customer for life.

Repeat business is the key to making the big bucks. If you offer a shoddy product or service and do not give your customers a reason to do business with you again, you will spend your life continually working to gain new customers. This takes a lot of time, energy, and especially money, on your part. Consistent marketing to local new customers will never be to your benefit. Consider the adage, "the best customer you will ever have is the customer you already have."

Often, business owners who offer a shoddy product or service and find themselves in this position never admit the truth. Perhaps some of them don't know how to not have a shoddy product or service. They don't have the knowledge of how to improve their product or service without a loss in revenue, so they believe they are stuck in this mode.

Don't ever believe for one second that you are ever backed in a corner and can't move forward. Every good businessperson knows there is a solution for every problem. It may take a little longer to find the answer to one problem and less time for another, but the fact remains--there IS a solution to every problem.

All you need the desire to look for a solution. Also, you can't find the solution in the middle of a mess. Here, you must develop the ability to stand outside the problem and view it from a fresh perspective. If you aren't able to see the forest for the trees, you may need to hire a consultant. Once you look at the whole situation, rather than a piece of it you will be able to solve just about anything.

The infomercials, Dallas and the other soap operas, mentioned previously, are excellent examples of hard-sell and soft-sell marketing methods. Each works differently because each one is tailored specifically for the product or service they are selling. The soap operas use subtle marketing because they want people to watch their show tomorrow.

Infomercials use hard marketing methods because their main interest is making money and selling the product right then and there. But they also incorporate a subtle approach to their hard-sell methods by making the product sound as if the viewer cannot possibly live without it. Another trick is having customers call in and tell about their experience with the product. The customer feels special because they get to talk on live television. This feeling is directly related to their ego which in turn parts them with their money.